Do beer calories really count?
Options
stealthette
Posts: 35 Member
Every time I drink, which isn't often, the following morning my poop stinks of ammonia. When I looked this up online the ammonia smell might be from undigested food.
Do you think that could mean you absorb fewer calories 1. from the drink itself and 2. from whatever you had from dinner? Ammonia smell means not as well absorbed if it means undigested right?
Absorption - from what I've read - happens over and over again as food goes through us (I was looking up constipation recently and watched a video talking about this saying each round of absorption reduces water from the "product" for want of a better word, and that's one way you get constipation).
Living in hope because I have huge pizza, garlic bread, and dessert to eat with the football tonight and I feel so guilty about adding the beer to it all. I've done so much chicken salad these past few months, so dedicated, I feel so sad when I should feel really happy!
Do you think that could mean you absorb fewer calories 1. from the drink itself and 2. from whatever you had from dinner? Ammonia smell means not as well absorbed if it means undigested right?
Absorption - from what I've read - happens over and over again as food goes through us (I was looking up constipation recently and watched a video talking about this saying each round of absorption reduces water from the "product" for want of a better word, and that's one way you get constipation).
Living in hope because I have huge pizza, garlic bread, and dessert to eat with the football tonight and I feel so guilty about adding the beer to it all. I've done so much chicken salad these past few months, so dedicated, I feel so sad when I should feel really happy!
1
Replies
-
I’m pretty sure they count. But I wouldn’t worry about one occasional night of pizza, beer and all. Consistency over a period of time is what generates results.4
-
Of course they count. And unlike carbs, alcohol CANNOT be stored by the body, so it has to be metabolized. Until it's out of your system (metabolized) the body DOES NOT burn any other energy source. So no carbs or fats. A good reason NOT to drink before bed because you inhibit any stored fat loss burning.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
4 -
I've been calorie counting for almost 6 years now. I've been drinking beer for much longer.
The beers I like best are high-calorie (IPAs, mostly) I've never had any indication that beer calories don't count, when it comes to my results. (I've never noticed the ammonia smell, either, FWIW, but I admit it never occurred to me to do an intentional sniff test, and I don't have super-acute smell sensitivity, just normal sense of smell, I guess.)
Based on experience, I'd speculate that my body doesn't absorb/store all the calories from a *rare* hyper-super-duper high calorie meal/day, because I don't routinely gain as much weight as the calorie intake would suggest. (Look up Stephanie Buttermore on YouTube, her 8000-10000 calorie day videos specifically, for some science around these questions.)
I don't know any science at all around this next, but something strange does seem to happen to actual serious alcoholics, where they seem thinner than one might expect despite massive alcohol calorie intake . . . but the stuff is non-nutritive, and those calories are processed-out by priority, so who the heck knows. (I'm sure some researcher somewhere has investigated this, but since I'm not an alcoholic, I haven't looked into it.)
The calorie-absorption priority on alcohol may make it likely that food calories are stored when drinking, and alcohol is a depressant (depressants may be associated with slowing bodily processes, I think maybe), and certainly the body can slow or speed digestion situationally (I don't know the nuances of when/why).
On the absorption/constipation question: Drink adequate water alongside your beer, preferably gradually, even if it makes you urinate more. Constipation is not a good thing.
Just have your rare big-eating day, it'll be fine. Expect a big scale jump for a day or few, mostly water weight. For learning bonus points, log/track the big day (even if you have to estimate), go back to normal eating/exercise after, weigh daily in the AM after the bathroom (un)dressed consistently, see how long it takes to lose the water weight & extra digestive contents, see where you are in a week or so weight-wise, then estimate whether you are where you'd expect to be weight-wise given the total calorie impact (in context of overall eating/activity). Then you'll have some indication (not proof) of how this works for you. You can repeat the experiment in a few months, learn stuff over time.
The majority of our days determines the majority of our progress, for sure. Enjoy your pizza-garlic bread-beer-dessert-football!6 -
Yes they count.2
-
of course they count.
Beer belly isnt a term from nowhere
Some alcoholics/heavy drinkers are overweight - lots of functioning alcoholics out there who dont fit the profile of scrawny tramp's
But, yes, also very thin alcoholics - I knew one.
He was very thin because he ate next to nothing, just drank alcohol. Also more active because he walked everywhere, having lost his drivers licence.6 -
Enjoy your beer and pizza. Don't feel bad about it. A lot of the best things in life are accompanied by beer and pizza. They have a time and a place.
Tomorrow, get back on plan, because every calorie you put in your mouth counts, beer included. There are no free lunches in this world.
9 -
I'm sorry to tell you that beer calories count as double!!!
