Does alcohol really count the same as other calories?
Hornsby
Posts: 10,322 Member
You all know me for the most part. I am 100% about everything in moderation (my moderation on beer may be a little higher than some 
, but I am just curious if alcohol really has the same effect as other calories when it comes to weight loss?
This is more just a fun type question, but what led me to ask it is that I go over my maintenance quite often when I drink beer, but my weight never seems to go up because of it. I will be clear though, I don't really track food other than in my head, so exact numbers aren't a possibility. It's not all that odd for me to drink 10-12 beers each day. Food remains basically constant, but I never seem to go up from it. In fact, I am usually at my lowest weight on Sunday mornings. Dehydration I'm sure.
Just wanted to start a discussion and see if anyone else has thoughts.
, but I am just curious if alcohol really has the same effect as other calories when it comes to weight loss?This is more just a fun type question, but what led me to ask it is that I go over my maintenance quite often when I drink beer, but my weight never seems to go up because of it. I will be clear though, I don't really track food other than in my head, so exact numbers aren't a possibility. It's not all that odd for me to drink 10-12 beers each day. Food remains basically constant, but I never seem to go up from it. In fact, I am usually at my lowest weight on Sunday mornings. Dehydration I'm sure.
Just wanted to start a discussion and see if anyone else has thoughts.
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Replies
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Well - when we talk about how many calories are in a "gram" of a macro, we are really talking about how much actual energy is stored in the covalent bonds between the atoms in each of the molecules.
9 kcal per gram of lipid (fat) is saying there are 9000 calories of "energy" stored in the hydrogen/carbon bonds of the lipid (fats are nothing more than hydrogen and carbon)
4 kcal per gram of carbohydrate is saying that the addition of oxygen molecules to the carbon and hydrogen makes it less energy dense.
With the above two macros, when you digest it your body converts everything into sugars to burn right now (yielding free blood glucose, or glycogen to store). If that stays around unused you have enzymes in your blood that convert that to storable fat for later.
4kcal per gram of protein - well proteins are more complicated molecules but in the end you can say there are 4000 calories of energy in a gram of protein. Proteins are chains of amino acids - which is all we want from them to rebuild stuff like cell walls, muscle fibers, etc. In the end your consumption of protein doesn't give you "energy" like fat or sugar will.
How about alcohol? In the end it will get broken down into its constituent atoms and re-formed into sugars, or fats, at a rate of 7 kcal per gram of pure ethanol. If I remember my chemistry right at room temperature there is about 11 grams of pure ethanol in 1fluid oz of a 100 proof spirit. Which is where you get that ~80 cal/oz rule of thumb. Regardless, your liver spends time processing that alcohol but all it is doing is converting it into sugars your body can use for fuel. It only treats it differently in that the substance has to be processed through the liver for it to become "calories" you can use, but other than that, no it is not "treated" differently in the way protein is treated differently.0 -
Alcohol calories are, indeed, just calories.
That being said, alcohol calories come from sugar, so they can mess with your hunger signals the same way sugar can. Furthermore, once you start drinking, you are more likely to think it is OK to eat that finger food over there. Or have one more drink. Or not do your workout the next day because you are hung over.0 -
Well lets be clear... alcohol is not sugar, but is digested into sugar in much the same way that dietary fat is digested into sugar (IE dietary fat doesn't make your body "fat").
As for the deleterious effects of alcohol and whether or not it makes you eat more, drink more, or fail to exercise, well, I'll leave that up to you guys
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What you drink counts too. “A 3.5-ounce serving of Port wine contains 154 calories, according to the Modern Wine Cellar website. By comparison, a 5-ounce glass of red table wine has 124 calories.”
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You all know me for the most part. I am 100% about everything in moderation (my moderation on beer may be a little higher than some, but I am just curious if alcohol really has the same effect as other calories when it comes to weight loss?
This is more just a fun type question, but what led me to ask it is that I go over my maintenance quite often when I drink beer, but my weight never seems to go up because of it. I will be clear though, I don't really track food other than in my head, so exact numbers aren't a possibility. It's not all that odd for me to drink 10-12 beers each day. Food remains basically constant, but I never seem to go up from it. In fact, I am usually at my lowest weight on Sunday mornings. Dehydration I'm sure.
Just wanted to start a discussion and see if anyone else has thoughts.
This is so interesting @Hornsby... I feel like I am the exact same way! Sometimes I don't even track my alcohol consumption (gasp!) and it really makes no difference in the end.0 -
I track it, and make room for it. I always seem to lose after a pail-out on the weekend though I've noticed. Probably because I leave too much room and under eat. It's also possible that one gets more exercise than noticed...
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Calories are energy. You'll have many different sources of that energy coming in. Since you can't really analyze every molecule coming in and how much energy is yielded, you have to generalize based on categories (macronutrients). A gram of fat is about 9 kcal. A gram of carbohydrate is about 4. A gram of protein is about 4 (maybe less accounting for TEF), and a gram of alcohol is about 7. These are working approximations since we are dealing categorically with fats, carbs, proteins, etc.
