Alcohol

hlsess
hlsess Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I’ve cut out alcohol for a bit but my nutritionist said vodka, Prosecco or a white claw is ok. Who drinks and does it stall you if you have it every now and then. Any tips on drinking and losing weight. If that’s possible. Hahaha

Replies

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,226 Member
    edited September 2023
    It depends how much you’re drinking.

    Alcohol is basically poison to the body so you have to keep it to a minimum. Your nutritionists shouldn’t be telling you certain alcohols are ok without context. Chronic consumption is not ok. Once in awhile is ok. Light colored alcohol is generally the lowest in calories however those calories can kill a calorie deficit if overdone.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,205 Member
    log it when you drink it because it has calories 🤷🏻‍♀️
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,755 Member
    edited September 2023
    hlsess wrote: »
    I’ve cut out alcohol for a bit but my nutritionist said vodka, Prosecco or a white claw is ok. Who drinks and does it stall you if you have it every now and then. Any tips on drinking and losing weight. If that’s possible. Hahaha

    Yeah, frankly, alcohol is not worth the calories to me. If you're just looking to get boozed up, hard liquors are your best bet.... but I STRONLY suggest you not do it. The health consequences are really bad. Like, giving you liver disease, heart diseaese, kidney disease, and cancer bad. The World Heart Federation has basically come out and said that there is no "safe" amount of alcohol they can recommend. That being said, the poison's in the dose. If you can drink a small amount, probably not that bad. However, if you plan on drinking enough to be concerned about the calories.... not great. However, all alcohol has 7 calories per gram. So you can track it that way.
  • hlsess
    hlsess Posts: 11 Member
    Yes I do know it’s not healthy but I drink just like 65% of Americans. I’ll track it if I have a drink or 2. Thanks.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited September 2023
    I was already a moderate drinker before (2-4 drinks a month, but I'm choosing non alcoholic drinks more and more (non alcoholic choices are increasing in restaurants, fortunately). I've also stopped 'social drinking' - I no longer join my family in drinking wine during family dinners, since I don't actually enjoy wine that much.

    Two considerations for me:
    - calories: they're 'empty calories' so I usually don't find it worthwhile compared to a snack with a similar calorie count. I probably have an alcoholic drink once every 3 weeks or so, only something I really enjoy (Irish or Italian coffee for example, instead of dessert)
    - since having a fitness tracker, I can see the effect of alcohol on my body. My stress level increases, and my workouts are worse.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited September 2023
    hlsess wrote: »
    Yes I do know it’s not healthy but I drink just like 65% of Americans. I’ll track it if I have a drink or 2. Thanks.

    Since more than two-thirds of U.S. adults in the United States are overweight or have obesity, that's not really a compelling argument. Just sayin'.

    There are people here who can drink moderately. I'm not one of them. When I drink, I eat more, sleep poorly, and the next day have food cravings and am a lot less active. I do have about one drink about once a quarter, but more would definitely be counter productive for me.
  • hlsess
    hlsess Posts: 11 Member
    Yes I know. I’ve been a drinker for years and know what heavy drinking does. The ? Was if I have a couple of drinks. I will track if I drink. Not planning on it often.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,226 Member
    edited September 2023
    If I know I’ll have wine at night I lower carbs and fat for the day to make up for the calories so the deficit stays intact.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    My experience has been like middlehaitch's especially, consistent with some others who've commented: If I drink moderately, account for the calories accurately, don't overeat alongside because of reduced self-control, don't lose track of what I ate alongside because of alcohol-induced muddle-headedness, don't rest/sleep lots more because I'm less energetic . . . my weight behaves just as my calorie intake would predict - no unexplained stalls. (Any of those "if I don'ts" are possible to happen, I think.)

    Alcohol has downsides, and good overall nutrition is still important for health. I won't guaranteed consistent results (in weight) if alcohol intake is excessive at the expense of nutrition - perhaps at some extremity there are consequences. I haven't done that experiment, personally.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,226 Member
    Lol I had a bodybuilder friend that lived on wine, pot and steroids and looked fantastic. Don’t try this at home though, kids.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,608 Member
    I drink, fits within my calories and I enjoy it but can also take or leave it. I usually drink gin but do also like champagne 😀 personal choice is that I don’t drink more than three times a week (weekends usually) and don’t have more than two single gins or two units of wine in one day. That is because I find it interferes with my sleep and worsens my hot flushes (lady of a certain age).

    I don’t have an issue with alcohol and can easily go weeks or months without drinking, but I understand that’s not the same for everyone. I was teetotal for about 10 years (vegetarian for 14 years too) and then I got cancer. So I reassessed my life and decided that actually I would like to drink gin, and that I would sometimes eat good meat. It’s v much a personal choice.

    The main issue - purely in weight loss terms, not talking about dependency etc - is that alcohol is calorific, so those calories aren’t being used for nutritious food.

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