Alcohol on a Low Carb Diet.
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Most of the articles/books I've read about doing low carb recommend eliminating alcohol for at least the first few weeks. Lower carb options include clear liquors or dry wines. I like vodka, and when I log it in my food diary it shows as no carbs (but plenty of calories). However, alcohol is basically broken down in our bodies as sugar. It also hinders fat burning because our bodies process the alcohol before burning other calories.
As @Azuriaz mentioned above, we tend to make poor food choices when we drink, too. Too much booze and I'm moving on to pasta, chips, and crackers which kill the whole low carb thing!0 -
I have one drink almost every night, maybe a couple more on the weekends. I used to love red wine but it was hindering weight loss and I felt bloated all the time. I have since switched to Titos vodka and diet cranberry mango juice. I always measure one shot in each drink. So delicious.0
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mountainrun73 wrote: »Most of the articles/books I've read about doing low carb recommend eliminating alcohol for at least the first few weeks. Lower carb options include clear liquors or dry wines. I like vodka, and when I log it in my food diary it shows as no carbs (but plenty of calories). However, alcohol is basically broken down in our bodies as sugar. It also hinders fat burning because our bodies process the alcohol before burning other calories.
As @Azuriaz mentioned above, we tend to make poor food choices when we drink, too. Too much booze and I'm moving on to pasta, chips, and crackers which kill the whole low carb thing!
This was helpful. I didn't realize alcohol gets processed first.0 -
@ajmurray1234 Here's a link to an article that explains how alcohol affects fat burning: https://greenfieldfitnesssystems.com/article-archive/how-alcohol-makes-you-fat/0
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I have one drink almost every night, maybe a couple more on the weekends. I used to love red wine but it was hindering weight loss and I felt bloated all the time. I have since switched to Titos vodka and diet cranberry mango juice. I always measure one shot in each drink. So delicious.
Out of curiosity is your short 1 or 1.5 ounces? (I've never understood shots)0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »I have one drink almost every night, maybe a couple more on the weekends. I used to love red wine but it was hindering weight loss and I felt bloated all the time. I have since switched to Titos vodka and diet cranberry mango juice. I always measure one shot in each drink. So delicious.
Out of curiosity is your short 1 or 1.5 ounces? (I've never understood shots)
I believe it's 1.5 Oz for the shot glass I have.
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I still drink a moderate amount of dry wine. I find that so long as I keep the carbs under control and continue to work out it doesn't hinder weight loss. If I have too much or start on beer than I maintain rather than lose.0
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ajmurray1234 wrote: »mountainrun73 wrote: »Most of the articles/books I've read about doing low carb recommend eliminating alcohol for at least the first few weeks. Lower carb options include clear liquors or dry wines. I like vodka, and when I log it in my food diary it shows as no carbs (but plenty of calories). However, alcohol is basically broken down in our bodies as sugar. It also hinders fat burning because our bodies process the alcohol before burning other calories.
As @Azuriaz mentioned above, we tend to make poor food choices when we drink, too. Too much booze and I'm moving on to pasta, chips, and crackers which kill the whole low carb thing!
This was helpful. I didn't realize alcohol gets processed first.
I believe this includes alcohol sugars, such as those used in Atkins bars and the like. Which is why some people can't eat them without stalling weight loss.0 -
I've noticed markedly decreased desire for alcohol when I eat low carb.0
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I used to drink a lot more in my pre-keto days. I would still have the odd glass or two of wine or a gin and tonic - just recently I've noticed I can have only one low-carb drink - if I have more it's like I'm really hungover during the night and get hot and sweaty and my sleep is broken (no headache or anything though) and I'm just starting to realise that it's not worth it. I need my sleep!0
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mountainrun73 wrote: »I've noticed markedly decreased desire for alcohol when I eat low carb.
I had a worrisome increased desire (cross-addiction potential). But when I drank but wasn't getting the munchies and going off low carb, I found alcohol very harsh and sometimes not even pleasant. When I started giving into the munchies, my tolerance went from my youthful days of two drinks keeps me happy all night, then keto one drink is too much to: I could drink Indiana Jones girlfriend under the table if I have enough carby junk to soak it up with. That worries me! So now alcohol and carbs both are on my special occasions list. Sigh. I like a good buzz, too.0 -
mountainrun73 wrote: »I've noticed markedly decreased desire for alcohol when I eat low carb.
I had a worrisome increased desire (cross-addiction potential). But when I drank but wasn't getting the munchies and going off low carb, I found alcohol very harsh and sometimes not even pleasant. When I started giving into the munchies, my tolerance went from my youthful days of two drinks keeps me happy all night, then keto one drink is too much to: I could drink Indiana Jones girlfriend under the table if I have enough carby junk to soak it up with. That worries me! So now alcohol and carbs both are on my special occasions list. Sigh. I like a good buzz, too.
I can relate - if I give in to one or the other (alcohol or carbs), it seems I end up overdoing it on both and get into a cycle. UGH! I do think that for many of us, alcohol cravings/addiction is another form of sugar/carb addiction.
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mountainrun73 wrote: »mountainrun73 wrote: »I've noticed markedly decreased desire for alcohol when I eat low carb.
I had a worrisome increased desire (cross-addiction potential). But when I drank but wasn't getting the munchies and going off low carb, I found alcohol very harsh and sometimes not even pleasant. When I started giving into the munchies, my tolerance went from my youthful days of two drinks keeps me happy all night, then keto one drink is too much to: I could drink Indiana Jones girlfriend under the table if I have enough carby junk to soak it up with. That worries me! So now alcohol and carbs both are on my special occasions list. Sigh. I like a good buzz, too.
I can relate - if I give in to one or the other (alcohol or carbs), it seems I end up overdoing it on both and get into a cycle. UGH! I do think that for many of us, alcohol cravings/addiction is another form of sugar/carb addiction.
Well they both go to the liver, so I could see the relationship. Both also provide a form of escape (alcohol certainly more than food - I'm usually a very happy if obnoxious drunk!) but food, too. Oddly food calms my brain, alcohol with carbs hypes me up. But I'm ADD as all get out and I don't have medication for it, so who knows what's going on in my squirrely little brain?
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