alcohol calories
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Baton rouge Louisiana
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alcohol calories
Some of you know by know that I was drinking close to pint of vodka with Crystal Light each evening. Over the last 3 years, I have gained 30 pounds. Now, granted, I stopped working out. But, in retrospect, I didn't eat very much. So, my question is how do alcohol calories affect the body? Thanks.
Life the gift of recovery!
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Home is where the heart is
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The same way any calories affect the body. They do not weigh any more or less. Many times though when drinking alcohol one tends to eat foods that are not very good nutrition wise. Fast food, junk food, etc.... I found I put on weight when I quit drinking, granted I quit smoking at the same time. I realize that my eating habits did not change when I quit drinking that is part of the weight gain. I am now working on eating right, lots of vegies, lots of fruits, smaller portions, less sugar, etc.... It is working, I feel better, and am losing weight without being hungry. Hope this helps answer your question.
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Omak WA
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Hi floridagel,
I have been doing the same as nandm. I actually lost weight and looked unhealthy at the end of my drinking years. I did start to gain weight as I started taking meds for my depression and continued to gain...was eating more cuz I didn't eat much when I drank.
I have lost about 65 pounds over the past two years. Just taking smaller portions, a very little amount of junk food, and lots of veggies... Also my husband has Type II Diabetes so we don't have sugar treats in the house anymore. I also substitute Yogurt for ice cream.
I quit smoking four years ago and that didn't seem to affect my weight one way or another.
kelsh
I have been doing the same as nandm. I actually lost weight and looked unhealthy at the end of my drinking years. I did start to gain weight as I started taking meds for my depression and continued to gain...was eating more cuz I didn't eat much when I drank.
I have lost about 65 pounds over the past two years. Just taking smaller portions, a very little amount of junk food, and lots of veggies... Also my husband has Type II Diabetes so we don't have sugar treats in the house anymore. I also substitute Yogurt for ice cream.
I quit smoking four years ago and that didn't seem to affect my weight one way or another.
kelsh
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Newark,DE
Posts: 404
Hi FG,
Alcohol is a sugar, and for me, it seems it was stored faster than almost any other thing I ingested. I tried for years to figure out the calories, and it seemed to defy physics. I just know that when I drink, I gain.
Also, alcohol can cause bloating of your internal organs, you may find if you stay clean for a few weeks, that things will return to their normal size. Maybe not all 30 lbs, but a good part of it.
1 pint = aprox 9.5 50 ml shots, which are about 100 cal/each, so you were taking in about 950 extra calories a day. Dont know your age, or your normal weight, but a normal adult who is not working out does not need much more than this to maintain their weight, so if you were eating any sort of food at all, you probably had more than enough calories to add 10 lbs/year. It takes about 3500 extra calories for one pound of body weight. And it's not an exact science, either, because your body does tend to bypass extra calories to some extent (except mine...lol)
I hope this helps, and let me take this time to welcome you to our SR family. You are in a good place, lots of good people here, always willing to help with whatever.
Drink lots of water, and get back to the gym! Best I can offer.
S
Alcohol is a sugar, and for me, it seems it was stored faster than almost any other thing I ingested. I tried for years to figure out the calories, and it seemed to defy physics. I just know that when I drink, I gain.
Also, alcohol can cause bloating of your internal organs, you may find if you stay clean for a few weeks, that things will return to their normal size. Maybe not all 30 lbs, but a good part of it.
1 pint = aprox 9.5 50 ml shots, which are about 100 cal/each, so you were taking in about 950 extra calories a day. Dont know your age, or your normal weight, but a normal adult who is not working out does not need much more than this to maintain their weight, so if you were eating any sort of food at all, you probably had more than enough calories to add 10 lbs/year. It takes about 3500 extra calories for one pound of body weight. And it's not an exact science, either, because your body does tend to bypass extra calories to some extent (except mine...lol)
I hope this helps, and let me take this time to welcome you to our SR family. You are in a good place, lots of good people here, always willing to help with whatever.
Drink lots of water, and get back to the gym! Best I can offer.
S
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Baton rouge Louisiana
Posts: 11
Thanks, Steve! That's exactly the info I was looking for. I had googled it, but wasn't finding any info I could understand. So, in effect, I was consuming almost an extra 900-1000 calories daily that weren't being converted into energy, but stored as fat? I'm anxious to get back to the gym, but wondered if my BP should come down a little more. I will walk tonight, "trick or treating" with the youngsters. Here's a laugh for you...(no matter how yucky I feel, I always keep my sense of humor). Hubby's dressing up as a gorilla, and I'm going to be a banana! We're picking the kids up from school in costume.
I am looking sooooooo forward to getting my "old" self back, little by little. I used to take so much pride in my intelligence, personality and looks. Humph. Pride goeth before the fall?
I am looking sooooooo forward to getting my "old" self back, little by little. I used to take so much pride in my intelligence, personality and looks. Humph. Pride goeth before the fall?
