Alcohol and weitghtloss

alicejones77
alicejones77 Posts: 4 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone!
Basically I'm doing well on my fitness pal, sticking well to it throughout the week but it comes to Saturday night/Sunday day and it all fails. I am a student so nightlife is a big part of my social life, and I do enjoy going out clubbing and having drinks with friends. Drinking however is A LOT of calories and then hungover me the next day just forgets all the dieting and hard work of the week and just indulges! Has anyone got any top tips?

Also - a question linking therefore about cheat days.. would a cheat day ruin my diet completely? What is everyone's views and experiences?


Thanks!
Alice x

Replies

  • trwww
    trwww Posts: 14 Member
    Yep, unfortunately weight loss and binge drinking just do not mix. The lowest calorie drinks are 100 calories a drink. If you have 8 drinks thats 800 calories, and then calories in food the night out and the next day to nurse the hangover can wipe out modest deficits and leave you at maintenance or even gaining for the week.

    If you want to keep your night out, the easiest thing to do is hard exercise 1+ hour for at least four days of the week to give you 2500 - 3000 calories for partying.
  • Danihoo8
    Danihoo8 Posts: 11 Member
    I think that you can bank your calories but you still have to be careful: ie drink low calorie drinks and the next day to try and cheat for one meal and maybe not a day as I've learned it can go down hill quick... and then it's hard to recover lol good luck!
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Oh man. No way I'd be a success in college. Went to a Big 10 and partying was intense.


    Bank some calories for the weekend and get ready to lose at a snails pace.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    You may find this article by Martin Berkhan (Leangains) interesting: http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

    Pay particular attention to the heading "How to lose fat or prevent fat gain when drinking".
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    You may find this article by Martin Berkhan (Leangains) interesting: http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

    Pay particular attention to the heading "How to lose fat or prevent fat gain when drinking".

    An oldie but a goodie.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    You may find this article by Martin Berkhan (Leangains) interesting: http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

    Pay particular attention to the heading "How to lose fat or prevent fat gain when drinking".

    An oldie but a goodie.

    Indeed, but I always wondered if it jams your liver. I've tried it, and in fact I did have a whoosh. But honestly, it was so few calories to comply with the fat & carb thresholds, any macro split at calories that low would have probably had the same result. Fully half my calories for the day were alcohol, but I wasn't over maintenance after it was all said, done & drunk.

    OP, it's tough. Banking calories helps. Alternating alcohol with water helps. Dancing your *kitten* off truly helps the most. But drinking so much that you feel hung over the next day almost invariably leads to IDGAF eating the next day. That whole package is hard to offset during the week. IMHO, whether or not you call it a "cheat day" doesn't change the caloric intake, so you're better off just counting it. Finding a way to genuinely have fun with your friends while simultaneously moderating the alcohol will serve you well for the rest of your life. Cheers!
  • Kelll12123
    Kelll12123 Posts: 212 Member
    I lost 40 pounds binge drinking 1-3 nights a week when I was in college (I'm a recent graduate).
    -Liquor and diet soda are your friend.
    -Try your best to avoid drunk snacks. I learned to go home and cook potato wedges with cheese if I really needed it instead of eating out.
    -Plan for it during the week. Exercise a little extra and set calories aside. I learned to look at my weekly net calories, so if I went over a day, I could balance it out during the rest of the week.
    -Sweat the next day. Not for diet reasons really, but just because it feels good. I like to do hangover runs until I feel like the toxins are out or until I throw up. I call them punishment runs
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    I've always been a lightweight, so too much drinking in my younger days never ended up pretty. I wasn't trying to cut calories back then but save money and be well enough to work the next day. My limit was three drinks. I would only bring enough cash for three drinks and a tip. Then between every drink I would have at least one free non-alcoholic beverage, usually water. Occasionally, someone would want to treat me to shots and I would get in over my limit, but the plan worked most of the time.
  • TK6299
    TK6299 Posts: 502 Member
    edited March 2017
    My experience: Started at 183 lbs. 1200 calories a day religiously for about a year. In that time, exercise at least three times a week, no alcohol except for every other weekend on Friday or Sat I would go completely off reservation, eating and drinking all that I wanted, and I did not log a single bit of indulgence. But, when my one day was over, back to it. When I got to around 145 lbs, I added weight lifting to the mix and upped my calories to 1700 a day. I am in maintenance now around 152 lbs, still working out about three times a week, and I am a little more lenient with alcohol throughout the week.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    There are ways to enjoy a social life and lose weight.
    A few ideas:

