i like to go out maybe once or twice a week. i am wanting to drop about 20 lbs but i know that alcohol is chock full of calories...in fact i think a good number of the the calories that have contributed to those 20 lbs have been alcohol-related. either from drinking actual alcohol, or from the big greasy meal that follows. my question is: what can i drink when i go out that is a smarter choice? i am by no means a lush or a heavy drinker, but i am a young 20-something single female who enjoys going out from time to time. i have maybe three drinks when i am out. i just want to know what is a smarter choice for me to get when i am out. light beer? wine? i have been drinking a lot of mixed drinks. i know, i know. :::hanging head in shame:::


any suggestions?

If you get a double vodka or bacardi and diet coke (or other diet mixer) it's only 100cals.
Even the odd small glass of wine is not too bad.
Lager or beer is so high calorie though.

Patron silver tequila is 69 calories an oz.. Jose Cuervo silver is the same, I just prefer the taste of Patron or Don Julio. Mix it with a diet sprite and a lime wedge for a low calorie drink.

Dry white wine and soda water, it has all the alcohol calories of wine, but less calories from sugar, because there is less of it, plus it is a long dribk so you will last longer between drinks, and so drink less during the night.

I think it is entirely possible to lose weight without cutting out alcohol, but you hit the nail on the head when you highlighted the fact that it is very often the kebab or pizza on the way home that is more responsible for the damage than the alcohol itself.

Or the sugar-laden mixers.

Happy Hour was one of my biggest problems. I don't know, but I guess you could say I was a borderline drunk. My drink of choice was Black Velvet and Diet Rite. It contributed to my 100+ weight gain in the last 3 years. The problem with me was I would mix my first drink at 5pm. At 6pm, (supper time) I was feeling a pretty good buzz and didn't want to spoil it. I would feed my family (well, I might add) and basically be their server. I'd clean up, do the dishes, and sit down to watch TV with the family. (All the while consuming 4-6 drinks or 400 to 600 EXTRA calories a day) Being so large, I never felt "drunk" Just medicated. By this time I was done drinking to avoid a hangover. After the kids would go to bed and hubby safely snoring on the couch, I would go and fix myself a BIG plate of left overs, go into the bed room, turn on the TV and eat until I was stuffed. Oh how I hated myself, especially at 2:00am when I would awake to heart palpitations and the WORST GERD acid reflux imaginable. I swore I would never do it again...then the next day, I'd start all over.

I quite drinking when I started my road to recovery. Food was my first true love, and if I'm going to only consume 1500 calories a day, it's going to come from healthy food, not booze. But hey, I'm 42 and have had my share of the party days. You should enjoy yourself while you are young.

If you like beer Bud Select only has around 95 calories in a 12 oz can. It's pretty good too. Lighter colored (non-sweet) liquor tends to have the least calories, (and according to an article I read the other day the least hang over effect). Vodka and diet squirt is good. Bloody Marys are delicious and the tomato juice mix is low in calories.

Try Michelob Ultra 2.6 grams carbs and only 95 calories....
Vodka and soda water
Diet coke and rum 0 carbs 90 calories

WHen I go out I have twice as much as you, so you can see where I totally feel your pain. Id say 100% of my weight gain is from drinking haha. If your only having 3 drinks, twice a week, if I were you I would just eat about 300 calories less if that constitutes a healthy range (if it cuts you down to 1000, I would say that is a bad idea). When I go out to bars, the girls who are freaked out about gaining weight will have a vodka with seltzer. I have never tried it but they drink it with lemon and lime so that prob gives it some flavor. That keeps the drink down to 100 calories ish per shot. I like to stick to light beer. I also like wine too, wine isn't too high in calories I believe. Theres always diet soda, which I am not a huge fan of but I know some people like it. I would say stick to lemons and limes which are calorie free.

hey can someone tell me where this post has been moved to? i have been looking around in the other forums, but its like a needle in a haystack! also, thanks everyone for the great suggestions. i will try them next time i am out. =)

If you click "Search", then click "Advanced Search", and type your own user name in the User Name box, it will pull up a list of links to every thread you've ever posted in.

I use this feature to find the daily checkin thread for my WOE and to find the daily exercise checkin thread.

Wine's the big winner calorie-wise. A typical serving of red wine is 5oz, which is ~150cal. It's also the only form of alcohol with anything redeeming about it: like dark chocolate, it's full of cancer-fighting chemicals and proven to reduce your risk of a heart attack. So if you're looking for drinks with dinner, I'd say this would be the way to go.

But if you're going to your average bar, you're probably not going to want to drink from that lonely old bottle of Yellow Tail they've had laying around behind the bar for who knows how long. A typical pint of beer is ~200cal. A typical rocks pour of liquor (4oz) is ~300cal. A typical shot is anywhere between 1.5oz (the "official" measure) and 3oz (from a generous and/or drunk bartender). There are innumerable resources online to find out exactly how many calories are in whatever it is you like to drink - take a gander.

Personally, if I am out being sociable, I'll have a pint of beer. The difference between a pint of lite beer and a pint of something that tastes good is only about 100cal, which is worth it for me. If I'm looking to get buzzed, I'll have something on the rocks (which type of liquor it is makes little difference, its proof is what really affects the # of calories). Even though it's 300cal, I only need one, and I won't be tempted to drink beer after beer with my friends. I just eat less calories than that drink (or beer) during the day and it all works out.

The only light beer I've found that doesn't taste like water is Amstel Light, 95 cals, only 5 carbs and it even has a gram of protein!