Alcohol & Weight Loss

freckledrats

Every time I have a beer or a mixed drink--especially if I get drunk--even within calorie range, the scale shifts up. This is my least favorite part of dieting! Alcohol and sodium can really deflate you when you're having a good run. (Or, rather, INflate you, eh? Eh??)

*sad*

Gimme dat beer...

Wait, no! Gimme sweet, sweet success!

bradphil87

Yeah, it's hard. Drinking REALLY hurts weight loss in so many ways. 1 or 2 occasionally (like once a week) is not that bad, however a night of partying can kill a whole week of good decisions. I gave it up completely (not for weight loss, just for overall health in general) and it really helps. The best advice I could give is to limit yourself to one or two once a week and you should be fine

Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim

bump

nxd10

My husband says he might as well take the beer bottles and just glue them to his belly. Liquid carbs. And it's true.

It does screw up your water balance as well as add to fat. There's a reason they call it a beer belly.

We're homebrewers. But it really isn't good for your waist.

kaervaak

Alcohol doesn't make you gain fat, it makes you retain water which will go away after your diet normalizes. In moderation alcohol is actually quite good for you.

http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

Summary:
* Moderate alcohol consumption is assocoiated with an abundance of health benefits. The long-term effect on insulin sensitivity and body weight (via insulin or decreased appetite) may be of particular interest to us.

* The thermic effect of alcohol is high and the real caloric value is not 7.1 kcal: it's ~5.6 kcal. However, it's still easy to overconsume calories by drinking. Calorie for calorie, the short-term effect of alcohol on satiety is low. Adding to this, intoxication may also encourage overeating by disinhibition of dietary restraint.

* The negative effects of alcohol on testosterone and recovery has been grossly exaggerated by the fitness mainstream. Excluding very high acute alcohol consumption, or prolonged and daily consumption, the effect is non-significant and unlikely to affect muscle gains or training adaptations negatively.

* The effect of alcohol on muscle protein synthesis is unknown in normal human subjects. It is not unlikely to assume that a negative effect exists, but it is very unlikely that it is of such a profound magnitude that some people would have you believe.

* Alcohol is converted to acetate by the liver. The oxidation of acetate takes precedence over other nutrients and is oxidized to carbon dioxide and water. However, despite being a potent inhibitor of lipolysis, alcohol/acetate alone cannot cause fat gain by itself. It's all the junk people eat in conjunction with alcohol intake that causes fat gain.

miamacreynold

This is exactly how I feel...I actually feel so much better when I don't drink but I really enjoy hanging out with friends & having a good time, it's so hard to find a happy medium! :grumble:

DanaDark

Low calorie drinks are advised: Soda water + flavored vodka for example. Blueberry Press is just awesome.

That said, you must track your calories and account for them. A beer has roughly 120 calories while a blueberry press has about 70.

Remember, water weight does fluctuate quite a bit with alcohol and sodium intake, so, keep your weigh ins several days after a night out.

bpotts44

I don't think drunk fits into a weight loss plan. I enjoy a cold beer especially after a particularly hard workout. It actually is a very nutritious post workout beverage and the carbonation makes you feel full

IronSmasher

Just to add.

Whenever I'm trying to count an alcoholic beverage, it is by far the type of food with the most spurious entries.

caraiselite

higher proof stuff like vodka doesn't have any carbs. mixed with diet soda, its perf.
or rum and diet coke. yum.

gaerielsky

I am abstaining for the time being (on Medifast)... but I've read that ONE GLASS (3-4 oz) of RED wine can actually speed up the metabolism slightly. Not beer. Not spirits. RED WINE.

GeorgiaTina

Oh how I wish I could drink wine and still lose....but no! I usually only have a glass of wine maybe once a week. I have seen a friend gain ALL her weight back by boozing it up every night..

kgprice11

Oh any alcoholic beverage will do that to anyone no matter what the calorie intake is!

