does some alcohol hurt your diet

Sure hope not because the first thing I am doing once I get home from work today is make myself a rum and coke !!!

If you can have it in moderation, budget the calories for it, and go ahead.
I enjoy wine in moderation.

Alcohol *can* affect your body's ability to recover AFTER a workout, so don't hit the bar straight from the gym.

It also does affect fat storage (especially in women), so take that into consideration.

With that said, I don't think 1 Vodka and Diet will hurt you. I've been limiting alcohol to strictly on weekends and I think that his helped my gains. I was a half-bottle of wine per night person before, so that was a change for me!

I've decided to stop for the rest of this month. It seems when i get started i can't stop. Wish me luck!

If you don't plan to stop drinking until the day you die I suggest figuring out how to do so in moderation. Obviously no binging but I try to limit my intake to 2-3 days per week and I have severely limited the amount that I used to drink. At one time I put away a bottle of wine at a single setting. Now I can enjoy 1-2 glasses.

It's also about what you choose to drink. Adding high calorie mixers to vodka will tank your calories faster than a glass of white wine.

Alcohol *can* affect your body's ability to recover AFTER a workout, so don't hit the bar straight from the gym....

and don't go to the bar IN the gym (no joke, my gym has a bar and cafe in it)! :drinker:

I wanna go to YOUR gym. LOL

I am dedicated to my weight loss, but I will not give up my social life - I'm 22 and go out regualrly - clubbing probably every other week and therefore drinking on those nights once a week - i always make it up with exercise.
that's the only thing i wont give up - i wouldnt get to see my friends if i stopped partying and its my favourite way to let off some steam and put on a nice outfit and have a dance.

I work for an alcohol distributor, and I have a beer or glass of wine EVERY day. I need something to give up when I stall, after all! But I am still losing... the trick is to be honest about the calories and make sure that you count them. And be aware! If your body is burning alcohol it won't burn fat.

That said, it is better to have one per day than none during the week and binging on the weekend.

If you don't plan on giving it up, you CAN drink and lose weight. Just like with other so called 'evil' foods, (chocolate, pizza, etc) moderation is key. Calories add up fast with alcohol so you'll most likely have to factor in exercise to make sure you've the available calories. And as long as you're not binge drinking, it shouldn't be too outrageous.
Personally, I love chocolate, lol. And I'm still able to eat chocolate, in allotted serving sizes, every single day which makes me happy. I know I'd end up binging on it later on if I restrict it. As long as I exercise daily, I can have pretty much anything I want to eat so long as I make sure it's a reasonable amount.

Lord I hope not. I'm laid up with a bad back right now, so alcohol is sounding pretty darn good right now!

I hit a mile stone today.....and am sitting enjoying a lovely glass....actually it's my 2nd.....of wine. Enjoy yourself! I haven't cut anything out and have lost just over 12 lbs since the start of jan.....ok not the fastest weight loss .... you do have to decide what YOU are doing! You are only going to succeed if the journey is pleasant..... Life is right now and life is most definitely for living! No regrets......

just remember that the next day you may feel sluggish and not want to exercise....oh and watch out for the munchies when you are drinking! If you can see the slim healthy "you" (ie when you are at your goal weight) enjoying alcohol, chocolate etc in moderation go for it now as well!

On the other hand if you want to be stricter than me you will probably loose weight faster!
Enjoy your Friday evening - with or without a wee tipple!

Real fitness comes from years of puritanical self-denial, the kind of stark existence that molds body and mind into a steely machine capable of stunning physical feats. Oh, and it also takes a few pints of good beer. It turns out that beer and fitness really do go hand-in-hand, despite the beverage’s bad reputation (beer bellies, dehydration, public drunkenness, bar brawls, frat boys, etc.). The delicious brew is chock-full of natural antioxidants and vitamins that can prevent heart disease and even help rebuild muscle, and we're going to let you in on precisely why beer and fitness belong together.

So go ahead and knock back a cold one. It’s good for you.

Read more: http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt_200/211_eating_well.html#ixzz1oevBCTRg

Alcohol *can* affect your body's ability to recover AFTER a workout, so don't hit the bar straight from the gym....

and don't go to the bar IN the gym (no joke, my gym has a bar and cafe in it)! :drinker:

I wanna go to YOUR gym. LOL

LOL Me too!!!

I agree moderation is fine. In order to digest alcohol your body turns it into sugar so if you are trying to avoid sugar it might be a bad idea. But it can't be any worse than having a weekly cheat day. :drinker:

http://www.leangains.com/search?q=alcohol

Summary of the above article
* Moderate alcohol consumption is assocoiated with an abundance of health benefits. The long-term effect on insulin sensitivity and body weight (via insulin or decreased appetite) may be of particular interest to us.

* The thermic effect of alcohol is high and the real caloric value is not 7.1 kcal: it's ~5.6 kcal. However, it's still easy to overconsume calories by drinking. Calorie for calorie, the short-term effect of alcohol on satiety is low. Adding to this, intoxication may also encourage overeating by disinhibition of dietary restraint.

* The negative effects of alcohol on testosterone and recovery has been grossly exaggerated by the fitness mainstream. Excluding very high acute alcohol consumption, or prolonged and daily consumption, the effect is non-significant and unlikely to affect muscle gains or training adaptations negatively.

* The effect of alcohol on muscle protein synthesis is unknown in normal human subjects. It is not unlikely to assume that a negative effect exists, but it is very unlikely that it is of such a profound magnitude that some people would have you believe.

* Alcohol is converted to acetate by the liver. The oxidation of acetate takes precedence over other nutrients and is oxidized to carbon dioxide and water. However, despite being a potent inhibitor of lipolysis, alcohol/acetate alone cannot cause fat gain by itself. It's all the junk people eat in conjunction with alcohol intake that causes fat gain.