Alcohol Calories?

135

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    kermax39 wrote: »
    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.

    I'm not trying to twist what you're saying, I'm trying to understand it. You're asking us to trust your claim that your body doesn't process the calories in alcohol due to your twenty years of experience with this plan of consuming alcohol sufficient to cancel out a calorie deficit and/or put you over the amount of calories you need to maintain. Since you're making an extraordinary claim (my body doesn't process calories in the way that the bodies of other people do and some of the energy I consume leaves my body without used in any way), people may question it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 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?

    You're right, alcohol calories are not the same as food calories. They are completely nutritionally devoid empty calories. However, they are not magical no-calorie calories.

    ETA: with the possible exception for heavy drinkers who are damaging their livers. Since link I posted below.
  • 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.

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

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

  • 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?

    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!

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

    I am sorry genius but how do you know it is a "mistake"? Have u tested pee in a lab and concluded the results physically for yourself?
    Until you can come at me with actual facts then your claims only have as much worth as mine do!


  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member

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

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

    [/quote]

    Exactly. By the time the alcohol gets through your system all of the calories are absorbed. Your pee doesn't look like wine, does it? If so, see a doctor.
  • xjessicaxrx
    xjessicaxrx Posts: 144 Member
    Water that goes in clear and comes out yellow? Wee is definitely not just water!

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

    [/quote]

    Exactly. By the time the alcohol gets through your system all of the calories are absorbed. Your pee doesn't look like wine, does it? If so, see a doctor. [/quote]

    Haha im not sure iv never tasted it lol! Alcohol is not coloured though?
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 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.

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

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

    I am sorry genius but how do you know it is a "mistake"? Have u tested pee in a lab and concluded the results physically for yourself?
    Until you can come at me with actual facts then your claims only have as much worth as mine do!


    Nah, you're right. Despite science to back up calories in/calories out, no matter the food/drink source, you are a special snowflake that alcohol calories don't count.

    Many people have given you reasons why you have not gained yet. And really, I don't know why you bothered just to argue that you're a special snowflake. Once lean enough, your room for error will be less, and calories from alcohol will matter. But until then, keep doing what you're doing until you stall. But by the way you are behaving now, I suspect you will have another reason why you defy science. So good luck in a few months.
  • 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?

    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!

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

    I am sorry genius but how do you know it is a "mistake"? Have u tested pee in a lab and concluded the results physically for yourself?
    Until you can come at me with actual facts then your claims only have as much worth as mine do!


    You're the one claiming that the calories in alcohol don't count because they are eliminated by our body without being processed. The person making the extraordinary claim is the one responsible for providing some type of documentation.

    If you share what you're basing your claim on, I'll be happy to consider it. I'm not saying I'm automatically right. But I don't agree that all claims are of equal worth. Did YOU test urine in a lab before deciding that our bodies can't process the calories in alcohol? If not, why would you expect someone else to do so? This seems like a huge double standard.

    It was just what I said initially- "a theory" I didn't once claim that was fact. Purely an opinion, which believe it or not everyone is entitled too!
    And my OP stems from personal experience, which doesnt lie!
    I didn't come here to argue with jumped up know it alls...
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I feel like beer calories give me more abdominal fat and wine doesn't, scotch is low calorie because I don't use a mixer. That is my research anyway, and I research all three every day so I know my numbers are consistent.
  • tamms_1965
    tamms_1965 Posts: 38 Member
    I have read research some time ago suggesting that chronic/binge drinkers waste calories and don't gain weight from it. I'm too lazy to find it, but it has something to do with damage/unusable metabolic pathway during heavy drinking. Low/moderate drinkers DO utilize the calories the same as other calories.

    I, also, do not see an increase on the occasional "long night" with friends.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    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.

    Darn, I can't seem to find the thread. But it was a really interesting discussion about alcohol metabolism. Definitely not implying that alcohol doesn't contain calories or count of course, but how it was possibly processed differently especially in higher amounts. Again, not sure how true it all was since I only read a few studies on the matter, but it was some "booze" for thought.. :p
  • xjessicaxrx
    xjessicaxrx Posts: 144 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    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.

