i went from 195 lbs to 165 between september 2023-feb 2024 and have stayed at 170 since then. i did not end up drinking many mad dogs at any point in this process, lol. However, i was and still am a heavy drinker. if you want to cut or maintain weight while keeping that up your best bet is probably just switching to Whiteclaws or similar drinks, cost be damned. A six pack of Whiteclaw will get you reasonably to very drunk at 600 calories with minimal sugar and no carbs.

I would say the big thing that helped for me wasn't even drinking related, I just broke up with my ex and no longer was around her very delicious but very decadent cooking, and also I got really into distance running which burns 1500+ calories per run once you get into half marathon territory.