Divagettinfitin2011

:drinker:

smellyrichelley

I don't think drunk fits into a weight loss plan. I enjoy a cold beer especially after a particularly hard workout. It actually is a very nutritious post workout beverage and the carbonation makes you feel full

I've never heard this before, but now I want to try it.

I have the same problem with alcohol, but I've never noticed much weight fluctuation from 1 drink, but there's a huge fluctuation when I get drunk. Maybe cutting back to just a drink or two when you go out with buds will help. I'm thinking about switching from so much beer to diet soda/soda water + liquor myself. I googled the blueberry press thing, and it sounds delicious.

kokaneesailor

I quit and feel great. Looking back I wonder what took me so long to figure out why I didn't need alcohol in the first place.

bradphil87

I don't think drunk fits into a weight loss plan. I enjoy a cold beer especially after a particularly hard workout. It actually is a very nutritious post workout beverage and the carbonation makes you feel full

I've never heard this before, but now I want to try it.

I have the same problem with alcohol, but I've never noticed much weight fluctuation from 1 drink, but there's a huge fluctuation when I get drunk. Maybe cutting back to just a drink or two when you go out with buds will help. I'm thinking about switching from so much beer to diet soda/soda water + liquor myself. I googled the blueberry press thing, and it sounds delicious.

Good idea, it is also way easier to say no to jack in the box at 4am when your not hammered haha

gendoll

For me beer isn't the problem. I used to go out drinking at least 3 nights a week and where I gained the weight was the bad food choices I made after I left the bar. I still drink now as long as it fits in my day.

Edited to say: Now I only go out 1 or 2 times a week and don't drink more then 3 beers.

2hmom

After a few weekends of Select 55,I'm getting used to it. I just decided I wanted to lose weight more. A lot of our bike friends don't drink either,just nice to have a place to cool off and still socialize.

ErinBeth7

This is exactly how I feel...I actually feel so much better when I don't drink but I really enjoy hanging out with friends & having a good time, it's so hard to find a happy medium! :grumble:

You said it.

samnco

Alcohol is the reason I am a chub scout. And oh how I wish I craved celery when I get the drunk munchies.

Jasdramaqueen

Hmm. I rarely post but was interested in the alco-issue. I tend to drink a lot when out with my colleagues (British...London...Bankers excuses excuses!) but tend to stick to gin and slimline tonics.

I have no idea how this is affecting my weightloss but figure if I am going to drink, to stick to this rather than beer or even worse, vodka redbull (so calorific!!) but the adverse is that I drink this much faster than say wine or beer ...guess abstinence is the only promising solution!

KeriW626

Alcohol doesn't make you gain fat, it makes you retain water which will go away after your diet normalizes. In moderation alcohol is actually quite good for you.

http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

Summary:
* Moderate alcohol consumption is assocoiated with an abundance of health benefits. The long-term effect on insulin sensitivity and body weight (via insulin or decreased appetite) may be of particular interest to us.

* The thermic effect of alcohol is high and the real caloric value is not 7.1 kcal: it's ~5.6 kcal. However, it's still easy to overconsume calories by drinking. Calorie for calorie, the short-term effect of alcohol on satiety is low. Adding to this, intoxication may also encourage overeating by disinhibition of dietary restraint.

* The negative effects of alcohol on testosterone and recovery has been grossly exaggerated by the fitness mainstream. Excluding very high acute alcohol consumption, or prolonged and daily consumption, the effect is non-significant and unlikely to affect muscle gains or training adaptations negatively.

* The effect of alcohol on muscle protein synthesis is unknown in normal human subjects. It is not unlikely to assume that a negative effect exists, but it is very unlikely that it is of such a profound magnitude that some people would have you believe.

* Alcohol is converted to acetate by the liver. The oxidation of acetate takes precedence over other nutrients and is oxidized to carbon dioxide and water. However, despite being a potent inhibitor of lipolysis, alcohol/acetate alone cannot cause fat gain by itself. It's all the junk people eat in conjunction with alcohol intake that causes fat gain.

