Alcohol & Weight Loss

Was gonna put this as a comment to Alyssa's last post, but then I realized it was the size of a small novel (maybe a novella?) and I should put it in a separate post. Also, do people read the comments? I find myself forgetting they are there and just responding in a post...though I do occasionally make a comment, I never remember to see if other people have commented...

Anyway, regarding alcohol: I'm not positive, but I think wine (red or white) is approx 20 cals per ounce. There's all these differences between a "sweet" wine (more sugar, more calories) and a "dry" wine, as well as between white and red, but I think a decent average is 20 cals/ounce. So, if you have a 4-5 ounce glass that's about 80-100 cals.

My understanding is that alcohol is its own category (not one of the three macronutrients: carbs, fat, or protein), and my understanding is that those calories get burned first in your body. Meaning, if there are alcohol calories they will get burned before the protein, carbs, or fat you ate as well as before your body works on burning the extra fat stored in your body. So, theoretically, drinking alcohol will mean you aren't burning as much fat as if you didn't drink the alcohol. I could be totally wrong, though, as I have tried to read a lot on this topic (alcohol) and still don't think I really "get it."

Seriously, though, it seems like as long as you are "counting" it as part of your program (WW, food journaling, conscious eating, whatever!), and noting that it is taking up some calories (points, picks, volume, whatever), then I really think it is just as if you were to eat something else with 100 calories (like a 100-cal pack of cookies or some fruit juice...). Ie., 100 calories is 100 calories. Granted certain things will make you feel better, fill you up more, provide nutrients, affect your immune system, and many other good things, blah, blah, blah, but if you are eating 1,500 calories one day and 1,500 calories the next day (or 26 WW points and 26 WW points, etc.) and one of the days includes 300 cals (or 6 points, or whatever) of wine and the other had those 300 cals (or 6 points) as whole wheat bread, it is still 300 cals (or 6 points)! That is just my understanding, though!