Some suggested having Bitters & Perrier for a no carb, no/low calorie cocktail. I know bitters have some alcohol, but are 2 dashes (less than t) OP?

I am also curious about low/no carb alcohol. I don't officially start IP until Monday, but I have been trying to wean myself off of carbs slowly this week. I have a going away Happy Hour to attend tonight so this is very topical for me! Beer/Wine/Mixed Drinks/Liquor...I'll drink whatever works, lol!

Hi Dresa,

My coach told me if I wanted to cheat it was best to have a vodka & soda with a splash of lemon. However, many people may have strong opinions on whether to do that.

I do know bitters (to me) tastes like an Old Fashioned, and I don't feel so out of it at parties.

Apparently, according to Livestrong's Myplate calorie counter, Bacardi Rum and Diet Coke is carb free as well.

So it won't knock you out of ketosis, but may slow down weight loss (calories). Which may be a trade off over the holidays for some. However, I would guess more experienced IP community may weigh in with a different opinion.

My weigh in place says no to anything carbonated due to the formation of carbonic acid that can mess with your body's pH. Of course they couldn't explain it past that...

Hard alcohol (vodka, rum, tequila, etc) have no carbs.
That said, they are also NOT on the P1 plan.

When we get into fat burning mode, we will burn the alcohol before we burn fat. You're just slowing it down.

I don't understand these coaches who are teaching cheats. I think they are trying to milk the wallets even more!

Stick with the plan, lose the weight. It is only temporary.

And believe me, if I can make it thru without a drink, ANYONE can!

RE: carbonation
Some are actually okay. Must make sure there is no phosphoric acid in them. This diet is alkaline and we don't want to add more acids. I find plain selzer water in our area is fine.

When I indulge in a cocktail every now and then, I have firefly vodka and water with a lemon. Tastes like iced tea

If I'm at an event where everyone is drinking, I order club soda and lime. It looks like a drink and no one bugs me about why I'm not drinking. I hate club soda, so I don't even drink it (I also get regular water and drink that). I know others will bring Mio and add that to club soda or water so they don't feel deprived. Rainbow will bring the grape drink and drink it in a wine glass.

Lisa hit the nail on the head with alcohol of ANY kind. Your body is going to burn the alcohol first once it's in your body, and that is precious (and expensive) time that your body could be burning fat. Will it throw you out of ketosis? probably not. But MANY have posted that they felt the effects of the alcohol worse, and experienced a worse hangover the next day, than before IP.

My personal take? It's not really worth it to have the drink. It will all be there once you are in Maintenance, and the less you deviate from the plan, the faster you will get there

To the OP, 2 dashes of bitters isn't going to do anything but be delicious

To everyone else, there have been several alcohol threads even in the short time I've participated here. I'm sure a search will find them.
For me, I drank throughout my loss. My choice was vodka/water with a lemon. I still choose it over some of the sugary cocktails I used to drink.
Yes, your body will process the alcohol first before fat. It takes an hour a drink. Totally worth it for me

You didn't mention how much you had to lose or even if you followed IP. This protocol is expensive. I have over 100 lbs to lose total. Cheating makes the program cost more (and makes others complain it doesn't work) and take longer

I drink vodka/soda with lemon or lime but not on IP. I'm choosing to remain 100%. The alcohol will always be there. I can live without it while I focus on my health and wellness

Lets concentrate on how to do the program correctly, rather than how to cheat.

We all make our choices, and weigh the pros and the cons - as I said, for me personally, the drinks aren't all that important to me in light of the short period of time (in the grand scheme of things) that I will be on the diet. And the more I hold off on things that will slow the process down, the sooner I will be able to incorporate those things back into my life.

The other side of drinking alcohol that nobody has touched on yet is the effect on your liver when on IP. Ideal protein, by its very nature, puts some stress on your kidneys and liver. Alcohol does the same. Separately, neither one is going to have too grand an effect on a healthy person. But throw too much at your liver/kidneys and they DO have the potential to over-stress the organs. Again, this is my personal take - but it's just another reason that drinking while on IP is just not worth it.

When I started my IP journey three weeks ago, I chose to completely give up alcohol while on IP, and let me tell you, that is one HUGE FEAT for me. If I can stop drinking it during my weight loss process, ANYONE can. I'm not going to say I don't miss it every day, I do. But losing these pounds for the least amount of money (no alcohol slowing my process) is much more important to me.

I completely agree with Scorbett WRT the increased negative impact on the kidneys and liver. Very good point.

I don't have to state how much I lost in every post I make, thank you very much!
Different things work for different people, the diet already was a huge change for me and the occasional cocktail or three while out wasn't something I was willing to give up. To each his own, don't tell me what I can and can not post. Rude.