Question about caloric intake of alcohol/liquor

kiyuu2
kiyuu2 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Googled around a bit but couldn't really get a definitive answer to my question:

Since 100g of Vodka contains around 230 calories, would one's body treat it the same way if it was 230 calories of something else, like meat or fruit? I mean, would (hypothetically) a Vodka only diet, drinking 3000 calories worth a day versus eating normally for 3000, make you gain weight the same way?

Replies

  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    Theoretically yes, you would gain (or, indeed, lose) weight at exactly the same rate whether the calories came from a balanced diet or from neat vodka exclusively. A calorie is a calorie.

    Obviously nobody would advise it! 😂

    There would also be some question if one were, hypothetically, going to do this whether you would simply pass out before you drank your day’s calories! 🤷‍♀️ Pretty sure I would!

    Coming soon to a dodgy website near you...the Vodka Diet!
  • MPDean
    MPDean Posts: 99 Member
    1kg of vodka per day for 2300 calories, that would be insane.
  • MPDean
    MPDean Posts: 99 Member
    1kg of vodka per day for 2300 calories, that would be insane.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    For reasonable levels of alcohol, it counts like any other calorie.

    In the long run, obviously, you need good nutrition for health and energy level, which themselves affect weight loss sustainability and success.

    In that sense, the all-vodka diet is a bad plan for weight loss, because you'll be undernourished and lying around drink so not burning many calories via activity (not just exercise, but daily life activities, like the job you'd lose by being constantly drink or hung over).

    Excess alcohol while losing weight can take you part way down that negative path, if you overdo it. If moderate, count the calories, get good nutrition, you'll lose fine.
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 499 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Alcohol is one of those things you ingest that IS treated differently. You CANNOT store alcohol in the the body, therefore it has to metabolized. It doesn't turn to fat. While it's metabolizing, your body uses NO OTHER ENERGY source. So you burn no carbs or fats until it's out of your system.

    HOLD ON.....

    Are you saying if someone drinks some alcohol and then exercises, all the calories they burn while drinking, will not actually be burned?

    I am having a hard time believing that. I am going to assume i misunderstood your post.

  • FireyChimera
    FireyChimera Posts: 155 Member
    A calorie is a calorie regardless of where it comes from, though satiety per calorie is something completely different XD
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Theoretically, calorie-wise they would be equal. Nutrition-wise, they are not at all the same. The changes to brain chemistry and the malnutrition are very serious. Alcoholism is a really ugly way to die. I sincerely hope this is a theoretical question. If it isn't, please reach out for help.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    nytrifisoul wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Alcohol is one of those things you ingest that IS treated differently. You CANNOT store alcohol in the the body, therefore it has to metabolized. It doesn't turn to fat. While it's metabolizing, your body uses NO OTHER ENERGY source. So you burn no carbs or fats until it's out of your system.

    HOLD ON.....

    Are you saying if someone drinks some alcohol and then exercises, all the calories they burn while drinking, will not actually be burned?

    I am having a hard time believing that. I am going to assume i misunderstood your post.

    I think he’s saying your body will burn ONLY the alcohol cals until they’re all burned off. You won’t burn any stored fat during that time.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    nytrifisoul wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Alcohol is one of those things you ingest that IS treated differently. You CANNOT store alcohol in the the body, therefore it has to metabolized. It doesn't turn to fat. While it's metabolizing, your body uses NO OTHER ENERGY source. So you burn no carbs or fats until it's out of your system.

    HOLD ON.....

    Are you saying if someone drinks some alcohol and then exercises, all the calories they burn while drinking, will not actually be burned?

    I am having a hard time believing that. I am going to assume i misunderstood your post.

    The source of the calories burned will mostly be the alcohol until the alcohol is metabolized. Not sure why you would equate that with the calories not actually being burned. Calories are being burned (used), they're just mostly coming from the alcohol, not fat stores, or glycogen stores, or blood sugar, or lean body mass.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    Pretty sure I'd be riding the porcelain bus if I drank that much vodka which would significantly impact my weight gain or loss!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    Pretty sure I'd be riding the porcelain bus if I drank that much vodka which would significantly impact my weight gain or loss!

    Don't you mean driving the porcelain bus?

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