This is my first post, however I absolutely love the support everyone gives on this site. I was very good for the first two weeks, however I really would like to have a few drinks when I go out with my friends on the weekends. Is this a total no no on atkins? I just hate drinking club soda while everybody else is having a good time. Any info/experiences would be greatly appreciated.


P.S. Keep losing the lb's everyone!!!!!

I am not sure I am going threw the same problem. I am a huge beer drinker but have given it up for this diet. I switched to bacardi and diet coke once in a while but I have still wondered if thats a horrible idea too. So I guess I am saying I am wondering the same thing as you.

P.S. Yaeger bombs will stop your weight loss dead in its tracks I learned the hard way

It has been my experience that yaeger bombs will stop many, many things dead in their tracks.

Yeah that bums me out too about bars and diet rite. All I drink is diet rite, tea, and water. I am one of those weird people that calls everything coke. Diet rite tastes better then diet coke too.

I try to avoid alcohol while on the diet. Though I've still experienced weight loss if I choose to imbibe, I've found that my results are better if I don't.

But sometimes, a drink is just what you want. So here are a few of the things that I've tried, and that I've liked:

Vodka & soda, muddled. Your better bartenders will know just what you are talking about. For the uninitiated; take a few wedges of lemon or lime, place them in a shaker filled with ice, and then use a pestle to crush the citris against the ice. Place a strainer on the shaker, and pour the iced citris juice in the drink. This is "muddling."

Wine spritzer. Basically, wine with club soda. The soda dilutes the total carbs that you take in, unless of course you drink too many spritzers.

Expensive tequila, straight. I usually ask for a shot of Patron tequila, a plate of lemon wedges, and a glass of club soda. The soda's for sipping, and the tequila and lemon wedges -- you'll know what to do with that. Especially is there is a salt shaker handy.

There's always alcohol and diet soda, but I've never cared for such drinks myself. The point is, there are low-carb choices! And, if you are like me, you might even find that you prefer them over the sugar-laden drinks that you may have enjoyed in the past.

-G.

The two things to remember with alcohol on Atkins are these:

1) While your body is dealing with the alcohol, it will cease burning fat. It will always use alcohol as fuel before fat. However, once it's done with the alcohol, it will immediately go back to a ketotic state and continue burning fat. So technically you don't drop out of ketosis, it's just delayed.

2) Be very careful with your alcohol consumption while in ketosis. You will become inebriated more quickly and you won't have the tolerance you normally have. The effects can be quite dramatic in some people.

So bearing these two things in mind, and being an adult, the choice is yours.

If you want to have a drink, I would go with dry white wines, white spirits(vodka, gin,etc) and diet sodas. They have the fewest carbs.

Another thing to remember about alcohol is that it fogs your judgement... be careful not to cave into the munchies, eating chips,candy etc. I mean. Have some pork rinds readily available!

Oh yeah...that too LOL

I had a glass of wine with my husband last Saturday night. It felt soooo nice and relaxing. I could have cleaned the pantry of little munchies if I hadn't been still in control.

I actually take a bag of pork rinds and LC chocolate with me to the bar when I go. Otherwise I'd be ordering mozzerella stix, french fries, you name it!

Wow, I just can't believe how helpful you all are. The support on this site is unreal. Thank you so much for your responses. I look forward to sharing my experience/knowledge as I keep shedding the fat!

Thanks again

Chris

So I see atkins used to think badly about wine but now thats not so. I also see wine is very low in carbs(if any). Now I also have seen alot about it acting like carbs in the sense that your body burns alcohol first instead of fat...but it really doesnt knock you out of ketosis? just delays it? If so I am gonna be pounding some wine . Last weekend after drinking a few vodka/dite rite drinks I had my pork rinds with me..glad I aint the only one carrying pork rinds when I drink. But lets face it, I enjoy drinking and I will drink to get a good buzz going on. With wine that is going to take a little more but I know I would like it more then vodka. So what I am asking is can I actually drink enough wine to get drunk and still be in ketosis since the carb intake would be low? (excluding the carb like alcohol which should burn off in a day or so right?)

Gwyn, thankyou so much for those suggestions. I think at some point I am definitely going to have to give that muddled vodka a bash!!

mb99 - happy to help.

DEM - wine has 3 carbs per glass: http://wine.about.com/library/weekly/aa041800.htm Compared to pure spirits at 0 carbs, the carbs in wine can add up on you.


-G.

It doesn't knock you out of ketosis because the body will convert the alcohol to keotenes. It is much easier to convert alcohol then fat, so your body will do that instead. If you eat quite a bit, the body will store it as fat to use later when the alcohol is burned. On another thread someone discussed how the fat can be stored in the liver and build up with regular drinking.

I found I used to really love a vodka with crystal lite. Now it would be way way too sweet. You can get splenda sweetened margarita mix as well. Depending on wher eyou go and how accomidating they are, they may use something you bring in as a mix. Local health laws may have seomthing to do with it, not sure.

Just be careful of Rums. Regular rum such as bacardi 151 is 0 carb. Many of the spiced and flavored rums though from bacardi and capt. Morgan contain up to 10g net per oz. Do a search on here. Someone emailed the companies and got carb counts for the products.

Some wine is lower carb, if you get a dry one. Also red wine can have benifits. If you can get buzzed off 1-2 glasses it may not be to bad. If you have to drink a bottle or two, then maybe don't try to just be a wine drunk You're resistance may lower enough on LC that a couple glasses does it.