I was wondering if anybody here had any favorite drinks that you may indulge with when your out at the bars or partying while trying to be "good" on your diet?

I've found that I now try to stick to light beers and mixes of hard liquor and diet soda (capt morgan, jack daniels, etc.)

Anybody else have any interesting drinks?

Those are pretty much your choices when out at a bar. Baja Bob's makes a line of sugar free drink mixes, made with splenda. I brought a bottle of the Pina Colada mix down to FL and it was quite yummy.

I don't know how much this helps (because, frankly, if I'm drinking I'm not worrying about my diet -- good thing I don't drink very often), but when I do go out, I will have one of three drinks (in descending order of preference):

Some kind of dark beer (usually Beck's dark in most places)
A rusty nail (scotch and Drambuie over ice -- put fruit in it, and I'll toss it at you...)
A Manhattan (bourbon or blended whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters, orange-peel oil, and a cherry)

Unfortunately, none of these are particularly low carb...

Perhaps I ought to switch to Los Angeles ****tails, as they contain one egg per serving... get me some protein at the bar!

Usually when I drink, and I mean DRINK, at a bar I'll usually have beer like Budweiser or Labbatt Blue (I'm really starting to dig Coors Light tho -- old age I guess...LOL) and I'll have either a shot of JD (Jack Daniels) or a snake bite (JD and something else, can't remember). Once in a while I'll have a rum and coke. I drink carbonated drinks like water tho, but beer I usually am ok with. I don't know why. I can also hold my liquor pretty darn well. Ask me sometime about my summer of fun in 2002. Couple of dark secrets that summer.

Back on topic....

I think beer is a muscle killer. If I do drink, it's usually with my buddies, and it's only a couple of beers. Nothing too serious. If I'm going to get hammered (like what I described above) I could care less about my diet. This past weekend was a perfect example. I knew my diet was going down the drain anyways, so I just was a little too excessive. I've pretty much cut my hammered times down to weddings where I can stay at a hotel or if I stay at someone's house if it's not a wedding.

But yeah, I think beer kills muscle. That's why it's called a "beer gut"!

My personal opinion- Not backed up by any sort of nutritional fact or expertise AT ALL- Is that worries about nutrition end when you walk through the front door of a bar. Stop counting carbs and calories, it's time to count floor tiles.

f I'm going to get hammered (like what I described above) I could care less about my diet. This past weekend was a perfect example. I knew my diet was going down the drain anyways, so I just was a little too excessive. I've pretty much cut my hammered times down to weddings where I can stay at a hotel or if I stay at someone's house if it's not a wedding

Man... I haven't been "hammered" since... since... Um, what was the first year the Yankees won the World Series in this past run? 96? 97? Well, it was the day they beat Atlanta for the title, I think it was Halloween, because I was in a bad mood, at a bar I don't like (my friend wanted to go there), surrounded by people I considered idiots who were all wearing stupid costumes (I tell you, I was in a bad mood). So I found a bartender who was wearing a mini-skirt and go-go boots, camped out at her station and dropped about 45$ on gin and grapefruit juice and bourbon and ginger ale. I was an absolute wreck when my friend dropped me off at home...

Nowadays, I get legally drunk maybe twice per year, and it's only when I see my old friends from Cleveland.

So I found a bartender who was wearing a mini-skirt and go-go boots, camped out at her station and dropped about 45$ on gin and grapefruit juice and bourbon and ginger ale.

Betcha she loved you!

Some of my best memories are ones I don't even remember, especially summer of 2002! Supposedly (and this is one of two "blackmail" moments), when I went out with a couple of coworker friends, I got hammered. It was 2 for 1 drinks from 11PM -12AM. Needless to say I had 2 beers at hand at all times. We played beer pong (which was probably my worst mistake). We started dancing. They got 3 pitchers of beer. We finished one off and there were 2 left. This girl I work with (I had a crush on here and kinda still do) says "I bet you can't chug a pitcher." Ahem.......the desperate person I was.....I certainly chugged it (and they have pictures to proove it). Then a couple of minutes later I chugged another one. Now this is the part that's a little fuzzy. I was on the dance floor (by myself) dancing away when they brought flaming hot pizza in. I immediatly grabbed a slice. Supposedly I bit into it and dropped it. I started dancing again and then I grabbed the piece off of the beer-soaked, cigarette-butt-laden floor and finished it off. The sad and scarry part is I can't remember if I drove home that night or not!

Betcha she loved you!

Well, I do know that at some point during the night, she was giving me free drinks and I was giving her 5$ tips for 'em... I think I ended up tipping her more than I paid for all the drinks (I did mention she was wearing a mini-skirt and go-go boots, didn't I?).

Well good night all, Twin Peak's program is making me very tired, and I need to get to bed now or pass out with my face on the keyboard.

Hey WDN, so you're on Twin Peak's carb cycling program? I'm thinking of trying it out in about 2weeks (when school's out, so I can eat at home), but I'm kinda worried because I tried lo carb some time ago, and I lasted like 4days (the headaches were terrible and I was so grouchy I almost lost my friends!!). I know it's not the same thing, but those no carb days are a little scary... So I'd really appreciate any info you could give me. I mean, are you tired? hungry? can you do your cardio and lift the same amount of weight? Thanks a lot

ORIGINAL: Belen

Hey WDN, so you're on Twin Peak's carb cycling program? I'm thinking of trying it out in about 2weeks (when school's out, so I can eat at home), but I'm kinda worried because I tried lo carb some time ago, and I lasted like 4days (the headaches were terrible and I was so grouchy I almost lost my friends!!). I know it's not the same thing, but those no carb days are a little scary... So I'd really appreciate any info you could give me. I mean, are you tired? hungry? can you do your cardio and lift the same amount of weight? Thanks a lot

Actually, I was referring to his Tri-Phase-Progressive Training workout program. I was doing his carb cycling diet for about two weeks, but I dropped it because, well, I didn't want to put in the effort. It wasn't bad while I was on it, and it's pretty simple to follow. The big problem was that I needed to do things like remember to make a couple of chicken breasts or salmon portions the night before for me to take into work for lunch, and I would constantly forget to do that. It's a lot easier to open up a can of soup, or mix up some tuna and brown rice in the morning, than it is to cook up some chicken in the morning...

I wasn't tired or hungry on the no carb days, and I did all of my workouts on either low or high carb days -- always resting on no carb days, but I never had problems on the days I did work out.

His carb cycling program is not to be confused with those fad low carb diets.

Thanks a lot, guys, and sorry for the confusion..
Just one more question, I train every day, alternating cardio (4xweek) with weights (3xweek), so should I schedule no carb days for cardio or for weights? (or change my entire schedule and rest on no carb days?)

I'm not really sure. You should post that question under the carbohydrate cycling thread in the Nutrition forum. Hopefully Twin Peak (or someone else who knows) will see the question and answer it for you.

I will, thanks again

When I drink it is Grey Goose vodka no mix