How do you manage alcohol within the calorie restriction?

Hi! I'm brand new to this webiste and have been following the posts regularly- must say this website rocks!!

So i'm supposed to following a 1200 calorie diet as per CC, which I manage to do fairly well. My problem is drinking on the weekends!! I'm in school where drinking and bar hopping is a BIG part of the weekend, and I hate being a spoilsport by drinking water all night long (and being the DD) Whats a good method to drink and not pack it in? (I generally drink 1-2 glasses of wine on a mellow night or vodka, kamakaze shots, etc, etc..and then there's no turning back!)

My friends tell me that I should drink till I feel sick and then make myself throw up- this way the calories wont add up...is this corect? seems kind of sick though...please help! ps: I may sound like an alcoholic but i'm not =)

Drink till you feel sick and then throwing up is NOT a good idea.  It can cause more health issues than the calories.  Not drinking is best but if you are going to drink (I sure did when I was in college) drink in moderation.  I was in college and know how it is.  Try to pace yourself throughout the night.  Beyond that I am not sure because I am new to this site and being overweight too.  For the first time in my life I am overweight and can't get it off.

hope this helps.

 

 

First of all-don't drink until you throw up; that's called Binge Drinking, which is terrible for you.  That being said, I remember the days in college too, and you can find a sort of balance so that you can have fun, but not feel terrible the next day.  First of all, plan your calories for the day ahead of time, so you know how many you can "play with".  Before you go out, try to get a good work out in so you have a good burn going, and then make sure you have a solid meal so you don't get sick. :(   Finally, enjoy those drinks you do have,drink water in between drinks to extend your evening's enjoyment,  and remember to get back to a good routine the next day.  One thing I learned in college-hangovers don't lead to a good food day the next day-you want that burger and fries!!

Hi! Let me tell you what I do. I either eat a bit less but more satisfying things like protein or lots of vegetables to feel full and not deprived from eating less. Or if I'm out in a bar and can, I dance like there's no tomorrow! It's a good exercise, burns calories so you don't have to eat less.

I limit myself to low calorie drinks like vodka and diet 7up. I don't like Rhum but Rhum and Coke Zero or other 0 or 1 cal pop would do it. So you get only the calories from the Vodka or Rhum and ti's around 65-70 cal per oz.

When I'm home, I make Vodka, Diet 7up, Low Calorie Cranberry Juice (40 cal/cup) and a bit of lime juice (0cal). I love that drink!

Couple of things (from a former bartender)

1) Even if you stay within your alotted calories...the alcohol will make you retain water like crazy so your scale will not move for a week or more (definitely more if you're doing it every weekend)... I learned this the hard way!

2) Throwing up is NOT going to do it. It may take a couple hours for you to get the the vomiting point and by then your body has absorbed a ton of calories anyway.

3) Maybe alternate weekends or only drink once a month. If you are going to drink, stay away from fruity drinks or anything with fruit juice as its super high in sugar and calories. Red wine is better than white and the drier it is, the fewer calories it has. Liquor with diet soda is a good way to go, if you drink vodka stay away from tonic.

You could also exercise like crazy before you go out so you've burned some of the calories you are going to ingest.

You have to decide whats more important to you right now, your social life or your diet. You can still drink..but you may not reach your goal weight by the time you wanted to.

Limit your drinking to like once a month or every 2 weeks.. Nothing good comes out of drinking anyways...

"Budget" it into your daily allotment.  Rum and Diet is about 100 calories, so if your your afternoon snack is usually 100 calories, skip it.  Or go for an extra 30 min walk beforehand.

But it's true that alcohol will affect how efficiently you burn calories for a couple days afterwards.

amoria00, badkitty1- thanks for providing the tips and better choices will keep that in mind this weekend :)

I guess working out harder before drinking is the way to go!! thanks for the replies everyone!

