Adult Beverages
Hey Friend! Sorry I didn’t write to you last week, but it was all kinds of crazy in the Overstreet House with the kids starting back to school (which also means I go back to work). Remember, for your own sake, it’s healthy to say “not right now” even to things you enjoy doing (like I enjoy sending these messages to you!).
Today let’s talk about alcohol: the effects it has/can have on your body and how to map it. If this topic doesn’t apply to you, because you choose not to consume alcohol, feel free to move on with your day…or send this to a friend who might be interested.
Keep in mind that I am not a registered dietician or medical professional. I’m simply sharing info that I have gleaned from other sources and sharing it with you to do with as you choose.
What we won’t do today is debate whether or not you should drink alcohol. That choice is yours and rooted in your own personal convictions, life experiences, and beliefs. I have a pretty extensive opinion on the subject (as I do most topics 😆) but this is not the proper format for that discussion. What I will say is this: it’s never a good choice to drink to the point of drunkenness. If you think you may be struggling in this area, please seek wise counsel for help. 💛
Moving on, let’s just highlight some of the negative ways alcohol consumption can affect your body/hinder weight loss. Knowledge is (will)power, right?
It affects your organs (For example, the primary function of the liver is to filter foreign substances that enter the body) and can cause inflammation.
It can hinder the quality of your sleep (remember sleep is a pillar of health).
It affects your judgement with food (among other things), often leading to overeating (among other things).
It can lead to dehydration and/or keep you from reaching your daily water intake goal. (Sip a glass of water while you are sipping that adult drink. It can help to slow your eating and help slow your total alcohol consumption.)
It is “empty” calories. Drinking your calories (even non-alcoholic) can put you in a caloric surplus (remember excess calories, a.k.a. energy is stored on your body as fat) without providing any nutritional benefit.
Now let’s have a lesson on how you count that drink, should you still choose to consume, in your macro map. First, you have to realize that while the macros are listed on the nutrition facts panel, that info does not account for the total number of calories you are consuming (because alcohol is not one of the three macros).
You can count your alcoholic drink in either it in either the Carb or Fat category, never Protein. I personally prefer they be counted in the Carb category.
Note: 1g of Carbohydrates equates to 4 calories. 1g of Fat equates to 9 calories.
In the example below, you see that one 12oz can of this hard seltzer is 100 calories. So, you would take 100 and divide that by 4 (converting the calories to what it would be in grams of carbs. That gives you 25g of “carbs”. One carb choice, for mapping purposes, is 15g. So 25 dived by 15 is 1.666. Therefore, to make sure I’m not underestimating, I would count this in your map as 2 Carb choices.
Nutrition Facts Panel for a popular hard seltzer.
Make sense? If not, reply to me with questions and I’ll help you as best I can.
If you have taken my macro mapping class, you know that the average women can consume anywhere from 8-10 carb choices (numbers can vary based on a variety of factors) to lose weight. As you can see, not accounting for these drinks can quickly add up and put you in a surplus. An obstacle in reaching your goals for sure and possibly a reason to decrease the frequency and/or volume of intake.
Hope this is a help!
Your Friend,