How much does occasional alcohol hurt your diet?
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A couple of days of excess alcohol isn't going to impede your weight loss goals. Enjoy
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Thanks for the answer, I guess I always have a hard time thinking of calories on a weekly basis. I weigh daily and I always just assume the calories I don't eat at the end of the day are gone I don't know why. I have been panicking about how many calories of alcohol I am going to consume over these two days. I guess I should take a step back and see how many extra calories I have for the week I haven't consumed and see if it evens itself out.
It takes some time to wrap your head around the concept (at least it did for me) but its actually quite liberating and for me a necessity since I am now maintaining. If I tried to hit my exact goal every day I'd go absolutely crazy but when I was losing I only considered calories per day because any day I was under was a bonus and on the rare occasion I went over it was covered in my deficit.
As far as skinny drinks, white wine is a good choice (about 110 calories per 5oz) but thats a dry version which is what I prefer. I also drink Light beer. Personally I couldn't drink a glass of vodka and water or even vodka and soda. The closest I get to that is gin and tonic or Jack and ginger which are both quite calorific I think so I mostly avoid those. And for me as others have mentioned the alcohol is a calorie issue but to add another layer its also the late night cheese and bread cravings that accompany.
All that being said 2 nights out won't ruin you. Try and be mindful but enjoy your time. If it becomes a habit worry then but for now just have fun 1 -
Alcohol hurts your diet only in the sense that it is high calorie with no nutrition. Also in the sense that if you drink enough to lower inhibitions you might decide to eat everything in sight. Other than that I don't think it matters much. Still, that first point is enough for me to cut back on it while losing weight.
The idea that having a glass of wine will somehow negate whatever calorie deficit you have is a fantasy though.0 -
There is such a thing as flavoured vodka ya know..................1
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two things alcohol is a macro that carries calories in addition to the carbs that are in there. Secondly it is a depressant and it slows your metabolism. What I would do is enjoy the party and wedding and then get right back on the wagon. If you can't look good and enjoy life, what is it all worth. I wouldn't plan to give up on the fun things just to stay a pound or two ahead of where I am.1
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JustMissTracy wrote: »Vodka...with water and lemon!
Choose light booze...the clearer the better....beer bad..vodka good!
I have never had vodka with water. It honestly just sounds disgusting to not have something else giving it flavor. lol
The lemon (or the lime in my case) gives it flavor.0 -
cross2bear wrote: »There is such a thing as flavoured vodka ya know..................
I have tried it. Not a fan. lol Way too strong of flavor for me! I would much rather mix regular vodka with a flavored drink.0 -
Drinking alcohol occasionally will not be a problem. If you have trouble with overeating when you drink that could be an issue, but for one weekend I wouldn't worry. Just get back on track the next week.0
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CasperNaegle wrote: »two things alcohol is a macro that carries calories in addition to the carbs that are in there. Secondly it is a depressant and it slows your metabolism. What I would do is enjoy the party and wedding and then get right back on the wagon. If you can't look good and enjoy life, what is it all worth. I wouldn't plan to give up on the fun things just to stay a pound or two ahead of where I am.
This is what I am going to do. It just stinks looking forward and thinking I probably won't lose a pound for another 3 weeks until after these parties are over. As for everyone's comments about eating when drinking, I never have had an issue with that. I love light beer and for some reason it makes me feel full to where I don't really need to snack on anything when I am drinking. The issue is I can drink quite a few light beers in a night. I need more than a couple, unfortunately.0 -
I have an alcohol blow out every Friday which is my weigh day
This far I've lost 3lb a week
So it hasn't affected my loss
Once a week doesn't harm
You got to have a treat now and then x2 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »Alcohol hurts your diet only in the sense that it is high calorie with no nutrition.
Alcohol itself may have no nutrition, but that's not true of all alcoholic drinks. Wine has beneficial nutrients, and if a drink is made with juice there would be nutrients there.2 -
I love drinking! I try to stick to under 14 units per week but do go over sometimes. Over the summer I drank a lot! Still, most days I'm under on calories and usual drinking is within my allotted calories. But if it's a big occasion I just enjoy myself! I've lost 12 pounds in three months which is nice and steady for me as I've totally changed my eating habits and have had plenty of meals out, wine and deserts in this time! I also have an underactive thyroid.
Enjoy your weekend and good luck with the weight loss!2 -
Occasional? hysterical.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Alcohol hurts your diet only in the sense that it is high calorie with no nutrition.
Alcohol itself may have no nutrition, but that's not true of all alcoholic drinks. Wine has beneficial nutrients, and if a drink is made with juice there would be nutrients there.
Yes but you could get that nutrition out of grape juice as well, I'm just saying the actual alcohol doesn't have any nutritional benefit so you may as well avoid it but you don't HAVE to avoid it. I don't think drinking wine is going to ruin someones diet in and of itself but you do have to watch the calories.3 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Alcohol hurts your diet only in the sense that it is high calorie with no nutrition.
Alcohol itself may have no nutrition, but that's not true of all alcoholic drinks. Wine has beneficial nutrients, and if a drink is made with juice there would be nutrients there.
