I'm in my 20s and i enjoy going out with friends and having a few drinks...it used to be a lot more...like 7 or 8 drinks but now i cut it down to about 2 or 3 drinks. I usually drink a light beer but i always go home feeling so bloated....is this the best drink choice for me? I;m trying to lose 10 lbs but i dont think i want to stay in all summer...i def would still enjoy having a few drinks on the weekends...would this stall my weight loss?

I don't think a few drinks on the weekend will hurt you too badly, if you are sticking to your program 100% the rest of the time. The thing that hurts people the most when drinking is the bad eating that often accompanies a night out. If the bloating bothers you, I'd try a mixed drink instead such as vodka and diet sprite. It is probably the yeast in the beer which is causing you to be bloated.

The trick to maintaining all this is to find a balance between what you want, and what you need.

In that spirit, I don't think a few drinks will destroy all your efforts. However, they need to be treated as a cheat food.

The above recommendation about vodka/diet might not be a bad idea. Definitely stay away from pina coladas, and all the sugary mixed drinks.

When you are out do not eat if possible.

Drink water if you can....but you might think this is uncool? (I would hope not with you being 20 years old). If not water try and stick to spirits with diet mixers I guess.

When I go out for a drink I do not worry too much what I am drinking, but when I go out I do not neccessarily always get drunk. If you are going out every weekend I would consider it a problem, if its one weekend a month no problem atall.

If you are going out two nights each weekend, every weekend then it will almost definitely affect your progress, as said especially if you are eating kebabs and chips etc. I am only 20 so I do know how fun a night out when drinking can be, I'm not somebody who looks down on it or anything as I drink myself when I go out and just really try to avoid eating when out if possible....or find a subway atleast and go for a "healthy" option.

Avoid Lager, Cider, etc and stick to spirits with diet mixers, avoid eating crap and if you can still enjoy yourself drink water most nights you are out and alcohol less often. It depends what you want more, a better body or to have some fun. Everybody needs a bit of fun sometimes though ;-)

EDIT: P.S What are your current stats and how much of the 10lb have you lost so far with your usual amount of drinking?

The best drink is water. Drinking water makes you hardcore! Now it is up to you if you want to be hardcore or not?

Damn right it makes you hardcore!

Hardcore is not drinking alcohol at all, or in moderation. And, drinking water to meet the needs of the body.

If one knows that the choice their making is going to slow, impede, alter, or stop progress, and do this anyway, then the one has no choice but to accept the consequences of the action (s) taken. One has to decide what they want more, the drink and associated consequence (if any) or their goal they wish to earn, and this is the bottom line and truth of the matter: In either scenario, something is definately earned. This is hardcore talk, but there are no holes in this thought.

Anyways, wine is good for you. It helps digest fats and such. So it should be drank in moderation.

I drink alcohol less than once a month, more like once every 2ish months and even then its not loads.None atall would be best though!

wow thanks for all the responses...i drink around 2 nights a week but its not every week...sometimes i go out but just skip on the drinks and have a club soda....and to clear this up...im not 20...i said i was IN MY 20s...im 23...and yea im gonna try vodka and diet sprite or diet coke....and wine...the beer makes me so bloated like i said so i might skip on that even tho its usually a lot cheaper than the mixed drinks....

my stats...im 5"4' ...hitting 5"5'...and 138 lbs i wanna be 128lbs...i just started so now i may be at 137...not positive tho.

and you all are right...drinking comes with consequences and i have to accept them if i want to continue drinking..im happy i cut down ALOT tho..when i first turned 21 i drank 7 drinks on average everytime i went out cuz it was all new to me and i guess i got too excited...but now its 2 drinks...MAYBE 3.

One thing I sometimes do if I want to have a few drinks. After every drink I have I drink one glass of water, helps keep things in moderation (at least for me). Besides diet soda with vodka you could try vodka with water and some real lime juice (not mixed stuff). but being honest, the more I have been doing to get healthy and feel energized the less desire I have to drink.

That's a good idea. Maybe just don't drink as quickly, and just keep it at 2 drinks.

I am a bartender so alcohol is so tempting , but I rarely drink anymore. to many crazy nights. Mainly avoid beer, even if it light beer.

I haven't tried it yet, but some of my friends drink bacardi and diet coke, 0 carbs. It's hard being a beer fan...

Screwdrivers.