Can You Drink Alcohol And Still Lose Weight?

2 weeks of alcohol ahead?

Can you drink alcohol and still lose weight? Or maybe maintain weight given the time of year? You certainly can. You maybe asking yourself the following

Am I supposed to be drinking alcohol while dieting? Will I be able to lose weight? How do I fit in alcohol to my macros? Will drinking alcohol impact my fitness goals? So many of us are asking these questions, especially with the social events of Christmas!

You can still have a drink, socialise and enjoy yourself and still lose weight. As long as you remain in a calorie deficit you will still lose weight. Is it it optimal for health, muscle gain or appetite? Probably not but you will achieve long term weight loss, which will therefore improve health and more importantly allow you to live a balances and enjoyable life.

Being mindful of the calories in what you are drinking and making smart substitutions will make a big difference in the amount of calories consumed. It’s funny really, because when you are having junk food like a burger and fries, you acknowledge that you are consuming a lot of calories, but when drinking alcohol you not necessarily acknowledge the calorie content in the same way. If you have 10 pints on a Saturday night, thats 2100 calories, compared 10 vodka/diet cokes which works out to be 650 calories

Calories in alcohol

Beer – 210 kcal
Prosecco – 80 kcal
Wine – 180 kcal
Gin + Tonic – 59 kcal
Vodka + Diet coke – 65 kcal
Margarita – 170 kcal
Vodka + coke – 150 kcal

So how DO you calculate alcohol and macros?

The easiest way to fit in alcohol into your macros is going to be to track is as carbs. That simplicity is because people have more carbs to eat during the day than fats, and fats are twice the caloric content of carbs.

The negative effects of alcohol and dieting

The majority of the time it’s not the alcohol that will prevent people from reaching their goals. It’s the snacking and lack of mindful eating that gets people into trouble. If you’re guilty of doing this every week, it will be tough to make any progress at all.
If you’re able to have a couple of drinks and avoid the snacking then great, consuming alcohol in moderation may be entirely doable for you. However if you tend to overindulge every time you drink, i suggest staying clear of alcohol when trying to reach a specific goal and add it back in after some time.

If you are seriously trying to lose weight, you’re in prep for a show, or you just have hit a plateau in your weight loss you may review your alcohol habits. Sometimes you may need to remove alcohol from your diet to break through a plateau or to lose the last few pounds.

Getting back on track with your diet

The festive season can be a tough time for anyone on a diet. Always remember that missing your macros one day, or even a few days, doesn’t mean you can’t still make progress. What truly matters is what you are doing the majority of the time over a long period.
Making a lifestyle change successful using your preferred method is going to require effort and discipline on your part. Keep in mind that no matter what you do, whether it’s having an occasional drink or going out to eat with your friends where there’s a temptation, it’s going to require work.

To find out how i can make nutrition enjoyable, sustainable while getting results, drop me a message