A note about drinking...

michlingle

Okay...I'm on week three and have followed my cals and have not lost weight. I've exersized extra so I can have more food. Again, I've lost no weight although I can fit into jeans that didn't fit so well before. The slow loss is I think because I've drank some of those calories...okay a lot of those calories. I have to just cut it out altogether....darn. Anyone else found it difficult to have a few (okay a lot over the past weekend) and lose weight?

michlingle

Okay...I'm on week three and have followed my cals and have not lost weight. I've exersized extra so I can have more food. Again, I've lost no weight although I can fit into jeans that didn't fit so well before. The slow loss is I think because I've drank some of those calories...okay a lot of those calories. I have to just cut it out altogether....darn. Anyone else found it difficult to have a few (okay a lot over the past weekend) and lose weight?

shorerider

I don't drink but will tell you that alcohol slows your metabolism down--a lot from what I understand. Plus, it increases the appetite and has other impact as well--here's one article I found.

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http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/alcohol.htm

Why alcohol calories are more important than you think...

Successful weight loss is all about oxidizing (or burning), more calories than you eat. When they go on a diet, many people choose low-calorie alcoholic drinks, mainly because they contain fewer alcohol calories than their regular counterparts.

However, drinking too much has a far more damaging effect than you can predict simply by looking at the number of alcohol calories in a drink. Not only does it reduce the number of fat calories you burn, alcohol can increase your appetite and lower your testosterone levels for up to 24 hours after you finish drinking.
Alcohol calories

According to conventional wisdom, the infamous "beer belly" is caused by excess alcohol calories being stored as fat. Yet, less than five percent of the alcohol calories you drink are turned into fat. Rather, the main effect of alcohol is to reduce the amount of fat your body burns for energy.

Some evidence for this comes from research carried in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [4]. Eight men were given two drinks of vodka and sugar-free lemonade separated by 30 minutes. Each drink contained just under 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after consumption of the drink. For several hours after drinking the vodka, whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by a massive 73%.

Rather than getting stored as fat, the main fate of alcohol is conversion into a substance called acetate. In fact, blood levels of acetate after drinking the vodka were 2.5 times higher than normal. And it appears this sharp rise in acetate puts the brakes on fat loss.

A car engine typically uses only one source of fuel. Your body, on the other hand, draws from a number of different energy sources, such as carbohydrate, fat, and protein. To a certain extent, the source of fuel your body uses is dictated by its availability.

In other words, your body tends to use whatever you feed it. Consequently, when acetate levels rise, your body simply burns more acetate, and less fat. In essence, acetate pushes fat to the back of the queue.

So, to summarize and review, here's what happens to fat metabolism after the odd drink or two.

. A small portion of the alcohol is converted into fat.

. Your liver then converts most of the alcohol into acetate.

. The acetate is then released into your bloodstream, and replaces fat as a source of fuel.

The way your body responds to alcohol is very similar to the way it deals with excess carbohydrate. Although carbohydrate can be converted directly into fat, one of the main effects of overfeeding with carbohydrate is that it simply replaces fat as a source of energy. That's why any type of diet, whether it's high-fat, high-protein, or high-carbohydrate, can lead to a gain in weight.
Appetite

The combination of alcohol and a high-calorie meal is especially fattening, mainly because alcohol acts as a potent appetizer. A Canadian study shows that an aperitif (an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to increase the appetite) increased calorie intake to a greater extent than a carbohydrate-based drink [5].

Researchers from Denmark's Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University report similar results [8]. When a group of men was given a meal and allowed to eat as much as they wanted, they ate more when the meal was served with beer or wine rather than a soft drink.

Not only does too much alcohol put the brakes on fat loss, it's also one of the most effective ways to slash your testosterone levels. Just a single bout of heavy drinking raises levels of the muscle-wasting hormone cortisol and increases the breakdown of testosterone for up to 24 hours [6]. The damaging effects of alcohol on testosterone are made even worse when you exercise before drinking [1].

The effect of alcohol on testosterone could be one reason that people who drink a lot carry less muscle. In fact, a 1993 study shows that alcoholic men have bigger waists and smaller muscles than teetotalers [2].

pbjsand

It depends on what you are drinking and if you are adding those calories in. I know when I started I thought a few drinks would be okay, and then when I started adding those calories in my daily total, I had to decide if drinking those calories was worth it. For me, it's not. Now I occasionally have a drink but I still count it. Alcohol also adds to fluid retention which may be another reason you aren't losing. It' tough, but hang in there you'll find the moderation you need to still lose the weight.

LadyZen

I haven't been drinking, but this pertains about the slow loss. I'm stuck as well. Actually we bought a scale a few months ago that also measures body fat (not sure how accurate it is though). And even though I haven't shown any more "weight loss", it showed that I lost 14% body fat:drinker: :drinker: My clothes feel looser too. Maybe that's what is going on with you. Just a thought:flowerforyou:

AJneuro

I've found the only way to do it is when i know i'm going to be drinking on a given day or night I just plan my food intake around it. I log the kind of drink(s) i'm going to have and how many and the remaining calories I use for food that day -- I make sure I get a lot of protein those days and an extra hard workout that day also allows for more food and makes me feel less guilty later on -- also logging before hand makes me more aware of how much I'm drinking and I feel more accountable and less likely to overindulge myself

shorerider

Here's a bit more.

Alcohol provides empty calories. No nutritional benefit is derived from alcohol. Alcohol is 7 calories per gram, which is almost as high as fat in caloric content. In addition alcohol temporarily slows down the metabolism. The effect of this is that less fat is burned (lower BMR). Generally, high fat foods are consumed with alcohol, which makes matters worse. Also, alcohol inhibits the liver from metabolizing fat.

artnoren

A lot is a problem. Years ago at Weight Watchers I used to think you could save all your drinks over a perion of time and then consume them all in one night. It didn't work then and it won't work now. I drink 6-8 oz. of red wine each night. Sometimes I'll substitute the wine for a couple of beers. I suspect you're talking about more than a couple. I've lost 77 lbs. since Christmas on my plan.

michlingle

Thanks shorerider (SP?)...that makes sense. I was counting all the calories and I don't think I ever really went over b/c of drinking...but alcohol is not good in the way that the body absorbs it.

lisabeavers

you could be holding water and building muscle from all the extra exercise. that's probably the case, especially since you can see the change in the way something fits. Im with shorerider, the alcohol's gonna have to go. alcohol basically STOPS your metabolism, your body doesnt do anything until it finishes dealing with the alcohol. and it dehydrates you. I love my drinkies, but for the moment, i've had to give them up, along with most of the fast food on this planet, too much loves from my couch and sugar. sowwy.... but it gets easier, and it isn't forever.

charliesgold

You also want to take your measurements and track your body fat, scales can be deceiving sometimes