I would like to get everyone's opinion on alcohol (Did a little searching through threads and couldn't find much). Currently I enjoy a glass of wine at night. In NROL4W is suggests a glass of wine isn't a horrible thing. However, I'd like other people's thoughts.
I'm excited to start this program, but don't want to completely give up my social life (which includes going out for a drink or two time to time).
If you do go to social gatherings where alcohol is served, do you eat less during the day to account for the calories or do you eat the same? If you do drink, is there an alcohol that's better than others (I can't believe I'm even typing that question!) ?
Thanks for your help!
I used to drink 1-2 glasses of wine a night. I find that it really impacts my weight loss, so I have restricted it to weekends only, and sometimes not at all. Alcohol seems to make my body hold onto fat, even if I account for the calories in my daily total. That being said, I will certainly have a few drinks a week after I meet my fat loss goals.
My research indicates that red wine is probably the best, since it has health benefits and is not that caloric. But I will have martinis or other spirits in a diet cola or with diet tonic as well--useless carbs, but delivers the alcohol with as few extra calories as possible.
I do love beer. It's a problem. I have really cut it out for now and it's helped a lot with fat loss. I think in the future I will restrict the beer to a post-workout meal. : )
I know other people have no problem with a glass of wine a night, but it just doesn't work for me. And I have tried, oh yes, I have. : )
Red wine is a health food! It's good for you on many levels, but especially for lowering your risk of heart disease. It's the food you decide to eat after you've had a glass that's a problem. I have a glass most evenings. But if I have two glasses, I'll usually go get burger king instead of cooking something healthy. I like to get mine from Organic Wines - The Organic Wine Company
It has less sulfites and your head doesn't feel bad the next day.
If you do go to social gatherings where alcohol is served, do you eat less during the day to account for the calories or do you eat the same?
Yes. I really try to.
If you do drink, is there an alcohol that's better than others (I can't believe I'm even typing that question!) ?
I don't know if one is better than another, but for me what matters is low sugar, low cals and low sodium. My choice of poison when I do throw a few back is a vodka tonic (diet tonic water, if possible) with a slice of lime.
Now, this is coming from a good old beer lover. Shoot, my husband works for a major beer company and has cases of inventory. I just found that the beer is one of the contributing factors of my belly fat and it isn't necessary to drink every week.
I have a drink every so often. Before last weekend, it had been about 6 weeks since I had any and it wasn't that big of a thing.
Talk to me when football season starts back up. That will kill me.
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Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
I continued to indulge in a glass with dinner most days while I was losing weight. It's something I enjoy, so I don't think I'll give it up, and I don't think it will prevent me from making progress with this program.
What I’ve learned is that your body will prioritize using calories from alcohol before any other energy source, and that your body can really only burn off 1 drink per hour (or so – less if you’re low-carbing it because the enzymes in your liver used for metabolizing alcohol are being used to metabolize your fat for energy & won’t switch over full-time to the alcohol). So while it isn’t necessarily unhealthy in moderation, it definitely affects your rate of weight loss.
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If you do go to social gatherings where alcohol is served, do you eat less during the day to account for the calories or do you eat the same?
I typically eat the same because I work out before I do any drinking, and I want to make sure I have enough energy for the workout. I figure a once-in-a-while thing wont’ do a lot of harm. If I were drinking every day, I would probably cut my evening calories by about 200 to account for the alcohol.
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If you do drink, is there an alcohol that's better than others (I can't believe I'm even typing that question!)?
Like the others said – spirits & diet mixer. My favorite low-carb drink is, well, a dirty martini (gin). Wine isn’t a bad 2nd choice. I’ve tried the low-carb beers and they’re pretty gross (taste like every other macro lager out there) so I tend to just figure if I’m going to have a beer, I’m going to have a good one – which means lots of carbs & calories. And it, too, has antioxidants and healthful properties (the good stuff, not the mass-lager stuff). But I won’t kid myself – none of it’s health food. Just make sure that you’re not searching for reasons to justify your drinking. It doesn’t do a body good. That said, it doesn’t necessarily have to be cut out entirely, either.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
or you could consider going out socially w/out indulging in alcohol until you meet your goals - it doesn't have to be stay home vs. go-and-drink unless you want it to be.
I don't drink (if I'm gonna indulge, it's gonna be chocolate!) - but if you look at the macros, carbs & protein are 4 kcal / gram, fat is 9kcal / gram, alcohol is 7kcal / gram. So it's pretty calorically dense and, as DM said, metabolized differently than other food...
One other member was concerned about people commenting on her not drinking, so I suggested that she order a club or tonic with a twist if she's self-conscious... I always order that just cuz I prefer it, but...
Hey - everything in moderation, and just know what choices you're making when you make them - be informed!
I enjoy a drink now and then too. For me it's either wine (red or white, depending on what I'm having with it) or a gin and tonic. When I started my weight-loss goal 2 years ago, I cut alcohol out all together, I saw great progress (but was also starting to exercise and eat better too, so it's probably a combination of everything), when I started having a drink here and there again, I didn't notice and stall or change in my progression.
I don't drink at all on my workout days, before or after, but that's just because I have no desire to. And I don't adjust my calories for the day if I do have a drink.
Everything in moderation.
The type of drink I think will have an effect on your weight loss. As has already been mentioned, alcohol is a toxin and is the first priority to be taken care of. Also, alcohol in and of itself slows down your metabolism so not only is your body working over time to get rid of it, while it's there you're not burning as many calories as you normally would. Those on low carb diets get a double whammy if their beverage of choice is beer, which, being made from fermented grains, has plenty of carbs. (Wine and hard alcohol both have little to no carbs.) The other risk of course is the additional eating that tends to occur with or follow the drinking.
Speaking for myself, I'd have 4 pints of beer on Fridays, and maybe a couple more on Saturday. I'm still seeing progress, though not as much if I'd cut out the beer.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
I think the main thing with alcohol is to be honest with yourself. How much you consume is up to you - but I used to get into the habit of filling up my wine glass before the initial wine was gone and say it was a "half" glass when I really had no idea.
Last year when I was losing weight, I was enjoying a beverage a night, around 3 nights a week. I would rather have a glass of wine than a piece of chocolate any day. I was doing a lot of cardio at that time too. Now I am not doing a ton of cardio and I feel that the alcohol is hurting me.
I had the hardest time transitioning from a "party" girl to someone who only has 1-3 drinks over the course of a night when I go out, if I go out. To be honest I had to do a lot of self-esteem building to get through it. I thought I only drank because I like the taste, and it was hard to discover that I used alcohol as a way to feel less anxious in social situations.
I think the main thing with alcohol is to be honest with yourself. How much you consume is up to you - but I used to get into the habit of filling up my wine glass before the initial wine was gone and say it was a "half" glass when I really had no idea.
It really is depressing how small a serving is. 5oz of wine (1 serving) is not very much at all...
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Thanks for everyone's help! I love this group, everyone is so supportive! You all made some excellent points. I think I'm going to cut out alcohol and save it for special occassions. Now the challenge will be figuring out what a "special occasion" really is. It's funny how many occasions pop up when wine is involved!
What I’ve learned is that your body will prioritize using calories from alcohol before any other energy source, and that your body can really only burn off 1 drink per hour (or so – less if you’re low-carbing it because the enzymes in your liver used for metabolizing alcohol are being used to metabolize your fat for energy & won’t switch over full-time to the alcohol). So while it isn’t necessarily unhealthy in moderation, it definitely affects your rate of weight loss.
Exactly! My alcohol consumption depends on my body recomposition goals.
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