    Darn, I can't seem to find the thread. But it was a really interesting discussion about alcohol metabolism. Definitely not implying that alcohol doesn't contain calories or count of course, but how it was possibly processed differently especially in higher amounts. Again, not sure how true it all was since I only read a few studies on the matter, but it was some "booze" for thought.. :p

    I wish I could read this lol stuff like this interests me :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    tamms_1965 wrote: »
    I have read research some time ago suggesting that chronic/binge drinkers waste calories and don't gain weight from it. I'm too lazy to find it, but it has something to do with damage/unusable metabolic pathway during heavy drinking. Low/moderate drinkers DO utilize the calories the same as other calories.

    I, also, do not see an increase on the occasional "long night" with friends.

    Dated, but interesting:

    Why the Body May Waste the Calories From Alcohol

    ...Dr. Charles S. Lieber, a New York physician who has been plumbing the depths of alcohol's many mysteries since 1957, has come up with a biochemical mechanism that he says largely accounts for the remarkable wastage of alcohol calories in heavy drinkers. Dr. Lieber published his findings in the current issue of The Journal of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition under the title, "Perspectives: Do Alcohol Calories Count?"

    The answer, he said, is yes and no: yes, for a moderate social drinker who has a cocktail before dinner or an occasional glass of wine or a beer. For these people, alcohol calories can indeed add up.

    But chronic heavy drinking can prime certain metabolic processes and, in effect, train the body to waste the seven calories a gram that alcohol ordinarily provides.

    ...heavy drinkers pay a stiff price for their metabolic inefficiency. The very process that enables their bodies to dissipate alcohol's calories as useless heat also converts a host of environmental and food-borne substances into chemicals that can seriously injure vital organs.

    Some of these chemicals are outright cell poisons; others can initiate cancers, and still others can damage genetic material. Together these effects largely explain why heavy drinking is associated with a number of life-threatening diseases, including cirrhosis of the liver and cancer of the esophagus, said Dr. Lieber, a professor of medicine and pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

    Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/04/health/why-the-body-may-waste-the-calories-from-alcohol.html
  • 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?

    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!

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

    I am sorry genius but how do you know it is a "mistake"? Have u tested pee in a lab and concluded the results physically for yourself?
    Until you can come at me with actual facts then your claims only have as much worth as mine do!


    You're the one claiming that the calories in alcohol don't count because they are eliminated by our body without being processed. The person making the extraordinary claim is the one responsible for providing some type of documentation.

    If you share what you're basing your claim on, I'll be happy to consider it. I'm not saying I'm automatically right. But I don't agree that all claims are of equal worth. Did YOU test urine in a lab before deciding that our bodies can't process the calories in alcohol? If not, why would you expect someone else to do so? This seems like a huge double standard.

    It was just what I said initially- "a theory" I didn't once claim that was fact. Purely an opinion, which believe it or not everyone is entitled too!
    And my OP stems from personal experience, which doesnt lie!
    I didn't come here to argue with jumped up know it alls...

    I have no idea why someone would argue for a theory that they didn't claim was factual. And if it isn't factual, then why say your personal experience doesn't "lie."

    Personal experience can absolutely lie. We can be mistaken in our perceptions, there can be facts we aren't aware of influencing the outcome. We can misinterpret what happens. There are lots of ways in which using our personal experience to determine, factually, what is happening with our bodies (or the world) can mislead us.

    If my "personal experience" is that my body does process the calories I consume and your "personal experience" is that your body doesn't process the calories you consume, we can't both say "Well, personal experience doesn't lie." There are things that are true, things that aren't true.

    Why the insults though? Do you think it is possible to disagree with someone without insults?

    You keep trying to contradict/ trip me up?
    Every body is different, did you know that?

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    tamms_1965 wrote: »
    I have read research some time ago suggesting that chronic/binge drinkers waste calories and don't gain weight from it. I'm too lazy to find it, but it has something to do with damage/unusable metabolic pathway during heavy drinking. Low/moderate drinkers DO utilize the calories the same as other calories.

    I, also, do not see an increase on the occasional "long night" with friends.

    Dated, but interesting:

    Why the Body May Waste the Calories From Alcohol

    ...Dr. Charles S. Lieber, a New York physician who has been plumbing the depths of alcohol's many mysteries since 1957, has come up with a biochemical mechanism that he says largely accounts for the remarkable wastage of alcohol calories in heavy drinkers. Dr. Lieber published his findings in the current issue of The Journal of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition under the title, "Perspectives: Do Alcohol Calories Count?"

