Planning for Alcohol

So this is my 3d ride at the rodeo - I have lost the weight twice and gained it back twice. I am very good at keeping to my strict calorie schedule through the days and weeks it takes to lose the weight. Through routine and commitment I lose it every time.

I also have to stop drinking completely to make it because I take in a lot of calories drinking refreshing adult beverages. I'd really like to find a way to be able to moderately drink so that I don't end up falling apart again a 3d time.

So here're the questions... a. anyone else have trouble with gaining weight from drinking and what do you do about it, b. are there any 'light' wines out there that anyone knows of, and c. what are the lowest calorie 'refershing adult beverages' that we know of?

Refreshing adult beverages to some will be beer.  Refreshing adult beverages to others will be shots and chasers.

Want to clarify a little?

Alcohol = Calories. 

However the drinks that are highest in calories contain sweetened mixers.  So stick with wine and beer or hard liquor straight or with water, club soda, or diet mixers and keep count of calories.

The lowest calorie adult beverage that I know of is Beck's Light Beer at 64 calories per 12 oz. bottle.

Vodka and diet soda is always yummy.

Refreshing Adult Beverages for me means wine, beer, or mixed drinks. Not so much shots. I like vodka and diet soda too, especially diet dr pepper.

 I didn't know that about Beck's Light, I'll have to try it out.

i gave up my beloved sour apple martinis in the name of weight loss =(

i still drink beer on occasion (2-4 max, maybe once or twice a week).  wine is tricky because i like sweet whites and roses, which i think have more calories.

i agree that diet soda is great for mixing...usually i do bacardi and diet.  careful w/ juice mixers too, juice has a lot of calories.

i'll never give up my alcohol.  if i can eat fats and sweets moderately, then i can drink moderately too.

WOOHOO!!

Shots of vodka with  red wine chasers. Do it right ppl! And it's about as low as you can go on calories while you speed your way to blitzville.

I don't do chasers.  I'm a tough little cookie.  I only mix alcohol because Alex got sick of me getting too plastered to even stand up.  Haha, too bad he didn't keep track of how many vodkas with soda I had last night.  I have a giant bruise on my forehead from walking into a wall.

http://www.rochester.edu/uhs/healthtopics/Alc ohol/caloricvalues.html

http://www.nutracheck.co.uk/calories/calories _in_alcohol/Alcohol.html

First one has calorie reducing tips and the second has different alcohols and their calorie numbers.

Hope those help!

Cell-D: Great links!

I have a lot of alcoholic beverage links.  Calorie contents, recipes, reviews, and those sorts.

Not that it really surprises anyone..

Vodka and Diet Coke seems to be the winner at 56 calories. Dr Pepper would be the same since it's Calorie free too.

So alcohol is a depressant... what are the metobolic effects of the slowdown on total calories burned for the day? Is that enough to factor in as well - i.e. should I be compensating for the alcohol causing me to burn fewer calories in addition to actual calories contained in it?

I do exercise before I drink, only because exercising makes me drink water more so I'm well hydrated while I drink.  I have noticed that it doesn't stall my weight loss if I keep up on the exercise during times I drink more than if I were to just cut calories to accommodate drinking.

I would give it a good half hour jog just for the heck of it.  The most important thing is to keep drinking water, though.  If you drink water while you're drinking, or even while you're drunk and done drinking, you'll find you feel a hell of a lot better in the morning.

I'd be lost without it.

Like everything else - I count the calories in my drinks (primarily miller lite, red wine, or Knob Creek). 

 And I make sure to allow myself at least 200 calories a night for my dinner wine. 

It's forced me to really get friendly with Veggies during the day.

(Sometimes I think "geez if I didn't drink I'd be able to have dessert".  Then I think "naah - who needs dessert" ha ha)

 

Mike's hard Lemonade Light has 98 calories per bottle and I've seen it in both Lemonade and Cranberry Lemonade. Pretty tasty too :)

Alcohol is my downfall too.   Like sksiegel, I'd much rather have a drink than dessert. Though it's easier now I live with a teetotal man, as there's no longer anyone to encourage me. :D But generally I allow 100-200 calories a day for it.

If you're a wine drinker, dry white is lowest in calories.

I like Raspberry Stoli's and diet 7-up/diet sprite any other clear soda. My weekends are definately hard on the weight management. I used to be able to consume and entire 12 pack of miller light and was proud that I could drink like a guy. I have slowed down on the beer a bit and have noticed a change in weight.

Bless you cleverwhatever.  I have been battling the drinking and gaining weight myself.  I have tried the life without, but puts me in a really bad mood knowing that I can't have that glass of wine (or bottle) at night, especially on really bad days.  I will be definitely checking into the cellulitedelight sites

I relate to cats-eyes and sksiegel, i would take the drink over the desert.  I save the calories for my chill out drink or many times drinks at night.

So tlouise you think the liquor and diet soda is better for weight loss then the light beer?  I have tried the light beer route, however I was drinking many more than other adult beverages.

 remkewill

 yeah, far fewer calories in the liquor and diet soda... about half actually. The wine adds up quickly.

I'm on a pretty strict 1700 cal. a day schedule... I can't afford all the wine right now or the beer really. I get a couple vodka drinks by filling up on baby carrots during the day.

I am trying to stick to a 1300 and have trouble fitting in the wine or beer. I am going to give the vodka drinks a shot since I'm a diet coke fan and could fit 56 in my calorie limit. :-)

I have gained weight from drinking in the past...but it included drinking AND not watching anything else that was going into my body.... 

Giving up drinking for me was the thing that made sticking to a diet the hardest, and I failed several diets trying to cut out drinking altogether, which to some people seems like and such an easy thing to do. AND No, I am not an alcoholic!!! BUT I love going out for the social atmosphere, meeting people, sitting a bar enjoying a drink with my friends, talking about our day at work. I decided if I considered this important to me, then I would have to figure out a way to work it in. So what I did was, I talked it over with my friends - we decided we would choose one specific night to always go out on, instead of here and there. That right away helped me limit my drinking to just one night a week instead of one night with Dawn, one night with Karon, etc.

After I set my one night out to Thursday nights, I can allot for the drinking during that day. I always exercise more on Thursdays (calorie wiggle room!), and really watch what i eat. It helps alot knowing what day it is beforehand so I can plan! I make sure the nutritional values are exceptional (because the nutritional value of booze is soooo not good! or nonexistant LOL), and watch calories so I can leave calorie room for up to 4 drinks, never more...but sometimes less. I always drink vodka and diet, or rum and diet - once and awhile I will have a light beer. Some of the flavored vodkas and rums are good with diet soda as well. (They add a few more calories the the regular 60 for plain booze, but they are fun. (Try bacardi Limon and diet coke) 

So...with that said, I have continually lost weight since I started CC, which has included this one night a week out with my friends. I am down almost 30 pounds right now...I think its good to fit things in that I enjoy instead of cutting them out which was what was killing me whenever I tried any other diet or plan and it told me NO WAY can you drink...NO WAY can you have this or do that.

 Keep to the vodka/rum & diets, plan for your drinking beforehand and ENJOY LIFE!!!

Jessidoran -

Thank you... that's great. I could combine that with my free-for-all meal on Friday nights and just throw in a couple of drinks (which won't change that much in the grand scheme of THAT dinner).