Bourbon and lettuce?

[MarkB]

I have a question for you learned imbibers-- about how many calories are in, say, one shot of bourbon? I'm on a diet and my wife is quick to point out (repeatedly, I might add) that any good I'm doing by cutting down on the Cheetos, etc. (man, I love those things) won't do me a bit of good unless I curb or halt (the horror!) all alcohol intake.

So does it come to this-- either eat, or sip a fine Bourbon? Making a choice... does this mean I need to give up food entirely? (ha!).

In the last couple of weeks I've already lost almost 15lbs, by the way, just by watching what I eat, and I haven't cut down on the Bourbon consumption much at all (I've slimmed down to about 166lbs of whoop-ass now. I also excersize regularly).

I'm sorry to have to ask this, but-- just how fattening is lovely 1843, Wathen's, Knob Creek, et al?

Mark
http://jazztrpt.freeservers.com

[Paradox]

Well, in an ounce of Jack Daniels, there are about 72 calories, no carbohydrates (sugar or starch), gluten, fats, or cholesterol, because they are removed in the distilling process. This info can be found here , on Jack Daniels website. That no carb/sugar thing is before the body is done converting it all though...

[jeff]

Leslie, who is a dietician, would be quick to point out that alcohol is metabolized as a sugar/carbohydrate and you have to treat it as such for food exchanges. I'll ask her about calories and stuff tonight.

[cowdery]

The calories in whiskey come exclusively from the alcohol, so the calorie content of a particular drink depends on the amount of absolute alcohol it contains. 90 proof bourbon is about 74 calories an ounce. 100 proof is higher, 80 proof is lower. You get the idea.

[ratcheer]

Before I read the other responses, here is my experience. I am on the Atkins diet (low carb). Alcohol is technically not a carbohydrate, however it is very closely related.

I have been able to have a shot of bourbon several times a week without affecting my weight loss progress. In the book, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, he says you can try it and see if it affects your progress. If it does no harm, then you are allowed to drink it, but probably not as much as you want.

Tim

[bluesbassdad]

Mark,

As someone who has lost 15 lbs. in a couple weeks, you might just as well be giving advice as asking for it, when it comes to how to lose weight.

If anything, you may be dropping weight a bit too quickly. As I recall from some of the many lectures I have received from my doctors over the last 10-15 years, a rate of loss of one to three pounds a week gives the body time to adjust and minimizes the loss of muscle tissue along with the fat.

If I figure correctly, you started your current effort at about 180 lbs., which you apparently considered to be excessive. I, on the other hand, am not that svelte even in my dreams. You are doing the right thing by responding decisively right away rather than letting the situation get so far out of hand that it seems hopeless (as I have done). At 250 lbs., give or take a rack of ribs with all the trimmings, and at age almost-60 years, I have discovered to my horror that even gentle, long walks can wreak havoc on old foot injuries, cartilege-deficient knee joints. and self-fused lumbar vertabrae.

Whatever you decide regarding how much bourbon you will allow yourself to drink, you can still make it a rewarding experience. After all, if you decide to drink half as much, then you can afford to spend up to twice as much per bottle.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[Black85L98]

Congrats on the weight loss! I have never been able to drink and lose at the same time. I must drink too much or my system burns the Alc and stores the fat. I have been holding at 230 but would love to be 210. I think it is going to take exercise.... darn I need a drink now.

[CL]

I am on a low carb diet permanently. (I have adult diabetes in the family and want to prevent myself from getting it.) For me, bourbon definitely slows the weight loss if it doesn't stop it completely. The other downside is that, after a couple drinks, I am much more likely to succumb to snacking. Even if the snacks are low carb snacks, they still have extra calories you don't need after having three normal meals.

If I remember what I read in the latest version of the original Atkins Diet book (2002), the body will burn alcohol before it burns fat. Therefore, adding alcohol will slow the weight loss, though it won't mess up the metabolism like carbs will.