Alcohol Calories?

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Replies

  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    I don't drink often but when I do I can't help but be delighted when I hop on the scales the next morning. I'm well aware that it's dehydration that is causing that sudden drop, but it delights me anyway. Tough sledding after that though.
  • beaglebrandon
    beaglebrandon Posts: 97 Member
    edited August 2016
    I don't drink often but when I do I can't help but be delighted when I hop on the scales the next morning. I'm well aware that it's dehydration that is causing that sudden drop, but it delights me anyway. Tough sledding after that though.

    If women on weight watchers knew the alcohol secret, I bet a lot of them would be pleased.

    For example: They had a hard weekend, eating bad, and need to weigh themselves on Monday, but are scared of the scale at the Weight Watchers meeting. They don't want to be embarrassed.

    Solution: Drink heavily on Sunday night. The scale is their friend for that one morning. They aren't embarrassed anymore. :):)

    Of course, the next week, they'll have to work much harder to keep their weight the same.

    (I'm saying 'women' because I've been a part of weight watchers before, and I saw this all the time. All the men I've seen there never had an issue with the scale. They would weigh on good weeks or bad weeks, they never avoided it. The women did many times)
  • kermax39
    kermax39 Posts: 149 Member
    edited August 2016
    Iv never counted alcohol in calories, I.dont believe 800 cals in a bottle of wine is the same as 800 calories of cake regardless of what people say. My body says different.
    The difficult part is ensuring u dont give into the food cravings that alcohol causes, which is why I limit wine to a glass or two.
  • kermax39
    kermax39 Posts: 149 Member
    I can determine it because im 40lbs lighter, I.didnt say it will work for everyone, I just answered the OPs question. Works for me and I always eat all the calories mpf sets for me with wine easily 500 calories on.top of that for 2 small glasses.
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    i always count alcohol calories, and they definitely hit me the way any other calories do, which is not to say the next day after a binge i will be up. If i just drink i'll be a bit down from dehydration, if i combine alcohol with salty foods i'll be a bit up from sodium / water retention. but that's not an accurate indication of the actual effects.

    i also have to factor in that if i drink too much i'll probably be pretty sedentary the next day and have to really watch my calories. the day after my birthday i literally only took 23 steps according to my fit bit, so my calories need to be adjusted for that as well. add in the anxiety or depression the day after a binge and the cravings for comfort food and it's a pretty significant package.

    overall, i make room for 1 glass of wine or 1 beer with dinner and try to stick to that most days. that way, when my inner party girl emerges i've got some wiggle room and hopefully don't derail the whole week.
  • hollygirl101
    hollygirl101 Posts: 93 Member
    edited August 2016
    I do try to log my alcohol calories just to keep myself accountable. To be honest I don't always recall exactly how many vodka sodas I drank, so it's an approximation at best. :) I also have noticed the phenomenon of weighing less the morning after drinking (assuming of course that I didn't eat the entire contents of the fridge). The temporary drop on the scale makes the hangover ever so slightly more tolerable.
  • JasonRainboze
    JasonRainboze Posts: 168 Member
    I've been doing the same.... but lately I'm thinking, if I don't have those drinks, then my workout will be that much more effective. Its super hard to not drink for me, but its worth a shot.
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited August 2016
    At 5'4", you are teetering between a healthy/overweight BMI, meaning you might have wiggle room for error in logging. However, I can guarantee that the leaner you get, the more important those alcohol calories get. In a night, even just me drinking Jameson and Diet Coke, each ounce is 70 calories. If I have 3 drinks that aren't logged, that's already 210 calories. That's enough to nearly wipe out a daily deficit at .5lbs a week.

    So you might not find it important now, but there will come a time that it's important. Might as well start now and get in the habit.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    kermax39 wrote: »
    I can determine it because im 40lbs lighter, I.didnt say it will work for everyone, I just answered the OPs question. Works for me and I always eat all the calories mpf sets for me with wine easily 500 calories on.top of that for 2 small glasses.

    Do you eat back exercise calories?

    The thing is, a calorie is a calorie, and your body will count from food and drink alike. If drink calories didn't affect the body, I'd be able to drink all the cream soda I like and never go over maintenance.
  • girl_inflames
    girl_inflames Posts: 374 Member
    I usually lose weight when I drink -- it drops me out of my plateau after binge drinking lol. I think it has something to due with water weight. (losing the water from dehydration)
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    OMG, you're such a unicorn.

    Had you not drank, you would have made more progress. That's it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    kermax39 wrote: »
    Iv never counted alcohol in calories, I.dont believe 800 cals in a bottle of wine is the same as 800 calories of cake regardless of what people say. My body says different.
    The difficult part is ensuring u dont give into the food cravings that alcohol causes, which is why I limit wine to a glass or two.
    kermax39 wrote: »
    I can determine it because im 40lbs lighter, I.didnt say it will work for everyone, I just answered the OPs question. Works for me and I always eat all the calories mpf sets for me with wine easily 500 calories on.top of that for 2 small glasses.

