Alcohol Calories versus Food Calories

Is alcohol safe to drink on a diet if you make up for it by eating less? I love a good beer or wine with dinner or after dinner. I dont like light beers, I'm more into the craft and darker brews, but I know those are around 170 to 200 cals compared to Bud light's 100. I tried jack and Diet coke, but thought it tasted horrible, nothing like the original jack and coke Can I just make up for the calories in alcohol by eating less on days i drink... or are alcohol calories not really equivalent to food calories? I've heard alcohol slows down your metabolism, but for how long and if you were done eating for the day and had a beer after dinner would it matter how fast your metabolism was running after you drank anyway? Thoughts???

There is nothing wrong with enjoying a good craft beer. Light beer tastes like wees. You can totally budget a drink into your day's calories. HOWEVER, don't do what I've done in the past and substitute your food with booze completely. There's bugger-all nutrition to be gained from alcoholic drinks so make sure they're a nice treat on top of a well-balanced diet. =) And honestly, the VERY occasional blowout where you drink a bit more than you were planning to wont hurt you. Just don't do it every day!

I dont know of all the science behind it, although I have heard alcohol calories are different than food. I agree with ferlengheti, dont skimp yourself on food to fit in the booze, it may lead to a bad situation, lol. Drinking on an empty stomach is not good.

I tend to go overboard, drink too much, eat too much, and then the whole weekend is toast as far as my diet journey. So now I minimize my sessions to maybe once a month. I too dont like light beer, and the good beers have lots of calories. I can stick to my healthy lifestyle quite easily these days, not so much when I hangover is involved. lol

If your just starting out, more than one diet plan, and challenge on fatsecret has suggested cutting out all alcohol for 30 days. I did, and it worked quite well in kicking my weight loss into high gear.

Nothing wrong with it at all. Calories are calories. You can eat anything in moderation. Eat a variety of foods and have your beer too. Calories in calories out.

With the amount of weight you need to lose, I would rather limit your alcohol for the time being. It should not take you very long to lose it if you follow a reasonable plan. Alcohol is processed differently by your body, and it can change your hormonal response. In addition to that it can impair your judgement about the quantity of food you eat. We are all different, and some people can lose weight while drinking, others are more sensitive and will stall. Part of the benefits of tracking your calories, is the fact that you can go back to your notes and analyze the data. If you notice that you do not lose weight while drinking alcohol, cut it out. If you find out that you are OK, and still lose weight while having an occasional drink, enjoy your beer.

If memory serves alcohol is metabolized more quickly than carbohydrates, fats, and protein. That's not necessarily a bad thing and I think it is fine to relax with a bottle of beer or a glass of wine after a particularly stressful day at work. Alcohol can do funny things to your blood sugar though. If you're like me then one beer turns into six and then I'm ravenously hungry for whatever is handy.