Alcohol

Hubzilla
Hubzilla Posts: 27 Member
edited December 23 in Social Groups
Given that alcohol (ethyl) by itself is not a carb (4 kcal/g.) protein (4 kcal/g,) or fat (9 kcal/g) and has about 7 calories (kcal) per gram is there a metabolic effect that causes a person to "retain" weight temporarily? If you're drinking alcohol that doesn't have carbs in it are you still going to have the "carb effect?"

NovusDies wrote: »
jjlewey wrote: »
I am doing ok, thanks for asking. I went out drinking with a childhood friend last Saturday so the scale is just staring to be kind again. Drinking seems to make me retain water or something for like a week or so after.

Alcohol gets me for about 8 days. It might last longer because I usually drink during a holiday or vacation while I am also eating more. I am running a pretty long dry spell at the moment. I plan to break it in early December when we go away for 5 days.

Replies

  • tiffany80802017
    tiffany80802017 Posts: 92 Member
    My understanding of the metabolic impact of alcohol is due to how it metabolized and production of acetate reduces/stops the fat burning metabolic process to burn fat including but *not limited to* reduction in burning ketones (if you have them).
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Hubzilla wrote: »
    Given that alcohol (ethyl) by itself is not a carb (4 kcal/g.) protein (4 kcal/g,) or fat (9 kcal/g) and has about 7 calories (kcal) per gram is there a metabolic effect that causes a person to "retain" weight temporarily? If you're drinking alcohol that doesn't have carbs in it are you still going to have the "carb effect?"

    NovusDies wrote: »
    jjlewey wrote: »
    I am doing ok, thanks for asking. I went out drinking with a childhood friend last Saturday so the scale is just staring to be kind again. Drinking seems to make me retain water or something for like a week or so after.

    Alcohol gets me for about 8 days. It might last longer because I usually drink during a holiday or vacation while I am also eating more. I am running a pretty long dry spell at the moment. I plan to break it in early December when we go away for 5 days.

    Alcohol by itself can dehydrate a person. When I have mixed drinks there is a fair amount of carbs from the mixes. In addition I usually eat pizza or Chinese food when I have alcohol. I do not understand why the water retention lasts longer than if I just eat pizza or Chinese food but it always seems to work that way.
  • Hubzilla
    Hubzilla Posts: 27 Member
    I've experienced what must be water weight from chinese food/salt/msg that lasts 3 or 4 days. I usually have a lot of water when I'm drinking alcohol so I don't get the dehydrated whoosh weight loss the next morning. It seems recently that even though I'm in calorie deficit the alcohol or hormones are doing something to keep the scale from moving down.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I only drink a handful of times a year now so I don't really worry about the extended water retention that much. Chinese food for me is 4-5 days to see the scale go back down. With alcohol it is more like 8 days. It always goes back down and it does kind of suck to tack on 3 or 4 days but it is what it is.

  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    I finally have something going for me....I don’t like Chinese food and I drink wine maybe six times a year!....as large as I am, I still can’t hold my liquor and when I drink I instantly become a smoking hot 25 year old sex deprived goddess!....but I am a lot of fun lol
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,539 Member
    I was still a wine drinker when I joined Weight Watchers and started tracking WW points. I was drinking about a bottle per week. A modest amount I thought.

    But even when working within my points, it seemed like I lost more when I skipped the wine. And I used every available point just about every week. So if I skipped the wine, I substituted something else. Something else seemed better for weight loss.
  • hansep0012
    hansep0012 Posts: 385 Member
    @88olds Your observation, I believe is spot on! I am currently actively testing this theory to see if my plateau on weight loss can be returned to actively losing. Thank you for your insight.
  • maiomaio71
    maiomaio71 Posts: 231 Member
    I wish I could drink so I could stop drinking to see if that would help me break my plateau.
  • hansep0012
    hansep0012 Posts: 385 Member
    @maiomaio71 ...well, ya know, and I'm sure ya know, not drinking is much more preferable to your health :hugs.
    There are so many other things to consider about that darned plateau of weight and you can eliminate that one for sure!
    Go forth and persevere, be stubborn in your good habits and keep going!
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