Going out tonight! Suggestions for a binge free night?
 

Hey everyone! So I weighed 242 in March and freaked out, losing 10lbs. I didn't do much until 9/11 when I jumped on the scale and saw a whopping 229lbs. Since then I've been working out and counting calories to get back to my high school weight of 140.

I've been binge free since 9/11, which I am ecstatic about. However, I haven't really had the temptation to binge until tonight. My alumni school is playing Notre Dame and I'm going out with a bunch of friends to the bar, so I KNOW I'll be drinking.

I've had 210 calories today so far and it's almost noon. I'm freaking out about tonight and know I should conserve most of my calories until then!

Do any of you have any recommendations on low cal drinks or food I could get at a brewery? I don't think they'll have my first low cal drink of choice, vodka.

Can you guys share your tips/tricks for going out with friends who aren't watching their calories?

Drink a glass of water between each glass of alcohol. It will still be fun and you'll get to drink, but you'll also be pacing yourself. Also, light beer is pretty good, calorie-wise, if you like that. I know that some people don't like beer, so that won't work.

You can also try asking for extra ice in your drinks and getting them short instead of tall. The drinks will be more potent because there will be less juice or soda mixed into the alcohol, but that will also mean less calories. Also, a short drink is more likely to give you that happy, buzzed feeling quicker, so you will feel more satisfied while drinking your water.

You could also try limiting yourself to one drink per quarter of the game, which would end up being four drinks total. Still a good amount, but not overdoing it.

As for pub food, a lot of it is terrible. You may be able to find vegetables, salad or hummus on the menu, depending on what kind of place it is. Stay away from ranch dressing, bleu cheese dressing or sour cream. It's really easy to get tons of calories from them without even realizing it.

Eat BEFORE you go out... don't go out hungry, then drink... that's begging for trouble.

get lots of ice in your drinks and chew on those cubes.

I would think even a brewery will have a full bar- if not, light beer won't kill you. Lots of good advice here- every other drink water, eat before you go out- I second these!

rum and diet coke is always a good one for me. 85 calories for one. As for food, hummus dips are usually pretty safe. and, believe it or not, something like a grilled chicken burger or even a plain ol burger might be your best friend at a pub.

Even if your weight bumps up tomorrow, remember you're probably retaining water. Salty food and liquor both make me retain water and I see 4 or 5 lb "gains" the next morning, only to lose it all in a day or two.

I eat less going out than staying in. Wearing tight clothing helps (lol) i get so bloated that I usually just have one drink or water because I dont want my belly to pop out. :dizzy:

Rum and diet coke sounds good... Just drink it slow ;) Good luck!

Now that I'm dieting I really don't drink alcohol when I go out or during social occasions. I have a very high tolerance for alcohol - probably because of my weight. So I would have to drink a huge amount to even get a buzz. To me, the alcohol are just empty calories that won't give me any satisfaction. I'd rather budget those calories to something I'd like to eat. I'd probably order a club soda with lime. If I do order a drink I would probably order one light beer... and nurse it for a while.

This is why I LOVE 3FC! Thank you so much for your very helpful suggestions and comments!

I ate before I went out and had 4 drinks of white zinfandel wine (ugh.. they didn't have rum/diet coke or vodka/diet coke. That small of a brewery!), just like some of you suggested! And I did weigh 1.2lbs more today, but I'm assuming that's because of the pretzels/alcohol I had. Hoping to see that number go back down tomorrow. :)

It also took me 4 drinks to get drunk...haha. A few months ago, it would've taken me ~6-9 drinks before I felt anything! NSV = being a cheap date? :)