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Drinking alcohol... everyone wants to know

Old 01-06-2010, 11:54 PM
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Exclamation Drinking alcohol... everyone wants to know

Okay, here's the thing. The hardest part of weight loss for me personally is cutting alcohol. No I am not a raging alcoholic but the first thing i do when i get home from work is pour myself a glass of wine, a big one and unfortunately i prefer sweet wine which contains more calories.

My question is: If i stick to my daily calorie intake but include wine calories is this okay? For instance, with 2 glasses of wine, i consume 1300 calories broken down as follows: 30% Fat, 30% protein, 25% carbs and 15% alcohol. Can you still lose weight by making provisions for the calories you want to consume in the form of alcohol?

We all wanna know!

Last edited by Samantha-lee; 01-07-2010 at 07:04 PM.
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Old 01-07-2010, 12:00 AM
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Calories are calories so it shouldn't matter too much. HOWEVER, it appears alcohol in your system may lower your metabolism. See here:

Why alcohol calories are more important than you think...
Alcoholic Drinks - Weight Loss

I am not an expert on this (or anything nutritional, actually), so I'm not sure how accurate that is. Basically it sounds like if you are going to exercise, you might want to do it before you drink the wine, otherwise you are burning fat less efficiently.

Last edited by wydok; 01-07-2010 at 03:22 AM.
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Old 01-07-2010, 02:41 AM
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I do think that if you meet your calorie goals you should be ok, but keep in mind that you'll be sacrificing nutrition, especially since it's not easy to meet all your vitamin and mineral needs at 1300 calories. For sure take a multivitamin. Also make sure you're not sacrificing protein for the wine calories, since it's so vital to muscle growth and thus metabolism.

I love beer, but when I'm really trying to keep my calories in check I have champagne instead. It's MUCH lower in calories. Sure, it's more expensive, but it's a trade off. Depending on the calorie count of the wine you're drinking, you might want to check out if champagne is a better calorie choice for you. Mmmm, now I want some!
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Old 01-07-2010, 04:07 AM
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Originally Posted by wydok
Calories are calories so it shouldn't matter too much. HOWEVER, it appears alcohol in your system may lower your metabolism. See here:

Why alcohol calories are more important than you think...
Alcoholic Drinks - Weight Loss

I am not an expert on this (or anything nutritional, actually), so I'm not sure how accurate that is. Basically it sounds like if you are going to exercise, you might want to do it before you drink the wine, otherwise you are burning fat less efficiently.
Alcohol (especially red wine) offers some health benefits but it needs to be in moderation. Maggie is right about the need for a multivitamin on the calorie restriction you are on-keeping in mind the vitamins from a pill are not as absorbed the same way as naturally occurring vitamins (i.e. via food source-broccoli). Wydok is correct about the metabolism. Add a few minutes to your workout if you do not want to eliminate your wine. It is my belief that you will have more success sticking to your diet if you are able to indulge in a glass of wine; diets are a balancing act so you need to compensate for the wine and it is better to add to your exercise rather than eliminate a healthy food source. Good luck!

Wydok~Congratulations on your progress!!!! Keep up the great work
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Old 01-07-2010, 05:35 AM
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Originally Posted by icetaxi03
t is my belief that you will have more success sticking to your diet if you are able to indulge in a glass of wine
I agree. One of my earlier weight loss attempts included doing the full Beachbody Power90 system, including eating from Michli's Ladder. I ended up depriving myself of stuff I liked too much and failed when I overindulged.

This time around, I am just sticking to portion sizes and a rough calorie estimate (I didn't actually count most of the time. I am right now to make sure I am still on track).

So, by all means, drink the wine. But be aware if you didn't drink the wine, you might burn calories faster.

Wydok~Congratulations on your progress!!!! Keep up the great work
Thanks

Last edited by wydok; 01-07-2010 at 05:41 AM.
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Old 01-07-2010, 10:29 AM
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Wine is empty calories but mostly it's sugar. It's metabolised so quickly it has a huge impact on your blood sugar so beaware and conscious of the effects of that on your mood and hunger.
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Old 01-07-2010, 07:04 PM
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Default Thanks everyone!

Thanks for the advice. Will definitely be looking at the bubbly alternative!
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Old 01-08-2010, 09:33 AM
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Beer is my weak point. I truly love it. I have lost and gained weight too many times but the way I always lose id cutting weight back if not completely cutting out my beloved brew. I now try to keep it down to 3-4 a week.
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Old 01-14-2010, 03:43 AM
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Amen to this!
My biggest obstacle is that I love my wine. I think the way to beat the whole thing down is to step it down gradually so you don't feel overwhelmed by cutting out something you crave altogether. My husband and I both have decided to cut down on our wine, so we carafe it now and set limits on how much we consume. I was probably drinking the equivalent of 2.5 bottles a night! I have gotten down to one decanter, and I will continue until I can drop to one or two glasses a night.

good luck!

Last edited by dietcokewhore9; 01-14-2010 at 03:54 AM.
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Old 05-22-2010, 07:19 AM
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Question Alcohol?

Hello community. My names Ashley and new here. im 22 living in philadelphia trying to lose 5 to 10 lbs. im doing well with my eating but my main issue preventing me from losing weight i feel is that i have a drinking problem and drink vodka every night. im trying to cut back but does anyone have advice how i should maybe adjust my food intake to allow for the vodka at night and still be able to lose some weight? thank you all i appreciate any advice
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