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Alcohol is it’s own macro. How do you enter the calories?
japar
Posts: 51 Member
If you try to enter an alcoholic beverage in MFP, your calories will usually be listed as carbohydrates or fats. While there may be some carbohydrates in your drink, most of the calories are coming from a different macro… Alcohol. It is it’s own macro. Do you think MFP could add alcohol as a macro? Thoughts?
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Replies
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Alcohol is converted by the body to sugar, and is used as a simple carbohydrate. So it's going to track as sugar and carbs. So it's really not it's own macro. You could make a note in your food diary to track ounces of alcohol consumed if you want to track the alcohol itself... That's about all you could really do with it though.3
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If you try to enter an alcoholic beverage in MFP, your calories will usually be listed as carbohydrates or fats. While there may be some carbohydrates in your drink, most of the calories are coming from a different macro… Alcohol. It is it’s own macro. Do you think MFP could add alcohol as a macro? Thoughts?
I don't think they are going to add a macro column that for most people would almost always be zero, but who knows? In the meantime, if you believe the entries you are finding are incorrectly adding to your carbs, you can create an entry that doesn't do that. An entry's macros don't actually have to match the calorie total, so you can enter just calories and then whatever amount of carbs you have determined is accurate.5 -
I would think that the recommended alcohol intake would have to be zero or close to it...so...it's not really a nutritious substance.3
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100% ethanol is its own macro, 7 calories per gram. But nobody drinks that. Just log your beer, or tequila, or whatever.6
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Crafty_camper123 wrote: »Alcohol is converted by the body to sugar, and is used as a simple carbohydrate. So it's going to track as sugar and carbs. So it's really not it's own macro. You could make a note in your food diary to track ounces of alcohol consumed if you want to track the alcohol itself... That's about all you could really do with it though.
Alcohol is indeed a macro and it is not metabolized as a sugar or a carbohydrate. It is catabolized. For each gram of alcohol there are 7 cal that are primarily metabolized by the liver but are also released into the bloodstream and result in blood alcohol content. Those calories can be stored as fat, particularly because the body sees it as a toxin.
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.... Well I just learned something new today.(In regards to the alcohol macro)
I just did a quick google search for "alcohol tracker apps" and found some results that look promising. Perhaps you could track your alcohol that way, and use MFP for everything else?
Edit for clarity2 -
I don't think they are going to add a macro column that for most people would almost always be zero, but who knows? In the meantime, if you believe the entries you are finding are incorrectly adding to your carbs, you can create an entry that doesn't do that. An entry's macros don't actually have to match the calorie total, so you can enter just calories and then whatever amount of carbs you have determined is accurate.
Good feedback. Thanks and I will try that.0 -
cmriverside wrote: »I would think that the recommended alcohol intake would have to be zero or close to it...so...it's not really a nutritious substance.
The number of calories in a gram of alcohol has nothing to do with recommended intake. If you are trying to account for alcohol calories you cannot do that in MFP.
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quiksylver296 wrote: »100% ethanol is its own macro, 7 calories per gram. But nobody drinks that. Just log your beer, or tequila, or whatever.
A gram of alcohol is 100% ethanol, and it has 7 calories. In the United States, one "standard" drink (or one alcoholic drink equivalent) contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in: 12 ounces of regular beer, which is usually about 5% alcohol. 5 ounces of wine, which is typically about 12% alcohol. But make no mistake, each one of those grams of alcohol is 100% ethanol.3 -
You can log it, the calories will still be counted. It just won't show up as a separate macro (whatever carbs it has will show up, but the total calories will be more). I just checked out of curiosity, since I know people log their alcohol calories.5
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IMO, it's insignificant. The calories are there, which is the most important part. If macros are off a little, it shouldn't matter that much to the average MFPer. If macros matter that much for performance, then maybe you should cut back on the drinking in favor of cals/nutrients more supportive of your goals.6
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A gram of alcohol is 100% ethanol, and it has 7 calories. In the United States, one "standard" drink (or one alcoholic drink equivalent) contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in: 12 ounces of regular beer, which is usually about 5% alcohol. 5 ounces of wine, which is typically about 12% alcohol. But make no mistake, each one of those grams of alcohol is 100% ethanol.You can log it, the calories will still be counted. It just won't show up as a separate macro (whatever carbs it has will show up, but the total calories will be more). I just checked out of curiosity, since I know people log their alcohol calories.
Exactly. Which is why just logging your margarita is enough.3 -
You can find the calories and do a quick add for that amount if you don't want it to affect your macros. I've done that in the past.2
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Alcohol is indeed a macro and it is not metabolized as a sugar or a carbohydrate. It is catabolized. For each gram of alcohol there are 7 cal that are primarily metabolized by the liver but are also released into the bloodstream and result in blood alcohol content. Those calories can be stored as fat, particularly because the body sees it as a toxin.
