Drinking with Dr. Atkins

jvbrooks · May 2011

Hi all,

I used to have a huge alcohol tolerance. I could drink a 24 of beers and keep on going, and maybe have a mild hangover at best.

I've been doing Atkins for about ten weeks and have had two really bad experiences with drinking. One day a few weeks ago I just got plastered and paid the next day.

Last night however I split half a litre of white wine with my girlfriend. We had some with dinner and I had plenty of water before, during, and after.

Today I've woken up with a splitting headache and nausea. I've tried doing some research but it seems that there is no clear consensus on whether drinking while on Atkins makes you more hungover. That makes sense to me -- does anyone have anything that can shed light on this issue?

I mean, the other thing is that I'm getting older, and while I could drink quite a bit in my teens, it would make sense that I just can't handle as much booze as I used to.

jhardenbergh · May 2011

wines has alot of carbohydrates in it. alot of sugar. when I was doing atkins years ago, went out with some friends for drinks, the bill came and appartently we were looking at it and someone yelled out, who had 12 crown and diet cokes. I was like wow, I didn't realize I drank that many. Later on in the night walking back to our place in Boston, I threw one of my buddys into a rose bush, I was a funny yet terrible drunk. My portion of the bill came to around $100. I am guessing it might have something to do with your sugar intake with regards to your low carb diet.

agulledge32 · May 2011

Don't know if this helps because I am not doing Atkins but I use to have a high tolerance for alcohol (like throw back 6 martinis over an hour or two dinner party). I would be totally fine, sleep well that night and wake up ready for work the next day. Now...I can't! Because I have religiously worked out every day and eating good, healthy foods I can't handle it. I have even tried the water before, during, and after but it doesn't work. The most I can do is 2 martinis over a period of 2 hours and I still can feel it in my head. I think that eating right and exercising releases our bodies of all the built up toxins and it is as if your body is pure. When we try to incorporate those "bad" things back into our diet or bodies are rejecting it. This is the same for foods, such as rich, fried foods. I will take a couple of bites of something rich and feel super sick on my stomach.

Cariel52 · May 2011

I love Dr atkins....but you have to be careful because that diet will make your kidney numbers bad. My husband and I used Atkins a few years ago and at his annual physical his kidney numbers were off... high bilirubin? He didnt qualify for LIFE insurance because of it. Once he went off the diet the numbers returned to normal. So after that... while we love the atkins diet, it might be a bit too much protein for a healthy lifestyle. I think the BIGGEST BEST thing I took from the Atkins philosophy( I have read ALL of his books)..was that SUGAR is our main health culprit. He says the sugar /white flour combination has been a total disaster for human health. I am just wondering if the KIDNEY issue has anything at all to do with the hangover alcohol issue. Just food for thought.

jvbrooks · May 2011

Thanks for the help everyone. Interesting..

Barneystinson · May 2011

No, it's not the health of your kidneys on Atkins. For Pete's sake can we stop the "OMG low carb! Kidney disease!" nonsense on these boards?

If you are eating a lower carbohydrate diet, you are probably in ketosis. You will feel the effects of alchol a little earlier if you are in ketosis.

Here's a good primer on ketosis, alcohol and how it works:
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/uncategorized/low-carbers-beware-the-breathalyzer/

deverez · May 2011

The diet has a diuretic effect. It would make sense you had an unusually terrible hang-over the next day if you consumed a lot of booze.

Drinking with Dr. Atkins

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