For starters I wanna say I know drinking isn't good for you. I know it doesn't aid in losing, but I'll be honest. I have a pretty stressful job, and I'm 25, and if I give up the comfort of eating what I want, I feel the need even more to have a few shots or a glass or two of wine at night..

So, what are you opinions/experiences with drinking and trying to lose weight? Is it possible if I leave calories for my drinks? Or am I kidding myself if I'm thinking I can ever get at goal while still drinking? Any help would be appreciated!!

Yes, in my opinion, you can. Just keep in mind, the calories from alcohol should be counted in your daily (or weekly) limit. Some people find it difficult because it makes them hungry or they have less control over their food choices.

Thank you! I was thinking that too.. If you include it in your daily calorie count and are still eating ahealthy balanced diet it shouldn't matter. Just got a little worried and was curious.. Again, thanks!

I think it varies from person to person.

Calories be darned, I can't drink and lose. If I drink, it ups me by 1-2 lbs and I stay there, until I've had 4-5 days of no drinking.

Others can incorporate it without a problem.

The only way you know is to give it a shot.

I can't drink and lose, either. Since the liver's function is to detoxify the body (chemicals, medicine, pollutants, alcohol, etc) it gets bogged down with stuff so the last job it does is fat processing. So, the less stressors it has to deal with, the more efficient it will be processing fat. But, experiment and see for you. And let us know!

Yes you can.....calories are calories. However, like munchy mentioned, drinking can lead to a number of bad choices that will definitely affect your efforts. Where I work, we routinely go to "happy hour". I don't have any problems losing when I include 1-2 cocktails during those times.

Drinking generally makes me want to eat carbs, fried foods and everything that
is bad for me LOL, so I avoid it more often than not these days.

it's probably more about the calories in the drinks that cause weight gain. seems too easy to easily consume an extra 500 empty calories, not to mention those calories won't fill you up at all. I'd rather have 500 empty calories of pizza!

Yep, so long as you're keeping a deficit. It's tough for a lot of people though.

I have a hard time losing when I drink. I know I definately retain water after a night out drinking, but that normally goes away after a day or so. Like someone posted earlier, drinking usually leads to bad food choices, at least for me! I live in an area that has a pretty social downtown, lots of bars etc. Aside from fastfood places in the area there is a pizza joint directly in the middle of a bunch of bars that is open until three in the morning. $10 for a pitcher of beer and a pizza!! You know where I am after I've had a few!!

Yes, but you'll need to be aware of the caloric content of your drinks. If stress relief is the main reason you drink, would it help you to find another way of managing your stress?

I think it depends on the regularity of the drinking alcohol slows the metabolism because at the end of the day it's a depressant.

BSBgirl, that is how I gained a lot of my weight back. Drinking and then the food choices afterwards, and then extra food on the days I didn't drink. I've avoided alcohol for the past few weeks, but I never know when I'll decide to have a few.

It may actually be causing you stress to use alcohol to de-stress, since alcohol is a depressant. I went to the doctor to be put on anti-depressants and he told me I could drink occassionally, but not as often as I was. Of course, I wasn't stopping after 1 or 2 drinks either... I quit the antidepressants a few months ago.

I have found exercise, such as going for a walk or doing cardio at the gym, to be a great stress reliever after work.

I do have trouble with using food as a way to destress at the end of the workday, but exercising after work has greatly decreased my binges..

I don't see a problem with one or two glasses of wine a night or one or two shots, but the key is moderation. Our bodies build up a tolerance to alcohol.

speaking from experience, if you "need" to drink then it's really the last thing you ought to be doing.

do you really wanna be 45 and one of "those" ppl? the ones who hit the beer store first before the groceries get bought or the bills get paid?

i stopped drinking for over ten years because that's the way i was heading. it was over ten years before i could trust myself to have a drink at a party. even today, i strictly monitor how i feel and if i have to, i will send a drink back half-full or put it back in the fridge for an hour or dump it down the sink if i'm getting a bit tipsy.

i've had ppl tell me how i'm still young, i should enjoy life - bottom line, i enjoy the way drinks taste (not beer - stuff's narsty) but i do not enjoy being inebriated.

my idea of a party is being the one smirking at someone else saying "sooooo..... how *was* it last night? you know.... after you left with [gagging motions] *him*???" [evil laugh]

I've been able to lose while having a drink or two. I have to keep it to "basics" like dark beer, dry red wines, or straight Scotch. They'll fit in my calorie budget a few times a week. I think the key is know exactly how much you've got - measure, measure, measure (know thy glass!) and recognize that a feature of alcohol is that it can lower your resistance to things like off-plan eating. Sweeter drinks will set me up for sugar cravings the next day, which is something I'm not particularly good at dealing with; thus I avoid them!

All in all, make the changes you're willing to live with for a lifetime. It might take a bit longer to get where you're going, but I think it's really important to not set yourself up for a plan that doesn't fit you.

Excellent advise ICUwishing!! A drink should be a structured event that you have budgeted for. Wine has 25 calories per ounce. You have to be careful though not to drink more than you have budgeted for, as alcohol can cause you to let "your guard down" and want to drink more- it has happened to me!!