Alcohol Macros
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micahfc
Posts: 2 Member
I know when counting alcohol (vodka or bourbon in this case), you divide the calories by 4 if your counting as carbs and by 9 if you apply it towards fats, for Macro counting purposes. But can I apply toward both at the same time? Example, if I were to have enough carbs left for only one drink, but then had enough fats to left to count for one more drink, would I be allowed to have 2 drinks, with one being counted toward the carbs and the other toward the fats?
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Replies
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Alcohol gots the carbs. Carbety carb carbs. Unless you're drinking pina coladas made with real coconut, I can't think of an alcoholic drink with fat in it. Maybe I need to be enlightened :-)2
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Really, you don't have to worry about that. The actual alcohol content isn't carbs, and it isn't fats. (Sometimes the drinks, like wine or beer, have carbs in addition to alcohol, and some mixed drinks can have fats or protein.) Alcohol is a pseudo-macro, roughly 7 calories per gram.
If you're getting enough protein and fats (plus micros and whatnot), and still have calories left for alcohol, just drink some and log it. That's fine . . . and more accurate.
Counting it as carbs or fats doesn't turn it into carbs or fats, doesn't actually balance your macros, etc. Just count the calories, and don't worry about it. There are plenty of accurate entries in the database to add most alcohol types with the actual macros (zero all the way across, for something like vodka).
You can have however many drinks you'd like, within calories, and still lose weight . . . though if you overdo it, that will bite back in other ways, of course, potentially including indirectly in weight loss (via undernutrition, energy decline, etc.).
I don't understand why you want to add it in a way that would distort your actual macro totals?
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rosebarnalice wrote: »Alcohol gots the carbs. Carbety carb carbs. Unless you're drinking pina coladas made with real coconut, I can't think of an alcoholic drink with fat in it. Maybe I need to be enlightened :-)
This is what I was thinking. Unless it's a mixed drink that actually had fat in it, I'm not sure how alcohol could be counted towards fat. Maybe I'm missing something though.1 -
I don't count alcohol. As far as i am concerned, its a degreaser, so it dilutes fat (grease) and makes it leave the body faster. I drink alcohol while exercising. It metabolises during exercise, and converts to sugar which gives you energy and burns fat faster as well.-1
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Yeah no. When alcohol is in the body, it's the ONLY energy source being burned until metabolized. Carbs and fat don't burn with it.nytrifisoul wrote: »I don't count alcohol. As far as i am concerned, its a degreaser, so it dilutes fat (grease) and makes it leave the body faster. I drink alcohol while exercising. It metabolises during exercise, and converts to sugar which gives you energy and burns fat faster as well.
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nytrifisoul wrote: »I don't count alcohol. As far as i am concerned, its a degreaser, so it dilutes fat (grease) and makes it leave the body faster. I drink alcohol while exercising. It metabolises during exercise, and converts to sugar which gives you energy and burns fat faster as well.
I've been on MFP for 8 years now, and this may be the most bizarre thing I've read. The idea of dilution of fat simply doesn't make sense, nor the idea you can "burn fat faster."
If you want to "de-grease" yourself, try Orlistat (Alli). You'll know it when you see it.
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nytrifisoul wrote: »I don't count alcohol. As far as i am concerned, its a degreaser, so it dilutes fat (grease) and makes it leave the body faster. I drink alcohol while exercising. It metabolises during exercise, and converts to sugar which gives you energy and burns fat faster as well.
That sounds like an new diet plan. Drink and run, the pounds will drop right off! And you’ll have lots of fun doing it! Someone needs to market it!! 😳4 -
LOL at alcohol having fat.
I'm not sure the mental gyrations to have another drink are worth the worry, to be honest. The main problem with alcohol isn't the carbs, it's the calories IMO.
Well, that and it's a toxic poison.
Details.2 -
cmriverside wrote: »LOL at alcohol having fat.
I'm not sure the mental gyrations to have another drink are worth the worry, to be honest. The main problem with alcohol isn't the carbs, it's the calories IMO.
Well, that and it's a toxic poison.
Details.
Haha. So true. I always wondered why MFP does not reflect alcohol as as its own macronutrient, which it is. It’s ~7 cal/g, but that’s pure ethanol, which most “drinks” aren’t. Also the body metabolizes it quite differently from carbs or fat. The way MFP represents alcohol (as a carb) skews the macro %s. Honestly, macro quantities in grams are more useful than the percentages anyway, but that’s a different issue.