    Do you eat back exercise calories?

    The thing is, a calorie is a calorie, and your body will count from food and drink alike. If drink calories didn't affect the body, I'd be able to drink all the cream soda I like and never go over maintenance.

    Good question. Not eating back exercise calories would certainly explain this. As would errors in logging.

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Well I drank 2 bottles of wine last night and godknows what else because I dont remember, but my weight is still the same today? I would have thought that there was too many calories in wine (if counting) for that to be actually possible? I ate a normal amount of food during the day so my food calories were ok, not under.

    @xjessicaxrx what's your weight today?
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    If you weigh the moment after ingesting something then the actual mass of what you ate is relevant. A calorie is a calorie however it is not weight it is energy. Consuming more energy (calories) than needed will likely result in your body storing it for later use (fat). I have no idea what makes up fat but I suppose it may need or retain some sort of fluid. Anyway I do drink daily but am careful to manage my calorie intake. I have also found that if I run I can lose weight but if I don't exercise at all I will gain weight.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    kermax39 wrote: »
    I can determine it because im 40lbs lighter, I.didnt say it will work for everyone, I just answered the OPs question. Works for me and I always eat all the calories mpf sets for me with wine easily 500 calories on.top of that for 2 small glasses.

    So you eat 1700 calories and not 1,200. Congratulations you've learned MFP sets calories low.

    Agreed. For a long time I chose a bread entry in the MFP database that was half the calories of the bread I was actually eating. I suspected it was low but didn't bother double checking (unconsciously on purpose). Meaning I preferred to not know because I was plenty hungry and losing anyway. Eventually I upped my calorie goal and entered the right bread. It didn't change my rate of loss one bit. My bread is your alcohol.

  • missh1967
    missh1967 Posts: 661 Member
    I make horrible food choices when I drink. Apparently you don't. Kudos.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    I don't quite understand why you wouldn't count it...2 bottles of wine is probably 1200-1500 calories. if you ate a 1200 calorie brownie sundae you would log it, right? For weight loss, a calorie is a calorie no matter where it came from.
  • xjessicaxrx
    xjessicaxrx Posts: 144 Member
    I am 0.5 heavier this morning.
    I had a Takeaway for last nights dinner- Lamb Curry with a Garlic naan bread and bombay potatoes.
    I ate at maintenance like I do every Sunday, so I am used to the scales going up a bit on a monday/ tuesday regardless if I have drank that weekend or not. Iv done this long enough now to know my own bodies fluctuations, I would put money on me still losing this week :)
  • kermax39
    kermax39 Posts: 149 Member
    kermax39 wrote: »
    I can determine it because im 40lbs lighter, I.didnt say it will work for everyone, I just answered the OPs question. Works for me and I always eat all the calories mpf sets for me with wine easily 500 calories on.top of that for 2 small glasses.

    So you eat 1700 calories and not 1,200. Congratulations you've learned MFP sets calories low.
    Your gonna hate me lol but I never said I eat 1200, I eat 1400-1500. I lose 6lbs a month eating what mfp sets me as well as wine. I really dont know why people have such a problem with that, iv said it works FOR ME!
    Im not deluded, im well aware as I get closer to goal I will need to revaluate but until then ill keep doing what im doing.
    I would be willing to bet...based on my 20odd years of doing this, that if I ate those extra calories in fatty foods then I wouldnt lose 6lbs a month. If I was to give up wine or include it into my calories then I would fail, this works for me for now.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    IDK. I all but quit drinking so as not to waste calories on booze that I could be using for food instead.
  • kermax39
    kermax39 Posts: 149 Member
    edited August 2016
    kermax39 wrote: »
    kermax39 wrote: »
    I can determine it because im 40lbs lighter, I.didnt say it will work for everyone, I just answered the OPs question. Works for me and I always eat all the calories mpf sets for me with wine easily 500 calories on.top of that for 2 small glasses.

    So you eat 1700 calories and not 1,200. Congratulations you've learned MFP sets calories low.
    Your gonna hate me lol but I never said I eat 1200, I eat 1400-1500. I lose 6lbs a month eating what mfp sets me as well as wine. I really dont know why people have such a problem with that, iv said it works FOR ME!
    Im not deluded, im well aware as I get closer to goal I will need to revaluate but until then ill keep doing what im doing.
    I would be willing to bet...based on my 20odd years of doing this, that if I ate those extra calories in fatty foods then I wouldnt lose 6lbs a month. If I was to give up wine or include it into my calories then I would fail, this works for me for now.

    If you've been following this "plan" successfully for 20 odd years, I'm confused as to have you have any weight to lose at all.
    Lol im just same as everyone else, if I gain a bit then I do this....im not constantly on a diet for 20 yrs. Your twisting what I said. I dont include alcohol calories when I try to lose weight...never have.

