Alcohol

Have you had to cut back or completely quit drinking before seeing results in your weight loss attempts? I love wine and beer, but I feel like I should completely stop drinking for a while. I'd like to know what you did that helped you cut back or completely quit drinking.

Replies

thatgirlkellib

I've found I've had to cut it out all together. When I have nights out with friends I drink beer and it sets my weight loss back about a week each time.

^^^^this is the same for me, put im a vodka drinker
It has to be a extra special night for me to drink, Id rather lose weight.

ninerbuff

Just a note:

Alcohol will be the PRIMARY fuel for energy for the body till it's used up. What does that mean if you're trying to lose weight? The more alcohol you consume, the less chance you have of using fat storage as energy. Alcohol inhibits fat loss until it's out of the body.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

DerekVTX

I've cut way back for no other reason than calories. I can only have 1350 cals a day. Considering a 5 oz glass of wine is 125 cals, I'd rather drink water. I miss my wine, but the good news is my tolerance is way down so now I'm a cheap and easy date.

EASY

TheMrsCole

Don't drink beer near as often anymore, as for wine? Had a bottle last night. lol

marisarinde

Ok so I've gotten a lot of feedback about my alcohol comment. Let me clarify:

I drink alcohol about once a week, if that. My calorie goal (according to MFP) is 1200, which I am almost always under. I exercise every single day for at least a half hour, usually more, with cardio and strength training included.

So no, I don't count my drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). But it's not impeding my progress, either. I only started my account on here about a month ago and I've already lost 6 pounds.And not to toot my own horn but if you look at my pictures, or my BMI (which is about 22, by the way), I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Yes it's possible that I'd be losing weight quicker if I never drank any alcohol, but I'm still losing weight without cutting anything completely out of my diet, like dessert or alcohol. So I'm good. Thanks for the advice though, but I think I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing.

You are definitely not eating enough. Or logging accurately. No way someone 5'10" should be eating 1200 calories. :noway:

But she isnt only getting 1200. Her intake is ??? calories because she isnt tracking a major source of her intake. Glass of milk, a lemonade, a sweet tea, a couple beers...that is easily 1000 calories.

Sad thing is if she talks of her success on "1200" calories someone who actually tracks might attempt that and hurt themselves.

I fully agree by the way though that 5'10" 20 years old and not overweight a true diet of 1200 calories would wreck your body leading to loss of muscle mass and possibly bone density. I seriously hope she isn't recommending that *kitten* to anyone.

Oh hey, I'm back. And just so you know, that's what MFP suggested, I *kitten* you not. 1200 calories. That's literally what the website told me to aim for. And I did, just now, change it, by playing with the settings and even lying about my height, saying I'm taller than I actually am to try to up the calories. I'm not trying to "wreck [my] body" or recommend anything to anyone. I would never want anyone to do what isn't right for their body and end up hurting themselves. I was just trying to do what I thought was right for me, but apparently I was wrong. Sorry. Thanks for the comments.

ohayman15

Low Carb beers are alright , quite nice to have a few of them

MelsAuntie

I used to have a glass of wine at dinner a few times a year, now I have one drink once a year, if that.. What happened... I had a large margarita with a friend at dinner, got tipsy and hated the feeling of being out of control and saying stupid things at the time that I knew I'd remember later and feel like a fool. Then I found out what the calorie price is for a jumbo margarita. She says I was just funny, not offensive or anything bad, but I don't like feeling idiotic or that I'm not in control of myself. So... I still have a full bottle of Kahlua that was given to me for Christmas, still sitting on the counter unopened.

Aaron_K123

Ok so I've gotten a lot of feedback about my alcohol comment. Let me clarify:

I drink alcohol about once a week, if that. My calorie goal (according to MFP) is 1200, which I am almost always under. I exercise every single day for at least a half hour, usually more, with cardio and strength training included.

So no, I don't count my drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). But it's not impeding my progress, either. I only started my account on here about a month ago and I've already lost 6 pounds.And not to toot my own horn but if you look at my pictures, or my BMI (which is about 22, by the way), I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Yes it's possible that I'd be losing weight quicker if I never drank any alcohol, but I'm still losing weight without cutting anything completely out of my diet, like dessert or alcohol. So I'm good. Thanks for the advice though, but I think I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing.

