Eating when drunk

Eating when I’m drunk just messes up my diet every time but I just can’t figure out how to avoid it. I’ve tried not drinking at all in the past and it worked for a couple months but it’s a not a long term solution given that drinking is still clearly a part of my social life. I really need some tips or advice on this. I’m clearly eating enough throughout the day so that’s not the problem. And it happens even when I don’t drink too much i.e. just two small glasses of wine is enough to get me eating too much when I get home (I’m a lightweight).

Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited June 2019
    I suggest checking in with the people in this thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10745795/less-alcohol-june-2019-one-day-at-a-time/p1

    There are some member generated tips and researched links in the first post and many people there that can give you specific ideas for moderating and dealing with when you drink.
  • Azurite27
    Azurite27 Posts: 554 Member
    This has been a struggle for me too. So I've been drinking only one or two beers and then switching to 0 calorie drink for the rest of the night. And sometimes packing a light snack.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    I found that drinking vodka ,club soda and lime really helps me stay in control. I have a nice buzz while being social and I don't have the urge to eat. And i dont wake up with a hangover the next day.

    When I was drinking wine that made me drunk really fast and then all eating went out the window and then i'd wake up the next day hungover and still eating, usually ordering a pizza.
  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
    I had to stop getting drunk away from home. I tried telling someone I was with "Don't let me eat later!!!" But they usually end up drunk too and then we convince each other it's fine :D The only person I can trust to hold me to my word is my boyfriend, so I will occasionally drink a little more when I am out with him. Sometimes I have a couple drinks, sometimes I just ask for sparkling water with a lime or tell people i'm driving and they usually don't care. I really only have a couple friends who have made me feel guilty about it and guess what? I just don't go out with them anymore *shrug*

    Otherwise, I'll just drink at home with friends over or while watching some rom coms. I don't keep "drunk munchy" food at home, I actually don't keep too much food at home in general. So if I get a little bit past tipsy and want to start eating, i'm typically met with an empty fridge.
  • alung2k3
    alung2k3 Posts: 81 Member
    I'm in this scenario today. I've been mega consistent with cals etc. In the gym now, going to work my *kitten* off and just treat today as a 1 off.

    In the grand scheme of it all, 1 day in hundreds isn't going to hurt.
  • KeithWhiteJr
    KeithWhiteJr Posts: 233 Member
    I just drink diet Pepsi in social situations now a days, with the occasional Bud Select 55. It helps keep me from eating some chicken wings or loaded tater tots after a few too many drinks, and it has the added side effect of no hangover the next day!
  • goodasgoldilox165
    goodasgoldilox165 Posts: 333 Member
    Drink does stimulate the appetite. (A friend who is a doctor always wanted to be allowed to prescribe a pre-dinner sherry for those on his geriatric ward who weren't eating enough and were too thin!) It has many calories in too.

    -Plan and prepare a satisfying and very easily available meal for directly after drinking.
    -Drink a LOT of (fizzy) water alongside your wine. (I avoid 'diet' drinks - they make me hungry later too.)
    -Don't drink to satisfy others.
    -Plan to make your drinking days occasional and save calories for them during the previous week (but not on the drinking day).
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    For me, I save my long runs for Saturdays, when I'm most likely to be going out. I'll leave a nice chunk of calories free at the end of the day for beer and snacks (I love fancy beers). Depending on my mood, I may try to roughly track the calories I'm taking in, but if it's a party, I'm not going to bother. I know I've got margin, and worst case, I'll go a little over and work out the difference over the next week's workouts. It's not something I do too terribly often, so it's not much of an impediment to losing. I don't worry about my weight the day after since I know I'm going to be retaining extra water and biomass from the night before, and it'll go away in a day or two. Planning and prelogging are my saviors for being free to be social.
  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
    Just a disclaimer - banking exercise calories is one thing, but purging with exercise is not mentally healthy or sustainable for a lot of people.
  • missh1967
    missh1967 Posts: 661 Member
    I'm the WORST eater when I drink. THE WORST!
  • maureenseel1984
    maureenseel1984 Posts: 395 Member
    Eating when I’m drunk just messes up my diet every time but I just can’t figure out how to avoid it. I’ve tried not drinking at all in the past and it worked for a couple months but it’s a not a long term solution given that drinking is still clearly a part of my social life. I really need some tips or advice on this. I’m clearly eating enough throughout the day so that’s not the problem. And it happens even when I don’t drink too much i.e. just two small glasses of wine is enough to get me eating too much when I get home (I’m a lightweight).

    Veggies and dip! Big hit at parties I have at my house. Filling, low calorie, nutritious!
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    Just a disclaimer - banking exercise calories is one thing, but purging with exercise is not mentally healthy or sustainable for a lot of people.

    Oh, completely agree. I've been down that road before, and it's a bad, bad road.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    Keep in mind that if you eat lightly to save calories for drinking/eating later in the day, you may be so hungry by then that you binge.
  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
    OP, you mentioned that you have trouble not over-eating specifically at home after drinking. I like to keep those 100-calorie mini bags of popcorn handy. It takes a while to eat so I'm less likely to be raiding the fridge/pantry for one snack after another, and it makes me feel like I ate more than I actually did.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    whmscll wrote: »
    Keep in mind that if you eat lightly to save calories for drinking/eating later in the day, you may be so hungry by then that you binge.

    and depending how lightly you eat can lead to some bad results with drinking. not eating and then drinking is a bad idea.
  • BuddhaBunnyFTW
    BuddhaBunnyFTW Posts: 157 Member
    edited June 2019
    I eat about 300 calories for breakfast, 500 for lunch and have about 3 glasses of wine with my dinner. It comes out to about 2,000 calories a day. I've been losing weight doing that. :)

    Plus drink wine or vodka and stay away from beer. XD
  • alienseamstress
    alienseamstress Posts: 4 Member
    All these responses that focus on drinking less, that is obviously the best route but you probably already know that. I grew up as a social drinker too and I totally understand the craving for tasty food and the care-free attitude that goes with it.
    I found it to be enough of a concern for me that I would always try to set myself up for some type of success if it were at my house.. like preparing a big veggie tray with hummus for everyone beforehand, something there would be leftovers of and that would be the most accessible later on out of everything else laying around.
    After drinking, you will probably be a lot more lenient and appreciative of things that are usually not so much. So don't leave chips, nuts or leftover pizza sitting around. Plain popcorn is great, or celery.
    If I am out somewhere else and can't just set myself up ahead of time, then I'll drink as slow, and as late as I can, so the alcohol munchies don't kick in until I'm home again or at least not at a club, bar or friend's bbq where bad food is readily available.
    If you are caught somewhere and totally screwed, just do what I do.. remind yourself that eating anything after drinking means it's time to start feeling blah, sluggish, red eyes, and ugh. It is usually a good failsafe for when I can't plan ahead.