Alcohol- how bad is it?

[Loralai]

Hi everyone.

Just wondering if anyone can tell me how bad alcohol really is? I know if I really want to lose the weight at a good pace I should give it up, but will I still lose weight if I drink?

I must admit we are drinkers. Almost every week night I will have a glass of red before bed. My hubby works arvo's and I am home alone. Its kind of my relaxation after a long day, once I have put my daughter to bed and done all I need to.

Friday night, saturday and sunday are a whole nother matter and especially now its warmer we will go up to our holiday place and drink everyday. I dont drink enough to get drunk by any means, but I will over that time down quite a few beam and cokes

So... whats the verdict? Do I have to find something less fattening than the beam and cokes to drink? Or just not drink during the week? Or cut it out all together?????

Any insight would be great, Thanks

[Loralai]

Gee, now that I read that and actually see it written down, it seems like ALOT. I didnt really think I drank that much.

[BigM]

i just recently watched the Biggest Loser finale and one of their final contestants (i can't remember his name, he was the wresting dude) said that alcohol was something that hindered his progress. I think it might of been the way he drinks as well and i believe that a little bit every now and then isn't threatening to your weight loss.

P.S i don't drink, so i'm not an expert in this, but if i find any interesting articles or excerpts i'll be sure to post .

[Dolly]

Alcohol and Weight Loss

For those trying to lose body fat, drinking alcohol is going to slow down your weight loss progress, and because it converts to body fat more readily than most other nutrients, it's not the best choice for improving body fat percentage.

An Occasional Drink

If you want to add an occasional alcohol beverage to your weight loss, you can add it your plan and consider that these are extra calories. Again, for weight loss, it will add up to extra calories that may slow your progress. You will need to increase your physical activity to make up for it!

Or, if you want to continue making progress towards weight loss, and would like to have one or two drinks a week, you can substitute one drink (90 Calories worth) for 2 fat exchanges (because alcohol is metabolized most like fat). I do not recommend substituting more than 2 drinks a week on a weight loss plan because many of you don't have a lot of calories to work with - better to have these calories as nutritious food instead of a lot of empty calories. And of course, drinking alcohol is at your discretion, it's not part of the diet, so use your own judgment based upon your personal health issues and habits.

[Loralai]

thanks Dolly. Doesnt sound too good does it!

[Annie]

Hi Lorarei,

I think the real issue is that alcohol has calories and because you are consuming them in liquid and non-nutritive form, they aren't as satisfying as food calories.
Having said that, there isn't any reason you can't have a FEW drinks, as long as you are careful about what you choose.
If you are drinking spirits, choose soda water or a diet mixer, not juice or normal soda. Red wine is the best option for drinking if you are health/ diet conscious because it has antioxidants and proven health benefits.

Personally, I find it easier to stick to healthy eating if I know i can have a glass of wine after work to relax and reward (instead of the 4pm cookie break)!

[carlton]

the main problems with are alcohol is that it is empty calories and what you tend to eat with it or once you've had too many.

[Annie]

you're so right Carlton!
It also depends what you drink... some things seem to be worse for causing the 'munchies' after drinking.
I think it may be related to the sugar levels in the drinks e.g. causing your blood sugar to spike and then drop. But that's just a theory...