Weight-Loss What affects does hard alcohol have on a dieting body?

Weight-Loss
ElenaDragon said:
I have a drink once in a while and try to drink something relatively low in calories - usually vodka. It's only about 60 calories per ounce. I also work it into my calorie total for that day.
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Keep in mind, though, that a jigger is 1 1/2 ounces (which is a standard bar measure) and very very few bartenders actually measure what they pour so you're probably getting more than 1 ounce...

but if it's something you enjoy - definitely work it into yur day
 
I don't go to the bar, I pour it myself at home. :) And it really doesn't take much alcohol to have an effect on me.
 
Lol yeah drinks at home after a tough day is bliss. Though for me it takes several jiggers of vodka to get me even slightly buzzed ;).
 
I would like to know if anyone knows specifically what a night of drinking can do your body. (Besides the empty calories turning to lbs). But are they instant lbs? Can you burn it off with tons of exercise the next day? Does alcohol cause bloating? Any info would be helpful.

It all started with a glass of champagne... I was doing really well yesterday, I went to the gym, I was eating healthy. Then friends came over and I ended up drinking two glasses of champagne, and two huge mixed drinks (the kind loaded with sugar and hard alcohol :eek:

Well this morning I woke up with a hangover and 2.5 extra lbs! I have been dieting and excercising faithfully for two weeks and had only lost 2 lbs, so now I'm a 1/2 lb over where I started. How can two weeks worth of hard work be drunk away in 4 glasses? :(
 
Lenore

It can. Sorry. Alcohol is loaded with carbohydrates plus as you mentioned the mixer is loaded with sugar and sodas salt. Salt makes you retain water. It may be your menstrual cycle throwing a wrench in things? Some women begin retaining fluids 2 weeks prior to their first day and throughout menses. Kathy ps think of alcohol this way: a drink = a snicker's candy bar, it puts a strain on reducing
 
Maybe it causes water retention

Well, today I'm back down 1.5 lbs (still up a pound). But I have to assume it was 1 and half pounds of water. So that's good news.
 
effect of alcohol on diet

Alcohol is dehydrating (which is why you can avoid or lessen a hangover if you drink LOTS of water before going to bed.) But your body will try to compensate by hanging on to fluids for up to a day after the alcohol has been processed by the liver.

Another quirk about alcohol -- it is pure carbohydrate and the body will burn it as energy before just about anything else and will very rarely store it as fat. So while the martini you drank won't go to your thighs, but the meal you ate afterwards surely will....:eek:
 
Hey, do what I do if you're having a night out.

1. DO NOT eat ANYTHING (if you eat when drunk it will be fatty food and lots of it)
2. Dance the night away!! (you'll drink less and have more fun and burn off those calories)
 
Elevated consumption of alcohol(one night of drinking can do it) can cause detrimental affects to the endocrine system that can last some time. In particular, lowering Testosterone and reducing protein synthesises along with other affects.
It is dehydrating as we previously mentioned.

If you remember, fat contains 9calories per gram, protein 4per gram and carbs 4per gram. However, alcohol contains about 7Kcal per gram. Obviously, it will not fill you up so its not "replacing" anything in your diet. Only adding "empty" calories to your diet.

Along with that, pay close attention to this study...
The acetate released into the plasma inhibits lipolysis in peripheral tissues by 53% and whole-body lipid oxidation is decreased by 73%.
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Lipolysis (for those who don't know), is basically the process of which bodily lipids are broken down to enter metabolic pathways such as the krebs cycle for use in energy "production". AKA, it lowers the amount of fat burnt.

Thus acetate, a metabolite of ethanol, reduces plasma free fatty acids
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next time your friends come over for drinks, be ready for it by buying a bottle of vodka and diet soda. Each shot has about 50 kcals or so with ~0 carbs. Next to dry wines, it's one of the best alcohols you can drink as a dieter.
 
There's no alcohol you can drink as a dieter. Read Trevor M post.
If you get drunk, you're simply not serious about your goals and your weight loss.
 
Also, the benefits of weight loss really offset those potential benefits of drinking. If there's something I can't understand is jeopardizing your bigger goals with a night of drinking.
 
Appletalk said:
Also, the benefits of weight loss really offset those potential benefits of drinking. If there's something I can't understand is jeopardizing your bigger goals with a night of drinking.
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Maybe not everyone has the same willpower as you? Switching into diet mode takes time and patience because the previous lifestyle of eating and/or drinking in excess can be extremely hard to shake. I'm not calling Lenore an alcoholic but if she feels compelled to drink a little with her friends I'm giving her the best dieting conscience options.
 
Alcohol

I have been trying to figure out how to ask this question with out sounding like an alcoholic, but here goes:

On the weekends, I like to enjoy a few beers while watching the football game. When I started my diet I cut them out. It just seemed like a lot of empty calories.

Do any of you fit alcohol into your diets?
What do you prefer to drink?
 
Fezzik said:
I have been trying to figure out how to ask this question with out sounding like an alcoholic, but here goes:

On the weekends, I like to enjoy a few beers while watching the football game. When I started my diet I cut them out. It just seemed like a lot of empty calories.

Do any of you fit alcohol into your diets?
What do you prefer to drink?
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I'm a big fan of Guinness, so instead of just cutting it out completely, I try to figure how I can fit that into my calorie allotment for the day. (Note to self: Stay away from shots of 151) It's all about figuring things out for me. haha Also, drink in moderations as opposed to kegging it and you'll be fine. Cheers! :beerchug:

-Sheryl
 
Thanks Sheryl,

That makes sense. I also wanted to know what is the alcoholic drink that has the lowest calories and impact on your diet. For instance I have heard that a glass of red wine is actually high in antioxidants and is good for you in moderation. If I was going to allow myself one type of alcohol what should it be? I can enjoy sipping a nice scotch at a social event as much as drinking a beer :)...

Oh, and this Ones for you...:rotflmao:


PS 151 is the devil! :drooling:
 
Fezzik said:
Thanks Sheryl,

That makes sense. I also wanted to know what is the alcoholic drink that has the lowest calories and impact on your diet. For instance I have heard that a glass of red wine is actually high in antioxidants and is good for you in moderation. If I was going to allow myself one type of alcohol what should it be? I can enjoy sipping a nice scotch at a social event as much as drinking a beer :)...
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You really don't want to go with the "lowest calorie" but the one that gives you the most satisfaction in moderation _ there are a bunch of threadds in the Nutrition section on alcohol... so you'll see a bunch of charts there.

You could have lite beer - at 80 calories ish a beer - 1 might not satisfy - 4 would... but one guiness at 110 calories might satisfy you - so it's whatever gives you the most bang for your calorie buck that you want.
 
Fezzik said:
Oh, and this Ones for you...:rotflmao:


PS 151 is the devil! :drooling:
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LMAO! Awwww I love it! Thanks.. I'll have to add that to my diary since the girls in there love the Guinness as well. As for Mal's post... yup... I agree. Go for something that will satisfy you. Also... I can't really picture you hanging with the boys, watching football, and sipping on a glass of red wine. :D Give me a Guinness, I'll curl up into a ball on the couch, and enjoy myself a bit of UFC on the tele. HA! Good luck with it, hun.

-MGB
 
lol... Good points guys.

Thanks!
 
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