Yes but you could get that nutrition out of grape juice as well, I'm just saying the actual alcohol doesn't have any nutritional benefit so you may as well avoid it but you don't HAVE to avoid it. I don't think drinking wine is going to ruin someones diet in and of itself but you do have to watch the calories.
You'd only be saving about 30-35 calories by choosing the grape juice over the wine (assuming you have a 5 ounce serving of both), so if someone enjoys the wine I don't see any compelling reason to choose the grape juice instead. Presumably the 30ish calories can be reduced elsewhere.
You do have to watch the calories in wine. But many people find that they also have to watch the calories in juice -- and I personally find it a lot easier to chug a few hundred calories in juice than wine.2 -
Prosecco! Cheers and have fun.0
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janejellyroll wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Alcohol hurts your diet only in the sense that it is high calorie with no nutrition.
Alcohol itself may have no nutrition, but that's not true of all alcoholic drinks. Wine has beneficial nutrients, and if a drink is made with juice there would be nutrients there.
Yes but you could get that nutrition out of grape juice as well, I'm just saying the actual alcohol doesn't have any nutritional benefit so you may as well avoid it but you don't HAVE to avoid it. I don't think drinking wine is going to ruin someones diet in and of itself but you do have to watch the calories.
You'd only be saving about 30-35 calories by choosing the grape juice over the wine (assuming you have a 5 ounce serving of both), so if someone enjoys the wine I don't see any compelling reason to choose the grape juice instead. Presumably the 30ish calories can be reduced elsewhere.
You do have to watch the calories in wine. But many people find that they also have to watch the calories in juice -- and I personally find it a lot easier to chug a few hundred calories in juice than wine.
My greater concern would be your teeth. Does anyone know if the alcohol in wine can protect your enamel to any extent from the sugars? Surely there's a dentist on this forum somewhere.0 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Alcohol hurts your diet only in the sense that it is high calorie with no nutrition.
Alcohol itself may have no nutrition, but that's not true of all alcoholic drinks. Wine has beneficial nutrients, and if a drink is made with juice there would be nutrients there.
Yes but you could get that nutrition out of grape juice as well, I'm just saying the actual alcohol doesn't have any nutritional benefit so you may as well avoid it but you don't HAVE to avoid it. I don't think drinking wine is going to ruin someones diet in and of itself but you do have to watch the calories.
I could get the nutrition out of a lot of things and it's a good idea to watch the calories in all food/drink consumed. Drinking wine will only ruin a diet if you consume to many calories overall or have a medical condition that warrants avoiding alcohol.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Alcohol hurts your diet only in the sense that it is high calorie with no nutrition.
Alcohol itself may have no nutrition, but that's not true of all alcoholic drinks. Wine has beneficial nutrients, and if a drink is made with juice there would be nutrients there.
Yes but you could get that nutrition out of grape juice as well, I'm just saying the actual alcohol doesn't have any nutritional benefit so you may as well avoid it but you don't HAVE to avoid it. I don't think drinking wine is going to ruin someones diet in and of itself but you do have to watch the calories.
You'd only be saving about 30-35 calories by choosing the grape juice over the wine (assuming you have a 5 ounce serving of both), so if someone enjoys the wine I don't see any compelling reason to choose the grape juice instead. Presumably the 30ish calories can be reduced elsewhere.
You do have to watch the calories in wine. But many people find that they also have to watch the calories in juice -- and I personally find it a lot easier to chug a few hundred calories in juice than wine.
I don't disagree, I'm not arguing against wine I'm just saying a fact which is that alcohol itself has calories and the alcohol itself doesn't convey a nutritional benefit. If you look at that amount of calories and think "doesn't matter to me" then you (or the OP) have their answer to whether or not avoiding alcohol is worth it to them.1 -
CoffeeNCardio wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Alcohol hurts your diet only in the sense that it is high calorie with no nutrition.
Alcohol itself may have no nutrition, but that's not true of all alcoholic drinks. Wine has beneficial nutrients, and if a drink is made with juice there would be nutrients there.
Yes but you could get that nutrition out of grape juice as well, I'm just saying the actual alcohol doesn't have any nutritional benefit so you may as well avoid it but you don't HAVE to avoid it. I don't think drinking wine is going to ruin someones diet in and of itself but you do have to watch the calories.
You'd only be saving about 30-35 calories by choosing the grape juice over the wine (assuming you have a 5 ounce serving of both), so if someone enjoys the wine I don't see any compelling reason to choose the grape juice instead. Presumably the 30ish calories can be reduced elsewhere.
You do have to watch the calories in wine. But many people find that they also have to watch the calories in juice -- and I personally find it a lot easier to chug a few hundred calories in juice than wine.
My greater concern would be your teeth. Does anyone know if the alcohol in wine can protect your enamel to any extent from the sugars? Surely there's a dentist on this forum somewhere.
Sugar doesn't damage enamel, sugar feeds bacteria that grow in your gumline that release acids or other caustic agents that damage your enamel. Unless you are drinking like pure ethanol I doubt it has any affect on those bacteria so I doubt it matters. There is a certain acidity to wine in and of itself though, probably not enough to worry about.0
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