OP, just count the calories and know that your carbs are likely somewhat overstated in MFP pie charts as a result. In the “nutrition” dialog box, your macros in grams will accurately reflect what you logged, omitting the alcohol macro. Also, fat and protein goals should be considered minimums you need, not maximums. There is no minimum for carbs. (There is a minimum for brain function, but it’s so low you have to try really hard to consume less. I.e. don’t worry about meeting your carb minimum.)
Try logging on nutritiondata.com which does count alcohol as the separate macro that it is for comparison.0 -
cmriverside wrote: »LOL at alcohol having fat.
I'm not sure the mental gyrations to have another drink are worth the worry, to be honest. The main problem with alcohol isn't the carbs, it's the calories IMO.
Well, that and it's a toxic poison.
Details.
Haha. So true. I always wondered why MFP does not reflect alcohol as as its own macronutrient, which it is. It’s ~7 cal/g, but that’s pure ethanol, which most “drinks” aren’t. Also the body metabolizes it quite differently from carbs or fat. The way MFP represents alcohol (as a carb) skews the macro %s. Honestly, macro quantities in grams are more useful than the percentages anyway, but that’s a different issue.
OP, just count the calories and know that your carbs are likely somewhat overstated in MFP pie charts as a result. In the “nutrition” dialog box, your macros in grams will accurately reflect what you logged, omitting the alcohol macro. Also, fat and protein goals should be considered minimums you need, not maximums. There is no minimum for carbs. (There is a minimum for brain function, but it’s so low you have to try really hard to consume less. I.e. don’t worry about meeting your carb minimum.)
Try logging on nutritiondata.com which does count alcohol as the separate macro that it is for comparison.
There are alcohol entries in the database that have calories, but not carbs-fats-protein. I assume we can add our own that way, though I admit I haven't tried to add one (always found what I needed already there)?
I don't think alcohol is a macronutrient, personally . . . not exactly a "nutrient", y'know, if poison? 😉😆 I'd think of it as a non-nutritive (anti-nutritive?) consumable, personally.0 -
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the definition of macronutrient is you metabolize it for energy. We do metabolize alcohol for energy (7 cal/gram worth). One difference from other macros is the body has ways of storing the others (to different degrees) but not alcohol and so everything else gets stored until the alcohol is metabolized. That and it’s a poison.
I’ve never thought of creating my own food for it either, and I too have always found close enough entries, but I do have recipes
:drinker: 1 -
Actually no. It doesn't.rosebarnalice wrote: »Alcohol gots the carbs. Carbety carb carbs. Unless you're drinking pina coladas made with real coconut, I can't think of an alcoholic drink with fat in it. Maybe I need to be enlightened :-)
It's its own category "macro wise".
How our bodies process it is different, as we have to burn it FIRST, but no, "alcohol" isn't particularly "carby".
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Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the definition of macronutrient is you metabolize it for energy. We do metabolize alcohol for energy (7 cal/gram worth). One difference from other macros is the body has ways of storing the others (to different degrees) but not alcohol and so everything else gets stored until the alcohol is metabolized. That and it’s a poison.
I’ve never thought of creating my own food for it either, and I too have always found close enough entries, but I do have recipes:drinker:
Truthfully, it seems to be a bit of a debate. Some seem to consider it a macronutrient, some consider it not a nutrient, but still something we can metabolize. I can find "authorities" that take either side. I don't personally think of it as a nutrient, given the dictionary definitions of "nutrient", i.e. things like "a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life." (Oxford). Yes, it provides energy, but not in a positive way.
Bottom line: In the current line of discussion, it's a thing with calories, but it it isn't fat, carb, or protein. Those saying alcohol is a carb are incorrect. The argument about whether it's a macronutrient is a different type of discussion, I think. 🤷♀️3 -
Yep, I’m on board with that bottom line.3
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Justin_7272 wrote: »nytrifisoul wrote: »I don't count alcohol. As far as i am concerned, its a degreaser, so it dilutes fat (grease) and makes it leave the body faster. I drink alcohol while exercising. It metabolises during exercise, and converts to sugar which gives you energy and burns fat faster as well.
