How long does alcohol bloat last and is it permanent?

SolidGoaled

HI all - I have been disgusted all week because of my scale, and I realized today after obsessing all morning that maybe its due to the alcohol I had last Saturday. I drank lots of tequila (with salt!) and lots of beer. It was the first time I had drank in over a month, so I overdid it. Anyhow - what I am wondering is if alcohol hurts you on the scale, how long does it last, and is it permanent, or can I look forward to a nice two-week loss sometime next week? (I know I should just pitch the scale, and I plan to... but I just won't be able to do it until I have recovered from this alcohol damage and know for sure that I am back to losing again)

Also - is there any way that a person can drink a little without sacrificing a week (or more) progress over it?? ITs not worth a whole week of no loss and feeling bloated - if I must, I will simply give up alcohol permanently.

Thoughts?

leilaphoenix

My answer is if I'm going out drinking (rum and diet coke is my tipple) is to dance like a crazy person on the dancefloor for hours - that'll burn any alcohol calories off!

Buckeyt

Alcohol really is counter productive in trying to lose weight. It is essentially a poison that your body needs to break down first. Much of the other other calories you consume get stroed as fat while your body works on the alcohol. There truly is a reason they call it a beer belly.

It really isn't the calories that are an issue, its the alcohol itself.

BflSaberfan

I know it sucks to hear but alcohol is probably the WORST thing you can drink when trying to lose weight.

merrillfoster

That's weird. Alcohol makes me feel less bloated (it's a diuretic, so it gets rid of water weight). I find that the nights I have a glass or 2 (or 3....lol) of wine, I almost always have a loss, rather than a gain. The only problem I have with booze is the calories--if I drink way too much and am way over on cals I won't show a loss (though don't usually show any gain, and if I do, it's like .2 lbs, not a big deal). I don't know how much you had or what kinds, but it shouldn't set you back much, and certainly not permanently. I wouldn't worry about it, the effects shouldn't last longer than a couple days. Are you sure that there's nothing else going on?

Drunkadelic

Alcohol has calories just like anything else so if you over do it, than yea you'll see the weight go up a bit. This is going to sound HORRIBLE but when I want to drink, I make sure I save up a bunch of calories for my day and I may even have "liquid dinner" lol. I find that I don't feel as guilty because I stayed closer to my calorie goal aaand I don't have to drink as much to have the same affect (because of course I'm drinking on an empty stomach). Oh and I only drink shots or the occasional dirty martini to reduce my alcohol calories. Now, I would NEVER suggest doing this to anyone, but it's what I do. I try to only do it on special occasions too and that evens out to maybe once a month.

Just an FYI: One shot of clear tequila has about 100 calories and the beer facts can be found online (And I think most of them are in the food database).

Drunkadelic

That's weird. Alcohol makes me feel less bloated (it's a diuretic, so it gets rid of water weight). I find that the nights I have a glass or 2 (or 3....lol) of wine, I almost always have a loss, rather than a gain. The only problem I have with booze is the calories--if I drink way too much and am way over on cals I won't show a loss (though don't usually show any gain, and if I do, it's like .2 lbs, not a big deal). I don't know how much you had or what kinds, but it shouldn't set you back much, and certainly not permanently. I wouldn't worry about it, the effects shouldn't last longer than a couple days. Are you sure that there's nothing else going on?

I also read some place online that the day after drinking you will weigh less (because of course it's a diuretic) but you will see the weight gain 2-3 days later. Nice little delayed effect there....

jsteras

Here is a good article to explain it, and I know it stinks, I love going out with friends to our local pub a few nights a week to socialize. I have made a pact to myself to only drink on special occasions. I went up last night with four friends and it was ice water for me. I noticed when I first started eating healthy, no matter how much I worked out and ate healthy on evenings I would go have a few I would stall out on losing and be bloated for three days. I have lost 12 pounds in three weeks so giving up the beer is worth it:) good luck to you:)
http://www.fatburn.com/article_show.asp?article_id=16

longtallted

I used to drink a lot of beer, at least a few pints every day, which was the main cause of my unhealthy belly. The more you drink, the more you can drink (before you get drunk). It's quite a spiral.