You are definitely not eating enough. Or logging accurately. No way someone 5'10" should be eating 1200 calories. :noway:

But she isnt only getting 1200. Her intake is ??? calories because she isnt tracking a major source of her intake. Glass of milk, a lemonade, a sweet tea, a couple beers...that is easily 1000 calories.

Sad thing is if she talks of her success on "1200" calories someone who actually tracks might attempt that and hurt themselves.

I fully agree by the way though that 5'10" 20 years old and not overweight a true diet of 1200 calories would wreck your body leading to loss of muscle mass and possibly bone density. I seriously hope she isn't recommending that *kitten* to anyone.

Oh hey, I'm back. And just so you know, that's what MFP suggested, I *kitten* you not. 1200 calories. That's literally what the website told me to aim for. And I did, just now, change it, by playing with the settings and even lying about my height, saying I'm taller than I actually am to try to up the calories. I'm not trying to "wreck [my] body" or recommend anything to anyone. I would never want anyone to do what isn't right for their body and end up hurting themselves. I was just trying to do what I thought was right for me, but apparently I was wrong. Sorry. Thanks for the comments.

I can understand the confusion MFP can generate on this topic especially to someone who is unfamiliar with diet or nutrition but you must understand that MFP is just a calculator. It will tell you whatever you punch into it. Blaming MFP for telling you to eat 1200 calories would be like blaming your calculator because you got the wrong answer on a math test.

1200 calories is a dangerously low amount for a 20 year old woman even if that 20 year old woman is 4 foot 6. The reason it is telling you to eat so low is because at somepoint you told it you wanted to lose X amount of pounds per week and what you told it was way over aggressive for your size and weight. If you want to fix it change it to say you want to lose 0.5 pounds per week because frankly you are not at all overweight. Really if that is you in your pictures and your goal is to be toned and fit you should probably be looking to put on some weight by eating at a surplus and lifting weights.

1200 calories is not enough for you but MFP doesn't know that, all MFP knows is what you tell it. So if you tell it "I want to lose 2 pounds a week" it will spit back what you need to eat to do that even if it is dangerously low for you. It doesn't know any better but you should.

As for you personally you likely have been getting more like 1700 calories a day if you are tracking things you drink so you are probably not that bad off. But really it would be better if you would track anything caloric and up your calories to a more reasonable level.

I'm not trying to be rude it is just concerning whenever I see someone doing such an overly aggressive diet. The danger is that in addition to losing fat you are going to lose muscle which is very hard to put back on after you have lost it. Again if you weren't tracking your drinks you were probably getting a lot more than 1200 calories a day so not sure if its a problem for you. If your goal is to be "fit and toned" honestly you should probably be eating at a surplus like 2,300 calories and lifting weights.

Cortelli

Just a note:

Alcohol will be the PRIMARY fuel for energy for the body till it's used up. What does that mean if you're trying to lose weight? The more alcohol you consume, the less chance you have of using fat storage as energy. Alcohol inhibits fat loss until it's out of the body.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Not necessarily anything technically wrong with this post (though I might quibble with "the less chance you have of using fat storage as energy") -- but the post does omit a larger context.

Our bodies are constantly storing and oxidizing ("losing") fat stores throughout our day. If we're in an overall caloric deficit for the day / measurement period of our choice, the fuel priority that alcohol enjoys doesn't necessarily mean it inhibits fat loss during that measurement period - it just might move it around to different hours of that measurement period.