    The answer, he said, is yes and no: yes, for a moderate social drinker who has a cocktail before dinner or an occasional glass of wine or a beer. For these people, alcohol calories can indeed add up.

    But chronic heavy drinking can prime certain metabolic processes and, in effect, train the body to waste the seven calories a gram that alcohol ordinarily provides.

    ...heavy drinkers pay a stiff price for their metabolic inefficiency. The very process that enables their bodies to dissipate alcohol's calories as useless heat also converts a host of environmental and food-borne substances into chemicals that can seriously injure vital organs.

    Some of these chemicals are outright cell poisons; others can initiate cancers, and still others can damage genetic material. Together these effects largely explain why heavy drinking is associated with a number of life-threatening diseases, including cirrhosis of the liver and cancer of the esophagus, said Dr. Lieber, a professor of medicine and pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

    Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/04/health/why-the-body-may-waste-the-calories-from-alcohol.html

    Interesting stuff -- thanks for sharing it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    tamms_1965 wrote: »
    I have read research some time ago suggesting that chronic/binge drinkers waste calories and don't gain weight from it. I'm too lazy to find it, but it has something to do with damage/unusable metabolic pathway during heavy drinking. Low/moderate drinkers DO utilize the calories the same as other calories.

    I, also, do not see an increase on the occasional "long night" with friends.

    Dated, but interesting:

    Why the Body May Waste the Calories From Alcohol

    ...Dr. Charles S. Lieber, a New York physician who has been plumbing the depths of alcohol's many mysteries since 1957, has come up with a biochemical mechanism that he says largely accounts for the remarkable wastage of alcohol calories in heavy drinkers. Dr. Lieber published his findings in the current issue of The Journal of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition under the title, "Perspectives: Do Alcohol Calories Count?"

    The answer, he said, is yes and no: yes, for a moderate social drinker who has a cocktail before dinner or an occasional glass of wine or a beer. For these people, alcohol calories can indeed add up.

    But chronic heavy drinking can prime certain metabolic processes and, in effect, train the body to waste the seven calories a gram that alcohol ordinarily provides.

    ...heavy drinkers pay a stiff price for their metabolic inefficiency. The very process that enables their bodies to dissipate alcohol's calories as useless heat also converts a host of environmental and food-borne substances into chemicals that can seriously injure vital organs.

    Some of these chemicals are outright cell poisons; others can initiate cancers, and still others can damage genetic material. Together these effects largely explain why heavy drinking is associated with a number of life-threatening diseases, including cirrhosis of the liver and cancer of the esophagus, said Dr. Lieber, a professor of medicine and pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

    Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/04/health/why-the-body-may-waste-the-calories-from-alcohol.html

    Interesting stuff -- thanks for sharing it.

    Thanks go to all the posters who referred to this concept that made me curious enough to google it :)
  • xjessicaxrx
    xjessicaxrx Posts: 144 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    tamms_1965 wrote: »
    I have read research some time ago suggesting that chronic/binge drinkers waste calories and don't gain weight from it. I'm too lazy to find it, but it has something to do with damage/unusable metabolic pathway during heavy drinking. Low/moderate drinkers DO utilize the calories the same as other calories.

    I, also, do not see an increase on the occasional "long night" with friends.

    Dated, but interesting:

    Why the Body May Waste the Calories From Alcohol

    ...Dr. Charles S. Lieber, a New York physician who has been plumbing the depths of alcohol's many mysteries since 1957, has come up with a biochemical mechanism that he says largely accounts for the remarkable wastage of alcohol calories in heavy drinkers. Dr. Lieber published his findings in the current issue of The Journal of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition under the title, "Perspectives: Do Alcohol Calories Count?"

    The answer, he said, is yes and no: yes, for a moderate social drinker who has a cocktail before dinner or an occasional glass of wine or a beer. For these people, alcohol calories can indeed add up.

    But chronic heavy drinking can prime certain metabolic processes and, in effect, train the body to waste the seven calories a gram that alcohol ordinarily provides.

    ...heavy drinkers pay a stiff price for their metabolic inefficiency. The very process that enables their bodies to dissipate alcohol's calories as useless heat also converts a host of environmental and food-borne substances into chemicals that can seriously injure vital organs.

