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Alcohol --> weight bump (50+)

Jthanmyfitnesspal
Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,550 Member
edited December 2024 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Maybe it's that I'm a 50+

Holiday weekend, parties with drinks, weight bumps up 2-3lbs. In the next few days (not drinking on weekdays, generally) it comes right back off.

Why do I care? Well, now I jog a few days a week, and carrying around those extra few pounds is hard!

Replies

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,770 Member
    It's probably not the alcohol per se as much as what you eat while you're drinking. Your body is retaining water. You may also get a bit dehydrated when you drink so it retains more water afterwards.
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
    Happens to me too the last 2 years if I have more than 1/2 glass of wine. No idea why. And even happens if I eat exactly the same and hydrate well otherwise. Good news is it leaves within a day or two but it does make me consider if I really want it.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,550 Member
    Well, it seems to correlate mostly with the booze, although parties seem also to have salty snacks.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,466 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Well, it seems to correlate mostly with the booze, although parties seem also to have salty snacks.

    Are the party days carb-y-er than your usual, too, or not? Those will hold extra water, too, of course.

    I haven't really seen the weight bump from alcohol calories being much different than anything else . . . in fact, the immediate effect can sometimes be less added weight than extra of other things, probably via a dehydration effect, maybe reduced fiber? I've seen no effect on overall weight loss rate or maintenance, as long as the alcohol stops short of nutritional idiocy.

    I will say that my salt consumption probably doesn't increase when I consume alcohol, even if I eat salty snacks. I love salt, have no BP issues now that I'm at a reasonable weight, so don't worry about it: I eat lots of very salty fermented foods routinely, things like miso, gochujang chili sauce, sauerkraut, fermented pickles of various types, etc. Same deal with carbs: I tend to land close to 200g carbs, party food or regular food. It's just that the source of salt & carbs differs, say chips and dip vs. miso and veggies/fruits.
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