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Newark,DE
Posts: 404
Hi Again,
Based on my own experience, after 2-3 days sober, my bp settles down just fine, and my HR is close to normal during workouts. I think if you start back easy, it will be good for you. There have been days I go and just walk the TM, but it is important for me to keep the routine.
Re: pride & fall, Anyone on this board will tell you it can happen to anyone.
Enjoy the T-or-T!
S
Based on my own experience, after 2-3 days sober, my bp settles down just fine, and my HR is close to normal during workouts. I think if you start back easy, it will be good for you. There have been days I go and just walk the TM, but it is important for me to keep the routine.
Re: pride & fall, Anyone on this board will tell you it can happen to anyone.
Enjoy the T-or-T!
S
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: New England
Posts: 95
Steve summed it up great. One thing I'd like to add is that alcohol's depressant nature has all sorts of negative effects on the body. These include fatigue, strength loss, sleep disruption, etc. These factors all make it harder to maintain a healthy metabolism (which is normally done through proper nutrition and exercise). So that number of calories Steve mentioned that one needs to maintain their weight is likely to keep going down as alcohol use increases.
This means that the continued presence of alcohol can make your body more susceptible to weight gain. A healthy and active person may be able to consume many more calories per day and still maintain their weight in comparison.
This means that the continued presence of alcohol can make your body more susceptible to weight gain. A healthy and active person may be able to consume many more calories per day and still maintain their weight in comparison.
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Baton
Posts: 24
I don't mean to put the cart in front of the horse, because I know I need to get the lab results and talk to the doc. But, I was wondering, in your opinion, what is the healthiest diet for a recovering alcoholic? High protein, low carb, low fat? I read somewhere that if your diet is high protein (and if you have possible liver disease), that it could be problematic. What are your thoughts on this? This return to health is consuming my thoughts. Maybe I'm trying too hard, too soon.
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Baton
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As you all can see now, and from previous posts, I was also hiding out at home under another username...trying to glean all the information I could get. I'm sorry if you feel misled. Yes, I am also Floridagal. I was desperate for help. At least I got it. Forgive?
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Newark,DE
Posts: 404
Hi FG,
I would highly recomend you read "The Body Ecology Diet", while not specifically for alcoholism, it has benifits for counteracting the effects of alcohol. It presents some good explainations of one of the primary causes of cravings, not just for alcohol, but sweets and carbs. You can get a lot from their web site if you google it, but the book goes into more detail. I'm no expert, Wife is helping me with it, and it seems to help when I stick to it.
It's only natural to want this whole recover thing to be overwith just that quick, but as they say around here, you spent how many years walking into the woods? It may take that long to walk back you. Just be glad you seem to have caught it early.
As for your names, one of the Admin people can help you there, they dont bite and are very helpful.
Best,
Steve
I would highly recomend you read "The Body Ecology Diet", while not specifically for alcoholism, it has benifits for counteracting the effects of alcohol. It presents some good explainations of one of the primary causes of cravings, not just for alcohol, but sweets and carbs. You can get a lot from their web site if you google it, but the book goes into more detail. I'm no expert, Wife is helping me with it, and it seems to help when I stick to it.
It's only natural to want this whole recover thing to be overwith just that quick, but as they say around here, you spent how many years walking into the woods? It may take that long to walk back you. Just be glad you seem to have caught it early.
As for your names, one of the Admin people can help you there, they dont bite and are very helpful.
Best,
Steve
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
I know many alcoholics in erly recovery
who had success with following an eating plan .
Please Google hypoglycemia for information.
I followed the nutrition plan in
"Under The Influence" and it worked great!
Forward we go...side by side
who had success with following an eating plan .
Please Google hypoglycemia for information.
I followed the nutrition plan in
"Under The Influence" and it worked great!
Forward we go...side by side
Life the gift of recovery!
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Home is where the heart is
Posts: 7,061
Originally Posted by comeclean 
I read somewhere that if your diet is high protein (and if you have possible liver disease), that it could be problematic. What are your thoughts on this? .
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: New England
Posts: 95
I really struggled with diet and energy levels for a long time even before alcohol became an issue for me. Ove the past few years I've been researching and working on developing some good life habits around diet and exercise.
Regardless of which diet you end up on I highly recommend tracking what you eat for a few weeks. I use fitday.com (amazing site for tracking activity and food intake). Before I started tracking I had no idea what a 300-400 calorie meal or an 1800 cal/day diet would look like, and until you know you'll just be guessing as to whether your calorie intake is low enough to lose weight. It really starts to put portion sizes into perspective. One thing you may quickly realize is that more nutritious and less processed food tends to be lower on calories allowing you to eat more and feel more full.
As stated above its always recommended to speak with a doctor/nutritionist, but this is what has worked best for me:
1) Determine about how many calories my body needs to maintain (google for bmr calculator)
2) Divide that number by 6 and try to have 6 meals a day evenly spaced (3-4 hours apart) to add up to the maintaining level. 6 smaller meals is better than 3 big ones because it keeps your metabolism busy the entire day.
