Alcohol v. Food Calories?

Well this thread got weird quickly - name calling, merits of white girl (woman sorry) versus black girl (woman sorry again) dancing and an inference that 10 drinks a week makes one a raging alcoholic.

Never said raging alcoholic, never said alcoholic even, but maybe evaluate why 10 drinks a week is worth it. I said for ME, 10 drinks a week would scare me because I have seen it destroy everyone I love.

And, yet, here you going again being judgey. You aren't saying for you. You are telling other people to evaluate a choice they are making that, by all accounts, is really fine and no where near alcoholism.

You know why 10 drinks a week is worth it to me? I enjoy fine wine and craft beer with my food. It tastes delicious.

Too much back and forth arguing here. So can I get *kitten* faced this weekend or not?:drinker:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

:drinker: :drinker:

Can I come??

This.

So when all is said and done on this thread, Is alcohol ok as long as you log it and stay under your calories, or does it harm your weight loss?

The issue with alcohol is that it deters any use of any other energy source until it's metabolized since it can't be stored. One burns the most fat at rest, but if you're inebriated, fat DOESN'T get burned till alcohol is metabolized.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Your question is not a straight yes or no.

The issue with alcohol is that it deters any use of any other energy source until it's metabolized since it can't be stored. One burns the most fat at rest, but if you're inebriated, fat DOESN'T get burned till alcohol is metabolized.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

This is hands down the biggest load of crap I've ever read on this forum. Are you serious!? You have all these credentials, yet you say people burn the most fat at rest? So you're saying that someone who pushes themselves as hard as they can running or swimming, they burn fewer calories from fat than when thy're sitting on their *kitten*?

Hah.

When at rest, one person may burn about 100 calories in total, per hour. Sure, 80% may be fat, but that's only 80 calories from fat.

When running at the aerobic threshold, one may only be burning about 20% of the calories from fat, but if you're burning 800 calories per hour, that's 160 calories from fat.

You're almost as bad as Dr. Oz.

Not a load of crap. 100% of energy burn at rest is fat. Science proves it.
Glycogen is the first energy source burned for ANY physical activity. One would have to deplete it to very low levels before tapping fat.

As mentioned above, the average person isn't going to work out for 8 hours, but at rest fat calories burned in 8 hours would be WELL above the fat burned in a workout. Sorry.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

You're correct about alcohol, alcohol is a lot harder for the body to process; it is processed as a toxin. Alcohols also can't be left in the body too long, there is no place for them to be stored. So if you had eaten something right before you drank the alcohol the food is not being processed or used at all, so it's deposited as extra fat for later use. The way alcohol is processed is probably another reason you can get fatty liver from alcohol abuse and lots of abdominal fat.

As long as you stay under calorie goals you will probably burn off that fat though, it's only a problem when you aren't burning off those excess calories.

So it makes a difference in what order calories (energy) is burned.

If a body burns 2000 calories of energy a day and you take in 1500 calories. Why should it matter if the body burns the alcohol calories first or the carbs or the fat or the protein.

I understand that the body can not store alcohol so it is burned first but at the end of the day if you burn 2000 calories and only take in 1500, (nothing gets stored because it is all burned off) why wouldn't you lose weight?

as long as you keep your calories where they should be, then it is fine.

A lot of times though, ppl drink in excess, and eat in excess....
There in lies the rub.

I don't know the answer but I do know that when I drink alcohol I have sugar craving the next day. For some reason, alcohol sugars seem to impact me more than other types of sugar, ever refined sugar. I stay away from alcohol so keeping on track is easier.

Are alcohol calories and food calories the same when it comes to weight loss since alcohol has no nutritional value?

For example, if you normally have 10 drinks per week at 100 calories a piece- that is an extra 1000 calories. If you didn't have any the next week and you ate the same, would you lose weight? Or would it make any difference?

Alcohol calories count the same as any other calories. They also have nutritional value (carbs, nutrients).

Hard alcohol does not have any nutritional value at all because they are distilled. Distillers spirits are empty calories with zero benefit other than a buzz or getting drunk if that's what you want. Beer does have carbs because it is not a distilled spirit. When an alcohol is heated to boiling everything nutritional dissipates into the air. For example.....whiskey made with corn. Sure corn is very good for you but everything it offers is boiled away. The higher the alcohol content the higher the calories. Which once again you do not benefit from in any way shape or form. Ever heard the expression beer belly? Exactly. Also when high volumes of distilled spirits or beer are consumed over a long period of time and excessive drinking happens fat then gets stored under the muscle rather than on top. That is why alcoholics end up with fatty liver disease and many other health problems. Fat under muscle is very hard to get rid of. My advice is do not count alcohol the same as any other calorie due to zero nutrition value. Drink in moderation.

