Booze

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lisamac
lisamac Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, what are the rules everyone lives by with regard to drinking alcolhol when trying to loose weight? I drank socially in college and gained a lot of weight. In my mid 20's I stopped drinking altogether, did a fitness program, and generally had an active lifestyle. I lost a lot of weight and as I have been gaining it back, I've noticed it may partly be because I am drinking more again.

I don't drink a lot, but I have wine on the weekends (and an occasional glass with dinner durring the week -- but that's rare). I had been drinking beer occasionally too, but I'm giving that up because it makes me feel crappy. Wine, though, is SO yummy! I don't drink a bottle to myself, but I definately have a few glasses on the weekends. An occasional mojito or summertime beverage gets consumed too.

So, my question is, since I enjoy having wine and other drinks on occasion, should I only keep it to one glass? If I make a mized drink, are there good ways to make them that are sill tasty but low in calories? Please share any ideas/stories you have. :drinker:
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Replies

  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    I'm the same way. I can't give up my red wine...I love me some merlot!
    One of my fave mixed drinks is a vodka tonic with a splash of grinadine syrup. Also...mix vitamin water with vodka and it's pretty low cal...granted alcohol isn't good for you but every once is a while a good treat.
  • vanimami
    vanimami Posts: 433 Member
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    As long as you don't over do it, you can treat yourself. I sometimes have a few drinks on teh weekend as well.
  • shannar78
    shannar78 Posts: 7 Member
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    I usually have a few beers on the weekend, but I just figure it into my calories for the day...
  • edleim
    edleim Posts: 81 Member
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    Intersting, I don't think everyone's body reacts the same to alcohol. When I drink it, it makes me bloated and makes me feel heavier. Plus it makes me make bad food choices. While I do not beleive in cutting out any food group I know for a fact that I gain the most weight when the extra calories I consume are from sugar- just the way my body works. I drink a few times a week, usually wine or bourbon. Sometimes vodka with soda. When I drink beer I am conscious of the fact that my pint has around 300-400 calories in it. I just cut something else out. I would cut down on the casual drinking while dietin (glass of wine with dinner) since alchohol slows your metabolism but would not give up on the weekend drinks- you have to live!
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
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    Dang, thought you had some!! :tongue: :wink: :laugh:

    Not that I can actually drink it right now!! :grumble:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    1 to 2 glasses once a week is fine, and maybe a little more once every couple of months or so is ok too, but I wouldn't do more then a couple glasses of wine a week.

    Alcohol (besides having 7 calories per gram) does bad things to the way our bodies use energy, it supplants carbohydrates as the primary fuel source (and thus any digested carbs go to fat storage instead). this is all besides the other, obvious issues our body has with alcohol (our bodies regard alcohol as poison) like liver issues, reduced metabolism (alcohol is classified as a depressant), reduced inhibition, impaired reflexes, increased appetite...etc.

    Which all looks like me trying to scare you away from alcohol. :tongue:

    I'm not, almost EVERYTHING we ingest has some amount of foreign material in it that our bodies don't like (else we wouldn't need a sphincter), alcohol infrequently and at reasonable amounts is fine, just don't overdo it, it CAN inhibit weight loss if imbibed in excess.
  • loreninha219
    loreninha219 Posts: 2
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    Well, there's nothing wrong with drinking. There's more calories in a glass of juice than a glass of white wine. Just know that if you're going to pack the calories on in one area, maybe skim them off somewhere else. If you're drinking Mojitos tonight, (like I probably will be) know that they're about 150 cals each, so maybe have a light lunch (300 cal salad instead of a 500 cal sandwich or entree) ... or work out an extra 150 cals when you go for a walk or the gym or whatever.

    Also, when drinking alcohol, remember to stay hydrated. Drink as much water as you drink alcohol. Being dehydrated makes you retain water.

    Best weight loss tip I ever heard: Moderation, Not Deprivation

    Hope this helps.
  • rockchic9382
    rockchic9382 Posts: 51
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    I've been drinking while doing this and have still lost weight. I usually drink wine...or straight vodka on the rocks. 4 oz. or so. Skinny Girl Margaritas are good to: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=622395
    This site is good anyways, it has recipes and then also has the nutrition info right there!!!!