3) Exercise (could be as simple as walking every day)
With the above in place the rate at which you lose weight is based on the amount you exercise. You can drop the caloric value of your meals as well, but going too low can be counter productive because your body will not be getting the energy it needs from the food and will use up muscle instead (thereby lowering your metabolism).
The interesting thing about this is that it really doesn't matter what you eat, as long as it falls in the calorie requirements. What you'll find out really quick though is that processed and sugary foods will make for really tiny and unsatisfying meals. The more nutrient rich foods (fresh produce, whole grains, low fat high protein meats) you eat the larger the portion sizes become and the better you'll feel overall.
One thing to keep in mind in regards to any diet/activity change: it is typically not recommended to lose more than 10% of your body weight in a week. Its usually healthiest for your body to plan for a gradual change (though it kinda goes against the typical American "I want it now" attitude).
Regardless of which diet you end up on I highly recommend tracking what you eat for a few weeks. I use fitday.com (amazing site for tracking activity and food intake). Before I started tracking I had no idea what a 300-400 calorie meal or an 1800 cal/day diet would look like, and until you know you'll just be guessing as to whether your calorie intake is low enough to lose weight. It really starts to put portion sizes into perspective. One thing you may quickly realize is that more nutritious and less processed food tends to be lower on calories allowing you to eat more and feel more full.
As stated above its always recommended to speak with a doctor/nutritionist, but this is what has worked best for me:
1) Determine about how many calories my body needs to maintain (google for bmr calculator)
2) Divide that number by 6 and try to have 6 meals a day evenly spaced (3-4 hours apart) to add up to the maintaining level. 6 smaller meals is better than 3 big ones because it keeps your metabolism busy the entire day.
3) Exercise (could be as simple as walking every day)
With the above in place the rate at which you lose weight is based on the amount you exercise. You can drop the caloric value of your meals as well, but going too low can be counter productive because your body will not be getting the energy it needs from the food and will use up muscle instead (thereby lowering your metabolism).
The interesting thing about this is that it really doesn't matter what you eat, as long as it falls in the calorie requirements. What you'll find out really quick though is that processed and sugary foods will make for really tiny and unsatisfying meals. The more nutrient rich foods (fresh produce, whole grains, low fat high protein meats) you eat the larger the portion sizes become and the better you'll feel overall.
One thing to keep in mind in regards to any diet/activity change: it is typically not recommended to lose more than 10% of your body weight in a week. Its usually healthiest for your body to plan for a gradual change (though it kinda goes against the typical American "I want it now" attitude).
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Newark,DE
Posts: 404
Thentram,
Lots of good advice from you, another good plan to pick from.
"it is typically not recommended to lose more than 10% of your body weight in a week."
Are you sure about that, 10% sounds like a whole lot, I know there is a recomended number, but I thought it was around 2%. Just checking. (I wish I had to be careful of this...lol)
Steve
Lots of good advice from you, another good plan to pick from.
"it is typically not recommended to lose more than 10% of your body weight in a week."
Are you sure about that, 10% sounds like a whole lot, I know there is a recomended number, but I thought it was around 2%. Just checking. (I wish I had to be careful of this...lol)
Steve
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: New England
Posts: 95
Originally Posted by Steve58
Are you sure about that, 10% sounds like a whole lot, I know there is a recomended number, but I thought it was around 2%. Just checking. (I wish I had to be careful of this...lol)
Steve
Steve
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Baton rouge Louisiana
Posts: 11
Gosh, I had already figured up my 10%, and how fine I was going to look in 3 weeks. Just kidding. That's some great advice. I can't wait to get started. This bloat has me feeling like Mrs. Goodyear! If you do have some fluid accumulation, I wonder if exercise helps or hurts this symptom. I've got my doc appt in the am, and have lots of questions.
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: New England
Posts: 95
Typically, if your body is able to handle the exercise (you had mentioned BP issues before so its good to check with your doc) then it should be a good way to reduce the excess water. Typically, water retention is connected with the potassium and sodium balance and how they are processed by the kidneys. Exercise speeds up the body (to put it simply) allowing the organs to do their thing quicker. Further, reducing sodium in your diet can certainly help as well. Though its counter-intuitive you don't want to cut back on your water intake, its still important to get an appropriate amount of water every day.
I'm not a doctor, so certainly follow whatever they say. I'm just speaking based on both my research and experience. When it comes to feeling like crap after drinking, exercise and proper nutrition have always been the things that have gotten me back on my feet the quickest. For me they have been a big part in my recovery. The more I focus on treating my body right the less I think about alcohol as its pretty much the polar opposite.
I'm not a doctor, so certainly follow whatever they say. I'm just speaking based on both my research and experience. When it comes to feeling like crap after drinking, exercise and proper nutrition have always been the things that have gotten me back on my feet the quickest. For me they have been a big part in my recovery. The more I focus on treating my body right the less I think about alcohol as its pretty much the polar opposite.
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