Little bit of truth at the beginning followed by fallacy and fear mongering. If you stay within your calorie allowance, you'll be fine.

Hard alcohol does not have any nutritional value at all because they are distilled. Distillers spirits are empty calories with zero benefit other than a buzz or getting drunk if that's what you want. Beer does have carbs because it is not a distilled spirit. When an alcohol is heated to boiling everything nutritional dissipates into the air. For example.....whiskey made with corn. Sure corn is very good for you but everything it offers is boiled away. The higher the alcohol content the higher the calories. Which once again you do not benefit from in any way shape or form. Ever heard the expression beer belly? Exactly. Also when high volumes of distilled spirits or beer are consumed over a long period of time and excessive drinking happens fat then gets stored under the muscle rather than on top. That is why alcoholics end up with fatty liver disease and many other health problems. Fat under muscle is very hard to get rid of. My advice is do not count alcohol the same as any other calorie due to zero nutrition value. Drink in moderation.

Little bit of truth at the beginning followed by fallacy and fear mongering. If you stay within your calorie allowance, you'll be fine.

So you mean to tell me that someone can drink heavily and very often and normal meals as long as they stay at their calorie goal, they will not gain any fat or have any health issues???? Hahaha. you should do a little research on the "little bit of truth" I mentioned. If it's proven or even bro science, it would still be better than what knowledge you think you have on the subject. Please explain the "little bit of truth, fallacy and fear mongering"......

You guys must be drinking a lot! - days pass between posts and yet the conversation continues. I imagine you all stumbling through a foggy haze and rethinking the comment endlessly before posting . . . but that's just me, stuck at home on a Saturday night sipping a Manhattan.

But:

Distillers spirits are empty calories with zero benefit other than a buzz or getting drunk if that's what you want.

Alcohol has energy (calories). As Niner pointed out, your body actually gets really busy metabolizing that energy.

Beer does have carbs because it is not a distilled spirit. When an alcohol is heated to boiling everything nutritional dissipates into the air.

Beer has carbs because beer is mostly carbs, with some alcohol mixed in. Wine has carbs, too. You know how you make beer? Hint: it involves boiling.

The higher the alcohol content the higher the calories.

No. At least not on a "drink to drink" comparison. I don't want to walk down the "muscle weighs more than fat" argument, but alcohol has a certain calorie cost, as does the "container" the alcohol is delivered through - be it a tasty malt, grape juice, or mixers or flavoring additives that might accompany the alcohol.

Ever heard the expression beer belly? Exactly.

No. I mean, sure we've heard beer belly, but can this be laid at the feet of the alcohol and not the overall caloric content of beer? If someone is going to drink a six pack of beer, they are going to be adding a lot of calories to their day, just as if they were drinking a six pack of soda.

Alcohol has a calorie cost. That calorie cost comes with no nutritional benefits other than energy, though the "container" in which the alcohol is delivered may have other benefits. Alcohol may also reduce testosterone production (and inhibit muscle growth), and may hinder recovery, and may affect moods in a way that is counterproductive to a rigorous training regimen, and may present all sorts of other challenges or problems, including health issues, but it is not any sort of evil bogeyman if managed. It's really not clear that alcohol, in moderation, has a measurably negative effect on training; and it's reasonably clear that moderate consumption (though "moderate" probably doesn't match up with what a layperson would assume is moderate drinking) has identifiable, measureable health benefits.

I'm a drinker, and I enjoy it, but I am also reasonably serious about meeting my weight and training goals, so I am pretty interested in the effects of alcohol on things related to weight and fitness. Rather than get too wrapped around the axle I'll leave a few links that I think are worthwhile in understanding how alcohol consumption might affect weight and training goals from folks whose opinion I respect:

Martin Berkhan's (LeanGains) take on it and advice: http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

Meno Henselmann's (Bayesian Bodybuilding) with an informative but sometimes tongue-in-cheek review: http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/science-binge-drinking/

Alan Aragon: Interview on Youtube re: alcohol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBd4TqcBNgs

And a T-Nation article from an author I don't know much about, but found interesting: http://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/lifters-guide-to-alcohol

So you mean to tell me that someone can drink heavily and very often and normal meals as long as they stay at their calorie goal, they will not gain any fat or have any health issues???? Hahaha. you should do a little research on the "little bit of truth" I mentioned. If it's proven or even bro science, it would still be better than what knowledge you think you have on the subject. Please explain the "little bit of truth, fallacy and fear mongering"......

Check out my diary - I drink at least three 12oz beers a day - I'm down 19lbs since January. I fit my beer intake into my calorie and macro allowances. The words "normal meals" is where your argument falls down. Beer is food, it has carbs, protein and other nutrients so yes it is part of my "normal meal".