Are alcohol calories any different from food calories??

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sreich04
sreich04 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I don't know about you guys, but I thoroughly enjoy an occasional glass of wine or a light beer here or there after a long day of work (in fact, I am enjoying a diet rum & coke right now... TGIF). Don't get me wrong, exercise has been a great way for me to relieve my stress, but a little alcohol here and there really helps me to unwind and relax. Ok I'll admit, maybe I drink a little more heavily on the weekends... so this brings me to my topic: alcohol calories vs. food calories. Are they metabolized the same way? Should I treat them like food calories, and as long as I am within my caloric limit can I still lose weight as effectively? Also, does alcohol usage lead to weight gain and why? I have tried to look up a lot of information regarding this on the internet, but it seems like a fuzzy topic. Being the chemist that I am, I would really like to know the scientific basis of this! Also, this might be a fun time to post some fun "skinny" drink recipes! Let me know what you think! :drinker:

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  • ashnm88
    ashnm88 Posts: 748
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    Alcohol fits in the same as juice or pop would, have to count it. Calories are calories no matter food or beverage.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
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    The Skinny Girl Margarita is pretty tasty
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    A calorie is a calorie.

    As long as you stay within your goals, you will be fine. The only reason alcohol leads to weight gain is because you tend to drink too much, and intoxication leads you to eat.
  • RunLiftEat
    RunLiftEat Posts: 213 Member
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    Here is a link that you may find helpful on this topic.

    http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_nutrition/article.htm
  • ksloop00
    ksloop00 Posts: 144
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    Alcohol turns straight to sugar and can halt your weightloss. I go out every Thursday with friends to a local bar, it doesn't halt my weightloss, but I heard it does for other people.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Calories are all the same... alcohol isn't going to be as QUALITY of a calorie as something healthy, just like if alcohol were junk food. It's going to your liver and also your waistline. Alcohol also dehydrates you and causes you to hold water. The body burns alcohol before body fat so don't drink too much that you stop burning fat. You will stop losing weight until your body burns off all the alcohol. I try to limit myself to one or two and not more than every few weeks, longer if I can help it.
  • lindsyrox
    lindsyrox Posts: 257 Member
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    I thought that alcohol actually slowed your metabolism which directly affects weight gain as well but I could be wrong.
  • lindsyrox
    lindsyrox Posts: 257 Member
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    Also, from experience, when i'm not being a good dieter i'll drink in upwards of 4 or 5 nights a week, it sounds terrible like borderline alcoholic, BUT on the plus side if you count the calories you can still lose weight. Of course when I cut down to only drinking twice a week and no more than 3 drinks at a time I lose a LOT faster. Alcohol isn't good for you but neither is sugar, fat, etc, so pick your poison and be aware of the consequences.

    cheers!
  • c7eat2live
    c7eat2live Posts: 308 Member
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    Yep a calorie is a calorie. Alcohol (over consumption, at least for me) may lead to lowered judgement, inhibition and MORE FOOD. I always eat if I get wasted. It settles me stomach. That alone is a reason for me to avoid drinking too much. Also I always understood that since the liver is involved with metabolism of sugars and carbs, when you drink a lot it suspends this process of adequately processing and using stuff you take in, and that = more fat depo. slower metabolism is how people usually refer to this? thats just what I have heard. plus a third great reason to not drink too much is the horrific effect it has on my workout the next day...as in I dont get anything done. Due to being hungover. yuck, everything in moderation if you must drink.
  • bcampbell54
    bcampbell54 Posts: 932 Member
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    You should count them as you would any other calorie, but be aware that your body will metabolize alcohol first, since it views it as a toxin. While your liver processes the alcohol first, the other calories are converted to body fat and stored.
    Also, alcoholic beverages have a diuretic effect.
    All that being said, I still like an occasional drink. I just count the calories.
  • lindsyrox
    lindsyrox Posts: 257 Member
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    Oh and as far as drink recipes, alcohol is alcohol there is no diet to it, its all in what you mix it with. Although I take it back, clear booze like vodka is lower in calories than flavored alcohol like malibu, so stick w/ the clear un flavored stuff and mix w/ diet mixers (diet coke, diet sprite, diet juice mix like crystal light etc). thats about the best you can do :)

    and beer while delicious is high in calories unless you get light beer but then you're essentially getting watered down beer (GROSS!). And with less alcohol content you have to drink twice as many of those nasty things just to get a buzz which makes no sense, drink 4 light beers at 100 calories a pop or 2 regular at 150 a pop, you get the idea.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Alcohol turns straight to sugar and can halt your weightloss. I go out every Thursday with friends to a local bar, it doesn't halt my weightloss, but I heard it does for other people.
    It doesn't for you, because it isn't true. Alcohol does not turn into sugar and does not halt weight loss. Alcohol is the number one priority for the human body, so it stops burning and metabolizing EVERYTHING else, until the alcohol is processed and gone, which generally only takes a couple hours. The only way alcohol can cause you to gain weight is when you drink too much, and eat too much along with it, going over your maintenance calories. Otherwise, it's just an empty calorie, no nutritional value, but as long as it fits in your plan, it's fine in moderation.

    Some studies actually show moderate alcohol consumption helps you control weight (moderate drinkers tend to weigh less than non-drinkers.)
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
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    I just log them as I would any other calorie. I cut alcohol out for about a month when I started losing weight and I noticed when I started drinking again my weight loss slowed (at the same time it could be contributed to the fact I've lost 20+lbs and am losing at a slower pace) I have never gained at weekly weigh in from drinking too much. Just don't exceed your daily allowance and it will be fine. :)
  • jayb0ne
    jayb0ne Posts: 644 Member
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    A calorie is a calorie. Strictly speaking it's a carb.

    Alcohol has other properties too however - it's a diuretic so it'll dehydrate you. Short term, you'll show a big loss on the scale the next morning due to having very little water in your body. Long term, you'll have to drink a decent amount of water for the next 5 or 6 days to drop the retained water weight you gained by bedtime.

    But yeah.. In the general sense, if it's 120 calories it's 120 calories.

    Spirit and soda water or diet soda is the lowest calorie alcoholic drink. Pretty much all 80 proof spirits are about 64 or 65 calories per shot plus 1 calorie for diet coke.

    Jay
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
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    Alcohol fits in the same as juice or pop would, have to count it. Calories are calories no matter food or beverage.

    Sorry to disappoint, but this is not true. In order for your body to use FAT for energy, it has to be processed by the liver to break it down to a fatty acid that can then be converted to fuel for muscle activity. When you drink alcohol, once again, your liver is necessary to break it down to be metabolized for use and disposal.

    Bottom line, it depends on the health of your liver and how much you can work it. Many people find that drinking alcohol slows their weight (meaning fat) loss because the liver is already overloaded processing chemicals and food additives IN ADDITION to alcohol AND trying to metabolize fat. So, if your liver is young and a work horse, you will probably do okay, but if not, or you have a slow metabolism, you will find alcohol use takes your fat loss to a stand still even if you are in a calorie deficit.
  • NCSean
    NCSean Posts: 14
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    Cheeseburgers and Oreos never landed me in jail. Just sayin'.

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