How bad is Alcohol when dieting?

K

kvvinaubmaine

New Member
I am sure to most of you this will sound like an silly question, but I really need to know from some experts, beacuse friend tell me otherwise, Will drinking alcoholic beverages sabotage weight loss efforts?

My husband is a very heavy drinker, and I have noticed over time that I have started to have more to dring during the weeks to join in.

I work out 6 days a week and other than the drinking, I eat a healthy diet, however I can not shed the last 15 lbs I need to. I read lables that say low carb (such as rum and some beers) and think that should be okay in moderation, but now I am wondering.

If anyone has any information for me PLEASE send it along.
 
I think it depends on what diet you're on.........if you're doing low carb then there are certainly alcoholic drinks you should avoid, most especially beer. This includes low carb beer, which really isn't very low carb, it just has fewer carbs than regular beer. I'm prefer vino myself. :9 It has less than one carb per glass.

Anyway, I think generally drinking alcohol is OK when you're trying to lose weight (as long as it's done in moderation of course). In fact, I think it should be required of some people! :D
 
Hi Karen,

My DH is also a nightly drinker and I find myself drinking more than I normally would because I tend to join him.

I think it all comes down to calories. I try to look at it as a treat. If I have a glass of wine, I will skip dessert/2nd serving of dinner, whatever, to try to balance out the calories.

I think treats are great, everything in moderation! :)
 
not sure if you meant this to be a question for cathe (since it's in the ask cathe forum)... but no matter what diet you are on.. alcohol is simply empty calories!

i eat GOOD carbs (well.. south beach, phase 3).. and i do have wine once a week.. normally on either saturday or sunday.... even then i consider the empty calories i'm consuming.. but since i usually burn a ton out riding the bike.. i have it...

beer is just not a good choice.. it goes straight to your belly (they don't have the term beer belly for nothing!) wine is a better choice.. and red wine is the best choice. (i drink white wine.. i prefer the flavor!)

you have to watch hard liquor if you mix it with anything.. cuz that adds calories too!

sooooo depending on what you drink, how often and how much.. yes.. it can very well sabatoge your weight lose efforts!
 
Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, carbs and protein each have 4, and fat has 9, so alcohol is pretty high calorie. In addition, it supposedly slows down your body's ability to burn fat.
 
Kathryn's is the most salient information here.

Alcohol is very high in calories, and they are totally empty calories, providing precisely zero nutritional value. IMHO alcohol has no place on a dedicated fat-loss nutritional program, unless it is limited to one moderate drink per week, much as you would limit yourself to one high-calorie sugar or salty-snacky treat per week.

Another thing about alcohol - the more you consume, the less inhibition and good judgment you have, about eating and other things. Sustained drinking can promote the munchies, and when people get the munchies they seldom want to munch healthy foods.

I bet if you went alcohol-free for two weeks you'd see a noticeable difference.

A-Jock
 
I can testify to A-jock's claim that you may see a difference after going achohol free for an extended period of time (couple weeks or more). I have been alchohol free for the entire month of January and I am very impressed with the difference in my mid-section. I carry my excess weight around my stomach and back and have to display it all in my wedding dress in a just a couple months. January was my experimental month, eating well and drinking absolutely no alchohol. My size 6's are all feeling quite loose now. I have lost weight in the past without giving up the booze, but it's so much faster and easier without those extra empty calories.
 
In David Kirsch's newest book, the New York City Makeover, he lists alcohol right beside of bread and sugar as no-no's. He's definitely against it.
 
Really Liz? This is all very surprising to me. I go out w/friends a couple of times a month & usually drink about a bottle of wine. Once in a while I'll go a month or two w/o drinking, & fairly often I'll go a few weeks w/o drinking. I've seen absolutely no difference in how I feel. Other than not having that nasty vino hangover the next day. :p But usually 2 hours in the gym sweats that all out LOL.

Also, I don't count calories, I count carbs. Furthermore, I don't consider calories "empty" if they help me relieve stress & have fun.
 
I retain fluid when I drink. I usually have a wine or two over the weekend...sometimes a margueritta. I notice that the next day I will feel bloated, especially in my mid section.

Doesn't stop me from drinking it though...I don't overdo so I don't feel the need to cut down }( . Another thing that alchohol does to me is dry out my skin...especially my lips. They're always chapped a day or two after I drink....no matter how much water I drink.

Somehow this doesn't make sense to me because I'm retaining fluid but I'm drying out but I know it has something to do with the alchohol.
 
Well, this has just been my personal experience. I do so love my beer and I know that when I drink beer instead of wine I definitely take in more calories. I also think that part of it is just that I have more self control around food when I'm not drinking, as pointed out by someone earlier. I have really noticed that my stomach and love handles have slimmed down. It's also costing me more in dress alterations but I certainly am not complaining about that.

By no means do I intend to give up booze for good, in fact I'll be enjoying one or two very cold and very tasty Harpoon Winter Warmers tomorrow, Feb 1st, and they are certainly not low cal! They have been waiting patiently in my fridge for a month now. :)
 
Well, this has just been my personal experience. I do so love my beer and I know that when I drink beer instead of wine I definitely take in more calories. I also think that part of it is just that I have more self control around food when I'm not drinking, as pointed out by someone earlier. I have really noticed that my stomach and love handles have slimmed down. It's also costing me more in dress alterations but I certainly am not complaining about that.

By no means do I intend to give up booze for good, in fact I'll be enjoying one or two very cold and very tasty Harpoon Winter Warmers tomorrow, Feb 1st, and they are certainly not low cal! They have been waiting patiently in my fridge for a month now. :)
 
LOL! Why is a Winter Warmer kept cold? :p

Candi--I know what you're saying--I get dehydrated after drinking also, which is definitely a bad thing about alcohol. Not sure why it would also make you retain fluid, I think either a qualified physician or Spuds MacKenzie could properly answer that for you.;-)
 
LOL! Why is a Winter Warmer kept cold? :p

Candi--I know what you're saying--I get dehydrated after drinking also, which is definitely a bad thing about alcohol. Not sure why it would also make you retain fluid, I think either a qualified physician or Spuds MacKenzie could properly answer that for you.;-)
 
That's okay Maximus. I'll just consider it one of life's little quirks and move on. There's always chap stick.
 
That's okay Maximus. I'll just consider it one of life's little quirks and move on. There's always chap stick.
 
I guess everyone is different. I've cut way down on my wine consumption. I used to drink a glass or two with dinner every night. Now I just have a couple on the weekends and I haven't noticed any weight changes. I do feel so much better in the mornings though, because even one glass of wine would make me feel dehydrated.
 
I guess everyone is different. I've cut way down on my wine consumption. I used to drink a glass or two with dinner every night. Now I just have a couple on the weekends and I haven't noticed any weight changes. I do feel so much better in the mornings though, because even one glass of wine would make me feel dehydrated.
 
Just a suggestion for those times you want to have a few (or more) drinks...one thing you COULD do is drink one alcoholic bev, then a glass of water, then your alcohol, then a glass of water.

Another option and my personal favorite...once you return home, chug a HUGE jug of water. My Gatorade water bottles are about 36-40 oz. and I make sure I "down" at least one of them before calling it a night.

Keep water on the night stand. Since alcohol disrupts sleep, when you wake there will be something to drink.

Keeping hydrated will really help eliminate the hangover. A big part of the whole horrible hangover feeling is just being overly dehydrated. These tips work great for wine, which IMO offer the worst hangovers known to man!!!.
 
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