if wine=C is it ok to drink while dieting?

i tend to go out 2 nights a week for different functions...if white wine and champagne are C's... is it ok to use it for say... 50% of my calories that day if i eat A's otherwise? i pace myself and don't drive FYI. Just curious how this works.

Is it any different than eating Sunchips (C) or a SouthBeach Frozen Entree (C-)? Pickles and Heart of Palm are D's

i see that vodka, gin, etc are F's and stay away from them now

While I probably wouldn't recommend using up 50% of your calories by consuming wine, you have the right idea. Alcohol doesn't have much in terms of nutritional value, so they're empty calories. So for the rest of the day, make sure to eat really nutrient-dense foods. You can still drink wine while dieting, but be sure to keep it in check. You shouldn't drink as much as you would have if you weren't dieting, know what I mean? But it isn't going to curse you from weight loss!

As for vodka, gin, etc, you don't have to cut them out if they're what you enjoy. Just look at the big picture in terms of what's going into your body. Fuel your body with the good things it needs first, and then allow yourself the things you want. Just like sooooo many others say, "everything in moderation". Drink up!

Alcohol has no nutritional value, so using it for half of your calories is probably not a good idea. Let's just say you were eating 1500 calories. If you only actually eat 750 and then get 750 from wine and champagne, there is no way you are getting the recommended amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals.

Also, I think the grading system is just a starting point. Just because two items have the same nutritional grade doesn't mean that you can substitute one for the other. In your example, the South Beach Entree probably has WAY more nutrients than the wine, even though it has a lower grade. The grade for the South Beach Entree is mostly likely lower due to high levels of sodium.

I would suggest looking less at the grades and more at the other nutritional information. If you input all of your food into CC, it will provide stats on your daily intake of carbs/proteins/fats, sodium, sugars, etc. You want to make sure that you are eating healthfully.

thanks. i see what you mean. i want to be able to have my drinks once or twice a week (summertime alas), but also know if it has an effect on dieting. i also think i could drink wine-spritzers which could cut the calories.

BIG question...how do you determine the amount of carbs/protein/fats and sodium you should have in a day on 1500 cals?

why is wine a C and vodka, gin, etc F??

This site is soooo cool. i really appreciate the input.

Maybe it is just me but I never log my alcohol on the weekends when I go out for friends. I just make sure to make healthy choices prior to that night out.

Wine is actually low cal compared to girly drinks.

I also get rum or vodka and diet soda.

I also have never noticed that this has hendered my maintanence.

i tend to agree with others on the wine thing..although i might be biased because as ive mentioned on many a posts here, i do love my evening glass of wine.  but everything in moderation (although some weekends..maybe more than moderation.. hehe), and you should be fine.  i also save a few calories at the end of my day for alcohol, as i dont really eat sweets or desserts.  so i just think of it as my dessert!  as others have said, just make sure you get enough of your other nutrients through healthy foods during the day.  i make sure to get plenty of veggies and fruits during the day..and hey, grapes are fruits.  just kidding.

so i say, get your nutrition in for the day, and then cheers!  :)

here's another question...this may be too technical?

would there be a significant difference in weight loss if i maintained say a B or B- in my "analysis"? how much affect do the C's and D's make?

i am trying to be really "true" to my diet and want to log everything so that i can try and figure out where my greatest problems are to fix. the wine adds up, just how much is the question i want to answer.

WINE VS EXERCISE...

is it better if i want to drink my drinks...to add those additionally to my daily calorie requirements (carbs, protein, etc) and use EXERCISE to take off those particular wine calories?? HAHHH maybe that is the ticket?? Lifting reps hand to mouth doesn't count LOL I'm really asking for it now :^>

You seem very determined to keep drinking... :-)  The bottom line is that alcohol isn't a food and there's more going on than calories.  It's an enjoyable thing in moderation but, once you go over the recommended 14 units a week you're actually starting to harm yourself in worse ways than a few extra lbs.  Burning off booze with exercise isn't a good solution.  The 'George Best' syndrome... fit as a flea, dead by 59. 

Try not drinking alcohol at all for just a week or so.  It's not all that long a period of time and it's a good way to temporarily break the habit and find other things to drink.   You'll find your weight-loss is encouraging and that should spur you on to drink less on a regular basis.

On the 'B' or 'C' question..... the more wholesome your diet, the easier it is to eat less food.  100 cals of banana is more satisfying, for example, than 100 cals of chocolate biscuits.   People with diets that are poor nutritionally tend to eat more volume (and are therefore fatter) than those who have better diets.  "Eat clean, stay lean"... etc.

i eat healthy A's & B's for the most part. but i am not losing weight in 3 weeks. i have lost inches and can feel my leg muscles tightening from biking.

is 14 units=14drinks? i don't go over that :^>

see the thing is, i live in "The Hamptons" and we wait all year for the summer season (which is just starting). Almost every weekend there is something going on and drinks are always a center.

some people say in order to lose weight you must cut out all alcohol, while i am finding people say WINE doesn't make that big of difference. so, i want to be aware and take the best measures to maintaining my diet. if it has a drastic effect on my diet i could cut it...otherwise, i would rather enjoy. i looked up wine spritzers and they are less calories

 

14 units is about 7 standard glasses of wine.

Stay away from the 2 buck chuck.  Spend more on each bottle.  That's pretty effective for cutting me back to a 3-4 oz glass a day, which I count as 70 calories.  Empty calories, yes, but so is a Snickers bar at five times the calories.  And that little glass goes on and on, all through dinner, while the bar is gone in a couple of gulps.

Oh for a glass of good dry red bordeaux right now....or a barolo....or a Walla Walla cab.....or an Oregon pinot..... 

THHQ...

Snickers..my point exactly! and there are plenty of foods that count as C's, so i'd rather allocate that to wine. unless anyone has a compelling pose.

My husband is BIG on Barolo's...i've heard about these Oregon pinot's but haven't tried...never heard of Walla Walla? Champagne Taittinger is my choice of drink, otherwise white burgundy's and sauvignons.

i thought red wine was much worse than whites but that doesn't show on CC?

CHEERS

Ok, first of all, wine is about 100 cals per glass.  so assuming you are on the minimum recommended cals of 1200, that is six glasses of wine???  that seems a lot ;)

Some people will say that alcohol slows metabolism, hurts weight loss, etc.  but I think the big thing is the empty calories.  for example, if you have a 500 calorie meal with water, you are at 500 cals.  have the same meal with 2 glasses of wine.  700 cals.  you are still only as "full" as before, but 200 calories more for the day.  As long as you don't find yourself hungry, and eating over your daily cals, I say enjoy the alcohol.

oh, and if you get drunk, you may get the munchies and say to heck with my diet, i'm toasted! :)

"i thought red wine was much worse than whites but that doesn't show on CC?"

Red wine actually has many health benefits that you don't get with white wine. In fact, a study came out today that found that drinking one glass of red wine each day may actually extend your life.

(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/health/rese arch/04aging.html?em&ex=1212811200&en =08579ec468456085&ei=5087%0A)

Certainly, as long as you get enough nutrients from food, I see nothing wrong with having a few glasses of wine. Even if half your calories come from wine a couple days a week, as long as the rest of the week, you're doing OK nutritionally. Red wine has many health benefits and accompanies many summer foods quite well.

I lead a very active life on the weekends and burn a ton of calories, so I enjoy a glass of wine or two on a Saturday night. I've never noticed a lack of weight loss as a result.

I try to not drink during the work week, and if I've been really good diet wise and healthy food wise during that time, and am showing a weight loss (Friday am is Weighday) then my glasses of wine over the weekend are my reward.