Alcohol Question

jringold1
jringold1 Posts: 45 Member
edited November 16 in Food and Nutrition
So, I am just really getting serious over the past month with calories in/calories out. I am logging every single thing I eat or drink. But here is a question. Is a calorie of alcohol the same as a calorie of anything else? This may be a stupid question. But, for example, if I am trying to loose weight and have a daily calorie limit of 1,500 calories; what if 500 of those is alcohol. If I stay at 1,500 - 1,000 food and 500 alcohol does that still work? I’ve heard yes and no on this debate when I google it. On the weekend, I enjoy kicking a few Vodka’s and low sodium V8 or Captain and Diet Cokes back. But am wondering if I am sabotaging my diet in doing so.

Morgan

Replies

  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    It's a carb. I would recommend exercising and eating back exercise calories on days you want to drink, as it's really hard to spend 1/3 of your daily calories on booze and feel satisfied (which puts a drunk binge at a higher likelihood). It also leads to drinking on an empty stomach and getting drunker than expected.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    500 calories is a lot...that's 4-6 drinks. I guess if you have to drink, the best thing would be to get in your nutrition for the day and then drink, even if it puts you over your calories. I mean it ends badly for those who substitute alcohol for important nutrients.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    You wouldn't be sabotaging your goal, but in the grand scheme of things doing that daily could make it harder to feel full on the other calories and for you to reach your other nutrient needs. Doing that from time to time is no big deal.
  • jringold1
    jringold1 Posts: 45 Member
    Thanks. Not that I am kicking back 500 cal of booze a day (can anyone actually function doing that) but for argument sake, looking at an extreme example, I was curious how it works out.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    It's usually more along the lines of "oh, hey, I have 150 cal left and a glass of wine seems nice."

    An occasional drink fits in just like a bit of ice cream or a cheeseburger.
  • jacobsl221
    jacobsl221 Posts: 75 Member
    I have always found that vodka, wine, etc. makes me hold water the next day, so you may want to watch for a slight gain on the day after you drink. But at 67 calories for a shot of vodka, it's not bad. 500 calories is a lot, though.
  • pdxwine
    pdxwine Posts: 389 Member
    Actually, consuming 500 calories by drinking alcohol is not that hard to do, depending upon what your drink of choice is. There may be a shot of vodka at 67 calories, but what is that vodka mixed with?

    500 calories is also 4 glasses of wine.

    That being said, if you consume a few cocktails and it adds up to 500 calories, make sure it fits into your daily calorie goal. I drink two glasses of wine per day (usually). I do not have any adverse affects on my weight from it. Good thing, too, since that is the business I am in. :)
  • BedsideTableKangaroo
    BedsideTableKangaroo Posts: 736 Member
    annacole94 wrote: »
    It's a carb.

    doesn't that depend on the type of alcohol?
  • mswag84
    mswag84 Posts: 67 Member
    Calories are calories to me, however it's my understanding that while you metabolize alcohol you don't metabolize sugar or fat very well....so eating and drinking same time is worse
  • FreyasRebirth
    FreyasRebirth Posts: 514 Member
    Alcohol itself is 7 kcals ("Calories") per gram. There may be carbs in the drink but alcohol itself is not a carbohydrate.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    Is ethyl alcohol a carb?
    This alcohol is a simple molecule, a carbohydrate, which is "burned" as a fuel supplying energy to cells. Ethanol in its disguise as a fuel can be considered a non-essential nutrient. But before it is metabolized as a fuel, it is an active brain-drug and an all-purpose cellular toxin.
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
    edited March 2017
    Alcohol is. . . well to put it simply (albeit dramatically): whatever isn't or can't be used immediately as energy gets stored as fat. For comparison ethanol is roughly 7 calories per ml. Alcohol is not a carbohydrate, in so far the amount of sugars in alcoholic beverages are usually inversely proportional to alcohol content.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    It's the same. I just took 10 months dieting without cutting into my drinking. I'd have between 250-600 cals any given day and I did not lose more quickly than expected based on my CICO.
  • katy_2810
    katy_2810 Posts: 15 Member
    A few things to point out about alcohol consumption which others have touched on.