 

Being the DD is not that bad. Specially if all your friends are hammered. What you do is stop at every gas station on the way home and ask for gas money.  You should be able to make at least $50 probably more since gas prices suck.

LOL chickfilafan! :) 

Make sure you drink a full glass of water with every drink you drink if not 2.  Get a drink that you can sip and drink water with it.

Diet coke & jack - I don't like it but some people do.

Greyhound - grapefruit juice and vodka

Sea breeze - cranberry juice and vodka

Diet coke & Seagram's (diet 7&7)

Screwdriver - orange juice and vodka

At least with the fruit juices you know that you're getting some nutrition.

Do not sit and drink, stand or dance.  Sitting down burns next to no calories, even standing burns more.

When I was in college, I would drink one night a week.  It didn't really affect my weight loss - I ate less during the week.  Definitely drink the low cal stuff and dance!!

I have the same problem but i am well out of college.  My friends from work go out every other week for beers.  It is a little easyer for me since I am between 1800 and 2000 calories a day.  I drink light beer and if i have more than a couple I bust by butt on the tread mill then next day or with my trainer.  I agree with katethegreat just try to keep it to one day a week.  Nothing wrong with a good cheat day every now and then.

I drink shots of something chased with diet soda.  Less calories than all those mixed fruity drinks.  I admit they do taste great though.

If your intentions are to get intoxicated shots will certainly get you there in a hurry. 

I don't count alcohol calories, it's the only thing keeping this dieting from driving me insane. My only concession was to switch from beer.

 

Edit: Crystal Light has many flavors that make wonderful alternatives to calorie laden juice. 

well, calculate how many drinks you want, how many calories per drink. you're just gonna have to eat less if you want alcohol. me, i like to have 3 shots of vodka when i drink.....still have lost tons of weight too!

come on OP...you can't really be asking us for permission to drink until you puke?

When I was heavy, my weekend beers were quite dear to me.  I'd swill'em down, then lose my inhibitions and eat a bunch of junky snacks to boot!  I would get so bloated from the beer and gain weight from the junk, so I decided to only have alcohol on REALLY special occasions, and it's been a few months now, and I must say, I feel much better on an every day basis now.  Used to be I felt kinda depressed all the time, had a hard time going to sleep at night and looked forward to the escape of the beer buzz, but now, with all the exercise and a clear head, I am actually in a much better mood consistently.

 

So I personally think that even after reaching my goal weight, I'll reserve alcohol for special occasions, maybe 4 or 5 times a year.  It's not worth the bloating, the mood swings, the hangovers, etc.  If I was still in college, I might try ordering non-alcohol drinks that aren't too sweet (soda water and lemon juice?) and just pretend for my friends' benefit that it was booze and just act like I was buzzed.  

 Or not - it's up to you.  Enjoy your college years how you like!
 

I drink 4-5 nights a week and have still managed to drop from 200+ to 160 in a year so in my personal experience it is possible to drink and still lose weight. I eat/drink about 1200-1500 cal a day Sunday to Thursday and I stick to gin and slimline tonic at about 60 cal per drink. Come Friday & Sat though I drink anything I want from pints of cider (200 cal) to cocktails (200-300) and normally use about 2500 cal per day with food and drink. Might not work for everyone but it has for me

Tequila only has sixty calories per shot.  I absolutely love tequila anyway, so I normally stick to it when I'm going out for a big time.

What I have learned the hard way is, don't not eat all day to save room for alcohol calories.  You'll get drunk way faster, and the time I tried it, I completely blacked out and had the worst hangover of my life (and I hardly ever get hangovers).

I recently had to wrestle with the alcohol question myself. Admittedly, it's probably harder when you're in school.

The problem for me is that not only does the alcohol add calories, it also makes me hungry. On top of THAT it reduces my inhibitions so I feel freer to eat!

I just had to quit. Since it's a habit and not an addiction of mine, it was only difficult for a short time.

I'm not saying I'll never have another drink, but I don't keep it around the house any more.