Effect of large amounts of alcohol on weight loss?

8R1C60
8R1C60 Posts: 17 Member
edited April 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a 5'11 male , currently at 70.6-ish kg down from around 75kg over the last 5 weeks (weights logged on MFP are wrong.) My problem is that I've now been 70.6-ish kg for at least a week despite eating at a 1200-calorie net religiously. The only way I can think of that this deficit could turn into a surplus is through drinking alcohol; I'm a university student and as such it can be a little hard to avoid at times. I've drastically cut back, allowing myself to go out with friends only once a week and trying to stick to vodka without calorific mixers (so vodka/soda water) wherever possible; however, obviously, judgement becomes impaired and I'll end up drinking beer and potentially eating some *kitten* food (which for some reason has shifted from cheesy chips to a falafel wrap. Big up falafel btw.)

I've done some extremely elementary maths and worked out that if I'm eating at 1300 below maintenance every day (which I believe for a guy is 2500/day?), I should weekly be in a 9,000-ish calorie deficit before alcohol/*kitten* food, which by my estimation gives me a worst-case scenario overall deficit of 3,000 calories/week if I manage to consume 6,000 calories over maintenance on my one night out. I recognise the reality of my liberal use of "ish", but I do weigh my food and log everything carefully (whilst sober). Surely I shouldn't have maintained for a week?

It seems to me this "plateau" (lol) may be down to three reasons:
1) I overestimated my weight loss a week ago by using the scale whilst particularly dehydrated or something and have now actually reached 70.6kg. The fact that my initial MFP figures were off may be an indicator of this.
2) I'm overestimating the number of calories I'm burning during exercise. However, it's not like I'm eating back several thousand calories every day so I should still be significantly under maintenance.
3) I'm underestimating the amount I'm consuming on these nights out/the effects of alcohol on weight loss.
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Replies

  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    One week is just noise really. And 1200 net isn't enough for a tall young guy like yourself.

    If you want to drink once a week I read somewhere to eat light/low carb that day (meat and veggies) then, as you are doing, stick to hard liquor w/low cal mixers.

  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,371 Member
    How much weight are you trying to lose? You are already on the lower end of your BMI.
  • 8R1C60
    8R1C60 Posts: 17 Member
    ilex70 wrote: »
    One week is just noise really. And 1200 net isn't enough for a tall young guy like yourself.

    If you want to drink once a week I read somewhere to eat light/low carb that day (meat and veggies) then, as you are doing, stick to hard liquor w/low cal mixers.

    I've survived for five weeks with no adverse effects, and I actually feel healthier than I ever have. 1200 was MFP's recommendation; what sort of alternative would you suggest?

    The light/low carb thing is generally what I'm doing on those days; I don't usually eat many carbs anyway now that Zoodles have replaced spaghetti.
    tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »
    How much weight are you trying to lose? You are already on the lower end of your BMI.

    End goal is 65-66kg. It's for sporting reasons.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    8R1C60 wrote: »
    ilex70 wrote: »
    One week is just noise really. And 1200 net isn't enough for a tall young guy like yourself.

    If you want to drink once a week I read somewhere to eat light/low carb that day (meat and veggies) then, as you are doing, stick to hard liquor w/low cal mixers.

    I've survived for five weeks with no adverse effects, and I actually feel healthier than I ever have. 1200 was MFP's recommendation; what sort of alternative would you suggest?

    The light/low carb thing is generally what I'm doing on those days; I don't usually eat many carbs anyway now that Zoodles have replaced spaghetti.
    tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »
    How much weight are you trying to lose? You are already on the lower end of your BMI.

    End goal is 65-66kg. It's for sporting reasons.

    My understanding is that MFP will not give men anything less than 1500 calories a day. If you are happy eating less then I do hope that you are eating plenty of protein and don't plan to continue eating so little long term.

    And, none of my business, but I can't help speculating what kind of sport would make 144 at 5'11 ideal. Wrestling maybe?
  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
    while processing alcohol the body will not use food as energy, it all gets stored as fat essentially (well, carbs and fat do, not lean protein). Basically everything you ate during the day and everything you ate after drinking is being stored. That being said, one week is not enough data to accurately predict anything.
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,371 Member
    MFP has given you 1200cals because you've set an aggressive weekly weight loss. Set a more reason weight loss target, such as 0.5lb or 1lb per week.

    Make sure you are getting plenty of protein to maintain lean body mass, otherwise such significant under-eating will likely result in more lean body mass than fat loss if not eating sufficient protein.
  • 8R1C60
    8R1C60 Posts: 17 Member
    ilex70 wrote: »
    My understanding is that MFP will not give men anything less than 1500 calories a day. If you are happy eating less then I do hope that you are eating plenty of protein and don't plan to continue eating so little long term.

    And, none of my business, but I can't help speculating what kind of sport would make 144 at 5'11 ideal. Wrestling maybe?

    I can assure you that I was given 1200, and am willing to provide screenshot evidence. This will continue for approximately 5 more weeks.