    1. When you drink alcohol, you won't burn fat until all the alcohol has been metabolised so no weight loss during your "intoxicated state".
    2. As said above, it does cause water retention and causes salt, fat and sugar cravings the next day making you more likely to binge.
    3. It's empty calories with no nutritional benefit whatsoever so you are having sugar with no vitamins or minerals which are found in fruit for instance.
    4. It also effects training at the gym so your performance won't be as good and you won't build as much muscle. Lack of sleep is also a factor in terms of performance (assuming a big night) and increases the hunger hormone.

    Saying all this....you have to live and enjoy yourself! To say you will go T total is fine but realistically...will you feel like you miss out?
    Currently on route to London to have over 1000 calories of alcohol and I don't even care
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    500 calories of mine today is vodka. I save them up during the week to use.

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    katy_2810 wrote: »
    A few things to point out about alcohol consumption which others have touched on.

    1. When you drink alcohol, you won't burn fat until all the alcohol has been metabolised so no weight loss during your "intoxicated state".

    If you eat a meal, you won't burn [body] fat until [roughly speaking] the carbs from the meals have been metabolized, so no weight lost in "post-meal" state.

    If you're in a caloric deficit for the day (including alcohol calories), you're going to lose fat. Yes, over the course of the day, there will be times when your body is storing fat, and times when it is tapping body fat for energy. If you have a net fat loss for the day, or the week, why worry about whether you're burning fat at any specific second?


  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    Read this: ninerbuff explains it nicely.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10529464/alcohol-doesnt-cause-weight-gain#latest
  • vikinglander
    vikinglander Posts: 1,547 Member
    Tequila 70 calories per ounce + coconut water 45 calories per ounce + lime juice 7 calories per ounce = NICE CLEAN BUZZ.

    I like it in a blender full of ice, 3/4 full of coconut water, 1/4 full of GOOD tequila, juice of a lime, maybe a tbsp or two of agave; zip it up to a Slurpee consistency; remove clothing; share with a friend.

    Find your own balance...
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    haha. Tequila makes viking's clothes fall off.

    When I was a drinker...well, we won't go there.
  • jringold1
    jringold1 Posts: 45 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    haha. Tequila makes viking's clothes fall off.

    LOL! When we were at a resort in Cancun last summer we discovered Don Julio Tequila shots..... And yes, I'm not a viking but ......
  • EttaMaeMartin
    EttaMaeMartin Posts: 303 Member
    jringold1 wrote: »
    Thanks. Not that I am kicking back 500 cal of booze a day (can anyone actually function doing that) but for argument sake, looking at an extreme example, I was curious how it works out.

    yes, an alcoholic can easily. not in any way implying you are. i was. i have been in recovery 10 years. when drinking, some days it was all alcohol and no food. i was never overweight when drinking, i don't understand how, considering how much i drank. crazy other life. healthy , happy and fit now! would not go back for anything!
  • EttaMaeMartin
    EttaMaeMartin Posts: 303 Member
    annacole94 wrote: »
    Is ethyl alcohol a carb?
    This alcohol is a simple molecule, a carbohydrate, which is "burned" as a fuel supplying energy to cells. Ethanol in its disguise as a fuel can be considered a non-essential nutrient. But before it is metabolized as a fuel, it is an active brain-drug and an all-purpose cellular toxin.
    It is actually deadly to some.
  • jringold1
    jringold1 Posts: 45 Member
    EttaMaeMartin wrote: »
    yes, an alcoholic can easily. not in any way implying you are. i was. i have been in recovery 10 years. when drinking, some days it was all alcohol and no food. i was never overweight when drinking, i don't understand how, considering how much i drank. crazy other life. healthy , happy and fit now! would not go back for anything!
    First, congrats to you! Being sober for 10 years is no small accomplishment in itself. And the fact that you coupled that with a healthy lifestyle - that is a lot to be proud of!
    I have been researching this on the discussion boards for the past two days and thanks to all the great posters, I think I understand how this works. I simply log any alcohol as I would anything else and it is included in my daily caloric budget.

    I limit myself to 2 shots of vodka in soda water a day. That is about 180 calories. What I plan to do is actually use that as motivation. I will allow myself this "treat" if I double that in exercise. If I burn 360 calories, then I can have that for my evening "treat". So yesterday I actually burned a bit over 400 calories (according to my fitbit). So I had my 180 calories of vodka and used up the remaining 220+ toward my deficit.


  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    That "works" in the sense that you're meeting daily caloric target, but it's not wise from a nutritional standpoint.
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