As an example, lets say over the course of a 24-hour window, my TDEE is 2000 calories. I eat a number of meals and snacks (no booze) and finish the day at 1800 calories consumed. I've created a 200 calorie deficit and my body will oxidize fat stores to make up that deficit. The next day, I eat a light breakfast, a high calorie lunch which is even higher calorie because I do five shots of tequila with my college buddy I haven't seen in a while. I have nothing or almost nothing for dinner, 'cause I'm still drunk and bloated from lunch. I end the day at the same 1800 calories consumed, but this time, a bunch of them are from alcohol. While my body was processing the alcohol in my system, it was indeed not processing the other food-based calories I consumed at lunch -- it was undoubtedly converting some of them to stored fat. But, my body still required 2000 cals over the measurement period, and I still created a 200 calorie deficit. I may have altered the timing of various fat storage and fat oxidation cycles, but my body still needed to make up for the overall deficit. One last one and I'll shut up - the next day I eat one meal and one meal only -- it is 1800 calories. My body is oxidizing fat for energy for a long period of that day, but also really busy storing fat for hours after that big meal. And it still has to make up the same 200 calorie deficit over the 24 hour period.

If you're in an overall deficit (including your calories from alcohol and alcoholic drinks), then I am skeptical of the fat loss impedance effects of alcohol other than when looking at the very narrow (and not helpful, IMHO) window when alcohol is being processed by the body. I am not skeptical of the many detriments of alcohol consumption, nor of the many benefits of alcohol consumption - just the "not burning fat when drinking, so it must be bad" thought process.

More fascinating is what effects alcohol might have in bulking / gaining weight, particularly where the goal is to gain lean body mass (and minimize fat gains). Not a lot of studies on that, and I'd really like to see some exploring how much light / moderate / heavy drinking affects muscle growth (I know of the testosterone production implications of alcohol consumption - speaking more to the effects flowing from alcohol as a primary fuel source when present and what it might meant to calorie timing).

DerekVTX

Ok so I've gotten a lot of feedback about my alcohol comment. Let me clarify:

I drink alcohol about once a week, if that. My calorie goal (according to MFP) is 1200, which I am almost always under. I exercise every single day for at least a half hour, usually more, with cardio and strength training included.

So no, I don't count my drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). But it's not impeding my progress, either. I only started my account on here about a month ago and I've already lost 6 pounds.And not to toot my own horn but if you look at my pictures, or my BMI (which is about 22, by the way), I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Yes it's possible that I'd be losing weight quicker if I never drank any alcohol, but I'm still losing weight without cutting anything completely out of my diet, like dessert or alcohol. So I'm good. Thanks for the advice though, but I think I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing.

You are definitely not eating enough. Or logging accurately. No way someone 5'10" should be eating 1200 calories. :noway:

But she isnt only getting 1200. Her intake is ??? calories because she isnt tracking a major source of her intake. Glass of milk, a lemonade, a sweet tea, a couple beers...that is easily 1000 calories.

Sad thing is if she talks of her success on "1200" calories someone who actually tracks might attempt that and hurt themselves.

I fully agree by the way though that 5'10" 20 years old and not overweight a true diet of 1200 calories would wreck your body leading to loss of muscle mass and possibly bone density. I seriously hope she isn't recommending that *kitten* to anyone.

What I do not understand is, Why bother logging just the solid food only and ignore the liquids? 12 Oz glass of milk 160 Cal, Orange juice 165 calories, 3 tall boy beers 675 calories, etc.........but log that 30 calories worth of carrots and 3 stalks fo celery for 18 more calories. Sorry I just don't get it. The only thing that works for me is taking this **** seriously. Also someone can fluxuate 5 lbs from one day to the next depending on water intake, bowel movements, amount eaten, etc.

SanteMulberry

"...More fascinating is what effects alcohol might have in bulking / gaining weight, particularly where the goal is to gain lean body mass (and minimize fat gains). Not a lot of studies on that, and I'd really like to see some exploring how much light / moderate / heavy drinking affects muscle growth (I know of the testosterone production implications of alcohol consumption - speaking more to the effects flowing from alcohol as a primary fuel source when present and what it might meant to calorie timing)..."

This is from a bodybuilding website called "Ask Men":

"...One major issue with the consumption of alcohol has to do with its effects on the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone is the substance in the body that plays a very large role when it comes to building muscle, stimulating ,other cell growth and development and promoting optimal bone growth. When this hormone is low, you aren’t going to get the same amount of muscle development as you would when it’s at an optimal level.