Practically speaking, once you figure out an approximate value (that's what we all do when we Calorie count) of what you've taken in, that's the amount of energy you've provided your body. If it is less than your needs, energy is taken from the body. If it is more, energy is stored for later.
So regardless of where the energy comes from, alcohol being no exception to this, the overall amount and balance is what determines your body weight over time.
As an additional note, the energy from alcohol is not stored in the body, at least not to any efficient degree. It does provide energy, which then offsets what would otherwise be oxidized from other sources (carbs, fats), and those end up being stored. No practical difference given the same energy provided.0 -
I'm just wondering how you drink 10-12 beers on any given day and still function normally!0
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Showcase_Brodown wrote: »Calories are energy. You'll have many different sources of that energy coming in. Since you can't really analyze every molecule coming in and how much energy is yielded, you have to generalize based on categories (macronutrients). A gram of fat is about 9 kcal. A gram of carbohydrate is about 4. A gram of protein is about 4 (maybe less accounting for TEF), and a gram of alcohol is about 7. These are working approximations since we are dealing categorically with fats, carbs, proteins, etc.
Practically speaking, once you figure out an approximate value (that's what we all do when we Calorie count) of what you've taken in, that's the amount of energy you've provided your body. If it is less than your needs, energy is taken from the body. If it is more, energy is stored for later.
So regardless of where the energy comes from, alcohol being no exception to this, the overall amount and balance is what determines your body weight over time.
As an additional note, the energy from alcohol is not stored in the body, at least not to any efficient degree. It does provide energy, which then offsets what would otherwise be oxidized from other sources (carbs, fats), and those end up being stored. No practical difference given the same energy provided.
A yup. Also I find (it may not be true for others) that a few barley sandwiches takes the edge off of my hunger.0 -
I track it, and make room for it. I always seem to lose after a pail-out on the weekend though I've noticed. Probably because I leave too much room and under eat. It's also possible that one gets more exercise than noticed...
Yeah, you never know about those black-out trips you take to the gym or elsewheres. Yikes. 0 -
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Well - when we talk about how many calories are in a "gram" of a macro, we are really talking about how much actual energy is stored in the covalent bonds between the atoms in each of the molecules.
9 kcal per gram of lipid (fat) is saying there are 9000 calories of "energy" stored in the hydrogen/carbon bonds of the lipid (fats are nothing more than hydrogen and carbon)
4 kcal per gram of carbohydrate is saying that the addition of oxygen molecules to the carbon and hydrogen makes it less energy dense.
With the above two macros, when you digest it your body converts everything into sugars to burn right now (yielding free blood glucose, or glycogen to store). If that stays around unused you have enzymes in your blood that convert that to storable fat for later.
4kcal per gram of protein - well proteins are more complicated molecules but in the end you can say there are 4000 calories of energy in a gram of protein. Proteins are chains of amino acids - which is all we want from them to rebuild stuff like cell walls, muscle fibers, etc. In the end your consumption of protein doesn't give you "energy" like fat or sugar will.
How about alcohol? In the end it will get broken down into its constituent atoms and re-formed into sugars, or fats, at a rate of 7 kcal per gram of pure ethanol. If I remember my chemistry right at room temperature there is about 11 grams of pure ethanol in 1fluid oz of a 100 proof spirit. Which is where you get that ~80 cal/oz rule of thumb. Regardless, your liver spends time processing that alcohol but all it is doing is converting it into sugars your body can use for fuel. It only treats it differently in that the substance has to be processed through the liver for it to become "calories" you can use, but other than that, no it is not "treated" differently in the way protein is treated differently.
Thanks for the breakdown. I guess I am curious because from what I have read, if you drink alcohol, that will be the first thing your body burns as it is the preferred source (Is that correct)? So if you have a high TDEE can you and burn say 150 calories per hour doing nothing, can you "beat the system" so to speak?What you drink counts too. “A 3.5-ounce serving of Port wine contains 154 calories, according to the Modern Wine Cellar website. By comparison, a 5-ounce glass of red table wine has 124 calories.”
I understand the standard answer since of course, alcohol has calories.
This is so interesting @Hornsby... I feel like I am the exact same way! Sometimes I don't even track my alcohol consumption (gasp!) and it really makes no difference in the end.
Thanks! Glad I'm not the only one. Like I said, I don't know how it all works, but it just seems to me that if I was going over on chicken or ho-hos all the time that it would affect me much more than beer seems to.
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I don't go to the gym. What I mean is, for me, I get more energy and tend to make more trips up and down the stairs, out to the shed, whatever. It also negates the pain I feel all day from arthritis and makes me more mobile. I don't get black out drunk (any more)Showcase_Brodown wrote: »I track it, and make room for it. I always seem to lose after a pail-out on the weekend though I've noticed. Probably because I leave too much room and under eat. It's also possible that one gets more exercise than noticed...
