Losing fat, and getting in shape is going to require some will power and determination.  But, it doesn't have to come at the expense of your social life.  I like drinking.  Saturday night drinks have been a part of my life for a long time now, and I don't think that getting in shape should require locking yourself in a room for three months. Sustainability is always the most important part of any fat loss plan.  If you find that your diet is truly a huge struggle to follow faithfully, it probably needs some tweaking.  The plan that I have come up with for myself, is a breeze.  I could keep it up indefinitely and not lose my mind. I have had some great success, not at the expense of my sanity or social life either.

 You can't go out and have a two day bender every weekend if you seriously want to lose fat. I'm sorry, but you do need to practice some restraint.  You can however, have a good night of partying once every few weeks, and not hamper your progress too much.  The rules of dieting still apply to alcohol.  Obviously alcohol is not a healthy fuel source, so relying on alcohol for energy is not a practical approach. The principle of controlling calories is still the most important part of burning fat though.  With some simple guidelines, you can go out and have a night of fun here and there, without feeling guilty about it.

 Martin Berkhan, the creator of  Leangains Intermittent Fasting, wrote an awesome article about alcohol and fat loss here.  The article is pretty heavy on the science, but it is worth reading for those of you who want to understand more about how our bodies deal with alcohol, and about the myths regarding alcohol that are prevalent in the health and fitness community.  The advice I'm going to share, is based on his work, and on my own personal experience.

How to booze it up, and not get fat.

Total calories.  Burn it into your mind.  This is what matter when losing fat.  Alcohol has 7.1 cal/gram.  This means that an average 1oz shot of alcohol has around 60 to 70 cal.  Depending on how you mix your drinks, this means that 10 drinks will be around 700 cal. or more, depending on what you mix with.  Beer has carbs, so the calories vary from 100 cal to 200 cal per bottle depending on the brand.

If you want to drink, but also want to keep your calories in check, the extra calories from alcohol, need to be compensated for by reducing the calories from food. This is in no way good for your health, but I think we all know that drinking is inherently unhealthy anyway. Keep protein high and replace fat and carb calories with alcohol.

Keep fat low

On days where you want to drink, try to keep fat as low as possible.  Eat lean chicken for your protein, and steer clear of higher fat protein sources like beef, pork, and fish.  The problem with fat and alcohol is that eating an excess of calories almost guarantees that any fat you eat will be stored as fat, and a night of drinking will almost always result in eating more than your maintenance calories.

Carbs

As far as carbs go, you can technically use the carbs from whatever you drink, to replace muscle glycogen. So if you drink after training, higher carb drinks like beer are actually acceptable, remembering to pay attention to total calories of course. 

 So here is my advice on how to put "diet-drinking" into action.

 Step 1 

Eat your regular amount of protein (1g/lb of bodyweight). 

 Step 2

 Eat as little fat as possible. Eat a huge pile of fibrous veggies, and leafy greens instead. 

 Step 3 

 Choose beer or liquor. If you trained on the day you plan to drink, beer is ok. 

 Step 4 

 Take a look at the calories from the food you have eaten, and figure out how much you can drink without blowing you calorie limit out of the water. 

 Step 5 

 Calm the hell down, and enjoy life. Assuming that you are being strict with your diet eighty percent of the time, a night out here and there is not going to ruin you. If you follow the advice I've laid out, you will be just fine. In fact, there is a bonus to drinking sometimes. The day after drinking you will have very little water retention, and will look leaner for a few days. So, eat a pile of veggies, your regular protein amount, and have some fun. Also try to remember your goals, and restrain yourself when the McDonald's run happens. Eating five big macs at the end of the night is not going to fit into this plan. Get at it, and enjoy!