    1. Pick a night. One. Or at most two nights.
    2. Take 50 calories off a day during the week, to allow for a bit more on that night. But make those NUTRIENT DENSE DAYS. Eat healthy the rest of the time!!
    3. Factor in a good burrito (or whatever is your fancy) on the morning after.
    4. Get back to it immediately. Heck go for a run a couple of hours after the burrito
    5. CHOOSE WISELY. Become a drinker of low cal drinks. It doesn't have to be beer or sweet drinks.
    6. Drink lots of water. Preferably between drinks.
    7. Use common sense. Of course. Stop after a few. A FEW.

    ^^All of this.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    You may find this article by Martin Berkhan (Leangains) interesting: http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

    Pay particular attention to the heading "How to lose fat or prevent fat gain when drinking".

    Okay I'm only a little way in, but so far it's just encouraging me to drink more regularly :p
  • STC02
    STC02 Posts: 48 Member
    It's strange the last time I had a drink (half bottle of apple vodka and 5 stella artois) I had actually lost 5lbs overnight. Those 5 went back on 2 days later once I started eating again but my advice would be to not overdo it on a night out and the next morning get some bacon and eggs going. The salt from the bacon helped me and the eggs were protein as well so I started to feel a lot better instead of lounging about waiting for a takeaway to open.
  • beautiful21916
    beautiful21916 Posts: 3 Member
    No mixed drinks! Liquor straight, on the rocks or with tonic water saves tons of calories. Red wine is also a good choice
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    beautiful21916 wrote: »
    No mixed drinks! Liquor straight, on the rocks or with tonic water saves tons of calories. Red wine is also a good choice

    Red or white, dry is better.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    edited March 2017
    During my weight loss I would save up during the week and have a bottle of wine every Friday (usually with pizza :)). Yes, the whole bottle, and usually a glass or two Sat/Sun. Never stopped me from consistently losing a pound a week.

    The last few weeks have been the same. I even lost about half a pound week before last and I was at an all inclusive resort in Mexico, drinking for at least 5 drinks every single day (gin, mint, lime, soda water, no sugar).

    It's more than possible... just fit it in. Note that alcohol is certainly less filling than other calories, so you do have to work for it (exercise). Since I also have exercise related goals, thats no problem at all. If you're dancing, you'll burn a lot of it off, just don't drink so much you're hungover...thats a killer. You don't need to get sloppy to have fun.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited March 2017
    work out an bank calories for the weekend. Eat a bit less each day and burn a bit more and then eat those calories back on weekend drinking. Drink less so you wont be hungover and stupid. Drink alot of water to also avoid hangover stupidity.

    As for cheat days....absolutely a bad idea. A cheat day can ruin your entire weeks work. And being in the mindset of cheat days and good/bad foods is how people fail at losing weight. No food should be forbidden mix them into your day to day life. No need for cheat days and guilt.
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    I was in your shoes. at some point you may need to decide what you want more. Might even find you need to change your friends. It's all part of growing up. I still drink occasionally but it's not like it use to be and that's just fine. all goals met.
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    Cheat days = cheating yourself
    You know your consuming loads alcohol calories so all your hard work is undone with the drinking
    Tbh once you are serious about losing weight you will add your alcohol calories
    It maybe worth logging all your drinks every single one it will open your eyes to what's going on etc
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    trwww wrote: »
    Yep, unfortunately weight loss and binge drinking just do not mix. The lowest calorie drinks are 100 calories a drink. If you have 8 drinks thats 800 calories, and then calories in food the night out and the next day to nurse the hangover can wipe out modest deficits and leave you at maintenance or even gaining for the week.