Actually, the problem is not that the alcohol gets stored as fat (very little ethanol actually gets converted to fat), the problem is that alcohol consumption puts the breaks on using all other energy substrates (fats, carbs and protein) so that the other substrates get stored as fat until the alcohol has been completely processed:
https://leangains.com/the-truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle-growth/7 -
Actually, the problem is not that the alcohol gets stored as fat (very little ethanol actually gets converted to fat), the problem is that alcohol consumption puts the breaks on using all other energy substrates (fats, carbs and protein) so that the other substrates get stored as fat until the alcohol has been completely processed:
https://leangains.com/the-truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle-growth/
I've read that before, from a few different sources. What I don't understand is if/why/to what extent that matters. If the overall energy balance is what it is over a period of time, does it matter if some of that energy is "prioritized" by alcohol?
I hope that's worded clearly enough...8 -
I've read that before, from a few different sources. What I don't understand is if/why/to what extent that matters. If the overall energy balance is what it is over a period of time, does it matter if some of that energy is "prioritized" by alcohol?
I hope that's worded clearly enough...
I have not found it to be the case, I would imagine it levels out over time. I would think the main issue could lie with possible overeating after and an effect on energy levels/workout performance.4 -
I've read that before, from a few different sources. What I don't understand is if/why/to what extent that matters. If the overall energy balance is what it is over a period of time, does it matter if some of that energy is "prioritized" by alcohol?
I hope that's worded clearly enough...
I was actually putting that out there in reference to the 'alcohol stored as fat' comment that I quoted... but to answer your question - yes, energy balance still counts and if you are drinking alcohol it does affect the daily calorie totals so you need to log it and account for it.2 -
I was actually putting that out there in reference to the 'alcohol stored as fat' comment that I quoted... but to answer your question - yes, energy balance still counts and if you are drinking alcohol it does affect the daily calorie totals so you need to log it and account for it.
So over the course of the week... a deficit is a deficit is a deficit, regardless of whether or not alcohol is part of that deficit?6 -
So over the course of the week... a deficit is a deficit is a deficit, regardless of whether or not alcohol is part of that deficit?
Yes0 -
Thank you. That was always my working assumption, but good to get confirmation.
Sorry for the tangent... back to your regularly scheduled program.1 -
Actually, the problem is not that the alcohol gets stored as fat (very little ethanol actually gets converted to fat), the problem is that alcohol consumption puts the breaks on using all other energy substrates (fats, carbs and protein) so that the other substrates get stored as fat until the alcohol has been completely processed:
https://leangains.com/the-truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle-growth/
True also and thanks!0 -
True, but if you are concerned about muscle mass AND like to imbibe (me 🙂), then macros matter. Those darn alcohol cals really eat into your budget and the fact that the body metabolizes them before anything else takes away from the metabolic muscle building process. I can manage the calorie and macro accounting piece, but the OCD in me wants everything in the proper bucket 😁.1 -
True, but if you are concerned about muscle mass AND like to imbibe (me 🙂), then macros matter. Those darn alcohol cals really eat into your budget and the fact that the body metabolizes them before anything else takes away from the metabolic muscle building process. I can manage the calorie and macro accounting piece, but the OCD in me wants everything in the proper bucket 😁.
Interestingly I never found that alcohol interferes for me (muscle building or retention when cutting). I do indulge quite a bit but it's mostly wine (not usually hard liquor), my budget is high and it's not enough to affect my workouts, at least not that I noticed. But then again maybe if I didn't drink I'd be absolutely jacked/huge right now! I'm definitely not. Haha.1 -
The number of calories in a gram of alcohol has nothing to do with recommended intake. If you are trying to account for alcohol calories you cannot do that in MFP.
You can account for the calories from alcohol on MFP. You just cannot account for the grams of alcohol.
Use the entries derived from USDA nutrient database entries.1 -
True, but if you are concerned about muscle mass AND like to imbibe (me 🙂), then macros matter. Those darn alcohol cals really eat into your budget and the fact that the body metabolizes them before anything else takes away from the metabolic muscle building process. I can manage the calorie and macro accounting piece, but the OCD in me wants everything in the proper bucket 😁.
I can't help but wonder if the OCD in you is a bigger "problem" than is missing the metabolic building window or whatever else you think might an issue.1 -
When I set up my meals, I have Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert, Snack, Alcohol so when I look at calories from each meal, I can see how many calories come from alcohol. I also add mixers to this as well.0
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