Hey guys!
I am new here and am so excited to be embarking on this lifestyle change with everyone else! I am 21 years old and wanting this change SO bad and so happy that I found a community of people to share it with!
My question is about alcohol: How often did ya'll drink while trying to lose weight? Currently I am living with 4 other girls who LOVE to party and it's really hard to say no sometimes. They are all pretty thin girls so it's hard for them to understand what I'm going thru. well, I hope this question made sense for you guys and any advice would be so appreciated! I look forward to getting to know all of you!!
xoxo

I understand your pain. My friends like to go out to eat a lot and it usually involves margaritas or something of that sort. So far I have been really good about just saying no unless I plan ahead for that day to have an allowance for those calories.

Really, the calories are what you need to worry about. Alcohol has no nutritional benefit to you (unless you're drinking red wine) so you have to accept that you will be taking in empty calories. Do your research. A vodka/club soda has about 100 calories versus some kind of fruity concoction which would have about 400 calories. Choose light beer (michelob ultra is my favorite) or wine. And try to limit yourself to 1 or 2.

I have also noticed that since I have lowered my calorie intake and I'm not drinking as often, my tolerance has gone down which is a good thing because you can get that buzz you go for without having to drink 4 drinks.

For me, it depends. I don't mind the actual calories IN the alcohol. I'm a huge fan of lime vodka and diet coke, which is pretty low calorie drink.
However, I don't drink very often when dieting because I find it harder to avoid temptation and late night-snacking. So I'll have a drink or two and then switch to diet coke.

^^^ agree 100% with bost posters. I stopped drinking for the most part and it really did make the losing part a lot easier. I also had to figure in, exactly as the above poster says, "they are empty calories" and need to be accounted for.

When I go out I stick to vodka/soda or a glass of wine. And the lowered tolerance isn't a joke. Over 6 years later and I haven't gotten back the tolerance I had when I was heavy. Not to say I don't enjoy a beer before a ball game or a margarita on vacation, but my drinking habits have changed entirely.

I'm not a huge drinker to begin with, but I looove beer on tap. However, when I'm serious about losing weight, it's not worth it to me to waste 200 calories or whatever on a beer. I'd much rather eat a small meal for that. Another thing for me, too, is that I do a cheat day once a week, so if I'm really craving a beer, then all I have to do is wait a few more days to have one. That way I don't feel deprived & I can scratch the itch without it throwing me off.

I was a HUGE drinker, in fact I partied at least 3-4x a week and could hold drinks with the best of em, it turns out that attributed A LOT to me being overweight.

With that said, I quit. When I began on the journey to being healthy I decided to cut it out completely and to be honest, I haven't missed it AT ALL! Not saying this is for everyone but I would so rather be healthy and EAT my calories rather than drink them, but that's just me. =)

You don't HAVE to drink to have fun, and those people that do, I often wonder how happy they are in life. But that's just me! You can still go out and have a great time!

I wish you luck and success on your journey! It is VERY exciting!

I am not really a big drinker. However, sometimes I like to go out and have a good time. I can plan ahead usually and allot for the extra calories when planning out my weekly diet.

I would say stick to the light beers...vodka drinks. I don't know. Just becaues you're dieting doesn't mean you can't have fun and have a life...soo just try to plan it out I guess .

I know I'll be drinking this weekend. I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I'm going to enjoy hanging out with my friends and then I'll just be better later.

I have a drink or two every few weeks, usually. If I drink, I just factor alcohol into my dietary plans for that day. As long as you're keeping track of the calories and compensating accordingly, it shouldn't be too big a deal.

Light beer and mixed drinks might be a good option, or fewer servings of regular drinks.
Eating a healthy meal before you go out might help, since it'll help you feel full more quickly while you're out (plus drinking on an empty stomach can lead to getting drunker than you meant to more quickly than you meant to - just not a good idea).
Alternating alcoholic drinks with water (with lemon or lime wedge, perhaps), seltzer, diet soda, or milk (not low-cal, but a good source of calcium!) = fewer calories over the course of the evening.
Also, just not drinking. You could work out, go for a walk, go see a movie, go bowling, read a book, cook yourself up a nice batch of something healthy, whatever. There are plenty of fun things to do that don't involve alcohol or the safety and health risks that come with drinking. You might make some new friends too.

thank you so much for all the advice! It's pretty ironic because my college is known for two things: our amazing multimillion dollar gym and our reputation for being a party school. Not good. But I will take everyone's advice and run with it! (literally...haha). xoxo

How is it that the biggest party schools always have the fittest student body? I've noticed that everywhere!

I drink maybe 3 times a month. Never been a weekday drinker and while I do like to go out and stumble around on weekends, my boyfriend is a teetotal non-drinker and I spend at least one weekend a month with him. My tolerance for alcohol has gotten to the point where I have considered just not drinking at all because after two beers I fall asleep wherever I am at that moment, but I have my genes/racial makeup to thank for that too.

The worst part about alcohol is the drunk munchies. It's an exercise in self control. If you're just starting out and very serious about making steady progress, it might be best to take a couple weekends off the sauce.

I've decided to stop drinking any alcohol at least for the first month of my weight-loss, and then once things are under control I'm probably going to work it back in... Montreal is a huge party city and it's my last semester of college, so I doubt I can completely avoid it.

If you are going to drink, stick to red wine or at least lower calorie alcohol! And make sure you aren't with any people who love the drunchies/drunk munchies! Most of my friends are stick figures, so as soon as they're drunk they start buying pizzas, poutine, fries, the works. I figure as long as I stay sober enough to resist I'm okay!

i never used to drink much before i came to japan.... and here everyone drinks ALL the time! i put on about 20lbs in just 6 months after coming here and i think a lot of it was due to the booze!!

now i try to keep my drinking to one night a week on the weekends, and i do notice that i lose much better when i don't drink at all. it's hard, but you can do it! just tell people you don't wanna drink. be firm about it, don't be embarrassed. or get yourself a watered down drink that you will nurse all night. if you WANT to get wasted => shooters