    Some of these chemicals are outright cell poisons; others can initiate cancers, and still others can damage genetic material. Together these effects largely explain why heavy drinking is associated with a number of life-threatening diseases, including cirrhosis of the liver and cancer of the esophagus, said Dr. Lieber, a professor of medicine and pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

    Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/04/health/why-the-body-may-waste-the-calories-from-alcohol.html

    Thank you :)
  • 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.

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

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

    I am sorry genius but how do you know it is a "mistake"? Have u tested pee in a lab and concluded the results physically for yourself?
    Until you can come at me with actual facts then your claims only have as much worth as mine do!


    You're the one claiming that the calories in alcohol don't count because they are eliminated by our body without being processed. The person making the extraordinary claim is the one responsible for providing some type of documentation.

    If you share what you're basing your claim on, I'll be happy to consider it. I'm not saying I'm automatically right. But I don't agree that all claims are of equal worth. Did YOU test urine in a lab before deciding that our bodies can't process the calories in alcohol? If not, why would you expect someone else to do so? This seems like a huge double standard.

    It was just what I said initially- "a theory" I didn't once claim that was fact. Purely an opinion, which believe it or not everyone is entitled too!
    And my OP stems from personal experience, which doesnt lie!
    I didn't come here to argue with jumped up know it alls...

    I have no idea why someone would argue for a theory that they didn't claim was factual. And if it isn't factual, then why say your personal experience doesn't "lie."

    Personal experience can absolutely lie. We can be mistaken in our perceptions, there can be facts we aren't aware of influencing the outcome. We can misinterpret what happens. There are lots of ways in which using our personal experience to determine, factually, what is happening with our bodies (or the world) can mislead us.

    If my "personal experience" is that my body does process the calories I consume and your "personal experience" is that your body doesn't process the calories you consume, we can't both say "Well, personal experience doesn't lie." There are things that are true, things that aren't true.

    Why the insults though? Do you think it is possible to disagree with someone without insults?

    You keep trying to contradict/ trip me up?
    Every body is different, did you know that?

    I'm not trying to trip you up, I'm trying to discuss your theory.

    I'm not sure what you mean by everybody being different. If you mean that there are some differences among humans, I agree. If you mean that there will be huge differences in what our bodies can use for energy, I will have to disagree.

    Either way, I don't think insults contribute to the conversation.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 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.

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

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

    I am sorry genius but how do you know it is a "mistake"? Have u tested pee in a lab and concluded the results physically for yourself?
    Until you can come at me with actual facts then your claims only have as much worth as mine do!


    You're the one claiming that the calories in alcohol don't count because they are eliminated by our body without being processed. The person making the extraordinary claim is the one responsible for providing some type of documentation.

    If you share what you're basing your claim on, I'll be happy to consider it. I'm not saying I'm automatically right. But I don't agree that all claims are of equal worth. Did YOU test urine in a lab before deciding that our bodies can't process the calories in alcohol? If not, why would you expect someone else to do so? This seems like a huge double standard.

    It was just what I said initially- "a theory" I didn't once claim that was fact. Purely an opinion, which believe it or not everyone is entitled too!
    And my OP stems from personal experience, which doesnt lie!
    I didn't come here to argue with jumped up know it alls...

    I have no idea why someone would argue for a theory that they didn't claim was factual. And if it isn't factual, then why say your personal experience doesn't "lie."

    Personal experience can absolutely lie. We can be mistaken in our perceptions, there can be facts we aren't aware of influencing the outcome. We can misinterpret what happens. There are lots of ways in which using our personal experience to determine, factually, what is happening with our bodies (or the world) can mislead us.

    If my "personal experience" is that my body does process the calories I consume and your "personal experience" is that your body doesn't process the calories you consume, we can't both say "Well, personal experience doesn't lie." There are things that are true, things that aren't true.

    Why the insults though? Do you think it is possible to disagree with someone without insults?

    You keep trying to contradict/ trip me up?
    Every body is different, did you know that?

    In this case it appears that what is different is livers - livers damaged by excessive alcohol consumption over time dispose of alcohol without processing the calories.

    http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/04/health/why-the-body-may-waste-the-calories-from-alcohol.html

    ...the body has no way to store alcohol and that very little of it can pass through and be excreted. Thus, nearly all the alcohol a person consumes must be metabolized, a job relegated to the liver. This organ has two main ways to process alcohol, one that generates chemical energy and one that does not.