    If you want to keep your night out, the easiest thing to do is hard exercise 1+ hour for at least four days of the week to give you 2500 - 3000 calories for partying.

    There's alot of lower calorie drinks than 100 each spirits are 50-60 calories a 25 ml
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,142 Member
    I imagine like most UK students not drinking as much is probably not going to happen, I know someone mentioned 8 drinks earlier and I am here thinking haha that used to be my pre-night out drinks never mind my night out back in my 20's.

    If you're not going to cut down on the drinking (which unless you are the exception to the majority of young students is unlikely)
    • make sure not to drink on an empty stomach
    • try and have a glass of water/soft drink alternated with your booze (Sparkling water can easily look like a vodka soda if you're subject to peer pressure).
    • Spirits with diet coke/lemonade/tonic or Soda Water mixers are some of the best low calorie options
    • Leave a bottle/pint of water by your bed to drink when you get home
    • I second @STC02 bacon and eggs option the next day - I normally unintentionally end up Intermittent Fasting on a weekend as I don't usually eat until 1pm and sometimes as late as 3pm so I will usually have some sort of poached eggs on a muffin, missing breakfast means I have more calories to play with during the course of the day.
    • Continue to up your water intake the couple of days after, to help avoid water retention which tends to occur after drinking alcohol and will artificially inflate your scale readings.
    • Get some exercise in on a weekend if you can. @ahoy_m8 makes a good point about dancing your *kitten* off, I never take weekends off for exercise, so even if I am hungover (That said I rarely drink more that 4-5 drinks on a night out now) I get up and get a bit of cardio and strength training in.
  • HM2206
    HM2206 Posts: 174 Member
    For me it's;

    - Save calories for the evening. I eat very healthy during the day and try to get a workout in.

    - Choose the right drink. You have more control over the calories with wine than with mixed drinks. Plus, the alcohol hits you slower, so you usually don't get too drunk.

    - Here in Norway, drinks are crazy expensive so it's common to have some pre-drinks at home. When I get wine, I usually get a dry white wine or a red wine with low sugar.

    - Keep a healthy snack at home for when you get back.

    And not to sound like a bore, but is it a goal to get so drunk that you are really hungover the next day? I drink until tipsy, and have a large glass of water and large glass of milk before bed, sleep 8 hours and am usually fine the next day.
  • LegallyBrunette1
    LegallyBrunette1 Posts: 8 Member
    This could have been my thread last year. I wondered where all the weight gain came from! I started law school and before I new it I was 25 pounds up... from drinking. Now I am very cautious when I go out with friends. Last weekend, I went to a casino and free drinks were definite something I partook in. That being said, I logged every sad one of them and continued on my diet. I still lost 7 pounds for the month.
  • fign8r
    fign8r Posts: 10 Member
    were u drunk when u misspelled "weightloss"? LoL (J/K) :-D
  • alicejones77
    alicejones77 Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you everyone for your replies they've all been helpful! Went out last night and drank vodka soda and blackcurrant and i only took a bit of money out so i didn't over-buy drinks! Today is a little bit harder to keep on the diet and i haven't been AS strict. was tempted to get a take-away but i'm just gunna go to the shop and grab some yummy bits instead. Staying strong ha ha !
  • ImaginePeace81
    ImaginePeace81 Posts: 7 Member
    Imo alcohol is terrible period. I had my night out once or twice a week in my twenties and thought that I could do fine with that and maintaining my weight. Which I did until at 32 I was diagnosed with liver disease. I haven't had a drink since. That was 3 years ago. I am not trying to say that going out once in awhile and having (2 at the most) is bad, I am saying that every weekend deal catches up to a lot of us. Treat your body well. Find something fun to do on the weekends that doesn't involve drinking.
  • crooked_left_hook
    crooked_left_hook Posts: 364 Member
    Rum and Diet Coke if you must have the booze. If want to skip the booze but still look like your participating get a club soda or ginger ale with lime. As long as nobody sniffs you drink for all they know there's vodka in it. I'm not a drinker, but most of my friends are. Sometimes you just have to fake it.
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