    It's not so bad in moderation as long as you make up for it elsewhere like everyone else has said already. As long as it isn't putting you over your calorie limits.
  • PeachJuice
    PeachJuice Posts: 14
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    hello! I'm 19 yrs old so I go out with friends practically every weekend. I work at a desk job during the week 9-5 But I do exercise every day. I just get bored easily so I mix it up. One day I'll go aound my neighbourhood with my bike for a half hour and have it at an incredibly hard speed so that I'm working HARD, while the next day I'll just take an hour long walk. So yea, I drink lots of tropical drinks and strawberry daquiries and peach schnapps. I LOVE peach schnapps. Point is that I drink with friends during the weekends but the day I know I'm drinking, like a sat night, during the day sat, I'll eat more veggies and more healthy stuff. And I'll exercise for longer and harder, and I'll make sure that my food diary entry still has multiple calories left, and multiple carbs etc... And you need to be prepared forthe fact it will delay your losing weight becasue you're cheating that day but you can get right back on track the next day... If Also, you can always take note of all your fav wines, go on the internet and find out the nutritional info and enter that into your food diary. And/or, you could make a deal with yourself. One week you're doing really good, so have glass of wine to congratulate yourself. While if one week you've noticed you haven't exercised or eaten very healthy, then don't have a glass of wine as a punishment-type thing. That way it'll give you more incentive to eat healthier and exercise more. I do that. If I'm good that week, I'll go out with friends or if everyone's busy and I lost five pounds, as a congrats I'll get myself a pair of shoes. And pick out something that way I know I CAN't get it until I lost the next five pounds. Hope this helps!!! ^.~
  • HipsLipsMama
    HipsLipsMama Posts: 74
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    im a red wine lover too!!! BUT for me, i have noticed that it does inhibit my weight loss efforts.

    #1- when drinking i ALWAYS give in to high cal salty greasy foods!!! :grumble: :noway:

    #2 - a personal trainer once told me that when you consume alcohol (even a little) it takes 3 days for your body to be able to burn fat again. I have never researched it to verify, but thats a pretty big cringe factor! :cry:

    Nevertheless, while i dont drink on a regular basis, i am not willing to give it up for good. i drink probably 1 weekend day out of the month and im happy with that :smile: :drinker:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    #2 - a personal trainer once told me that when you consume alcohol (even a little) it takes 3 days for your body to be able to burn fat again. I have never researched it to verify, but thats a pretty big cringe factor! :cry:

    I don't think this is accurate (I'd have to look around more to be sure but...), I have done quite a bit of research on Alcohol metabolism and never heard anything that lends credence to this, but while there is alcohol in the system, you probably won't burn much, if any, fat.
  • HipsLipsMama
    HipsLipsMama Posts: 74
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    #2 - a personal trainer once told me that when you consume alcohol (even a little) it takes 3 days for your body to be able to burn fat again. I have never researched it to verify, but thats a pretty big cringe factor! :cry:

    I don't think this is accurate (I'd have to look around more to be sure but...), I have done quite a bit of research on Alcohol metabolism and never heard anything that lends credence to this, but while there is alcohol in the system, you probably won't burn much, if any, fat.

    yeah id be interested to learn more about it. :)
  • HipsLipsMama
    HipsLipsMama Posts: 74
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    http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2007/09/why_some_people_drink_alcohol.php

    http://www.freewebs.com/eddigest/b.htm

    after a *quick* search..these articles do seem to suggest that while the liver is metabolizing alcohol it cannot metabolize fat...nothing suggests that this lasts for 3 days.. my bad :):flowerforyou:
  • lisamac
    lisamac Posts: 6 Member
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    Wow, thanks everyone! What a fantastic response! I appreciate all the good tips! (I also plan on researching the 3-day fat burning rule -- that's kinda sucky if its true!)
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    here's a good article that answers most of the questions.

    http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_nutrition/article.htm
  • KaitieBug
    KaitieBug Posts: 559 Member
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    My favorite low cal drink is Sprite Zero and a shot of vodka...keeping in mind that a shot of vodka is about 100 calories, every drink is 100 calories (I try to keep it to 3 drinks, reminding myself that every 100 calories is about 15 minutes on the treadmill lol...YUCK!) I have also tried Crystal Light and vodka, it's not too bad either! Now my favorite hard drink is Jack and Coke, so I tried Coke Zero and Jack...BLLLEEECCCHHH!!!! I don't know what the deal with that was-the taste was fine-but my goal that night was to get drunk and loud (hey everyone needs a night like that sometimes!!) and I barely caught a buzz after 4-5 drinks :grumble: (mind you I mix my jack and coke with lots of jack and a shot of coke for color). So I don't recommend that one lol!!:laugh:

    Hungry-girl.com has some YUMMY drink recipes. I am also a huge wine lover myself:love: , and I think it was mentioned above that a glass of white wine has less calories than a glass of juice.