    In moderate drinkers (up to one drink a day for women, two for men), the primary route results in the synthesis of an energy-conserving compound known as ATP, adenosine triphosphate. ATP can then generate useful energy to fuel any number of cellular processes.

    But in heavy drinkers, Dr. Lieber and his colleagues showed, the liver disposes of alcohol in a second, energy-wasting way. This mechanism, called the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system, in effect converts alcohol into heat. If the heat is not needed to maintain the person's body temperature, it is wasted.

    Hence, few if any of the alcohol calories count when alcohol is processed by the microsomal system.

    The hitch is that the microsomes that do the work in this system can do more than process alcohol. These subcellular particles normally convert toxic compounds like drugs and insecticides into less harmful substances that the body can excrete. "But," Dr. Lieber said, "the mechanism can backfire and the microsomes can also oxidize substances into toxic compounds that can cause liver damage."
  • tamaraworrall
    tamaraworrall Posts: 166 Member
    I barely drink alcohol these days .but I notice that when I do my body is ok with vodka and diet coke and it doesn't make a change in the scales more so than a wine spritzer with diet lemonade.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 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 "OPINS" 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?

    A calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from. Your body does not distinguish calorie type. You can't wee your calories out, just as you can't poo them out. ;)


  • xjessicaxrx
    xjessicaxrx Posts: 144 Member
    Mentali wrote: »
    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!

    I never said that it was "just" water. What I am challenging is your claim that you're eliminating "alot" of alcohol calories -- without using them -- when you urinate. Many people urinate more when they drink because alcohol is a diuretic. To conclude, as you have, that this means our body doesn't process the calories in alcohol, would be a mistake.

    I am sorry genius but how do you know it is a "mistake"? Have u tested pee in a lab and concluded the results physically for yourself?
    Until you can come at me with actual facts then your claims only have as much worth as mine do!


    You're the one claiming that the calories in alcohol don't count because they are eliminated by our body without being processed. The person making the extraordinary claim is the one responsible for providing some type of documentation.

    If you share what you're basing your claim on, I'll be happy to consider it. I'm not saying I'm automatically right. But I don't agree that all claims are of equal worth. Did YOU test urine in a lab before deciding that our bodies can't process the calories in alcohol? If not, why would you expect someone else to do so? This seems like a huge double standard.

    It was just what I said initially- "a theory" I didn't once claim that was fact. Purely an opinion, which believe it or not everyone is entitled too!
    And my OP stems from personal experience, which doesnt lie!
    I didn't come here to argue with jumped up know it alls...

    I have no idea why someone would argue for a theory that they didn't claim was factual. And if it isn't factual, then why say your personal experience doesn't "lie."

    Personal experience can absolutely lie. We can be mistaken in our perceptions, there can be facts we aren't aware of influencing the outcome. We can misinterpret what happens. There are lots of ways in which using our personal experience to determine, factually, what is happening with our bodies (or the world) can mislead us.

    If my "personal experience" is that my body does process the calories I consume and your "personal experience" is that your body doesn't process the calories you consume, we can't both say "Well, personal experience doesn't lie." There are things that are true, things that aren't true.

    Why the insults though? Do you think it is possible to disagree with someone without insults?

    Disappointed I could only choose one insightful/like/awesome for this post...you are a saint for putting up so calmly with those random insults for daring to be logical.

    Could you highlight the logical part please? It just seemed like a long, condescending string of riddles to me.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    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 "OPINS" 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?

    A calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from. Your body does not distinguish calorie type. You can't wee your calories out, just as you can't poo them out. ;)

    Agreed.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    So I know that people say that you need to log alcohol calories the same as you would food and account for it in your daily allowance, I maybe pushing my luck here but I dont think it works the same as food.
    My start weight was 192lb im now at 148lb, I am 5ft 4 and I eat around 1300-1500 calories a day. I have drank alcohol most weekends without counting (sometimes stupid amounts- dont judge) and still lost weight just fine. This is providing that I dont eat loads of crap the day after when hungover.
    I am just looking to see if this is the case for anyone else, or am I just odd?

    The calories count just as much. I pretty much stopped drinking when I got serious about weight loss. I'd rather eat my calories than drink them, and I don't have enough calories to spare for both! :)
This discussion has been closed.