Yeah, you never know about those black-out trips you take to the gym or elsewheres. Yikes. I'll leave that for the teens and twenty somethings.
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I don't go to the gym. What I mean is, for me, I get more energy and tend to make more trips up and down the stairs, out to the shed, whatever. It also negates the pain I feel all day from arthritis and makes me more mobile. I don't get black out drunk (any more)Showcase_Brodown wrote: »I track it, and make room for it. I always seem to lose after a pail-out on the weekend though I've noticed. Probably because I leave too much room and under eat. It's also possible that one gets more exercise than noticed...
Yeah, you never know about those black-out trips you take to the gym or elsewheres. Yikes. I'll leave that for the teens and twenty somethings.
I figured you meant something closer to that, but I couldn't resist joking around about it.0 -
Regardless, your liver spends time processing that alcohol but all it is doing is converting it into sugars your body can use for fuel. It only treats it differently in that the substance has to be processed through the liver for it to become "calories" you can use, but other than that, no it is not "treated" differently in the way protein is treated differently.
So...... your liver is working out. As the song by Psychostik goes, "BEER IS GOOD! BEER IS GOOD! LET'S GO DRINK SOME BEEEEEEEEER!!!!"
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...and it made me laugh. I've thought about what Hornsby wrote though and I have felt the same way, as if you can eat maintenance and still imbibe, but I'm fairly certain the out side of the energy balance equation is increased without noticing.Showcase_Brodown wrote: »
I don't go to the gym. What I mean is, for me, I get more energy and tend to make more trips up and down the stairs, out to the shed, whatever. It also negates the pain I feel all day from arthritis and makes me more mobile. I don't get black out drunk (any more)Showcase_Brodown wrote: »I track it, and make room for it. I always seem to lose after a pail-out on the weekend though I've noticed. Probably because I leave too much room and under eat. It's also possible that one gets more exercise than noticed...
Yeah, you never know about those black-out trips you take to the gym or elsewheres. Yikes. I'll leave that for the teens and twenty somethings.
I figured you meant something closer to that, but I couldn't resist joking around about it.0 -
I only drink one kind of beer usually and it is 150 cals per 12oz
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...and it made me laugh. I've thought about what Hornsby wrote though and I have felt the same way, as if you can eat maintenance and still imbibe, but I'm fairly certain the out side of the energy balance equation is increased without noticing.Showcase_Brodown wrote: »
I don't go to the gym. What I mean is, for me, I get more energy and tend to make more trips up and down the stairs, out to the shed, whatever. It also negates the pain I feel all day from arthritis and makes me more mobile. I don't get black out drunk (any more)Showcase_Brodown wrote: »I track it, and make room for it. I always seem to lose after a pail-out on the weekend though I've noticed. Probably because I leave too much room and under eat. It's also possible that one gets more exercise than noticed...
Yeah, you never know about those black-out trips you take to the gym or elsewheres. Yikes. I'll leave that for the teens and twenty somethings.
I figured you meant something closer to that, but I couldn't resist joking around about it.
And that definitely could be the case. Like I said, I don't really know and just was bringing it up as a discussion to see what others thought. Figured there was a pretty solid chance this wouldn't turn into a "clean eating, Paleo, HRM, Mean People thread
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Definitely glad for the clarification. I thought we were about to have to start a different type of discussion [read: Intervention] ha.0 -
I'm a professional. The beer is organic though so you should approve?FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »
I too am a qualified tippler and make beer, mead and cider. All organic of course, as is the ethanol the little beasties work hard to produce.0 -
Definitely glad for the clarification. I thought we were about to have to start a different type of discussion [read: Intervention] ha.
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I guess I am curious because from what I have read, if you drink alcohol, that will be the first thing your body burns as it is the preferred source (Is that correct)? So if you have a high TDEE can you and burn say 150 calories per hour doing nothing, can you "beat the system" so to speak?
Alcohol metabolism is an interesting thing. From my understanding, you are correct, it would prioritize alcohol first in the stack of what it's going to use up. But there's no beating the system, really. There's the inevitable energy equation, and whatever energy is provided by the alcohol offsets the need for energy from everything else. And then everything else says, "Hey, if you don't need me right now I'm going to take a seat somewhere until you do." If you can pardon my personification of macronutrients.0 -
I don't know, but what I do know is I used to drink a lot when I was at university (I'm British, it's what we do lol) and I finished university a lot slimmer than when I started. I drank the most during my year in France, and lost a lot that year. I doubt I'd have lost as much if I'd consumed French bread and cheese instead of wine 0
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DawnieB1977 wrote: »I don't know, but what I do know is I used to drink a lot when I was at university (I'm British, it's what we do lol) and I finished university a lot slimmer than when I started. I drank the most during my year in France, and lost a lot that year. I doubt I'd have lost as much if I'd consumed French bread and cheese instead of wine
I like the way you think!
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This discussion has been closed.
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