Are alcohol calories different?

If I eat great all day and then have a few glasses of wine before bed will I still lose weight? I'm still staying under my calories but I was wondering if your body "knows" whether you have a glass of wine before bed or a banana? If I am not going over 1200 calories can i still have a few drinks???

alcohol is absolutely a different type of calorie than others. It's not a nutrient, it provides nothing for your body, and forces your body to halt most other energy conversion while it's in the body. It also irritates the stomach lining causing a decrease in absorption of nutrients, so what good food that is in your stomach is not processed as efficiently. this is the tip of the ice berg with alcohol. Yes there are a few positive aspects from one glass of wine every other day or twice a week, but that's one actual glass (I.E. 5 oz) and not every day. Personally, I feel that the negatives of alcohol well overshadow any positive cholesterol or heart numbers you may receive. By that I mean liver issues, kidney issues, reduced immune function, weight gain, malnutrition (in more advanced cases), and the big one, addiction. Not saying you have any/all of these, just listing the side effects that are possible.

You just really bummed me out!

I'm still drinking AND losing weight. Here's a great article:
muscleevo.net/alcohol-weight-loss/

If I eat great all day and then have a few glasses of wine before bed will I still lose weight? I'm still staying under my calories but I was wondering if your body "knows" whether you have a glass of wine before bed or a banana? If I am not going over 1200 calories can i still have a few drinks???

alcohol is absolutely a different type of calorie than others. It's not a nutrient, it provides nothing for your body, and forces your body to halt most other energy conversion while it's in the body. It also irritates the stomach lining causing a decrease in absorption of nutrients, so what good food that is in your stomach is not processed as efficiently. this is the tip of the ice berg with alcohol. Yes there are a few positive aspects from one glass of wine every other day or twice a week, but that's one actual glass (I.E. 5 oz) and not every day. Personally, I feel that the negatives of alcohol well overshadow any positive cholesterol or heart numbers you may receive. By that I mean liver issues, kidney issues, reduced immune function, weight gain, malnutrition (in more advanced cases), and the big one, addiction. Not saying you have any/all of these, just listing the side effects that are possible.

Literally none of the things you mentioned matter if the alcohol is consumed in moderation. While fat loss is inhibited it's done so only on a temporary basis. Alcohol will not effect your weight loss if you account for it in your total calories. Sure consuming alcohol in large quantities on a regular basis reeks havoc on the body, but the OP said "a few glasses of wine", not a bottle of wine every single day.

"A few glasses of wine" IS a bottle. A 750 ml bottle is five 5 ounce glasses.

4 glasses of five ounces is a glass short of a bottle. It's too much per night.

The key things to know about alcohol calories in relation to others is:

A gram of protein = 4 calories
A gram of carbs = 4 calories
A gram of fat = 9 calories
A gram of alcohol = 7 calories.

So right away you can clearly tell they are indeed a different kind of calorie than the others you normally consider.

Also, your body eliminates alcohol as a toxin, and in a simplified nutshell essentially stops digesting other nutrients and begins using it's energy to process the alcohol and eliminate it, at which point it resumes normal processing again. In other words, the other calories you have taken in are not readily used while your body focuses on working out the alcohol. Very simplified, but how it works in a most general sense.

Drinking alcohol does not really give one a sense of feeling "energized" and therefore may not be as active or burn as many calories while drinking than they would otherwise. Calories In vs Calories Out simply dictate that if you are less active than your caloric intake, no matter if you drank or not, you will gain weight. There can be a tendency among many to be less active while drinking alcohol, and even to consume other calories besides alcohol either prior to drinking or while drinking.

Just food for thought. I have a drink from time to time. Much fewer right now as I am focused on my caloric intake and losing weight, so I don't take in anything extra that I don't need. I never "need" alcohol.

"A few glasses of wine" IS a bottle. A 750 ml bottle is five 5 ounce glasses.

4 glasses of five ounces is a glass short of a bottle. It's too much per night.

A "few glasses of wine" CAN BE a whole bottle of wine. It could also be 10 oz of wine. I personally don't think the OP is consuming a whole bottle of wine 7 days a week. OP will you please be more specific so we don't have to argue about things we are speculating? How many glasses, how big are the glasses, how many days per week average.

Nothing wrong with enjoying alcohol in moderation if you've accounted for it's calories.

I like Guinness and Gin + Diet Tonic, not every night though..

I have 5-8oz of wine ***EVERY SINGLE NIGHT*** I of course account for it make sure that I do not go over 8 oz's and on my days off I might indulge and have TWO glasses of wine ***OH THE HORROR*** Account for it in your totals and you will be fine. Is alcohol nutrient dense? Heck no but as long as youre not chugging down 3 shots of Vodka a night the I'd say youre fine. And if you are chugging down 3 shots of Vodka a night, there is nothing MFP can do for you because you need to find your nearest AA meeting. Off my soap box.

Nothing wrong with enjoying alcohol in moderation if you've accounted for it's calories.

I like Guinness and Gin + Diet Tonic, not every night though..

I used to avoid Guinness because I assumed it had to be very high in calories. I was shocked to find it's actually one of the most calorie friendly, full flavored beer around! It's almost all I drink now!

I only gain weight when I don't drink. So I consistently make sure that doesn't happen.