I drink wine, either a white reisling or sangria red. red has many benifits for you. I drink it after dinner. It helps calm my mind so I can sleep. It has not hindered my weigh at all. In fact I recently went on a week trip to S.C. I drank a lot, I mean a lot of home made wine. I expected to gain weight on the scale after I returned home. Turns out I lost 2 lbs. So maybe its what you drink?

ksavy

I drink a couple times a week normally. Anything from beer to wine to spirits. I just try to get a workout in that day and I count the calories in everything. I am still losing weight at the pace that I want to, just don't weight for a day or two after the drinking.

maroonmango211

Due to the fact that its summer and out of all our friends I am the only one currently watching what I eat and drink its far too hard to go to get togethers and watch everyone else sprucing it up and partying ( I am 24 after all and a night away from the kids and housework needs to be enjoyed still). If I plan on drinking I try my best to prepare for the caloric intake as well as I've found my favourite way to do so without feeling guilty is vodka mixed with aquafina flavoured water, it tastes great, and at least I'm getting even more water in me to make up for the dehidrating effects of the alcohol. I still lose weight, I still gain muscle and I still get to party once in a while.

I've heard the red wine idea that it helps aid in metabolism, I don't know if I would agree, but since we are also home wine makers its an idea I can live with! a small glass of wine after dinner is a better treat than any brownie could be.

nangel4u

I have seen a video onine about when you drink alcohol and try to lose weight, when you drink your body wont digest any food for awhile until the alcohol is out of your system, which leads to you having to pack on the pounds of what you at that day and allowing your body to over itself by holding on to the alcohol to help you stay functional....i seen it on youtube, and i searched alcohol and weight loss!!!

cheerforsteelers

I definitely enjoy beer and all those other drinks. I've been sticking to vodka with a little bit of tonic and lime...usually in a smaller glass. I have one (or two) maybe once a week or every other week.

UWZander

If I were to quote a chemical dependency councilor I know, alcohol reduces your metabolism by ~70% depending on average stats. And excessive drinking over time causes your liver to swell from the toxins causing the 'beer gut' people think is just from all the carbs. Everything in moderation and if you are struggling with your weight the last thing you want is to bog your body down with alcohol. That includes an occasional glass of wine with dinner.

lilawolf

I am abstaining for the time being (on Medifast)... but I've read that ONE GLASS (3-4 oz) of RED wine can actually speed up the metabolism slightly. Not beer. Not spirits. RED WINE.

Maybe true, but who stops at 3-4oz of wine??? That would be aproximately half of a champagne flute...

I have cut back to almost zero on weekdays (and feel better for it too!) and trying to keep it at 1-3 on Fri-Sun. ~6 glasses of wine a week is MUCH better than what I was doing before. It may decrease even more. I purchased a soda water maker and it is fantastic! I use fresh lemon/lime and a splash of SF raspberry syrup. Yum! I realized that I was having wine as a "special" drink, and I needed something to swap it out with other than water or I would feel deprived. This has worked wonderfully It would also be fantastic with any clear alcohol.

recoiljpr

I haven't really noticed any water weight or any gain when I drink beer. That being said, I generally only drink something like a Miller 65; and even then on a heavy weekend, I usually only drink 4 or 5 of them. That's 325 total calories...

freckledrats

Usually I notice the water weight after 2+ full-bodied beers (not the light stuff, usually, unless it's 3 or more, which is rare for me) or after enough rum and diet to get actually tipsy. Then the water weight screws up my weigh-ins. Always fun to screw up your weigh-in right before the official weigh-in day! I have a bad habit also of eating the occasional microwave soup or other extremely high sodium single item. I always see that the next day O.O

After a while of dieting, I'm actually pretty good at not making a lot of dumb food decisions while drinking, but I haven't always been!