I've been on MFP for 8 years now, and this may be the most bizarre thing I've read. The idea of dilution of fat simply doesn't make sense, nor the idea you can "burn fat faster."
If you want to "de-grease" yourself, try Orlistat (Alli). You'll know it when you see it.
I will say one thing about MFP. This place is run rampant with people with no sense of humor.1 -
rosebarnalice wrote: »Alcohol gots the carbs. Carbety carb carbs. Unless you're drinking pina coladas made with real coconut, I can't think of an alcoholic drink with fat in it. Maybe I need to be enlightened :-)
@rosebarnalice
Cream liqueurs such as Baileys Irish Cream will have some fat.
The reason you have got so many disagrees is that alcohol itself doesn't have carbs, alcoholic DRINKS may have depending on what has been added to the alcohol.
If someone adds orange juice to their vodka it's the orange juice that brings the carbs and not the vodka.3 -
rosebarnalice wrote: »Alcohol gots the carbs. Carbety carb carbs. Unless you're drinking pina coladas made with real coconut, I can't think of an alcoholic drink with fat in it. Maybe I need to be enlightened :-)
@rosebarnalice
Cream liqueurs such as Baileys Irish Cream will have some fat.
The reason you have got so many disagrees is that alcohol itself doesn't have carbs, alcoholic DRINKS may have depending on what has been added to the alcohol.
If someone adds orange juice to their vodka it's the orange juice that brings the carbs and not the vodka.
This. A shot of hard alcohol has I believe less than a gram of carbs. A glass of wine will have like 5-10g of carbs. A can of beer might be slightly higher.
Mixed drinks can be calorie bombs because of sugary additions, not the alcoholic ingredients.
Most of the calories in alcohol outside of sweet mixed drinks come from... Alcohol. Not carbs, fat, or protein. You shouldn't really add it to any of them.1 -
nytrifisoul wrote: »Justin_7272 wrote: »nytrifisoul wrote: »I don't count alcohol. As far as i am concerned, its a degreaser, so it dilutes fat (grease) and makes it leave the body faster. I drink alcohol while exercising. It metabolises during exercise, and converts to sugar which gives you energy and burns fat faster as well.
I've been on MFP for 8 years now, and this may be the most bizarre thing I've read. The idea of dilution of fat simply doesn't make sense, nor the idea you can "burn fat faster."
If you want to "de-grease" yourself, try Orlistat (Alli). You'll know it when you see it.
I will say one thing about MFP. This place is run rampant with people with no sense of humor.
People post all sorts of crazy ideas here. I'm not sure why you think everyone should know that you're kidding.4 -
SuzySunshine99 wrote: »nytrifisoul wrote: »Justin_7272 wrote: »nytrifisoul wrote: »I don't count alcohol. As far as i am concerned, its a degreaser, so it dilutes fat (grease) and makes it leave the body faster. I drink alcohol while exercising. It metabolises during exercise, and converts to sugar which gives you energy and burns fat faster as well.
I've been on MFP for 8 years now, and this may be the most bizarre thing I've read. The idea of dilution of fat simply doesn't make sense, nor the idea you can "burn fat faster."
If you want to "de-grease" yourself, try Orlistat (Alli). You'll know it when you see it.
I will say one thing about MFP. This place is run rampant with people with no sense of humor.
People post all sorts of crazy ideas here. I'm not sure why you think everyone should know that you're kidding.
Did you know you can eat as many calories as you want in space and the body doesn't gain any weight?3 -
nytrifisoul wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »nytrifisoul wrote: »Justin_7272 wrote: »nytrifisoul wrote: »I don't count alcohol. As far as i am concerned, its a degreaser, so it dilutes fat (grease) and makes it leave the body faster. I drink alcohol while exercising. It metabolises during exercise, and converts to sugar which gives you energy and burns fat faster as well.
I've been on MFP for 8 years now, and this may be the most bizarre thing I've read. The idea of dilution of fat simply doesn't make sense, nor the idea you can "burn fat faster."
If you want to "de-grease" yourself, try Orlistat (Alli). You'll know it when you see it.
I will say one thing about MFP. This place is run rampant with people with no sense of humor.
People post all sorts of crazy ideas here. I'm not sure why you think everyone should know that you're kidding.
Did you know you can eat as many calories as you want in space and the body doesn't gain any weight?
Yeah. Just wait until you get back to Earth's gravity, that'll be fun.
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