booze!

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lobo_a_gogo
lobo_a_gogo Posts: 265 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi MFP-ers

I'm the type of person who likes to enjoy a drink or two a few nights/week, sometimes more on the weekends. I always make room for it by eating way less or exercising way more, but I still have barely lost weight. I realize booze is mostly carbs, but I've been staying under my carb limit too. What gives?

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  • lobo_a_gogo
    lobo_a_gogo Posts: 265 Member
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    bumping for help!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    It's actually not mostly carbs.

    How it gets processed is a different thing.

    ps: I drink wine a few nights a week.
  • pixelsurgeon88
    pixelsurgeon88 Posts: 39 Member
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    Hi

    Alcohol lowers your metabolism which might be the problem. Also since most alcohol has no nutrients in it you body is most likely going into starvation mode and trying to hold onto all the food it gets.

    I have given up alcohol for over two weeks now and I am already seeing the results. You need to find a low calorie alternative to the alcohol. I have replaced my alcohol in the weekend with low calorie ice tea.

    Also are you exercising?
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Hi

    Alcohol lowers your metabolism which might be the problem. Also since most alcohol has no nutrients in it you body is most likely going into starvation mode and trying to hold onto all the food it gets.

    I have given up alcohol for over two weeks now and I am already seeing the results. You need to find a low calorie alternative to the alcohol. I have replaced my alcohol in the weekend with low calorie ice tea.

    Also are you exercising?
    Do you have ANY evidence to support a claim that alcohol puts your body in starvation mode? I've heard just about everything and have never heard that.
  • hillm12345
    hillm12345 Posts: 313 Member
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    Hi

    Alcohol lowers your metabolism which might be the problem. Also since most alcohol has no nutrients in it you body is most likely going into starvation mode and trying to hold onto all the food it gets.

    I have given up alcohol for over two weeks now and I am already seeing the results. You need to find a low calorie alternative to the alcohol. I have replaced my alcohol in the weekend with low calorie ice tea.

    Also are you exercising?
    Do you have ANY evidence to support a claim that alcohol puts your body in starvation mode? I've heard just about everything and have never heard that.

    same here... where have you read this? It sounds like nonsense to me.
  • pixelsurgeon88
    pixelsurgeon88 Posts: 39 Member
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    Sorry I didn't explain that properly...

    by eating less food so that they can consume alcohol means they aren't get enough nutrients therefore it sends their body into starvation mode.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Sorry I didn't explain that properly...

    by eating less food so that they can consume alcohol means they aren't get enough nutrients therefore it sends their body into starvation mode.
    so: someone eats a whole lot less than they should.

    okay

    that's not really booze. Just nutty dieting.
  • lobo_a_gogo
    lobo_a_gogo Posts: 265 Member
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    yes, like I said I exercise a lot in order to make up for the calories on days I intend to have more than a drink or two.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    yes, like I said I exercise a lot in order to make up for the calories on days I intend to have more than a drink or two.
    Most folks here will say: just build it in to your calorie limit.
    And watch what you eat while you drink.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    There's some theories that it can hinder your weight loss. In my opinion, most people make bad choices and eat more when they drink, and potentially the next day. If you can moderate your calories while drinking, you're probably fine. If you aren't seeing the weight loss you'd expect based on your calorie settings, consider giving it up for a while to see if it helps. I wouldn't make an issue of it until it's actually an issue.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    Alcohol is not nutrition. Therefore to not eat food or exercise more is ridiculous. If you drink, just drink. Alcohol is not part of a diet. It's something else. It's recreation, I guess. When I quit drinking recently, I can't believe how easy the weight comes off now. It has other effects. It's not just a calorie game.
  • Brakalack
    Brakalack Posts: 34 Member
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    Alcohol also stops the breakdown of fat that your liver does in order for it to break down the alcohol that your body recognizes as a poison. That's mostly what will cause the "beer gut". its not the actual beer, its all the fatty foods you eat when your buzzed that non of the fat can get broken down so your body stores it in the easiest place (gut) .
  • smilam90
    smilam90 Posts: 6
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    I had Miller 64 for the first time this weekend. Unfortunately, it is limited in flavor and alcohol content as well. I'm a light weight, so I was able to take a shot of my favorite poison, vodka and chase it with a few of these and was able to maintain my caloric intake for the day.

    My buzz was gone pretty quickly though.

    Booze, I love you.
  • Xstitcher74
    Xstitcher74 Posts: 124 Member
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    I am a red wine drinker. Think I am going to have to give it up on a regular basis, though. My BF was reading an article today about how it not only slows your metabolism but also restricts your calorie burning efficiency by 1/3!!! Wow! That is too much to not pay attention to...

    Ah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon... I WILL MISS YOU! :cry:
  • RawVeganFlirt
    RawVeganFlirt Posts: 189 Member
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    well what i've heard is..

    because alcohol is a toxin, it is your livers FIRST priority to get all the alcohol passed your liver and out of your blood stream before your body can even start to work on properly digesting your food and water etc. so if you were to eat something before, during or soon after drinking, because your body its not able to readily digested and use the food as energy, it is likely to be stored as fat. you can definitely count on your metabolism being shot. many doctors and trainers have confirmed this and there are many articles on it if you'd like to research a bit.

    this is why i don't understand people who drink wine or beer WITH their dinner. it's so detrimental. but i guess they just don't know.
  • Dyetcoke1
    Dyetcoke1 Posts: 54 Member
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    Your liver needs to work properly for normal biological functions, if its sleeping your body wont work normally, if is recovering from too much alchohol it wont be efficient. Save yr drinking for a weekend night.
  • Dyetcoke1
    Dyetcoke1 Posts: 54 Member
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    I miss my wine too, but lay off the spinach you look a little green in your picture!
  • gvheintz
    gvheintz Posts: 138 Member
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    I haven't gone back to the original study this quoted, but here is an article on the topic of alcohol and weight loss.

    http://www.justaskmarc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=544&Itemid=31

    As one who rarely has a drink, I'm not worried about it for myself.
  • Jenlynengel
    Jenlynengel Posts: 3
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    Your body only goes into starvation mode when you are actually starving...not likely. You can go a whole day and your body is not "starving" yet...now if you go like 3 days...ya maybe.

    Anywho, alcohol question...you say that you are staying within a calorie limit but what kind of calories are you consuming? You can eat a 1200 cal diet of cookies and your weight will stay the same (not that you are doing that just trying to make a point) However, you can eat an 1800 cal diet of veggies proteins and all that jazz and the weight will pretty much fall off if you're honestly eating well. If you ARE eating well and decide to imbibe, try to pick something non sugary that has some kind of health benefit like red wine. I personally drink flavor infused vodka with soda water and a lime.

    Alcohol is NOT an enemy if you're smart about it. I swear it speeds up my metabolism because I always get hungry if I drink at night. Then we all know alcohol usually (forgive me for this) but makes you poop the next day....cleans ya right out!

    Where you drink your alcohol is important to; if you drink at night at bars or clubs than just make it a point to dance when you drink. If you have a night cap at home, try to make it an early evening cap at say around 6ish so your body has time to utilize it.
    If the last thing you do before you go to bed is drink than your body is going to work hard to burn all that off because a) it metabolizes quickley and b) alcohol is a toxin that it wants to get rid of.

    All in all if you are honestly eating correctly and working your buns off than it sounds like a hormone issue. If your hormones are out of wack you wont lose weight no matter how hard you try because your hormones don't know whether to snooze or lose. Sleep impacts hormones as well as all the chemically ridden "diet food" out there. Diet, low fat anything is your biggest enemy, not alcohol.

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