  • xjessicaxrx
    xjessicaxrx Posts: 144 Member
    kermax39 wrote: »
    kermax39 wrote: »
    I can determine it because im 40lbs lighter, I.didnt say it will work for everyone, I just answered the OPs question. Works for me and I always eat all the calories mpf sets for me with wine easily 500 calories on.top of that for 2 small glasses.

    So you eat 1700 calories and not 1,200. Congratulations you've learned MFP sets calories low.
    Your gonna hate me lol but I never said I eat 1200, I eat 1400-1500. I lose 6lbs a month eating what mfp sets me as well as wine. I really dont know why people have such a problem with that, iv said it works FOR ME!
    Im not deluded, im well aware as I get closer to goal I will need to revaluate but until then ill keep doing what im doing.
    I would be willing to bet...based on my 20odd years of doing this, that if I ate those extra calories in fatty foods then I wouldnt lose 6lbs a month. If I was to give up wine or include it into my calories then I would fail, this works for me for now.

    People on here are so techy and quite rude with their "OPINIONS" arnt they!
    I completely agree with u I dont belive that alcohol calories are the same as food calories.
    I think it might have something to do with alcohol making you wee more, alot of it probably gets weed out instead of being digested like food (excuse the bluntness haha) afterall isnt that what your kidneys are supposed to do- get rid of toxins as quickly as possible?
    Just a theory?
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
    edited August 2016
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I find the same thing. There was a thread awhile back with similar findings I remember commenting on and someone linked an interesting study about all this, I'll see if I can dig it up. I say if it's working for you and you are still losing, just go with it

    Ya know... I'm not going to be too popular with agreeing with this, but I kind of do. I have seen a few studies about this sort of thing. I also don't care enough to look up those studies.

    Regardless, if you find that the alcohol calories are not hindering your weight loss, then continue as you were and address the issue if your weight loss ceases. That's all it comes down to.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    kermax39 wrote: »
    kermax39 wrote: »
    I can determine it because im 40lbs lighter, I.didnt say it will work for everyone, I just answered the OPs question. Works for me and I always eat all the calories mpf sets for me with wine easily 500 calories on.top of that for 2 small glasses.

    So you eat 1700 calories and not 1,200. Congratulations you've learned MFP sets calories low.
    Your gonna hate me lol but I never said I eat 1200, I eat 1400-1500. I lose 6lbs a month eating what mfp sets me as well as wine. I really dont know why people have such a problem with that, iv said it works FOR ME!
    Im not deluded, im well aware as I get closer to goal I will need to revaluate but until then ill keep doing what im doing.
    I would be willing to bet...based on my 20odd years of doing this, that if I ate those extra calories in fatty foods then I wouldnt lose 6lbs a month. If I was to give up wine or include it into my calories then I would fail, this works for me for now.

    People on here are so techy and quite rude with their "OPINIONS" arnt they!
    I completely agree with u I dont belive that alcohol calories are the same as food calories.
    I think it might have something to do with alcohol making you wee more, alot of it probably gets weed out instead of being digested like food (excuse the bluntness haha) afterall isnt that what your kidneys are supposed to do- get rid of toxins as quickly as possible?
    Just a theory?

    The "wee" is water leaving your body. It doesn't magically eliminate calories. Your body can still process those.
  • xjessicaxrx
    xjessicaxrx Posts: 144 Member
    edited August 2016
    kermax39 wrote: »
    kermax39 wrote: »
    I can determine it because im 40lbs lighter, I.didnt say it will work for everyone, I just answered the OPs question. Works for me and I always eat all the calories mpf sets for me with wine easily 500 calories on.top of that for 2 small glasses.

    So you eat 1700 calories and not 1,200. Congratulations you've learned MFP sets calories low.
    Your gonna hate me lol but I never said I eat 1200, I eat 1400-1500. I lose 6lbs a month eating what mfp sets me as well as wine. I really dont know why people have such a problem with that, iv said it works FOR ME!
    Im not deluded, im well aware as I get closer to goal I will need to revaluate but until then ill keep doing what im doing.
    I would be willing to bet...based on my 20odd years of doing this, that if I ate those extra calories in fatty foods then I wouldnt lose 6lbs a month. If I was to give up wine or include it into my calories then I would fail, this works for me for now.

    People on here are so techy and quite rude with their "OPINIONS" arnt they!
    I completely agree with u I dont belive that alcohol calories are the same as food calories.
    I think it might have something to do with alcohol making you wee more, alot of it probably gets weed out instead of being digested like food (excuse the bluntness haha) afterall isnt that what your kidneys are supposed to do- get rid of toxins as quickly as possible?
    Just a theory?

    The "wee" is water leaving your body. It doesn't magically eliminate calories. Your body can still process those.

    Water that goes in clear and comes out yellow? Wee is definitely not just water!