Can I Drink and Diet? Of Course You Can

 There's nothing stopping you from having one or even two alcoholic drinks a day if you feel like it. Or you could try to avoid alcohol during the week and let your guard down a bit for just one day on the weekend; could work for you. You still can't make like a rampaging Doberman in the butcher shop, but you can have a few drinks to relax and still manage to lose unwanted fat.

But. You knew there would be a "but", right? Let's finish with the hopeful and positive things before moving on to the gloomy parts. Of course you can drink (alcohol) and go on a diet. There is nothing stopping you from having one or even two drinks a day if you want. Red wine is actually touted as a healthy drink in moderation, so you may want to have a glass with a meal. Check out 차가운술

If you are going to drink alcohol and go on a successful diet at the same time, you need to be very aware of how many calories and standard drinks you are consuming. Like everything related to sensible eating, the amount of alcohol that can be safely consumed in a day according to the health police is very little. The size that authorities measure in a standard drink may seem like a silly joke to a thirsty, experienced drinker. However, that is the sad reality. If you intend to drink and diet, your alcohol consumption will be the square root of not much.

If you stay away from alcohol during the week and let your guard down a bit for just one day on the weekend, it might work for you. You still can't make like a rampaging Doberman in the butcher shop, but you can have a few drinks to relax. Remember, it's like a cheat meal per week, have 2 or 3 drinks in a day over the weekend as a regular treat if you can stick to it. If you don't have this discipline, your weight loss efforts will fail. If you factor your (minimum) alcohol intake into your daily calorie count, it's worth remembering that alcohol = empty calories. So the only benefits to be gained from an alcoholic beverage are those related to alcohol as a relaxant. But as a relaxant, alcohol takes away your desire to exercise, eat right, and not give a damn about fat.

If you really want a drink or two a day, carefully study a calorie counter guide. I've met girls who drink rum and Diet Coke in the mistaken belief that Diet Coke is saving them enough calories to justify the calorie-laden, sugar-saturated rum component. Similarly, gin and tonic has a sneaky amount of calories, but many of them are found in tonic water. Wine is not the worst choice for a weight control diet and if you can handle a spritzer of half wine and half still or sparkling water; you can double your drink, but limit your alcohol.

A 7-ounce beer has about 100 calories. That means that for every "standard" beer you drink, you could walk briskly for 10 to 15 minutes to negate the calories you consumed, or cut out 100 calories of some other more nutritious food or drink. Sounds pretty doable until the third or fourth beer. After that, you'll probably be sneakily looking at the vending machine in the corner of the pub and checking your loose change. Alcohol has an affinity for fatty and salty snacks. There is no fat in alcohol, but sugar can be a killer for your diet. If you consume more sugar than your body needs, your clever body will plan to park it somewhere in case you need it later. While it is parked, it will turn to fat.

So if you drink even a moderate amount of alcohol while trying to lose weight, your body will likely thank you by spewing lard deposits all over its more irregular storage facilities. Up to you. You can lose weight and not give up alcohol in the process. You may not be able to. I have successfully lost a lot of weight using both strategies; moderation and total abstinence.

I have never kept the weight off when I did not stop drinking. Drinking lowered my resistance to food cravings and I gave in to them over time. Abstinence has meant that I always have my wits about my daily food choices and am always motivated enough to exercise and enjoy my healthy lifestyle. I miss a good red or cold beer, but for me the sacrifice is worth it.