Alcohol
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Justin_7272 wrote: »For pure weight loss, certainly! CICO.
One of the main problems, though, with drinking within your caloric deficit range (as others may have alluded) is hitting your macros.
Initial weight loss is all about calories. Once you have that down, you can move from beginning stages (CICO) to intermediate/advanced weightloss (CICO + macro partitioning). With alcohol being 9 cal/gram and 0 protein or fat, you'll probably find it hard to hit minimums of .8g protein/lb and 50g fat, absent a decent amount of cardio to make room.
Weightloss is the first step though, and-as an initial focus-as long as your counting alcohol and in a deficit you're heading in the right direction.
I'd say that depends on your size and the amount of alcohol you consume. I have 2 or 3 glasses of wine with dinner almost every evening. I have not issues hitting my protein or my fat without a decent amount of cardio.0 -
Justin_7272 wrote: »For pure weight loss, certainly! CICO.
One of the main problems, though, with drinking within your caloric deficit range (as others may have alluded) is hitting your macros.
Initial weight loss is all about calories. Once you have that down, you can move from beginning stages (CICO) to intermediate/advanced weightloss (CICO + macro partitioning). With alcohol being 9 cal/gram and 0 protein or fat, you'll probably find it hard to hit minimums of .8g protein/lb and 50g fat, absent a decent amount of cardio to make room.
Weightloss is the first step though, and-as an initial focus-as long as your counting alcohol and in a deficit you're heading in the right direction.
Just as clarification: Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, not 9.
Surely that depends on the AVB%. I'm all about the ale me
That's not the alcoholic drink (with mixers, etc), that's just the alcohol. Take a drink like scotch on the rocks (my fav!!) - the scotch is 40% alcohol (80 proof) so 30 ml (about 1 ounce) of scotch has (30x.4) x 7 = 84 calories.4 -
I find that I *can* lose weight - but it's a lot harder for me. For a lot of the reasons mentioned above, less inhibitions, the tendency to forget what I snacked on after a glass or two... and what I call "creep" that one glass after work to relax, then the one with dinner, then the one after dinner... and then it's like - shoot. The bottle is gone.1
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Justin_7272 wrote: »For pure weight loss, certainly! CICO.
One of the main problems, though, with drinking within your caloric deficit range (as others may have alluded) is hitting your macros.
Initial weight loss is all about calories. Once you have that down, you can move from beginning stages (CICO) to intermediate/advanced weightloss (CICO + macro partitioning). With alcohol being 9 cal/gram and 0 protein or fat, you'll probably find it hard to hit minimums of .8g protein/lb and 50g fat, absent a decent amount of cardio to make room.
Weightloss is the first step though, and-as an initial focus-as long as your counting alcohol and in a deficit you're heading in the right direction.
Just as clarification: Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, not 9.
Surely that depends on the AVB%. I'm all about the ale me
No.
In the USA definitions, ABV (alcohol by volume) is about the entire packaged drink: How much alcohol the entire beverage contains, so 8% ABV beer is 8% alcohol, 92% other stuff (mostly water, by volume). Proof is 2X ABV, so 80 proof vodka (or whatever) is 40% ABV, 60% other stuff (again mostly water, by volume).
Alcohol is sort of a pseudo macronutrient: It's not any of protein, carbs, or fats (the real macronutrients) . . . but it has calories. Seven calories per gram, as a generality, just has protein and carbs have approximately 4 calories per gram, fats 9 calories per gram.
Most foods we consume - even simple foods as opposed to "food products" - are not "pure" macronutrients (a few are close), right? Most foods are a combination of fats, carbs, protein (or 2 out of 3). Similarly, most alcoholic beverages (even something like beer, wine, vodka to which we at home or bar add nothiner) are also not "pure" alcohol. Everclear (in the US) is close as it gets, as they produce a 190 proof (90% ABV). Some have macros (usually carbs) as well, and most contain (by volume) lots of water.
ETA: I'm an IPA gal myself, going for the rich and bitter. DIPAs, Imperials, and so for . . . but li'l ol' lady can't hold a lot of that stuff, sadly. Especially not if I'm driving.3 -
Justin_7272 wrote: »For pure weight loss, certainly! CICO.
One of the main problems, though, with drinking within your caloric deficit range (as others may have alluded) is hitting your macros.
Initial weight loss is all about calories. Once you have that down, you can move from beginning stages (CICO) to intermediate/advanced weightloss (CICO + macro partitioning). With alcohol being 9 cal/gram and 0 protein or fat, you'll probably find it hard to hit minimums of .8g protein/lb and 50g fat, absent a decent amount of cardio to make room.
Weightloss is the first step though, and-as an initial focus-as long as your counting alcohol and in a deficit you're heading in the right direction.
Just as clarification: Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, not 9.
Surely that depends on the AVB%. I'm all about the ale me
No.
