So, we all know alcohol is a killer when it comes to substance-less, hidden calories.

But you know what's worse for me? The amount of food I let myself eat once I drink! Sure the drinks are bad, but what's worse is the sheer volume of food I consume when I finally have an excuse not to count, not to care.

I hit my 1200 capacity before hanging out with friends last night (dangerous hitting my daily limit before being social, but I'm not about to sit at home because of something silly like that...its also tough to hold out on eating at my normal scheduled times when my body gets hungry just so I can go out later).

Had a couple glasses of wine, as it is one of the less potent forms of alcohol health-wise. Then-BAM! Phil got nachos. had to try a few, why not? Next thing I knew friend was cooking up mac & cheese for me back at her place, then I was craving something sweet and ended up eating a tonnnnnn of raw cookie dough once I got back home with my roomie!!!!

literally DOUBLED what I should eat in a day. and needless to say--i weighed over 2 & 1/2 lbs more today when I woke up ! I feel so guilty and gross. I have only eaten vegetables today.

I am kind of sad, I have been on track for a while now. the binge/restrict cycle is a dangerous one and something I definitely want to veer away from.

Anyone ever go through something like this? does it take that long to get back to your normal weight if you're really careful afterward? Would love to hear any thoughts.

I really get the munchies when I'm drunk, and may or may not become an utter slob in the kitchen. The only thing I can say is try to avoid it, because it makes even the best of us eat more.

So you ate 2400 calories when your typical day is 1200? Don't beat yourself up. You are likely to be retaining some water from sodium or the alcohol and you'll have the extra weight gone within a day or so.

Everyone falls off the wagon occasionally and feeling too awful about it is counterproductive. Just pick yourself up and go back on plan.

yah, maybe i'll try to not drink when I go out with friends and what not. Think its a difficult balance trying to figure out how to stay healthy while wanting to stay engaged socially.

& julia, I hope you're right! i'm up a couple lbs :/ but the most important thing really is not feeling too defeated. it is just so tough when i've been doing so good lately!

You can't gain 2.5 pounds from eating 1200 extra calories unless you have a serious metabolic condition. It's not possible. Likely, you're retaining water from the alcohol and salt. Drink lots of water today and eat fresh, whole foods, and you'll be feeling better in no time.

And remember, this is your real life. In your real life, sometimes you're going to do something wacky, like drink too much or eat something that makes you feel gross. Sometimes you're going to oversleep or wear yourself out exercising. Sometimes you're going to get injured or sick or just plain not feel well. That's all a part of your real life, just like the choices you make to eat healthy foods and take care of yourself are part of your real life. None of it is worth beating yourself up over. Just try to take it in stride and think about all of the great things you do for yourself on a regular basis, and don't make yourself crazy over the few times when things don't go according to plan.

It goes with the territory...inhibitions go out the window. It will probably take 2-3 days on plan for your weight to return to normal.

Meanwhile, don't restrict too much. Overcompensating is crazy and the goal here is sanity and peace.

You sound exactly like me!
I only have about 8 lbs left to lose and
I am so good all week then the weekend drinks come alone and I'll eat everything in sight! I've found the only way to do it is set a period of about 2 weeks and don't drink. Then have a week off where you can drink but expect not to lose. It's a tough decision!

That's exactly why I stopped drinking. Kudos to those who can have a glass of wine and leave it be - but I get cravings for junk and decide that going to the store for chips is a good idea. So no booze since July 2009. Okay, I cheated, I was pregnant so it was easy to say "no" until June 2010 - but I haven't drank since I had my son.

Yup, I totally understand. My defenses are completely down if I have a drink or two. It's like all of a sudden I don't care. I can make the good decision of not driving after drinking but I can't seem to choose a salad over nachos.

In one post a long time ago I talked about this. It's kinda like instead of waking up next to a strange man in your bed it's an empty container of oreos. Although I'm pretty sure I would have had a better time with the oreos!

(ps -- I don't drink anymore because I am afraid of BOTH those scenarios playing out. Again. )

anna ng & krampus-you're right. I have to realize I am not perfect, I know beating myself up will only make things worse.

tarryn-I have 8 lbs left too! I know it sounds terribleee but I work 8-5 all week, going out and drinking with my friends is just such a relief at the end of it all. 2 weeks of work straight, without being able to let loose a bit would be tough. plus, I love being able to go out to nicer clubs/bars with friends where I can wear clothes that embrace my progress! and it is always so awkward going to those places and being the one chick who just stands there while everyone else drinks ://

sacha-I admire your dedication!! That is amazing. you are stronger than me ha

shaniam-i really laughed out loud when I read the part about oreos vs. a guy in your bed!! great imagery right there. ahha I wonder what I would regret more? I mean hey, at least guys are calorie-free, right? hahah

Well, I do think I found a strategy to tackle this! Last night, I added at the beginning of the day to my fitness tracker the drinks I anticipated to have that night, so with the calories already budgeted into my day, I barely went over! We did, of course, have the 2 o'clock pizza stop, BUT I only let myself have a couple bites, then remembered what tomorrow would bring and the wave of guilt that would come along with it, so I put the pizza down, even after a couple drinks! quite proud of myself if I do say so myself

I do want to make sure I'm getting the right nutrition though. I know adding the calories to my daily count keeps me under my budget, but also doesn't help me at all nutrition wise :/ tackle one beast at a time I guess.

I still drink - usually vodka, club soda, splash of cranberry. I make it a point to try to keep the mixer calories low. If I'm hungry at the end of my night, I try to keep those calories low as well. I figure once every other week won't kill me!

I'm cutting out alcohol for the summer until I reach goal because I KNOW I can't handle it. Alcohol (mainly beer) is mostly how I gained back the weight I lost because college, especially when you've just turned 21, lends itself to drinking. And I'm an impulsive person, so when I drink... I binge drink. Which is another, very big problem unto itself. But yes. I DEFINITELY have a problem as well when it comes to eating a million pounds of food when I drink.

When I get to goal, I will probably reintroduce alcohol, but limit it to one glass of wine or something like that. At that point, I'll be small enough that my body won't really be able to handle much more than that without feeling tipsy.

You'll be alright. Drink lots of water!

I drank for the first time in about six months last night. It was my graduation dinner with my college so I thought to **** with it. When I am going to get my hands on free wine and champagne again?

I got drunk, had an amazing time and now this morning I feel horribly sick and I've gained 2Ibs and I know that wasn't through food since I went to the toilet halfway through dinner and when I came back they had taken my plate away.

How is budgeting for alcohol working out for you? I've got a couple more graduation-related events and parties coming up and I want to get through them without slipping into a binge.

Since the nice weather started, I've been drinking nearly every weekend! There's always a party or BBQ on the weekends and I agree that once I drink, I start eating any and everything!

I can totally relate! You're so not alone in this.

I recently gave in and let myself measure exactly how much wine I'm drinking, and exactly how many calories it's adding up to and I'm shocked. I may have to switch to vodka! And I am a big red wine lover.

It's so hard not to want to nibble when your inhibitions are down!