Growth hormone is predominately secreted during the early sleeping hours of the night and, because alcohol tends to disrupt natural sleep rhythms, it will decrease the amount of growth hormone released. This decrease can be up to as much as 70%, so it will really short-circuit the progress you are able to make...

"...The next factor to consider is alcohol’s effect on testosterone. As you likely know, testosterone is another huge hormone associated with muscle growth and is the reason why men carry a great deal more muscle mass than women (since men have more testosterone flowing through their bodies).

When you consume alcohol, however, a substance is produced in the liver that is toxic to the release of testosterone. This substance decreases the concentration of testosterone in the body, resulting in lower muscle mass and definition... "

It is the reason why men who are regular drinkers often suffer from gynecomastia ("manboobs") beer belly, and testicular shrinkage. Even "moderate" regular drinking (one to two normally-sized alcoholic drinks per day) produced the effect in men over time. In addition, the hops in beer was observed to raise estrogen levels even further. In case any women think that this will have a good effect on their aging bodies, these increased levels of estrogenic hormones and alcohol's blocking of their breakdown by the liver will contribute to reproductive cancers in women, the most common of which is breast cancer. This from the Canadian Cancer Society: "You may be surprised to find out that drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, larynx, liver, mouth and pharynx..."

eric_sg61

http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/science-binge-drinking/

SanteMulberry

http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/science-binge-drinking/

Thanks for the laugh. It's a pretty funny (sarcastic) article. :laugh:

Biggirllittledreams

Fit the drinks into your calories limit for the day or week.

\

Andddddd again, thisssssssss!!

If you can fit the calories into your daily allowance - including the calories you may munch on due to the lack of restraint that some experience with alcohol, then by all means go ahead!

I've found that moderation is best. I have a glass of wine every few weeks, and i'm a-okay.

Springfield1970

"...More fascinating is what effects alcohol might have in bulking / gaining weight, particularly where the goal is to gain lean body mass (and minimize fat gains). Not a lot of studies on that, and I'd really like to see some exploring how much light / moderate / heavy drinking affects muscle growth (I know of the testosterone production implications of alcohol consumption - speaking more to the effects flowing from alcohol as a primary fuel source when present and what it might meant to calorie timing)..."

This is from a bodybuilding website called "Ask Men":

"...One major issue with the consumption of alcohol has to do with its effects on the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone is the substance in the body that plays a very large role when it comes to building muscle, stimulating ,other cell growth and development and promoting optimal bone growth. When this hormone is low, you aren’t going to get the same amount of muscle development as you would when it’s at an optimal level.

Growth hormone is predominately secreted during the early sleeping hours of the night and, because alcohol tends to disrupt natural sleep rhythms, it will decrease the amount of growth hormone released. This decrease can be up to as much as 70%, so it will really short-circuit the progress you are able to make...

"...The next factor to consider is alcohol’s effect on testosterone. As you likely know, testosterone is another huge hormone associated with muscle growth and is the reason why men carry a great deal more muscle mass than women (since men have more testosterone flowing through their bodies).

When you consume alcohol, however, a substance is produced in the liver that is toxic to the release of testosterone. This substance decreases the concentration of testosterone in the body, resulting in lower muscle mass and definition... "

It is the reason why men who are regular drinkers often suffer from gynecomastia ("manboobs") beer belly, and testicular shrinkage. Even "moderate" regular drinking (one to two normally-sized alcoholic drinks per day) produced the effect in men over time. In addition, the hops in beer was observed to raise estrogen levels even further. In case any women think that this will have a good effect on their aging bodies, these increased levels of estrogenic hormones and alcohol's blocking of their breakdown by the liver will contribute to reproductive cancers in women, the most common of which is breast cancer. This from the Canadian Cancer Society: "You may be surprised to find out that drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, larynx, liver, mouth and pharynx..."

Kryptonite.

I'm seriously only going to have alcohol on special occasions. I was sober for 21 years. I had no idea how much good I was doing to my body. Now I'm doing sports 6 days a week and needing to recover as quickly as possible I need to lay off it. It's stopping my body working properly each minute it's in my system.