In the USA definitions, ABV (alcohol by volume) is about the entire packaged drink: How much alcohol the entire beverage contains, so 8% ABV beer is 8% alcohol, 92% other stuff (mostly water, by volume). Proof is 2X ABV, so 80 proof vodka (or whatever) is 40% ABV, 60% other stuff (again mostly water, by volume).
Alcohol is sort of a pseudo macronutrient: It's not any of protein, carbs, or fats (the real macronutrients) . . . but it has calories. Seven calories per gram, as a generality, just has protein and carbs have approximately 4 calories per gram, fats 9 calories per gram.
Most foods we consume - even simple foods as opposed to "food products" - are not "pure" macronutrients (a few are close), right? Most foods are a combination of fats, carbs, protein (or 2 out of 3). Similarly, most alcoholic beverages (even something like beer, wine, vodka to which we at home or bar add nothiner) are also not "pure" alcohol. Everclear (in the US) is close as it gets, as they produce a 190 proof (90% ABV). Some have macros (usually carbs) as well, and most contain (by volume) lots of water.
ETA: I'm an IPA gal myself, going for the rich and bitter. DIPAs, Imperials, and so for . . . but li'l ol' lady can't hold a lot of that stuff, sadly. Especially not if I'm driving.
Just to chime in: my easy rule of thumb for beer is 2.5 kcal per fluid oz per ABV%.
So a 12 fl oz pour of an 8% ABV Belgian Trippel, for example, would be 2.5*12*8=240 kcal.
Calories are lower for highly attenuated beverages, and higher for less attenuated brews.
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janejellyroll wrote: »Yes, but there are two things to consider. First, for many people, drinking as much as they want within a calorie goal will prevent them from meeting their nutritional needs. This will impact your health and energy over time. Secondly, some people find that drinking lowers their inhibition and decreases their ability to avoid making food choices that put them over their calorie goal (or makes it difficult to log accurately, which results in them eating more than they intend).
OP, this is VERY real and VERY common, even amongst the most hardcore dieters. Please be careful with your consumption....I've been here before😬
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fitnessguy266 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Yes, but there are two things to consider. First, for many people, drinking as much as they want within a calorie goal will prevent them from meeting their nutritional needs. This will impact your health and energy over time. Secondly, some people find that drinking lowers their inhibition and decreases their ability to avoid making food choices that put them over their calorie goal (or makes it difficult to log accurately, which results in them eating more than they intend).
OP, this is VERY real and VERY common, even amongst the most hardcore dieters. Please be careful with your consumption....I've been here before😬
What's funny is when I cut out all alcohol I actually gain weight...about 35-40lbs... Over 9 months..
not the greatest for my diet or body composition 
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fitnessguy266 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Yes, but there are two things to consider. First, for many people, drinking as much as they want within a calorie goal will prevent them from meeting their nutritional needs. This will impact your health and energy over time. Secondly, some people find that drinking lowers their inhibition and decreases their ability to avoid making food choices that put them over their calorie goal (or makes it difficult to log accurately, which results in them eating more than they intend).
OP, this is VERY real and VERY common, even amongst the most hardcore dieters. Please be careful with your consumption....I've been here before😬
What's funny is when I cut out all alcohol I actually gain weight...about 35-40lbs... Over 9 months.. not the greatest for my diet or body composition
Oh no🙈😂 glad to see you're still active here💪1 -
fitnessguy266 wrote: »fitnessguy266 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Yes, but there are two things to consider. First, for many people, drinking as much as they want within a calorie goal will prevent them from meeting their nutritional needs. This will impact your health and energy over time. Secondly, some people find that drinking lowers their inhibition and decreases their ability to avoid making food choices that put them over their calorie goal (or makes it difficult to log accurately, which results in them eating more than they intend).
OP, this is VERY real and VERY common, even amongst the most hardcore dieters. Please be careful with your consumption....I've been here before😬
What's funny is when I cut out all alcohol I actually gain weight...about 35-40lbs... Over 9 months.. not the greatest for my diet or body composition
Oh no🙈😂 glad to see you're still active here💪
Haha yea I'm good my little bub #3 is 8 months and I'm still killing it
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cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »I lost 3 stone drinking half a bottle of wine a night. Bad I know, far too much. But it is possible as long as you are in a deficit. Don’t judge me....
We're you eating any food, or just drinking?
(asking for a friend)0 -
Diatonic12 wrote: »I actually saved this thread below because of @lgfrie's answer here, too. I've reread it several times because it's inspiring and insightful. That is all.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10779803/alcoholic-quitting-alcohol-effortless-weight-loss#latest
I think that thread is a separate issue.
Yes, great for people who were alcoholics or had issues with alcohol consumption to stop drinking.
But for the many people who drink in sensible amounts and have no such issues, that isn't really relevant.
I have maintained at my goal weight for 6 years - both during losing phase and in maintenance I sometimes had a drink or two.
The calories were not at all hard to account for.
Of course, like everything, do so in moderation.
