Can I still drink alcohol and eat out while losing weight?

If you feel you've been making good food choices but you're frustrated by a lack of progress, alcohol can be one of the most commonly overlooked factors.

It's easy to think of drinks as separate from food, but alcohol contains seven calories per gram, nearly as much as fat and considerably more than protein or carbohydrate. Add mixers, cocktails or large glasses of wine and the total can quickly add up, often without us noticing.

Alcohol also affects appetite and decision-making. Most of us know the feeling of a couple of drinks leading to a takeaway on the way home, or a bigger breakfast the next morning. Understanding these knock-on effects is just as important as knowing the calorie content.

This course isn't about telling you whether or not to drink. It's about giving you clear, honest information so that the choices you make are your own.

The effects of alcohol don't end when the evening does. Poor sleep after drinking, feeling tired or hungover, and cravings for salty or fatty food the next day can all affect what you eat and how active you feel. Many people find that one evening of drinking affects their choices for much of the following day as well.

Becoming aware of these knock-on effects is often more useful than simply counting the calories in a glass.

A few of the things we often hear include:

• "Wine is a healthy choice." A large glass of wine can contain as many calories as a snack.
• "Spirits have no calories." Spirits do contain calories, and mixers can add many more.
• "I don't eat much when I drink." Many people underestimate how alcohol affects their appetite and choices.
• "I have to stop drinking to lose weight." Whether and how much you drink is your decision. Understanding the effects lets you make that choice in an informed way.

When people start a weight loss programme, they often feel they have to choose between their goals and their social life. They stop going out, turn down invitations, or spend evenings with friends feeling anxious and left out. That's not sustainable, and it's not much fun either.

The Raiys approach is different. Rather than telling you to avoid alcohol, restaurants and takeaways, Week 9 helps you understand how they affect your goals, so you can make choices that feel right for you. For some people, that means drinking a little less. For others, it means choosing differently or planning ahead. The choice is always yours.

Restaurants, takeaways and social occasions are part of life, and they're meant to be enjoyed. But restaurant portions tend to be large, menus can be tricky to navigate, and social pressure is real.

With a few simple skills, you can enjoy a meal out, order a takeaway, or celebrate with friends, without feeling that your progress has been wiped out, and without feeling like the odd one out.

One of the hardest parts of eating out or socialising isn't the food or drink itself, but the people around us. Being encouraged to have "just one more", feeling awkward ordering something different, or worrying about what others will think can make sticking to your plans feel difficult.

Week 9 includes practical, confidence-building strategies for social situations, so you can enjoy time with friends and family while still feeling in control of your choices.

Takeaways and fast food are a normal part of modern life, especially when time is short. Rather than avoiding them altogether, the programme helps you make choices that fit with your goals, so a Friday night takeaway can still be something to look forward to.

Restaurant menus are designed to tempt us, and they can be difficult to navigate when you're trying to make healthier choices. Descriptions can be vague, portions are often generous, and the healthier-sounding options aren't always what they seem.

The course gives you a set of simple, practical skills for reading a menu, ordering confidently, and enjoying your meal without feeling that you've had to compromise. Many people find these skills give them a real sense of freedom when eating out.

Alcohol doesn't only add calories of its own. It can also stimulate appetite, lower our inhibitions, and make the takeaway menu or the crisps at the bar much harder to resist. Many people find that the food they eat while drinking, or the next day, has a bigger effect on their progress than the drinks themselves.

Understanding how alcohol affects your own appetite and choices can be really helpful. Some people notice that they snack more after a glass of wine at home. Others find that a night out leads to a big breakfast and a lazy day on the sofa.

Week 9 helps you explore your own patterns, and offers practical ways to enjoy a drink, if you choose to, while keeping your goals in view.

Weddings, birthdays, work parties, family gatherings: these are some of the most important moments in our lives, and food and drink are usually at the centre of them. The final session of Week 9 helps you approach these events with a plan, so you can relax and enjoy yourself rather than worrying about food the whole time.

Alcohol and Eating Out is one of 12 weekly courses in the Raiys Weight Management Programme. Each course is broken down into short sessions of around five minutes, one for each day of the week, so you can fit them around work, family and everything else. Each session ends with a short reflection, something to think about, and a simple action, something to try that day.

You can work through the programme in order, building each week on the last, or, if alcohol and eating out is the area you most want to work on, you can go straight to it. Either way, the sessions are designed to be used alongside the BeChange app, which helps you put what you learn into practice in everyday life.

In Week 9 of the programme, you'll learn:

• How many calories are in common alcoholic drinks
• How alcohol affects your appetite and choices
• How to make better alcohol choices that suit you
• Menu navigation skills for restaurants
• How to eat out without overeating
• Strategies for takeaways, fast food and social events

Will I be told to stop drinking?

No. The course gives you clear information so you can make your own informed choices. If you have concerns about how much you drink, your GP can help.

Can I still have takeaways?

Yes. The course offers practical strategies to enjoy takeaways and meals out in a way that supports your goals.

Is it okay to drink while losing weight?

Many people do. The course gives you the information to decide what works for you and your goals.

What's the most useful thing I can do before a meal out?

A little forward planning goes a long way. Thinking ahead about where you're going, what you might choose and how you'd like to feel at the end of the evening can make a big difference. The course builds on this with a range of practical strategies you can use in any setting.

What if friends pressure me to drink?

It's very common. Week 9 includes confident, friendly ways of handling social pressure so you can stick with your choices without feeling awkward.

The Raiys Weight Management Programme is a 12-week, clinician-led digital programme designed to be used alongside the BeChange app. Each week focuses on one course, broken into short five-minute daily sessions, each with a reflection and a simple action to take into your day. It's built on current NICE and SIGN guidance and on proven behaviour-change approaches, and it's written to support you, never to judge you.

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for personal medical advice. If you have a health condition, take regular medication, are pregnant, or have concerns about your weight or eating, please speak to your GP or healthcare professional before making significant changes. If you have had, or are preparing for, weight loss surgery, please follow the advice of your specialist team.

Dr Laura Coia is a GP Partner in NHS Scotland with over 25 years of clinical experience, and Co-founder and Medical Director of Raiys Digital Health.

Dr Izzy Howat is a Consultant Endocrinologist and NHS Weight Management Specialist, and Weight Management Lead at Raiys Digital Health. She is the author of the Raiys Weight Management Programme.

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2025). Overweight and obesity management (NG246). London: NICE. (Replaces CG189.)
• UK Chief Medical Officers (2016). UK Chief Medical Officers' Low Risk Drinking Guidelines.
• NHS. The Eatwell Guide; and How to lose weight safely. nhs.uk
• Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) (2010). Management of obesity (SIGN 115). Edinburgh: SIGN. (Some recommendations may since have been superseded; read alongside NICE NG246.)
• British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS). Clinical guidance for patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Relevant only to readers who have had, or are preparing for, weight loss surgery; this programme is a non-surgical behavioural programme.