Wednesday Question: Whats are your preferences on alcoholic beverages when eating low-carb?

Posted by Ryan Robitaille in Alcohol, Lifestyle, Low-Carb, QuestionAug 5th, 2009 | Comments

Ah yes, summertime (cue that old school Will Smith song) – backyard BBQs, 4th of July and Labor Day parties, and all the rest of the seasonal festivities. We all know what this usually means… Drinks and beers aplenty. Now I’m not here to stand on a soapbox about drinking – we all know the ins and outs of drinking – its a personal choice and everyone (over 21 anyways) can make their choice on that matter.

But the truth is, you CAN drink on a low-carb diet and still not be “cheating”. However, There are 2 big caveats / rules to that however.

  1. Alcohol has to be processed by the liver and takes precedence over anything else (since the body thinks that its being poisoned, which is food for thought on its own) - so it will stall your weight loss (and ketosis obviously) for a bit of time depending on how much you drink. That means even if you only drink vodka all night (which doesn’t have any carbs in it), it still has to be metabolized.
  2. If it has carbohydrates in it – it counts for your daily total!

Personally, I like dry red wine (3-4g per glass generally) but will also go for a Miller Lite (3g), Michelob Ultra (3g) or a Captain and Diet Coke (0g) in a pinch.

So given that – here is the question:

What do you guys (and gals) drink when you’re faced with the choice? Also, how much have you found alcohol affects you in your weight loss efforts?

Related posts:

  1. Wednesday Question: What is your biggest hurdle in eating low-carb for life?
  2. Wednesday Question: What turned you on to low-carb living & where did you first go for info?
  3. Wednesday Question: What is your favorite low-carb website / blog / forum?
  4. Wednesday Question: How often do you weigh yourself?
  5. Wednesday Question: What is your favorite low-carb treat?

  • leeinnashville
    Admittedly, I am a moderate to heavy drinker, consuming alcohol 3 to 6 days per week, depending on my mood and schedule (I only drink at home -- no risk of DUI). I like flavored vodka mixed with seltzer water (club soda). According to my research, the flavored vodkas don't have carbs either and they give the seltzer water flavor so that I don't have to use a diet soda as a mixer.

    It's very important to remember that not only will overconsumption of alcohol stall your weight loss, but it will also dehydrate you.
  • Name
    I read somewhere that Captain Morgan has a few carbs, so I usually just stick to Whiskey and water/Diet Coke. Vodka isn't bad sometimes either though.
  • I've actually heard that too... I think it depends on the kind. It might be the "spiced rum" that has a few carbs, while the clear, more purified stuff doesn't. Either way, good stuff.

    So you're a Wild Turkey on the rocks kinda guy? Hardcore. : )
  • Name
    "On the rocks" isn't too bad at all. I figure it's bad enough I'm drinking alcohol, might as well try to limit that chemical diet-soda as much as I can.
  • Sara Robitaille
    Tanqueray and diet 7up is my 0 carb drink of choice, but no where has diet 7up/Sprite, so if I'm out I go with Bacardi Limon and diet Coke which is only 2 per serving. :)
  • Single malt scotch -- one shot a year, for my birthday. The only grain I still ingest :)
  • Hah, nice. Sometimes you just have to indulge and enjoy the finer things in life. :)
  • deanmc
    If I just need to unwind from a long week at work usually a shot or two of Petrone or some other high quality tequilla does the trick. Sometimes I'll squeeze and orange and a lime and mix it in. If I have a beer (which isn't very often) it's usually a Guiness which actually has fewer carbs than most other beers. I agree with Gwennie, something about summertime, I go pretty much all winter long w/o drinking any form of alcohol. We'll see if that changes as I've started drinking a glass of red wine with my Sunday dinner.
  • JATIV
    I'm not a big drinker except when I really want to get drunk every 2, 3 years or so.

    That being said I'll drink socially with friends. Have a beer at a BBQ, margarita after mt. biking with friends, have wine with dinner during a date, Stranahan's Colorado whiskey with the guys...you get the idea.

    I agree with qwennie, alcohol shuts down my fat burning and even knocks down my immune system a bit.

    Red wine is probably the least offensive for me or at least I like to think I'm getting some anti-oxidant protection from it.

    JT
  • Hey JT, yeah I agree with you on the immune system weakness. It seems that whenever I tend to go overboard and get drunk, I will inevitably get sick a day or two after... even though normally I very rarely get sick at all. I'm sure its not simply a coincidence!

    I've had Stranahans Colorado Whiskey once (you don't see it on the east coast much - or at least *I* don't) and that's some quality stuff.
  • Haha... I always get that earworm whenever someone says "summertime", too.

    When I feel like having some alcohol, I'm probably more inclined to depart from LC entirely and have a full-fledged beer. I enjoy beer more than wine and since either one will leave me feeling a little bloated in the morning, I figure I'll have what I like best. If I have any alcohol at all, I will definitely not wake up even an ounce lighter than the day before, no matter what I ate that day.

    That said, we don't often keep beer around the house.
  • Yeah, we don't keep it in the house either - just because it'll get drank for little to no reason and the carbs add up and will wreck my day. Besides, the more alcohol I drink the more apt I am to REALLY cheat and order a pizza or something.

    Like they say - Alcohol is a gateway drug.... to more CARBS! :)
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