Not too proud about this question, but................

bodibykelli
bodibykelli Posts: 135
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, here it goes...my husband and I enjoy wine, pretty much well every evening. I really never thought about those calories until joining this site. Are alcohol calories the same as any other calorie? Am I REALLY working out so that I can drink? :drinker:

Replies

  • bodibykelli
    bodibykelli Posts: 135
    Okay, here it goes...my husband and I enjoy wine, pretty much well every evening. I really never thought about those calories until joining this site. Are alcohol calories the same as any other calorie? Am I REALLY working out so that I can drink? :drinker:
  • auntkaren
    auntkaren Posts: 1,490 Member
    I have always heard that certain wines are indeed very good for your health. Those that drink in moderation as a glass of wine at night like you are tend to live longer. If I could drink wine I would count the calories in and keep enjoying the fruits of life.:smile:
  • pmkelly409
    pmkelly409 Posts: 1,653 Member
    There are actually a few good posts about this topic. do a search for alcohol. I remember one post that explained the issue well - here it is:

    "but even with this info, alcohol is rough on weight loss, besides how it alters your body chemistry and slows the metabolism, it also is converted by the liver to use as fuel, which supercedes the body's use of other food sources, which means, any unused food energy will now be stored instead of used, until the alcohol has been burned off. "

    Alcohol: Calorie Intake and Weight Control
    The calorie-content of Alcohol is relatively high. So if you are interested in following a calorie-controlled diet in order to normalize your body weight, regular consumption of Alcohol is not recommended. Also, remember that increased calorie expenditure balances increased intake, and helps maintain an efficient metabolism.

    Here's another good article. http://www.shapefit.com/alcohol-calories.html
  • bodibykelli
    bodibykelli Posts: 135
    REALLY appreciate the info!!!!!
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
    The other thing about alcohol is that it REPLACES carbohydrates when it is in your body, basically your body will totally pass over any carbs in your body and burn alcohol in it's place, instead storeing the carbs as fat. So the old addage of eating on an empty stomach, might be good for soaking up alcohol and making it take longer to enter the blood (dunno if that is true or not) may work, but it is sure causing that food you ate to do so to be stored as fat in the body.
  • bodibykelli
    bodibykelli Posts: 135
    :noway: I'm just AMAZED & quite frankly in shock with how the body treats alcohol~just took the fun out of it!!!!!
  • jpketz
    jpketz Posts: 73
    The conventional wisdom is that moderate consumption of wine (or any alcohol for that matter) has some proven health benefits. Basically, people who drink moderately live longer (keyword "moderately").

    A drink is defined as 12 ounces (oz.) of beer, 5 oz. of wine or 1.5 oz. of 80-proof distilled spirits and males under age 65 should drink no more than 2 drinks/day and women 1 drink/day. The trick is that anything in excess of "moderation" is not just "less beneficial" but downright harmful, so there's the nasty part.

    As for drinking and weight loss, there's app.100 calories in a 5 oz. glass of Cabernet, so no big deal in moderation, especially if you have a glass of wine with dinner. But frankly, I don't know many people who keep it to one or even two glasses. I choose not to drink but when I did, my glasses were *slightly* larger than 5 oz., too, so there's that whole "I only have two glasses of wine/day" thing.

    It is a simple sugar. It does get used up first but that's probably because carbs in liquid form get into the bloodstream more quickly.

    What's amazing to me is how our bodies consider small amounts of alcohol a blessing and just a little bit more as a curse.

    It's good you asked...you don't see a whole lot of discussion about alcohol here and it's good to revisit the subject from time to time.
  • bodibykelli
    bodibykelli Posts: 135
    You're right about the "can't have just 1 glass"! Unfortunately, it's more like 2-3 glasses....but I'm SURE our glasses are more than 5 oz!!!!! So, looks like it's time for me to make a decision~I know I CAN stop drinking (every now and then, we'll not drink for a month, just to make sure that we can :tongue: )

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