calories from alcohol

foxygirlact

I've noticed when logging how easy it is to have a few wines/cocktails that fill up the calorie count for the day.

Last time I lost the weight I didn't cut out wine, but this time I'm thinking the added effort might do me good.

So, given I need to get back on the healthy wagon, I've decided to try going sober for a month and raising money for a local (aussie) charity. Its called Ocsober.

Just wondering if anyone else is doing this? - not too late to sign up

And of course, if you'd rather not go sober, but still want to support charity, you're welcome to donate: http://fundraise.ocsober.com.au/kasey_fox

annie7hudds

Oh yes, alcohol is the kiss of death to weight loss.

I read an interesting article a while back. Basically it said that imagine that your glass of wine, is actually a glass full of cooked pasta. You wouldn't eat it would you? but you would drink the equivalent in cals. It's like eating dinner, then followingit up with more food.

I try and keep that image when I fancy a glass.

However, now and again it is worth working into your cal allowance as it would be a shame to totally ban it.

annie7hudds

Oops - and wel done for raising the money for the charity.

foxygirlact

yes, it can be way too easy to drink the same amount of calories as a cake or bowl of pasta!

I now usually drink "low calorie" wine (obviously, except for this month, now I'm on water), so thats a little bit better, but still need to be careful

alicemdl

Well done on raising so much. I like the sound of Ocsober, but I'd struggle - alcohol is definitely my diet downfall. If I didn't drink, I think I'd be a couple of stone lighter for sure. I tend to drink gin and slimline tonic these days as its so light in comparison to wine.

janemem

Well done on your commitment and for raising money for charity at the same time.

I drink every evening but I always work it into my calories for the day. I drink the same amount every night with maybe a little bit more on a Sunday so it's easy to keep it within my limits and I don't feel I'm either missing out on the extra food or depriving myself of my favourite tipple. I get the best of both worlds, lol! :drinker:

foxygirlact

i love my wine, especially after a long day at work, so no doubt next month I'll ease it back into my weekly calorie allowance!

missy_1975

Good on ya for raising money for charity. If cutting out booze works for you then that's great. My small glass of red wine comes in at under 100 calories. I can easily afford that in my diary, and pasta is considerably more calorific! I'd rather have a glass of wine than a bowl of pasta any day anyway :drinker:

If you are drinking alcohol and not measuring and logging it then yes, it's very easy to drink those calories down without noticing. I log everything, and when I want a glass or two of wine I have it. I can't remember the last time I ate crisps (chips), I just don't miss them. Cutting out my wine? Feels like deprivation to me!

The key to success here is making lifestyle choices that are easily sustainable for the rest of our lives. If you love something have a little of it (if you can stop at one glass/one biscuit/one slice of cake) and factor it in to your diary. Me? I'm never giving up my glass of red, cheers!

janemem

I drink low'ish alcohol white wine and a vodka & sugar free lemonade so I see no need to limit it. If I was drinking Bailey's every night or other types of liqcuer I might think about cutting it down/out a bit as the calorie count is terrible for what you get but as I said, with what I drink it fits nicely into my numbers.
It's too late for me to think about cutting it out for this month though as I've got quite a few social events coming up that I intend to drink (muchly!) at. :laugh:

SHBoss1673

Get ready girl, cutting out alcohol is going to drastically reduce the difficulty of weight loss.

It's really not the calories of alcohol that's the problem for most people.

alcohol is considered a poison by the body, unfortunately the only way the body knows how to eliminate alcohol is to burn it. It does this immediately. Alcohol is 7 calories per gram, and the minute it touches your lips it enters your blood stream, it doesn't wait to hit your stomach, similar to some simple sugars, it is absorbed by all the areas involved in digestion, so it's fast acting.

So when you drink something with alcohol, the body immediately uses alcohol as an energy source, pushing all other energy sources down in priority a notch. Carbohydrates becomes a secondary source, and fat becomes a 3rd energy source. So there's that.

But that's not the only bad stuff that can happen. Alcohol also causes water retention for days, and can throw off your electrolyte balance because it's a mild diuretic, causing your body to not work exactly right, this effect can last for 24 to 48 hours after you drink if you drink enough. I won't go into what it does to the liver and kidneys.

All that said, having a three or four of drinks once every two or three weeks isn't going to be much of an issue for most people. And having a beer or glass of wine every other night won't be much of a problem, it's when you start drinking that second or third and start doing that every week that it really can hinder weight loss. Not everyone is the same though, some people's body chemistry reacts to alcohol better than others, part of that is genetics, part is efficiency, it's hard to determine. But if you are serious about fat loss, alcohol is probably one of the things to consider cutting way back on.

traceyfordy

Alcohol is my downfall, especially at weekends, i can take it or leave it during the week, but we do tent to socilaise alot so i find it really difficult, then your more prone to having something that you shouldnt i am trying to take it one weekend at a time - well done though staying of alcohol for a month might be something i ought to consider :drinker:

foxygirlact

Get ready girl, cutting out alcohol is going to drastically reduce the difficulty of weight loss.

It's really not the calories of alcohol that's the problem for most people.

alcohol is considered a poison by the body, unfortunately the only way the body knows how to eliminate alcohol is to burn it. It does this immediately. Alcohol is 7 calories per gram, and the minute it touches your lips it enters your blood stream, it doesn't wait to hit your stomach, similar to some simple sugars, it is absorbed by all the areas involved in digestion, so it's fast acting.

So when you drink something with alcohol, the body immediately uses alcohol as an energy source, pushing all other energy sources down in priority a notch. Carbohydrates becomes a secondary source, and fat becomes a 3rd energy source. So there's that.

But that's not the only bad stuff that can happen. Alcohol also causes water retention for days, and can throw off your electrolyte balance because it's a mild diuretic, causing your body to not work exactly right, this effect can last for 24 to 48 hours after you drink if you drink enough. I won't go into what it does to the liver and kidneys.

All that said, having a three or four of drinks once every two or three weeks isn't going to be much of an issue for most people. And having a beer or glass of wine every other night won't be much of a problem, it's when you start drinking that second or third and start doing that every week that it really can hinder weight loss. Not everyone is the same though, some people's body chemistry reacts to alcohol better than others, part of that is genetics, part is efficiency, it's hard to determine. But if you are serious about fat loss, alcohol is probably one of the things to consider cutting way back on.

that is really interesting. thanks for posting. I'll let you know how I'm going at the end of the month! :-)