Extra Calories and Alcohol?

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OpalFruitJam
OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been the gym for an hour this morning and am going to go again for another hour later in the day.
This should give me an extra 400 or 500 calories to play with.
My question, with the extra calories earnt, is alcohol an acceptable thing to use them for?
I wanted to have a few drinks tonight. Will I have ruined my diet and fitness for today if I use them for drink?
I would probably stick to vodka and diet coke, may have one wine.
Bit confused on how to use extra calories.

Also, say if one day we are quite well under our 'needed' calories, is it ok to fill them with a 'quick fix' like a McDonalds burger? Not that I would, but as an example I suppose.

I have done really well over the past few weeks exercise and diet wise and don't want to blow it tonight! Thanks in advance!!
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Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    To answer your question simply, No.
    Now, when it comes to loosing weight it would be acceptable though (cals in vs. cals out regardless of form), but keep in mind alcohol calories are not good calories (empty). But keep in mind I am doing the same thing.

    Alcohol calories are empty calories and therefore should not be in ones diet, or at most very little. Alcohol is also a carb that contains more calories than all other carbs (1cal extra per gram). Have a happy new Years.
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    To answer your question simply, No.
    Now, when it comes to loosing weight it would be acceptable though (cals in vs. cals out regardless of form), but keep in mind alcohol calories are not good calories (empty). But keep in mind I am doing the same thing.

    Alcohol calories are empty calories and therefore should not be in ones diet, or at most very little. Alcohol is also a carb that contains more calories than all other carbs (1cal extra per gram). Have a happy new Years.

    So even though I will work off around 500cals in the gym, I can't use them for alcohol tonight? Oh dear me :(
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    You can use them if you goal is to loose weight. If you goal is to be healthy that is a different story, but one night should be okay and it is what I am doing, just make sure you drink plenty of water during the day today and while you are having a few tonight.

    It is better that you exercise, as you are doing, before drinking than drinking without exercising first.
  • Poison5119
    Poison5119 Posts: 1,460 Member
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    You can use them for that, but it just can't be a habit to do all the time!.... Alcohol calories build on the liver and the body burns THOSE calories FIRST, which impede your weight loss efforts for up to two days, post-imbibing! Enjoy the evening, I say!
  • gottagetitoff
    gottagetitoff Posts: 40
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    It's calories in...calories out! Not the BEST way for all of us to use them today, but reality. AND if this is a longterm way of life, we all need to learn to incorporate these "challenge" days with all the others. The trick is not going crazy and getting right back on track tomorrow. So use your calories on alcohol and enjoy it, don't feel guilty all night. Good luck to all of us!! Happy Healthy New Year!!
  • lauracovert
    lauracovert Posts: 6
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    yes you can, but he is just saying that they are loaded calories (mixed drinks) for an empty food. your rum and diet coke is zero calories. hard liquor has generaly no calories. diet soda also. so dont feel bad you can drink, but alcohol does slow down your metabolizm. but, it is new years, so come on, if it is just every so often, then let it be an extra hour in the gym to kick start your metabolism and just stay away from margaritas (some at 800 calories and pinacoldas and mojitas also alot of the are at 800 cals) and drink your rum and coke and one glass of wine, you earned it if you go to the gym for 2 hours!!!!

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    Thankyou! Yeah it is only for tonight, I didn't drink Christmas at all and this would be literally a one off. I just didn't want one night to ruin all the hard work I have done in regards to weight loss xx
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
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    you can lose weight by eating candy if its under your maint.

    Eating proper foods will do your body a lot of good though. It will get the nutrition, speed up your metabolism, and make you feel great.
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    Haha no I won't be eating candy :P but thanks for the advice, I just wanted to work off in advance the cals I will use tonight.
    Will not be making a habit of this though, since being on this diet and exercise regime I really don't need alcohol, I am getting a natural 'high' from the buzz of exercise.

    But it's NYE and I am going to dress up (dress, heels, the works) and enjoy my dress clinging to my more toned physique!!

