luddite_68

Carbs & preference.

Ryder1

Some also feel dark liquors make for a worse hangover.

Speaking of being hungover, getting exercise earlier in the day definitely mitigates the damage for me. Increased metabolic rate, presumably.

Carbonfiberboy 

Also the preference of my alcoholic brother. He claims that what's bad for you in alcoholic beverages is the other stuff, not the alcohol, and you're drinking it for the effect, right? So for the effect, nothing beats Everclear in water, absolutely nothing. Plus it's cheaper and lowest in calories per oz. of alcohol.

bobwysiwyg

Not according to my research.

T Stew

I don't exactly follow your comment. I'm more referring to excess of water during digestion. I've heard other doctors prescribe the same advice as well (one was to my ex-wife when she had digestion troubles).

zacster

I've been losing weight for 2 months now and haven't given up on alcohol. It hasn't really mattered. Beers, wine, hard liquor, whatever it is, just with moderation. It helps that I've developed a taste for good Italian wine where that $20 bottle just doesn't do it anymore. That makes each bottle something you think about, and then only drink it when there is a nice dinner to go with it. Overall though I guess I'm drinking LESS, not giving it up completely. One of the reasons for drinking less is biking more. You can't ride when you've had alcohol, at least not get a serious ride in. The Barolo will wait, and will open up nicely while you're sweating on the trainer.

More important is to keep burning those calories, stay on the bike and ride hard. That has taken almost 20 pounds off.

And one more thing. Don't take up the homebrewing hobby like I did. Talk about calories, these probably have twice the calories of even the craft brewed beers. I made my last batch over a year ago now, and am probably done forever. It's a shame too, I have all the equipment and was getting good at it, good enough that some said I could win awards.

redlude97

there is no such thing as excess water during digestion causing problems unless you are drinking a gallon with each meal.
Can you provide any scientific evidence this is the case?
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition...meals#section3

awesomeame

I quit alcohol as well. I tried for a long time to "find balance," only drinking now and then, limiting myself, rationing, blah blah. None really worked. One drink always had a cascading effect. It would lead to another, and another, and then pizza and everything else, LOL. It was easiest just to quit entirely. Way more energy for biking this way, I've lost a bunch of weight, and overall feel much better. Now for a relaxing drink I drink Kombucha, "GT's" brand. Arguably it has some booze in it 0.1%, along with some calories (70/btl) but it's a much better alternative to a bottle of vodka and a pizza, lol.

Matt

rumrunn6

Wifey just called to tell me our neighbor was on the ground ripping off his sneakers & swearing. she went down to help him & he had fallen down the hill carrying garbage out. mind you he has a walkway w stairs for this purpose. then he starts rambling incoherently & staring at her weird. she thinks he's having a stroke or something & offers to call 911, or our community caring committee. then he starts telling her that he always had the hots for her. she offers to help him up & he hugs her acting really disoriented still. she asks: "are you drunk" he says: "yes, now you know all my secrets" she waited until he got himself back in his house before she left for work & had to call in cuz now she's late. just astonishing

KDTX

Update on "the plan"

Officially started a new plan which includes a modified diet, increased exercise and I am trying to limit all alcohol calories to 500 per week. Something about the mindset of not quitting completely/moderation seems more realistic and something feasible. I have already started to think before each drink and also rationalizing what the purpose of it is. Not having a beer or wine with dinner (at home anyway) is a no brainer. Such a waste of calories to have a beer or glass of Black Box with dinner.

Will keep updating as the weeks go by.

boozergut

Great Thread! Im one of those homebrewer guys mentioned in an earlier post. Three tasty kegs on tap at all times. Having a bad day? Just stop by Boozers for a belly full of your preference.

But after a doctors check up Im switching my drinking glass to a three ounce nickel glass and plan to only have a couple when friends stop in. I began this routine a week ago. So far I havent missed the booze at all. I've also ordered a $hit pot of beer labels so that I can give most of my supply away to friends and neighbors on a regular basis.

Keep the posts coming!

DMC707

Sounds like a typical party night faux-pas'

rumrunn6

thanks for the objective point of view. I'd agree but it was 8am in the morning

khyricat

I have been staying quiet on this forum.. but as a Registered Dietitian who recently lost some weight and has more to go, I'm going to jump in a bit...
a) water unless in excess doesn't affect digestion plus or minus... neither does a specific drink help or hinder it.
b) calories in vs calories out is the biggest deal in LONGER term weight- as in real loss/gain, and self control is part of that- if you can do just one- then go for it, if not, then don't... I have patients on both ends of this spectrum, I fall somewhere in the middle. I don't do caloric drinks as a rule, but when I do they are almost always alcoholic... wine or hard cider. ginger beer can be alcoholic or not...
c) alcohol is 9 calories per gram vs anything else is 4 or 7 (fat is 7 everything else is 4). this is actual digestible on it's own.. now most alcoholic beverages also get calories from flavorings - sugars, etc...
d) many alcoholic drinks make people retain fluid- so that bloated feeling, or overnight weight gain can come from that.. and once the body has equilibrated the weight will go back down...
e) a pound is 3500 calories. gained or lost... thats a lot of alcohol at once, but using a can of coke (non alcoholic) as an example- 1 can less per day is 10 pounds in a year! most alcoholic drinks are more calories, so...

weight loss isn't quite just as simple as that, but thats the basis for much of the theory.. people do react better to certain types of calories than others.

DMC707

I don't know why this makes me laugh, as I'm sure it made your wife feel very uncomfortable --- I must admit that ive seen a few bleary eyed sunrises as well in my youth, --- but tales like this make me glad I live on a small acreage with the nearest neighbor at least 200 yards away

rumrunn6

haha me too. but this guy is 65-70 yrs old & Wifey is approx 59. no worries she & I cracked up laughing at first but then quickly realized how bad it was & began to worry about his wife, who he said was worse off than him. we took that to mean she was even more drunk than that! also at 8am. our condo complex is actually quite nice & was a great place to raise our kids. pool, tennis court, fishing pond, community garden. we all watched ea others kids at the pool when necessary

zacster

A one watt average over 1 hour on a bike = .001 pounds of fat burned on the person. This is what you need to know in a nutshell. If you can ride an hour at 200 watts average that'll come to .2 pounds. Do that for a week with 2 rest days and you've burned a pound of fat, all else being equal. Do that over the course of many weeks and you will lose that much weight/week and it will become apparent on the scale. Don't expect to see it immediately because not all else will be equal.

joejack951

Alcohol is 7 calories and fat is 9. Carbs and protein are 4. With those calorie values, it's easy to see why low fat/minimal alcohol is a good way to lose weight.

khyricat

you're right- I shouldn't type numbers before I am fully awake... but exactly my point.. is avoidance the answer- not neccesarily, but reduced amounts are an easy answer.

bruce19

With me it's as much the habit as the drink. Being very social I am apt to meet friends out at a local tavern on Tuesday. and Fridays. Then there's dinner out on Saturday. I've found that if I forgo the night out I can avoid the calories from alcohol. I almost never get high or drunk but nutritionally there has been too much alcohol in my body too often. I've cut back significantly in the past month but have not noticed more than a lb or two weight loss. Still it's better to have less junk in your body.

joejack951

A pound or two in a month with no other changes? That's very, VERY significant. That's 12-25 lbs. in a year if you keep it up!