Is this an unhealthy habit?

So I have been counting calories and exercising, trying to keep my net calorie intake (food consumed - calories burned with exercise) at around 1200 a day.  I am 23, and being in my early 20s I enjoy going out and partying with my friends.  We go out about once a week or so, and we usually go out drinking/eating.  If I try to restrict my calorie intake too much when I'm out with my friends, I find that I can't really enjoy myself (It's so hard to watch them down the beers and scarf down the chicken wings and french fries when I am picking at a salad and drinking some girly diet cocktail that wont even get me buzzed).  So what I have been doing is on days that I know I am going out, I exercise a bit harder and cut calories on the other meals to save calories to enjoy some drinking and food later.  I try to make better choices, like red wine instead of beer, and food that is grilled or baked and not fried.  But, if I still go over my calorie limit for that day, I cut down the calories in the following days slightly, so that the weekly average is still 1200 calories a day.  This has been working pretty well for me, and there have only been three times since I started my diet in April where I did not lose my goal of 1 lb for that week (I think those times were related to lady issues and water retention anyway).

Basically what I'm asking is, is exercising more and eating less to make room for a big meal/night out drinking like this an ok thing to do to my body?  Or is it unhealthy and will it harm me in the long run?  Thanks for any advice you may have for me.

Exercising more to fit in a few more calories is probably not bad for you, though a little more info (height, weight, etc) would help in figuring that out.  1200 is pretty low to begin with, so cutting back on days after isn't a good idea.  Once in a while its okay to eat a little under 1200, but the key there is once in a while.  If you are doing that weekly, or even bi-weekly it is not good for you. 

How many calories do you burn each day?  How many do you usually have on the nights you go out?  If you are not eating past your maintenance i really wouldn't worry too much, yeah you might lose the weight a little slower, but thats even better for your body and its worth it to still have your fun.

Apparently you can go around three days of low calories before your metabolism starts to slow down. So, if you exercise and keep calories low for a few days before the weekend, and then have one higher calorie day, it will just boost your metabolism. Its like calorie cycling-3 low days, one high day. You can lose weight easier this way. Keep it in moderation though. I do 3 days of 1200 calories, and one day of 1800 calories. Low carb on the low days, higher carbs on the high day. I'm 23 years old, and I've been doing this for almost a week, and lost fat, but actually got stronger. Just keep the protein high. According to Tom Venuto, its how many bodybuilders lose weight pre-contest.

Of course, you don't do this forever, you should be eating more than that on a regular basis. Normally, calorie cycling like that is for quick weight loss for an occasion-I'm vacationing soon, so I need to drop a few pounds. You'd be better off eating 1500 calories a day, for a week, and then having a higher calorie day on the weekend.

Original Post by gobbley:

Apparently you can go around three days of low calories before your metabolism starts to slow down. So, if you exercise and keep calories low for a few days before the weekend, and then have one higher calorie day, it will just boost your metabolism. Its like calorie cycling-3 low days, one high day. You can lose weight easier this way. Keep it in moderation though. I do 3 days of 1200 calories, and one day of 1800 calories. Low carb on the low days, higher carbs on the high day. I'm 23 years old, and I've been doing this for almost a week, and lost fat, but actually got stronger. Just keep the protein high. According to Tom Venuto, its how many bodybuilders lose weight pre-contest.

 The less you weigh, the slower your metabolism.  It's plain ol' biology.  "Three days" has nothing to do with it.  Your metabolism is simply how hard YOUR body needs to work.  The heavier you are, and the less healthy your body, the higher the metabolism.  Do some research folks.

And for the OP, you'd be far better off to quit the alcohol hon.  I lost my weight many years ago, but for 5 years had not one single alcoholic beverage.  I never missed it either.  I'd much rather use my calories on FOOD. 

And for the OP, you'd be far better off to quit the alcohol hon.  I lost my weight many years ago, but for 5 years had not one single alcoholic beverage.  I never missed it either.  I'd much rather use my calories on FOOD. 

 I dunno, I'd much rather have a few for wine!