    Happy NYE
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    Happy New Year to you too!! And I think after 2 hours in the gym I am going to NEED a vodka and diet coke haha!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Well, look. CAN you have alcohol to replace your workout calories? Yeah you can, is it a good way to do it? Not usually. But you also have to keep in mind that for this to be a permenant change you need to make a few compromises to allow yourself to live this way forever. 1 night of drinking won't kill your new eating style, but it won't help you lose weight this week either. As long as you are aware of that and don't punish yourself for it then you're fine.

    Notes about alcohol calories. They are far worse for the body than even processed carbs or straight processed sugars are. Why? Because alcohol is processed differently from other energy sources. Essentially, in layman's terms, alcohol supplants all other energy sources, relegating carbs, fats, and proteins to secondary and tertiary sources of energy. when this happens the body still continues storing extra energy as fat. In other words all the food you ate and are processing when you introduce alcohol, instead of being burned during the course of normal activity, now becomes fat (well, not ALL of it, but a lot), and fat is far harder to burn off than ingested glucose (carbs and sugar). so in essence, by drinking, you're making it harder to work off any food you ate that day. It's not that big of a deal if this is a once or twice a month thing, but if you do it a lot, yeah, you're gonna have problems getting rid of fat. Thus the prevalence of "beer belly" for people who drink a lot of beer. That freshman 15? You guessed it, it's generally because of the alcohol, and usually not because of the "bad" food in the cafe (well, to a degree).
  • Phatdaddymike
    Phatdaddymike Posts: 74
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    IMO alcohol cals is NEVER good cals..and by your profile your 19..is it legal for you to drink where your at? just sayin
  • tparo
    tparo Posts: 3
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    If you do some research on the subject of alcohol and weight gain you'll find a lot of differing opinions with very scientific sounding explanations to back them up. One thing seems true for most people though... the more you drink, the less likely you are to remain disciplined about what you eat. Unless you're going to be in a place where the only calorie source in site is alcohol, I'd be very careful about how much you drink. You may blow way past your available 500 spare calories by the end of the evening and wonder how you let that happen!

    I thought the "Common Misconceptions" of this article was interesting:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_metabolism
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
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    IMO alcohol cals is NEVER good cals..and by your profile your 19..is it legal for you to drink where your at? just sayin
    I was thinking that too.
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    IMO alcohol cals is NEVER good cals..and by your profile your 19..is it legal for you to drink where your at? just sayin
    I was thinking that too.

    I live in the United Kingdom so yes.
    It was legal at 18.
    I am now nearly 20.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
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    IMO alcohol cals is NEVER good cals..and by your profile your 19..is it legal for you to drink where your at? just sayin

    most 19 year old kids drink on a regular basis
  • pannellkat
    pannellkat Posts: 709 Member
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    I have been the gym for an hour this morning and am going to go again for another hour later in the day.
    This should give me an extra 400 or 500 calories to play with.
    My question, with the extra calories earnt, is alcohol an acceptable thing to use them for?
    I wanted to have a few drinks tonight. Will I have ruined my diet and fitness for today if I use them for drink?
    I would probably stick to vodka and diet coke, may have one wine.
    Bit confused on how to use extra calories.

    Also, say if one day we are quite well under our 'needed' calories, is it ok to fill them with a 'quick fix' like a McDonalds burger? Not that I would, but as an example I suppose.

    I have done really well over the past few weeks exercise and diet wise and don't want to blow it tonight! Thanks in advance!!

    I am not a doctor, nutritionist or fitness trainer but in my opinion...your working out twice today and you want to drink for New Years Eve?? Go for it. Only for one night.
    I worked out Thanksgiving morning and ate like a hog and had no regrets and have not eaten like that since...one day...HAVE FUN!
    Now if you are talking about working out and using your extra calories for alcohol on a daily basis then I would say thumbs down but are we really only talking about New Years Eve, one night? DO IT!