Joking - just - but of all the alcohol there is I have found beer to be the absolute worst for weight gain. In fact my weight loss was kick started by going on a cruise and not drinking any of the beer that used to be my tipple of choice. The cocktails were too tempting. On returning from the cruise I had put on weight, yes, but not NEARLY as much as I had done on previous cruises where I had stuck mostly to beer, drinks-wise.4 -
I've been counting calories since 2015 and drinking beer on average 1-3 times a week during that period. My experience: beer calories count.
It's easy to get lose in the weeds of how much we're absorbing of particular calories -- you read that high fiber may result in people absorbing fewer calories, chilling starchy foods is supposed to reduce the number of calories you get from a particular meal, etc etc. You're also supposed to be able to increase your calorie burn through things like fidgeting, taking cold showers, or drinking cold liquids. All those things may be true in controlled lab settings, but my experience is that when I'm actually eating a variety of foods and doing a variety of real life activities, my weight behaves pretty much as my calorie intake relative to my activity would suggest.5 -
Most definitely they count...3
-
Beer can upset my gut as well. But, I appear to gain weight easily by drinking a lot of it. I also seem to get a little short-term weight gain when I drink on consecutive nights for a while (as when I'm on vacation). It goes away in a few days.1
-
Suspect that part of what some folks are attributing to beer (fat gain, bloating, water retention, . . . ) is more likely related to the carbohydrates in the beer, or to the carbonation in the beer, rather than the alcohol in the beer.
No, alcohol is not a carbohydrate, despite what someone(s) have asserted on other thread. Alcohol is its own pseudo-macro-like category. But beer and wine have carbohydrates, too, and of course a bunch of water . . . beer commonly even has a tiny, tiny bit of protein, and some micros. 😉2 -
yes that is good point Ann - the calories in alcoholic drinks dont just come from the alcohol - beer has carbs, wines have sugars, most spirits have sugar (and obviously the mixers if you use regular soda, juice etc)
One possibility, not neccesarily for OP - is to find ways to drink lower calorie alcoholic drinks - eg low carb beers, use diet soda as mixer etc
There will still be calories, of course - but less of them for your 'alcohol buck'1 -
paperpudding wrote: »yes that is good point Ann - the calories in alcoholic drinks dont just come from the alcohol - beer has carbs, wines have sugars, most spirits have sugar (and obviously the mixers if you use regular soda, juice etc)
One possibility, not neccesarily for OP - is to find ways to drink lower calorie alcoholic drinks - eg low carb beers, use diet soda as mixer etc
There will still be calories, of course - but less of them for your 'alcohol buck'
To someone who enjoys craft beers (like me) low carb beers, and low calorie beers, are mostly shudder-inducing. (Though I've had a couple of lower ABV IPAs recently that at least had a flavor rather than being water-esque.)
Most of us, I think, may have treats that we prefer to budget calories for, rather than having a reduced-cal sub.
Spirits + seltzer + bitters works for me as a lower cal cocktail. Not as good as beer with pizza, however.
Can't speak for OP, though. 😉3 -
oh sure, it was just a possibility - not neccesarily one OP (or you!) would choose.
I don't drink beer but people sometimes have similar suggestions for, say, ice cream - you can choose low sugar halo top type versions! - and I think Nah, if I'm having ice cream I'm having the real thing and making it fit.
But suggestion might be one others use.
5 -
paperpudding wrote: »yes that is good point Ann - the calories in alcoholic drinks dont just come from the alcohol - beer has carbs, wines have sugars, most spirits have sugar (and obviously the mixers if you use regular soda, juice etc)
One possibility, not neccesarily for OP - is to find ways to drink lower calorie alcoholic drinks - eg low carb beers, use diet soda as mixer etc
There will still be calories, of course - but less of them for your 'alcohol buck'
Does wine really have sugars?! I make homemade wine and it is not complete until the yeast has consumed the sugar and died. It dies from starvation but what it pooped out while alive is your alcohol content. How can it still have sugar? If you add sugar it just starts the process again surely? I dunno, I follow the packet, I'm not a wine-making expert by and stretch of the imagination.
I'm so disappointed if this is true.0 -
You could try Adams Ale. Tastes good, you can add lemon or other flavourings.
Said with a hug.0 -
Depends on the wine.
all the charts I looked up said some sugar in wines - from very little in dry reds to more in wines like moselle.2 -
@paperpudding I guess that gives me an excuse to make another demijohn up hehehe. It amazes me the things that contain sugar that you'd never guess. Anyway thanks for the info.0
-
@fuzzipeg One day I'll be that disciplined. I'll probably be asleep and dreaming though.0
-
I was only teasing. You left the door wide open for me. You will get where you want to.
eta. You could always have one a week, giggle.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 911 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions