south beach diet/atkins question.. what would happen if...?!? - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

laur18 · 10-04-2003, 09:16 AM

i am very interested in starting either Atkins, or the south beach diet.. only drinking alcohol (mainly beer) is a pretty routine thing for me on the weekends, and im not ready to give it up..

what would happen if i did atkins or south beach, but then just drank alcohol like once or twice a weekend. would i still lose weight, just not as much? or would it completely backfire, and would i gain weight?

any ideas??

thanks

vegasgirlkelly · 10-04-2003, 12:05 PM

Definitley drinking while on the Atkins diet will slow your weight loss (I'm not sure about the South Beach diet). Something to consider if you're not ready to give up beer is low-carb beer such as Michelob Ultra. You are able to have carbs on the Atkins (just not during the induction phase/first 2 weeks). There are also other alcoholic beverages that are low-carb such as Crystal Lite and vodka. I've also heard of a recipe for a low-carb margarita if you're interested (no salt). Just a thought.

Shane S · 10-04-2003, 01:07 PM

Drinking, irregardless of its other health risks, is going to slow your weight loss on any diet because of the amount of calories alcohol contains. You need to make a decision which is more important to you. You don't necessarily need to give up alcohol entirely, but it shouldn't be a regular thing either.

Michelob Ultra is pretty much just clever marketing targeting the new low carb rage. Michelob Ultra contains just 1 less calorie and 0.6 grams of carbs less than Miller Lite. Nonetheless, either is quite an improvement over regular beer.

Rogue · 10-05-2003, 03:30 PM

Actually, it's not so much the calories in alcoholas the alcohol itself that will slow your weight loss progress.

Even if you count the alcohol calories into your daily intake - and make room for them - the a;cohol will slow your progress.

This is because of the way your body "processes' the alcohol. It is a toxin and your body will try to deal with it before it deals with anything else. This means that any food you've eaten that has to be digested will be put on hold - and may be stored as fat as a consequence.

laur18 · 10-06-2003, 10:22 AM

so just to clarify.. i would still lose weight, it would just take a lot longer??

thanks for everyones help!