However - if you lay off the booze for as long as possible, I find that when you have a drink, you can really taste it and it is a lot more satisfying (hence don't feel the need to guzzle it, but savour it instead). Also, when you do sometimes have a drink, your resistance is much lower and it takes only 1 or 2 to get a nice buzz. :-)) As opposed to 8 or 10 drinks! :-((

If you are going to have a drink, go for the lowest possible calories (the rum and diet coke is about the lowest). Or make it into a long drink, like a white wine spritzer. Or drink soda or mineral water in between drinks to halve your consumption.

Also, if you are going to a party, turn up late, don't eat anything salty or thirst making, stay away from the buffet table, but have a good time!

p.s. If you can't have a good time without the booze, then get some new friends!

jsteras

LOL me again, I've researched this too much!! Also rem calorie counts say 1oz alcohol has x amount of calories. The pour tops distribute 1.5 to 2 oz of liquor per drink or shot so your getting 1 1/2 to 2 times the 1oz which adds up pretty quick.

SolidGoaled

Yeah, that is exactly what happened - I had a big loss the day after I drank, then every single day this week I have been stuck and now went up 2 lbs. I do know with alcohol that its more than calories. I really drank a lot (ashamed to say how much - many shots, many beers) so it is probably taking my body this long to recover.

My question seems to be, although I drank Saturday, I have been FLAWLESS the rest of these days - diligent with my calories/composition plus good workouts all week. So, surely, although the scale says I gained 2 lbs, next week all this hard work should catch up, right??

Boy - the scale and alcohol are both my nemesis right now.

icklefairy

I'm very tempted to give up alcohol except on very special occasions. It will be tough but there are so many calories in my favourite drinks that I'm just not sure it's worth it. That and the hangovers, which I can happily give up!

amfmmama

A nutritionist told me that if you drink to the point that you don't feel well the next day, not even a full blown hangover that it will stall weightloss. Your body needs to recover and puts weight loss on hold. Someone mentioned that it helps, you can be a little lighter initially after drinking, but that is due to dehydration and once you start hydrating, your weight loss will stall.

JaneP2011

Yeah, booze is my dowfall too ... I drink maybe half a bottle of wine quite often and that's 250 calories. Even if I allow for it in my calories that never works because after I've had a drink, I always get hungry and start nibbling those calories back!! I would never drink a high sugar soda with 250 calories in it but I seem to think it's OK if it's alcohol.
I always bloat a pound or two the day after I've been drinking and it takes about 3-4 to get rid of it ...

jsteras

Yeah, booze is my dowfall too ... I drink maybe half a bottle of wine quite often and that's 250 calories. Even if I allow for it in my calories that never works because after I've had a drink, I always get hungry and start nibbling those calories back!! I would never drink a high sugar soda with 250 calories in it but I seem to think it's OK if it's alcohol.
I always bloat a pound or two the day after I've been drinking and it takes about 3-4 to get rid of it ...

You are so right, I never drink soda hate it and know it's bad for weight loss, but would drink alcohol. LOL. By the way love your picture!!

TNGURL

I can tell you from my own personal experience, alcohol & being fit does not mix! You have to understand how your body reacts to alcohol consumption. Once you learn this, I think you'll look at alcohol in a much different light!!! There's a reason they call it a " beer belly! " I have always been very fit & in tune with my body & nutrition. I have never been much of a drinker until the last year or so? One day I suddenly realized I was having some weight gain in my stomach that I NEVER had before! I've always had a flat stomach. I have learned beer goes straight to your gutt!! And that my friend sux, but it does. I'm a social butterfly & all my friends drink... it's hard not to drink when that's kind of a part of your lifestyle.

During the summer is the hardest for me, nothing taste better than an ice cold beer during the summer! Hey, I'm a die hard country girl, riding 4wheelers, 4x4 muddin, fishing, etc... yeah you're gonna find a beer cooler when we go play!!! LOL.... I am having to except I can drink, but only in moderation. I can't have 6 to 12 all week, I have accepted that!! GRRRRR!!! If I don't buy it, I can't drink it. When out with friends I may have two or three & that's it! I'll drink my water & feel good about myself the next day... no money blown, no hangover, & no empty calories to regret!! LOL Yeah, it's a weakness... but this is what I tell myself... NOTHING TASTE AS GOOD AS BEING HEALTHY FEELS!!!! Girls, let me tell ya it's just too hard to get the weight off! When you gain " beer calories " you don't " diet " those calories off, you have to " burn " them off !!! Good luck ladies, we're in this together!!!