    Coxing, with an eye to lightweight rowing as I'm rather oversized for the cox's seat.
    eeejer wrote: »
    while processing alcohol the body will not use food as energy, it all gets stored as fat essentially (well, carbs and fat do, not lean protein). Basically everything you ate during the day and everything you ate after drinking is being stored. That being said, one week is not enough data to accurately predict anything.

    Interesting, thank you.
    tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »
    MFP has given you 1200cals because you've set an aggressive weekly weight loss. Set a more reason weight loss target, such as 0.5lb or 1lb per week.

    Make sure you are getting plenty of protein to maintain lean body mass, otherwise such significant under-eating will likely result in more lean body mass than fat loss if not eating sufficient protein.

    Why exactly? The goal is aggressive short-term weight loss. 5 weeks more isn't likely to kill me, and the plan is to gradually increase intake afterwards.

    I'm eating 1 gram per lb of bodyweight. Sufficient?
  • 5stringjeff
    5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
    edited April 2016
    I didn't pick this up from your original post, but are you logging the alcohol you are drinking? Every drink adds up; even less calorie dense beer can be 150 calories per bottle. That could sabotage your goals really quick.

    At 5'11" and 70kg, you'll maintain at roughly 2100 calories per day (if sedentary, using this: http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/ ). If you're only looking to lose 5kg, you should not be losing at more than 0.5kg/week. That's a 500 calorie per day deficit, meaning you should be eating roughly 1600 calories per day. If you're more active, you should be eating more. So you might want to relook at your settings here on MFP and look to lose at a more sustainable rate.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    edited April 2016
    8R1C60 wrote: »
    ilex70 wrote: »
    My understanding is that MFP will not give men anything less than 1500 calories a day. If you are happy eating less then I do hope that you are eating plenty of protein and don't plan to continue eating so little long term.

    And, none of my business, but I can't help speculating what kind of sport would make 144 at 5'11 ideal. Wrestling maybe?

    I can assure you that I was given 1200, and am willing to provide screenshot evidence. This will continue for approximately 5 more weeks.

    Coxing, with an eye to lightweight rowing as I'm rather oversized for the cox's seat.
    eeejer wrote: »
    while processing alcohol the body will not use food as energy, it all gets stored as fat essentially (well, carbs and fat do, not lean protein). Basically everything you ate during the day and everything you ate after drinking is being stored. That being said, one week is not enough data to accurately predict anything.

    Interesting, thank you.
    tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »
    MFP has given you 1200cals because you've set an aggressive weekly weight loss. Set a more reason weight loss target, such as 0.5lb or 1lb per week.

    Make sure you are getting plenty of protein to maintain lean body mass, otherwise such significant under-eating will likely result in more lean body mass than fat loss if not eating sufficient protein.

    Why exactly? The goal is aggressive short-term weight loss. 5 weeks more isn't likely to kill me, and the plan is to gradually increase intake afterwards.

    I'm eating 1 gram per lb of bodyweight. Sufficient?

    The working theory is that our bodies can access 31 calories per day from each pound of fat. After that the energy has to come from somewhere else. And, bad news, a pound of muscle doesn't have 3,500 calories, more like 800. So if your deficit is too drastic you can burn up your muscle mass. Not helpful for any sport really.

    Good luck on the rowing BTW.

  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
    read this http://rippedbody.jp/how-to-drink-beer-and-not-screw-up-your-diet/
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    8R1C60 wrote: »
    ilex70 wrote: »
    My understanding is that MFP will not give men anything less than 1500 calories a day. If you are happy eating less then I do hope that you are eating plenty of protein and don't plan to continue eating so little long term.

    And, none of my business, but I can't help speculating what kind of sport would make 144 at 5'11 ideal. Wrestling maybe?

    I can assure you that I was given 1200, and am willing to provide screenshot evidence. This will continue for approximately 5 more weeks.

    In order to give you 1200 calories, MFP must think you are female. Double check your gender on http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
  • 8R1C60
    8R1C60 Posts: 17 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    In order to give you 1200 calories, MFP must think you are female. Double check your gender on http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

    I did, before I commented. Male.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    8R1C60 wrote: »
    I'm a 5'11 male , currently at 70.6-ish kg down from around 75kg over the last 5 weeks (weights logged on MFP are wrong.) My problem is that I've now been 70.6-ish kg for at least a week despite eating at a 1200-calorie net religiously. The only way I can think of that this deficit could turn into a surplus is through drinking alcohol; I'm a university student and as such it can be a little hard to avoid at times. I've drastically cut back, allowing myself to go out with friends only once a week and trying to stick to vodka without calorific mixers (so vodka/soda water) wherever possible; however, obviously, judgement becomes impaired and I'll end up drinking beer and potentially eating some *kitten* food (which for some reason has shifted from cheesy chips to a falafel wrap. Big up falafel btw.)

    I've done some extremely elementary maths and worked out that if I'm eating at 1300 below maintenance every day (which I believe for a guy is 2500/day?), I should weekly be in a 9,000-ish calorie deficit before alcohol/*kitten* food, which by my estimation gives me a worst-case scenario overall deficit of 3,000 calories/week if I manage to consume 6,000 calories over maintenance on my one night out. I recognise the reality of my liberal use of "ish", but I do weigh my food and log everything carefully (whilst sober). Surely I shouldn't have maintained for a week?

