Alcohol and weight gain

MissJay75

I am a pretty firm believer in each person needs to figure out what works well for them. For some people, they can fit alcohol into their diet, others can't as well. But 2 bottles of wine could have anywhere from 1000-3000 calories. I could easily see how that would be difficult to fit into your calorie allotment and still have a deficit.

saladcrunchy

[quote="MissJay75;34241482 I could easily see how that would be difficult to fit into your calorie allotment and still have a deficit. [/quote]

It's not that hard if you really want to keep drinking.

Wine at 12% vol
1 bottle = 750mls = Units: 9.8 - kcals: 564 - Carbs: 6
1/2 bottle 375mls = Units: 4.9 - kcals: 282 - Carbs: 3
1/3 bottle 250mls = Units: 3.3 - kcals: 188 - Carbs: 2 (Large glass)
1/4 bottle 187mls = Units: 2.45-kcals: 141 - Carbs: 1.5
Small glass 175mls = Units: 2.0 - kcals: 132 - Carbs: 1.25
1/6 bottle 125mls = Units: 1.6 - kcals: 94 - Carbs: 1

https://drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/what-is-alcohol/what-is-an-alcohol-unit

And so you see, it was an inexplicable surprise, that having allowed for the kcals, I hit a wall and after losing about 2 stone, the weight suddenly stopped shifting. There wasn't anything I could comfortably cut back on and I experimented quite a bit.

I tried spreading the wine out across the week but that didn't help and after reading about how alcohol is processed, I began to restrict it to the week end (also encouraged by the awareness that it is good to give the liver a rest and repair break). Once I did that, the weight started to shift again. And so I had to conclude that the body (my body at least) needed a clear run of alcohol free days in a row in order to keep losing weight steadily and without being overburdened.

Of course you are right, others can process it more easily and as a younger person, that may have been true for me too; perhaps it depends upon overall health and liver function. Whatever, I suspect that for those of us who find that wine interferes with weight loss, is to do with the fact that the body gives priority to getting rid of alcohol before it will process anything else also what it does to blood sugar and water retention in some people. I noticed that it began to show a bit around my ankles whilst on a diet and in a way that had never happened before.

MissJay75 wrote: »

I am a pretty firm believer in each person needs to figure out what works well for them.

This is so true. And you are quite right that even though the CICO principle is a universal fact, there are other factors to consider such as age, liver function, general fitness etc. therefore how each person achieves weight loss cannot but depend upon so many variables and it has to be up to each, to figure it what is sustainable for them.

hope this helps

MissJay75

I'm sure the calories you gave are accurate for what you were drinking, but for others reading, there is quite a range depending on what you are drinking. If you have a sweeter wine or one with a higher alcohol %, the calories will increase. A quick search yielded this:

Wine Calories From Least to Most (6 oz pours)

German Spatlese Riesling (Dr. Hermann “H” 2009): 110 calories, bottle 495 calories
Slightly Sweet Lambrusco (Lini 910) 140 calories, bottle 630 calories
Cabernet Sauvignon from France: 160 calories, bottle 720 calories
German Auclese Riesling: 160 calories, bottle 720 calories
Cabernet Sauvignon from California: 175 calories, bottle 788 calories
California 16% Zinfandel (Bob Biale): 190 calories, bottle 855 calories
Australian Shiraz (Mollydooker The Boxer): 190 calories, bottle 855 calories
Chateau Y’quem: 270 calories, bottle 1215 calories (note: standard serving size is only 2oz which is 90 calories)
Ruby Port: 310 calories, bottle 1395 calories (note: standard serving size is only 2oz which is 103 calories)
Tawny Port: 320 calories, bottle 1440 calories (note: standard serving size is only 2oz which is 106 calories)

saladcrunchy

Asher_Ethan

Do you fit your alcohol into your calories for the day? I fit it in and I lose weight just fine.

MissJay75

OP explained pretty clearly that they do keep within their calories for the day when drinking alcohol. Many of us alcohol doesn't affect CI/CO but there are plenty of people here on MFP who it seems to affect poorly.