Current weight: 280.2 lbs,
Total weight loss: 25.6 lbs.
Some Observations on Alcohol
It’s hard to believe that I just pasted the halfway mark of this wellness endeavor challenge. I am over the hump!
Of course, this isn’t just about these 100 days. It’s about improving my health and wellbeing for the long run. And making changes and developing habits that will help me achieve that goal.
I’m still not certain what will happen on Day 101. But – I am happy with the progress I have made so far and how I’ve been feeling overall.
Recently, I started thinking about alcohol, and how it affects me generally and on this 100-day challenge.
My guidelines include having alcohol up to once a week. However, I generally have been having it twice a week and, very occasionally, more than this. Now, this is still less than what I was drinking before, but I have been surprised that the once a week limit was harder to achieve than expected.
I’ve been trying to read a little about alcohol and it’s effects on diet and weight. It turns out that the relationship between alcohol and weight isn’t so straightforward.
I was a bit surprised to discover how calorie dense alcohol is. (Just plain alcohol – not sugary drinks like a delicious mojito. Or margarita. Or kahlua and cream.). Some consider alcohol a macronutrient as it has 7 kcal per gram – right behind fat (9 kcal/gram) and almost twice as much as carbohydrate and protein (4 kcal/gram each). Because there is no way to store alcohol once it is consumed, its oxidation takes priority over the other macronutrients.
Some Observations on Alcohol
About halfway through this challenge, I have noticed a couple of interesting things regarding alcohol. These are my personal (non-scientific) observations:
1. Overall, I do seem to crave it less.
I haven’t been craving it as much. Before, I would often drink several nights a week – Friday and Saturday, and usually once or twice during the week after work. Now most of the time it was just one drink, but occasionally it was more.
I began to realize that I started thinking about it more: wanting it earlier in the evening (after all, it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere!); having it more often during the week; and using it more and more for stress relief.
2. I drink less of it.
When I do drink, I drink less than I used to at one sitting. I’m not sure if that has to do with tolerance or if a ketogenic diet makes me more sensitive to alcohol. Either way, I think it’s probably a good thing.
3. It acts like a diuretic.
All else being equal, alcohol definitely acts as a diuretic for me (that means it makes me pee more and can add to dehydration). I never really noticed this before. Maybe because my drinks would usually be accompanied by loads of carbohydrates that would make me retain fluid and counterbalance the diuretic effect.
This does explain why I’m often thirstier the next morning. I can see why it’s important to remember to drink more water when I drink alcohol.
4. I’m able to stay in nutritional ketosis.
I’m not certain how alcohol affects nutritional ketosis, but I’m happy to say that I am able to have a non-sugary drink once or twice a week and still be in ketosis. At least I am first thing the next morning (I’ve never actually checked immediately after drinking, but that may be an interesting experiment).
It’s quite possible that my weight loss would go faster with no alcohol, especially if the calories from alcohol are used preferentially over the calories from food. In fact, I could probably test this theory one of these weeks by completely abstaining from alcohol for a week or two. Maybe I will try that out of curiosity. But for the time being, I’m happy to enjoy an occasional drink.
5. It seems to be an integral part of my social and work life.
Part of the problem in limiting alcohol may be that it seems to be an integral part of my social and work life. I never really noticed this before, but I shouldn’t be surprised. While I do have friends and colleagues that don’t drink alcohol at all, I would say most do.
When I’m at a dinner or work function, it is so easy to drink socially – a glass of wine at dinner, a cocktail at happy hour. Some of the drinking I do is probably more out of habit than enjoyment. This is probably not the best motivation and makes for a poor habit – similar to eating out of boredom or while watching TV. Anyway – this motivation is something I should keep an eye on.
6. It can make me want to eat more.
Occasionally, I have noticed that drinking can trigger some cravings. Nothing major and for the most part nothing I succumbed to. When this temptation did occur, it was usually in the setting of social outings when there was a lot of food around. And if I did eat, I tried to stay with foods that were ok on a ketogenic diet.
I can definitely see how increased alcohol intake could increase food consumption, even if the data on this relationship aren’t so definite. And for now, this is something to watch. I certainly don’t want to do anything that will jeopardize this wellness endeavor.
Day #52:
Current weight: 280.2 lbs
Total weight loss: 25.6 lbs
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