    It seems to me this "plateau" (lol) may be down to three reasons:
    1) I overestimated my weight loss a week ago by using the scale whilst particularly dehydrated or something and have now actually reached 70.6kg. The fact that my initial MFP figures were off may be an indicator of this.
    2) I'm overestimating the number of calories I'm burning during exercise. However, it's not like I'm eating back several thousand calories every day so I should still be significantly under maintenance.
    3) I'm underestimating the amount I'm consuming on these nights out/the effects of alcohol on weight loss.

    Yes, chronic under eating often leads to binges, and throw alcohol into the mix and you have no idea how much calories in booze and food you've actually consumed, and can easily wipe out your deficit on your binge day alone.
  • 8R1C60
    8R1C60 Posts: 17 Member
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    You're 5'11", 154 and aggressively dieting, with "large amounts of alcohol". What could go wrong?

    Not much so far, but I'm willing to take bets.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    8R1C60 wrote: »
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    You're 5'11", 154 and aggressively dieting, with "large amounts of alcohol". What could go wrong?

    Not much so far, but I'm willing to take bets.

    Best of luck.
  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
    8R1C60 wrote: »
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    You're 5'11", 154 and aggressively dieting, with "large amounts of alcohol". What could go wrong?

    Not much so far, but I'm willing to take bets.

    you will lose muscle.
  • 8R1C60
    8R1C60 Posts: 17 Member
    eeejer wrote: »
    you will lose muscle.

    About which I am not massively worried.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    If you are an athlete you should be
  • 8R1C60
    8R1C60 Posts: 17 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    If you are an athlete you should be
    I know, I was being facetious. It's a bit of a kick in the teeth to stick to this aggressive goal for 5 weeks and then be told that it was a dumb idea.
  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
    8R1C60 wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    If you are an athlete you should be
    I know, I was being facetious. It's a bit of a kick in the teeth to stick to this aggressive goal for 5 weeks and then be told that it was a dumb idea.

    I don't think anyone is calling you dumb, we are trying to help you optimize your plan for your goals.
  • 8R1C60
    8R1C60 Posts: 17 Member
    eeejer wrote: »
    I don't think anyone is calling you dumb, we are trying to help you optimize your plan for your goals.

    Everyone's being very supportive, I'm saying I was dumb for getting tunnel vision with scale numbers ;)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    eeejer wrote: »
    while processing alcohol the body will not use food as energy, it all gets stored as fat essentially (well, carbs and fat do, not lean protein). Basically everything you ate during the day and everything you ate after drinking is being stored. That being said, one week is not enough data to accurately predict anything.
    Not so. Alcohol CANNOT be stored in the body, so it has to be metabolized out. What happens is that until alcohol is completely metabolized, no other energy source is used. So no carbs, fats, or proteins. If one is eating and drinking which ends in surplus, then of course weight gain will happen.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    eeejer wrote: »
    while processing alcohol the body will not use food as energy, it all gets stored as fat essentially (well, carbs and fat do, not lean protein). Basically everything you ate during the day and everything you ate after drinking is being stored. That being said, one week is not enough data to accurately predict anything.
    Not so. Alcohol CANNOT be stored in the body, so it has to be metabolized out. What happens is that until alcohol is completely metabolized, no other energy source is used. So no carbs, fats, or proteins. If one is eating and drinking which ends in surplus, then of course weight gain will happen.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    you did not read my post.
  • 8R1C60
    8R1C60 Posts: 17 Member
    As for the muscle loss issue, what would increased consumption of protein do? Does that reduce catabolism when in a deficit?
  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
    8R1C60 wrote: »
    As for the muscle loss issue, what would increased consumption of protein do? Does that reduce catabolism when in a deficit?

    yes. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/protein-intake-while-dieting-qa.html/
  • TracyeS4
    TracyeS4 Posts: 746 Member
    It is only 5 weeks. If you really want to meet your goal, dodge the alcohol for 2 weeks and see what happens. Then go out with your friends. Then wait another 2 weeks.

    Every time I drink, I gain weight. Of course, if I open a bottle of wine, I must finish said bottle of wine - at 500 calories/bottle, it sabotages me every time. I do much better when I avoid alcohol for a couple of weeks. It is really really hard, though.
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  • iheartshunsuke
    iheartshunsuke Posts: 17 Member
    One week without a loss is not a 'plateau'. 1200 calories a day is also not enough for someone of your size. Look up the Harris Benedict equation to find out your basel metabolic rate. From here you can work out how many calories your body needs to maintain your weight. Knock a couple of hundred off that figure & you will be in deficit & therefore will lose weight. I would also suggest that you don't eat the calories you 'earn' from exercise.
    BUT, none of that is going to be of any use if you continue lying to yourself about what you're eating and drinking...! (btw, a falafel wrap has over 300 calories)

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