Blew it with alcohol...or did I?
 

Yesterday, I was doing so well on low carbing. Then a friend came over with a bottle of vodka (she already knows that I can only drink distilled liquor, if anything) and diet tonic. We sat around and talked all night. By the time we were done, I had drunk about 12 oz of vodka.

Not only that, but my upstairs neighbor makes wine. After my friend left, I heard him in the basement, and went down and sat around while he pressed grapes. Of course, he opened a bottle, and I had a couple of glasses of red wine.

My head hurts from mixing. :roll:

However, the diet I had planned for the day never came to be, and I just snacked on some summer sausage and cheese instead, which are very low carbohydrate.

In short, my total calorie intake remained below 2000 and my carbs were around 13.

This morning, hungover, I got on the scale thinking I was bloated (as I tend to get at times when I drink) and expected to feel bad about my weight going up again, but found I had lost another pound!

So, while I blew it, I continued to lose and do okay. So, let's just say I have mixed feelings right now. I feel like crap because I shouldn't have drunk so much and because according to fitday, half my calories came from alcohol! Yet, I feel good that I am continuing to lose.

Now, gotta go nurse this hangover..... :doah:

Re: Blew it with alcohol...or did I?
 

It's more likely that you're dehydrated from the alcohol, don't be surprized if that pound is back tomorrow. Be sure to get extra water in today for the hangover and to deal with potential water retention in the aftermath.

Also, not sure if you're aware, but tonic is a no-no, it's loaded with carbs ( I used to adore gin and tonics.. :()

Hope you're feeling better,
Nat

Carbs in tonic....?
 

Nat, I just double checked the bottle based on your comment.

It is "Schweppes Diet Tonic" and contains 0 g, 0% carbs. There is a bit of sodium, but other than that, all the numbers are 0.

I've gotten into the habit of not buying any product unless it says 0% for the carbs. That way, even with hidden carbs, I feel I'm relatively low on it.

I'm wondering, based again on your comment, that if it is true that tonic (even diet) is loaded with carbs, then does this mean I cannot trust the labels on the products I buy?

Re: Carbs in tonic....?
 

I have never seen diet tonic, tikerberi, so I can't say for sure. I'd be interested though in checking it out.... what brand do you use?

I think you can trust the labels, running them through the hidden carb count might be interesting though. Is it sweetened with aspartame or splenda?

Nat

Hi

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in. A couple of weeks ago I went out with a friend for her birthday and we consumed vast amounts of alcohol, mainly whiskey-diet coke and vodka-diet tonic ( doesn't it taste awful ?). I also managed to have the odd pint of water in between. Next day I had the hangover from hell, but lost 2lbs :D . Must have been the amount of liquid I drunk ! This must have been about 5l for the whole day :D . But the hangover was just too much and took much longer to disappear. It wasn't the ususal headache (actually had hardly any), but I was still drunk until the next evening !! Urgh !
I haven't touched any sprirts since. Just the odd glass of wine on Sundays :(

We call this .... the cheap LC drunk ladies.....LOL

We had a discussion on booze a few months earlier and we have all found we are cheap drunks now since LCing.... and save money.....LOL

With the weight, it doesn't seem to affect mine too much, but does bring on cravings :( (which can be the cause for my stalls lately!)

Sweetner in diet tonic....
 

I checked the label, Nat, and found that the only reference to a sweetner is sodium saccharin.

While some may not like it, I find it just fine...and it says 0g/0% of carbs on the bottle.

Well...I also have had my experience with alcohol and LCing...

I drank (this was my first on LC- it was Homecoming:) diet - caffine free coke with vodka and some fresh lemon....not bad, not bad at all...

My point is that when I got on the scale the next morning...I had lost a pound, I had consistantly lost a pound each day of my Induction. However, the following day after I drank tons of water and kept my carbs super low, I had gained a pound...and today I had stayed the same weight:(

My analysis is that I think there is a delayed affect on your weight and it pretty much stalls you (well, me), but I 'm no dr.

Good Luck,
Erin

You're right Erin. When we experience a slip / cheat or whatever you want to call it, the results are not immediately seen the following day on the scales. Just as we dont lose 3 lbs of fat overnight, we don't gain it. It can take a few days for it to show up. Drinking plenty of water and getting back on track right away are of course the best bets.

Nat

The alcohol makes your body produce ketones because it uses the alcohol for fuel before your own fat so while you won't gain, you won't lose either. (Unlless you are drinking high sugar content alcohol) Red wine is, I believe the lowest in carbs.

But the worst thing with drinking is the lowered resistence to temptation . I get intense carb cravings for salty snacks if I so must as taste alcohol.

the other interesting issue is about the physiology of addiction. A lot of people in the alcoholism treatment world are now thinking that it's sugar addiction that is the underlying cause of alcohol addiction and that the alcohol is just an efficient way to feed the same beast. Certainly many newly sober alcoholics trade in the alcohol for sugar and caffeine--which you can witness at any local AA meeting! If a shortage of, or a poor usage of, certain neurotransmitters is behind the desire for both carbs and booze, then having one or the other should do the same self-medicating and cause the same long-time problems, not allowing the brain to recover to its healthiest possible state. (This is part of the Potatoes not Prozac's author's attack on sugar addiction and depression.)

reading about a hangover gives me half of one, I swear! ;) take care of yourself, Tikerberi.

LC and alcohol
 

I've had a heavy drinking evening twice on LC (once on this try, once on a previous try) and my experiences have been rather different! Firstly, both times have been with a carby dinner at the beginning, then continuing to drink wine late into the night. What I've found is I simply don't get drunk!

I get very mildly merry, but no more, and eventually just stop drinking when my stomach tells me it's full thankyouverymuch. Once I stop I sober up almost completely very quickly, most odd!

I've also noticed I don't crave that supper-time beer any more, either, which has to be a good thing :)

Oh yeah, and no hangover either (but I always ensure I drink at least a pint of water before sleeping and another on waking).

No doubt next time we have a get together this will be proved wrong... :daze:

So Tell Me
 

Can I have A few Burbons (jim beam) with diet pepsi PLEASE!!

If not theres a big bridge just down the road and I not afraid
To use it..... LOL

But really Can I or Can`t I

If it is worth doing it`s worth doing right!!!

blew it - or did I?
 

I wonder about that, too, Tikerberi. Because I too can be down a pound after a little too much celebrating. I wonder if alcohol dehydrates you and that accounts for the apparent weight loss.

Any other ideas out there?