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cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »I lost 3 stone drinking half a bottle of wine a night. Bad I know, far too much. But it is possible as long as you are in a deficit. Don’t judge me....
No judgement here! I lost about 2 stone drinking wine daily lol 2 -
As others said, it’s not just about the calories in the drinks (although that’s a big thing), it’s what else you put in your mouth when you drink. For me, in addition to the drunk munchies, a major factor was/is a hangover ruining the next day. The scale (or my body) doesn’t like weekends where I first have lots of drinks and major drunk munchies on Friday, and then spend Saturday lying on the couch, ordering pizza delivery and drinking soda trying to get the taste of death out of my mouth.
Nowadays that’s much less of a problem, but when I first did this successfully in 2016, I was a university student and ”worked” (long explanation) in my student organization, and part of the ”job” description was that I was expected to be at every party and event and to stay at least past midnight and until 4AM if there were non-members present, but I was NOT expected to be sober. I was literally paid a monthly salary to be at all these parties, and on top of the pay all my drinks were free. I can’t remember how many parties there were, but guessing 3 per month wouldn’t be wildly inaccurate. On top of that I studied law and had my other part-time office job (where I also organized parties), so I had to come up with a solution where I didn’t spend 6 days per week drunk or hungover. I stopped drinking shots, and since my drink of choice is gin&tonic, I started ordering them with just half the usual amount of gin after the first drink, which I did full strength. I also started having a glass of water between every drink. That combination gave me a small buzz and maintained it, without getting too drunk or without sobering up and getting too tired to stay up all night. This way I managed to stay at every party, didn’t get too bad drunk munchies, and most of the time didn’t get a hangover. Lost more than 10lbs in one semester, while having unlimited free drinks and staying out partying most weekends.
Another trick a beer-loving friend does that may or may not be useful to you: whenever he wants to lose weight, he stops drinking beer (but doesn’t cut alcohol otherwise). As he put it, ”having a beer or two with dinner while watching a movie is normal, but taking vodka shots with that would feel like alcoholism”, so he ends up drinking a lot less, and in his case it’s enough for him to lose weight without making any other changes.2 -
I'm not sure yet but interested as well. I've cut back to 6 or 8 oz a daily of wine and measure the amount every time. At that amount, it doesn't affect my snacking. I also drink a lot of sparkling water and some diet soda. I really enjoy a bit of wine in the evening and do not want to give it up while dieting. It sounds like if you are within your calorie goals, you'll still lose! Let us know how it goes 0
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I gave up alcohol in December, not just to be healthier but I tended to make very unhealthy decisions while inebriated. This is the longest I have stuck with calorie counting and exercise and I contribute it to giving up alcohol completely. To each their own though! For myself, I was like the post above; 1 drink into 2, 2 into more, and then wanting McDonald's on the way home haha
Same. If I was drinking while doing this, I wouldn't be doing this. It derails everything for me0 -
Carabinieri1 wrote: »Well, it depends on what kind of drink you use. If it's beer, then no, because there is yeast there that is very high in calories, and this can affect your weight. There is also a lot of estrogen in beer, and if you have a varying amount of hormones in your body, it can affect your weight for the worse. However, if you drink a little whiskey or vodka, it will not affect your weight. Although you still have to be careful with alcohol because I was an alcoholic at one time.
Of course alcoholics should avoid any alcohol - but that isnt a weight loss issue or a point for everyone else.
Of course some alcoholic drinks are higher calorie than others - but no reason people cannot fit beer - or wine or spirits - into their calorie allowance if they want to.
Yeast in any form can certainly fit into weight loss plans.
And the hormone comment is just silly.
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The issue with alcohol is that it cannot be stored, so it has to be metabolized out of the body. During this process NO other energy source is used. No fats or carbs.
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Yes, I lost from obese to very lean (BMI 19) while drinking very regularly. Rarely more than a glass or two, but definitely most days.
That said, I haven't had alcohol in a few years and I look a hell of a lot better at the same weight now than I did back then, despite being older now. Many people think I've had cosmetic surgery because I look so much younger.
Also, you do you, drink if you want to, but there is no such thing as a "safe" amount of alcohol intake. If you are cool with the risks of drinking, then that's your risk-benefit analysis to make, but it's a myth that alcohol is perfectly safe or has any kind of net benefit in moderation.
This has been well publicized over the last year, but old, bad research is still touted as fact, which is super annoying.
Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't drink, you are entitled to take whatever risks you want, but know that there are risks, especially for women.
But yeah, many of us were able to lose weight while drinking. It's just a matter of burning more than you intake. So if you want to drink, try drinking, see if you can get results, and adjust appropriately according to what those results turn out to be.
If you can't seem to get the results you want while drinking, then consider reducing or cutting your drinking.
You are always an experiment of one, all you can do is try things and see what happens.0 -
I'm cool with the very minimal risks of drinking at the very moderate amounts I drink.
everything has some risk - for most people drinking in moderate amounts presents such minimal risk as to be considered safe in real terms.1
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