    Tonight I will have apple cider with the kids and then maybe some moscato a glass or two and I am not going to sweat it. I would never do the McDonalds thing though or use my extra calories towards fast food. I'd rather go for a banana or some almonds or apples and laughing cow cheese or something like that. Good luck.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    IMO alcohol cals is NEVER good cals..and by your profile your 19..is it legal for you to drink where your at? just sayin

    most 19 year old kids drink on a regular basis

    LOL, seriously. That's all. I'd even venture to say an astoundingly large percentage of 16 year olds drink alcohol on a regular basis.

    Here's some quick stats for the naive:

    Had a drink in the last 30 days
    8th-graders 15.9%
    10th-graders 33.4%
    12th-graders 44.4%

    And info. for the US-centric:
    Minimum purchase age (any alcoholic beverage or venue):
    France 16
    Ireland 18
    Italy 16
    Sweden 18
    United Kingdom 18
    United States 21


    http://www.camy.org/factsheets/index.php?FactsheetID=5

    Disclaimer: I just did a quick search so I didn't really check the validity of the stats or the rep of the organization publishing them. Their study references seemed legitimate but I wouldn't completely vouch for them without further investigation. Propaganda is rampant in the interwebs. :wink: If you're so inclined, you can do so yourself. http://www.camy.org/factsheets/index.php?FactsheetID=5
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    OF COURSE alcohol calories aren't going to be "good" for you. By exercising extra, you're certainly doing a lot ot counteract the calories, at least, which is really all you can do other than not drink any alcohol at all. If you'd like a drink or few, go for it. Like Banks said, just don't expect it do to anything to help your weight loss/health. And of course, should go without saying, don't make it a habit.

    Yeesh, I DROVE the 14 miles to work this morning -- was that good for me? No way. I didn't increase my heart rate plus I risked my life driving with all the other crazies on the interstate. I risked blowing a tire at 70mph and flipping my vehicle, I spent money on gas I could probably have put toward more healthy foods, etc. Would it have been beneficial, health wise, for me to walk or bike on the back roads? Maybe (though I don't know with the way people drive around here... :wink:). Was the benefit of saving time and energy worth it to me? Absolutely. We all make nearly every conscious decision based on risk vs. benefit. Sometimes benefits other than health win and I think that's okay. :smile:

    Enjoy your night Opal! :drinker:
    Stay hydrated (a glass of water between drinks is a great way to do that!) and be safe. :smile:
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    I have been the gym for an hour this morning and am going to go again for another hour later in the day.
    This should give me an extra 400 or 500 calories to play with.
    My question, with the extra calories earnt, is alcohol an acceptable thing to use them for?
    I wanted to have a few drinks tonight. Will I have ruined my diet and fitness for today if I use them for drink?
    I would probably stick to vodka and diet coke, may have one wine.
    Bit confused on how to use extra calories.

    Also, say if one day we are quite well under our 'needed' calories, is it ok to fill them with a 'quick fix' like a McDonalds burger? Not that I would, but as an example I suppose.

    I have done really well over the past few weeks exercise and diet wise and don't want to blow it tonight! Thanks in advance!!

    I am not a doctor, nutritionist or fitness trainer but in my opinion...your working out twice today and you want to drink for New Years Eve?? Go for it. Only for one night.
    I worked out Thanksgiving morning and ate like a hog and had no regrets and have not eaten like that since...one day...HAVE FUN!
    Now if you are talking about working out and using your extra calories for alcohol on a daily basis then I would say thumbs down but are we really only talking about New Years Eve, one night? DO IT!

    Tonight I will have apple cider with the kids and then maybe some moscato a glass or two and I am not going to sweat it. I would never do the McDonalds thing though or use my extra calories towards fast food. I'd rather go for a banana or some almonds or apples and laughing cow cheese or something like that. Good luck.


    Yup I am only talking tonight with regards to drinking alcohol. I didn't have any Christmas day or boxing day or anything! I am amazed with myself. I may drink tonight, I may not it really does depend on where the evening takes me :)
    Thankyou. I worked out twice today to make sure I had burnt off enough for maybe two or three small vodka and diet cokes.
    Thankyou so much for the kind words, have a great evening! And here's to getting the weight off and keeping it off in the New Year! Opal xxx

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