How does alcohol factor into weight loss?

Calories are calories. If you have too many more than you are burning you'll gain weight.

The difference comes in at the nutritional value level - alcohol is going to give you energy (ie. calories) but nothing of nutritional value. In other words, you are getting the calories but not the goodies that go along with the calories you get from food.
Food is going to give you energy (i.e. calories) plus you usually you get some good nutrition too (chicken and veg is going to give you protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals, carbs etc) to help sustain your body. Of course, the amount of nutrition you get depends on the kind of food you eat.

So, I don't see any problem with alcohol now and again, as long as your diet is healthy and varied otherwise and you have counted the cals in your drinks.

I would say that alcohol calories are the same as food calories. I drunk two rekorderligs on the weekend and was devastated at how many calories they contain due to sugar! Most cocktails / drinks can be logged on MFP so definitely log them in if you don't want to go over your calorie goal. It's mostly the mixers that will add the majority of the calories.

I do remember my doctor saying the same thing, and she joked that vodka is a drink of choice for it's low calories.

The PT at my gym told me that what even you eat with alcohol will get stored as fat because the body will burn the calories of the alcohol first

Totally empty calories, but being in a social environment and not being able to drink because of diet is too hectic for me. I am on vodka, soda water and lime.. Its nice and refreshing. All of the buzz less of the bloat!

For me the issue is just that the drinks I like (ciders, alcoholic ginger beer) are just as fatty as their non-alcoholic versions, i.e. very. Even straight apple juice has nearly as many calories as apple cider.

But disregarding all THAT, the real danger in drinking for me is the urge to celebration-eat, and the comfort food the morning after. Dangerous bidness.

I know it' not good but some days when I can't seem to make my calories as I am not hungry I will have a Stella: empty calories I know but it does the job and I get to have a lager.

I love beer! And I'll love beer whether I'm at goal weight or not so I don't exclude it. I don't party like I used to i go out with my girlfriends about once a month if that and we dance it off. But I drink craft beer with my fiance every week. Try to work out hard of you know you'll be drinking and log the amount you usually consume before you plug the rest of your food in for the day. Then if you're going to eat light do it Early in the day make sure you have a nice nutritious dinner in your belly so youre not a) sick or b) having three slices of 4 am pizza. Drink lots of water in between drinks so you drink less. I find that I usually gain after a night with a few beers so I don't even look at the scale til Wednesday and I just get back on track.

For me the issue is just that the drinks I like (ciders, alcoholic ginger beer) are just as fatty as their non-alcoholic versions, i.e. very. Even straight apple juice has nearly as many calories as apple cider.

But disregarding all THAT, the real danger in drinking for me is the urge to celebration-eat, and the comfort food the morning after. Dangerous bidness.

what she said. Whenever I'm having a social drink, I find it almost impossible to stay away from the snacks eithr during the drinking or afterwards, on my way home. Strangely enough, it's different if I have a glass of wine with dinner or if I'm having a little night cap just with my fiancé. So, *those* drinks I allow myself as I know that I can control any extra calories... But I do have to be really careful when drinking out, in the vicinity of "bar snacks"

as for the amouint of calories in drinks, it really depends on the drink. Mostly it's all carbs seeing as it takes carbs in order to ferment anything (good luck fermenting protein...). The amount of carbs depends on to what degree the fermenting process has gone: the further it's gone the less carbs. So, a beer has more calories than the same liquid amount of vodka. However, the moment you add juices or any other sugar to the hard alcohol (because, let's face it, straight up is not exactly pleasant) then obviously the calorie amount goes up as well...

I don't really drink at all now, well about 3 times a year maybe. It is just empty calories and being tipsy or drunk could sway your willpower.

However I will just mention, back when I was like 18/20 I was overweight and following weight watchers. I would count my points and follow the diet during the week, and then on a Friday and Saturday night I would be out with friends and get absolutely steaming drunk (as you do at that age!). I would generally drink vodka and diet coke but sometimes horrible sugary alcopop type things so I must have been having tonnes of calories. However I lost weight every single week at my weight watchers weigh in. And I would sometimes share a pizza with my sister on the way home from the club too!

I think the reason I still lost weight was I was extremely good with my diet during the week and would not really have any treats as my nights out were my treats. Also..... we would literally dance all night! From like 8pm to 2am we would be hitting the dance floor, so that must have burned enough calories to offset some of the calories in the drinks.

Maybe I would have lost weight faster by not going out all the time and I have no doubt it wasn't very healthy for me. But I think if you drink the right kind of drinks (spirit with diet mixer) and make sure you dance your feet off all night I think you would probably get away with some drinking. Not that I am encouraging anyone to go get drunk though lol.

However I will just mention, back when I was like 18/20

Ooh, hang on. I was eating KFC three times a week and downing 2x 600ml cokes a day at 20, and was very small. Your metabolism at that age is a mighty mighty beast. That info is only valid really for those in that tiny age bracket.

I've chosen to pretty much stay away from alcohol for a couple of reasons - at 42 being a big party animal is even less attractive then it is in your 20s and my social circle are HUGE party animals. Right before I started this I spent 2 weekends in a row drinking until I was sick - it was my lightbulb moment and so now I am 42 days in and have had 2 glasses of red wine the entire time. For me this is a BIG deal, I love my wine, I loved to drink, my social life revolved around it.

I'm going out this Friday for a nice meal and I will have a couple of glasses of wine though and I will enjoy them. But it'll stop at a couple of glasses.

Plus, like others have said, I want to eat my calories, not drink them. So now booze has become the rare occasion as opposed to the regular attraction it used to be.

alcohol calory called empty calory It is like simple carb but has no benefit to your body. It is harmful to you skin as it increase free radicals.
I just can tell you super models avoid drinking alcohol and sugar.
You'd better give it up.

Yup, supermodels are a beacon of good health.

You'd better start smoking Marlboro Reds too if you want The Look.

Alternatively, just enjoy what you enjoy but recognise if it compromises your goals and adjust.

Bleeding supermodels ... mwhahaha!

this is deffo my downfall too... the day after drinking sessions i always have to have crappy greasy food :-(

well i work my butt off hard during the week, and i let loose on the weekends, it works for me.

Since I started drinking about once a week, I have gained about 60 lbs. Back when I started drinking, I didnt diet or exercise, so I gained a lotttt of weight really quickly, and now I'm working on losing it again through diet and exercise. I still like to drink almost every week, but I am more concious of what I eat with it. Instead of taco bell runs, I will just put a clif bar or something to that effect in my purse and it's just as good, and I've learned to give myself a few hours in the gym the next morning to sweat it out.