I don't see how exercising more could be that problematic. I have this tendency/approach as well (my friends drink a lot). I don't think it is that good an idea though where food is concerned. I think you need min. 1200 calories of nutritious food, not alcohol.  Yes, exercise a bit more, yeah you might lose weight a bit slower... 1200 cal/day sounds pretty miserable anyway, even before you start restricting it. I did 1300 for ages and I'm sure it wasn't great for me. Didn't lose much weight on it either.

Drinking less is a good idea though if you can manage it, do it in baby steps (I know people mean well telling you to quit alcohol, but I just love it, sorry!) Things I do: drink slowly and sit out rounds. Get a glass of water for each alcoholic drink and drink that before I get a new drink. Stop when I'm feeling merry. Funnily enough as I get older and drink less, takes a lot less to make me flirty and tipsy, I am a very cheap date these days!

Burn the fat, feed the muscle says that if you gradually lower your intake, week by week, and get it down to a low calorie level, and keep it there for three days, your metabolism will not slow down if you incorporate a higher calorie day on the fourth day, as opposed to keeping it low for a long period of time. Thats what slows your metabolism. Keeping it low for a long time. Thats all I ment.

I think some of you missed the fact that the OP is not eating 1200 calories per day; that's her "net intake."  She's eating 1200 calories plus the number of calories she burns through excercise.  That sounds pretty reasonable to me.

I don't think what you're doing is an unhealthy habit if you're only doing it once a week.  Certainly a little more excercise isn't going to hurt you.  If you had said you were going drinking 3 nights a week, that may have been cause for concern, but you seem to understand the concept of moderation.  You have to be able to live your life while you're losing weight.  This is not The Biggest Loser.  We do not put our lives on hold while we go off and kill ourselves to lose weight.  You've figured out how to modify your behavior enough so that you can still have fun and achieve your goals at the same time, and I applaud you for that.

I do pretty much exactly what you do. I assume I'm going to be drinking about one day every week, and on the days I go out I try to keep my calories down (while eating enough that I can drink without getting sick). The days I drink usually still end up being maintenance days, and sometimes I go higher than maintenance. I'm consistently losing 1-2 pounds a week, give or take, so it's working perfectly for me.

On the other hand, if you can't get drunk off a few vodka tonics or jack and diet cokes, your situation may be more different from mine than I assume.

If I were you I would just leave the meal where it is. You can still excersize extra, but everyone should have at least one cheat meal a weak to shock your metabolism. If you don't you'll hit a plateu. One glass of wine won't kill you, but I don't reccomend it. Water is free. :)

Original Post by dolphinclick:

I think some of you missed the fact that the OP is not eating 1200 calories per day; that's her "net intake."  She's eating 1200 calories plus the number of calories she burns through excercise.  That sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Yeah, that's right, I am always consuming more than 1200 calories.  More like 1400-1800, and I exercise anywhere from 200-600 calories off in a day (takes me about 30 minutes to an hour of cardio to burn that).  On days that I go out, I might consume 1000-2000 in a night, plus about 600 from my other light meals of the day.  So I do maybe 30 minutes to an hour of extra cardio to try to burn some of it off.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.  I guess I am going to keep up what I have been doing, but maybe try to cut down on drinking when I go out.  I have found that at my lighter weight my alcohol tolerance is a lot lower than it used to be.  Nowadays I can only handle about 3 or 4 drinks, but I used to be able to drink 10 beers or more in a night out no problem.

Ah, I am a young 20's as well and enjoy going out with my friends! If I know I'm going to be drinking, I save calories throughout the day. I also cut WAY back on carbs. For example, on a normal day I have a big piece of fruit, some cereal, and skim milk for breakfast. On a drining day I may have a banana for breakfast and a cup of green tea. Also, drink Miller Lite! It has less calories per alcohol ratio which means you will get tipsy faster on less calories :) And if you want to look girly and cute, get a diet coke and vodka and ask for cherries and limes in it. Instant sexy drink with not a lot of calories! Also, my rule; no matter how hung over I am I drag my butt to the gym the next day and work out twice as hard. Another fun way that I maintain drinking (that I got my friends into for the heck of it) is bringing out a marker and for every drink I have I make a notch on my hand. This helps me keep track of how many drinks I have so I know how many to work towards burning off the next day. It's also a good conversation starter and a fun thing to talk about the next day with your friends :)