    You're doing fine drinking when you do...I do the same. An occasional, rare glass with dinner, and on the weekends maybe have a couple (adding them into the daily calorie count of course) and make sure to exercise a bit more/harder that day and make better eating choices. I rarely get drunk anymore so I probably drink 1-2 weekends out of the month, and only one night, not both. Seems to work out well!
  • Redneckwoman
    Redneckwoman Posts: 668 Member
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    I usally stick to doing shots on the weekends. But for every shot I have I do a water back with it. I have found that its easier to count my shots and keep track of them. At 70 calories each, Yukon Jack is 100 proof so I drink less shots to get my buzz on.:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

    Since Feb. when I started losing weight I have lost 26 lbs. So every thing in moderation.:grumble:
  • srtakelch
    srtakelch Posts: 24
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    One word of warning: Do not use diet soda in mixed drinks.

    While it seems like a great way to cut calories and still enjoy alcohol, it can drive your blood sugar dangerously low. Several girls died or were hospitalized when I was in college from doing this.

    Really, I don't think it is dangerous if you are just having a 1 or 2 drinks. I've been known to drink a couple Vodka and Crystal Lights.... But if you are going to make a night of it and you only use an artificially sweetened mixer, you can end up hypoglycemic. Bottom line: you're probably going to need to comsume some calories if you're drinking, just add them into your calorie count for the day.
  • KaitieBug
    KaitieBug Posts: 559 Member
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    One word of warning: Do not use diet soda in mixed drinks.

    While it seems like a great way to cut calories and still enjoy alcohol, it can drive your blood sugar dangerously low. Several girls died or were hospitalized when I was in college from doing this.

    Really, I don't think it is dangerous if you are just having a 1 or 2 drinks. I've been known to drink a couple Vodka and Crystal Lights.... But if you are going to make a night of it and you only use an artificially sweetened mixer, you can end up hypoglycemic. Bottom line: you're probably going to need to comsume some calories if you're drinking, just add them into your calorie count for the day.

    Really? Wow...interesting. Never heard that before. After only ONE night you can end up hypoglycemic? :sad: How much were those girls drinking????
  • JoyousMaximus
    JoyousMaximus Posts: 9,285 Member
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    One word of warning: Do not use diet soda in mixed drinks.

    While it seems like a great way to cut calories and still enjoy alcohol, it can drive your blood sugar dangerously low. Several girls died or were hospitalized when I was in college from doing this.

    Really, I don't think it is dangerous if you are just having a 1 or 2 drinks. I've been known to drink a couple Vodka and Crystal Lights.... But if you are going to make a night of it and you only use an artificially sweetened mixer, you can end up hypoglycemic. Bottom line: you're probably going to need to comsume some calories if you're drinking, just add them into your calorie count for the day.

    This is what i found about hypoglycemia and alcohol:

    "Alcohol (ethanol) can lead to hypoglycemia when the liver is depleted of glycogen and will typically develop 6-24 hours after a moderate to heavy intake of ethanol in a person that has had an insufficient intake of food for 1 or 2 days. This can have a compounding effect and make the individual appear intoxicated when in fact the person’s actual blood alcohol concentration (BAC) may be well below the legal limit. Ethanol can also potentiate the hypoglycemic action of certain classes of drugs like sulfonylurea and insulin. "

    and hypoglycemia and diet soda:
    "DIET SODA--One of the most common sweeteners used in diet drinks is Aspartame, which contains the amino acid phenylanine, a chemical known to produce a higher insulin response. This response can be extremely pronounced in endocrine-compromised individuals. Studies in the medical literature have shown this response to be 101%--103% greater than with a similar beverage containing a carbohydrate sweetener. Drinking diet soda alone or in combination with ethanol could only serve to enhance a state of low blood sugar."

    What diet soda does is increase the absorbtion of alcohol into your system. Since large quanitiies of alcohol can cause hypoglycemia on it's own, diet soda can increase the probability with less alcohol.
    It seemed like everything about hypoglycemia and alcohol involved under eating , EXTREME binge drink (even without mixing with diet soda) or in cases of people with prior blood sugar problems (i.e. diabetes).

    I don't think it should be a problem if you are healthy, eating normally, and not drinking excessively. IMHO.

    website about the effects of alcohol and diet soda:
    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1712877/diet_soda_and_alcohol_is_it_more_intoxicating.html
    website about the causes of hypoglycemia :
    http://www.medtoxinfo.com/news19.html

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