SolidGoaled

I do want to understand how alcohol effects your body - beyond just calories, and beyond just "it causes you to eat more" because I am VERY good at planning for the night, making sure I have the calories covered with a good workout or smaller menu during the day - and I don't splurge on treats after I drink - but something still happens to me and I feel 10 lbs heavier (and sometimes weigh 10 lbs heavier!) and this will go on for a week sometimes. I hate it! I do have a hard time keeping it to 3 or so. I'll have to try that sometime... but that 3 drink buzz is a dangerous place for me - once I go past 3, I end up going past 10.

Some of my best friends drink - so when I am not drinking - it puts us in a social funk which makes me sad, too.

Khriphos

I feel ya pain, went for a Stag do at the weekend and my weight has gone up by 6lb (weight today)... 6lb .... Going on holiday on friday too don't want to update my stats but going to have to... Learnt a big lesson

furelite

I have been interested in the effects of alcohol for quite some time, and have come to believe a few things. Certainly as we get older, alcohol and fitness are at odds with each other. I love to drink, have loved to drink for a long time. But the older I get, I see that it is the one thing interfering with 1) fitness of body and 2) clarity of mind. And, my ability to sleep well has suffered and I had forgotten what it felt like to wake up feeling great every day.

As you get older, your body is not as able to deal with many things as effectively as when you are younger. Maybe you used to be able to make up for a weekend of indiscretion by being "good" the next week. Metabolic processes slow down and systems don't work as well as they used to. I decided to quit drinking altogether because it was interfering with my fitness goals, I noticed that I was developing a thicker waist than I had ever had before, and I just felt like I couldn't think properly. I must say, I enjoy having clarity of mind and being able to work out to my fullest.

My husband is an avid beer drinker. As he approaches 50, he too finds that he just can't seem to drop below a certain weight no matter what he tries. I challenged him to give up alcohol. It has only been 3 weeks, but he is now below this certain weight. Most notable, however, people are telling him that he looks like he has lost a lot of weight! He has not lost a "lot" of weight. I believe that stopping drinking has changed his appearance, and here are my two theories:

1) alcohol causes generalized bloating, most noticeable in the face but it is all over. Do you notice after a night of drinking your fingers swell and your rings don't fit? This isn't just happening in your fingers. Alcohol is a diuretic...you pee a ton when you are drinking, which is why you can sometimes weigh less the very next day. What happens then is that your body seeks to restore equilibrium. It retains water. The water inside your cells shifts to outside your cells to make up for the general losses.Your electrolytes are all out of whack, and you start retaining water in your interstitial spaces. As you drink and get hydrated, your cells rehydrate. You are left bloated all over. It takes several days of not drinking to get your balances back together. By then, perhaps you've had another night out. The circle perpetuates.

2) Alcohol and its metabolites are toxins to the body which can create an inflammatory process (allergic reaction if you will) that can inflame tissues, lending toward the bloated appearance.

If you drink every weekend or more often, you are constantly in this circle and your bloating never really goes away.
These are my theories about bloating. I also believe that inevitably, alcohol does cause you to gain real weight. Used to be when I was young, I could make up for alcohols calories by swapping food for drink. That doesn't work anymore. It isn't just the pure calories in alcohol, but how your body processes alcohol. The body's first priority is processing the alcohol, so it doesn't process the other stuff you have eaten. It goes to weight gain. Alcohol also messes with your glucose levels. I believe it triggers your body to store more fat.
Most of all, like I said, I am choosing to give up alcohol for clarity of mind. You know, I am really enjoying being able to learn new things and retain knowledge. I just remind myself that no matter how good that beer or drink looks, that I don't need it. I mean, what is the point? After one drink, I generally feel tired in an hour or two. What is one drink going to do for me? Nothing. It's just calories that I don't need toward no purpose.