Wine and the carb connection

[chemlady]

Hi,
I'm Laurie and I used to think I was an alcoholic. Before I began low carb I used to drink a couple of glasses of wine a night. I said it was to help me sleep in the beginning. I had broken up from a bad relationship and since I was being stalked for a while it helped me become numb and sleep. The truth is that I was depressed and it just made me more depressed. I never thought I would stop the wine or could stop the nightly ritual. After that first couple of days of induction I realized that it was just another carb that I craved and I stopped just like that. I still have an occasional glass at a restaurant or when I am out somewhere for dinner but other than that I really don't drink it. I have started to have low carb beer now that the holiday parties are coming around. Theres only 2.6 carbs in a beer. I will tell you that on those occasions that I indulge I notice that the scale moves a lot slower. I try to keep it to a minumum. I feel so much better and getting up in the morning is alot easier for me. Dont believe that that glass or two is better for your health. With this way of eating your health is improved dramatically and you don't need the crutch.

[Luxsit]

Alcohol is a carb, but it is handled by the body somewhat differently than other carbs. The calories in Alcohol are burned first as energy, which delays ketosis until they all are consumed. The only good thing is that Alcohol calories are not converted to fat like breads, pastas, and rice. Alcohol serves to delay weight loss because the body is forced to burn these calories first. The other bad side effect is that it tends to lower inhibitions and therefore people sometimes eat things that are not on their diet.

Alcohol is also a diuretic and abuse of any diuretic can lead to kidney damage, cardiac arrhythmias, electroltye imbalance, heart palpitations, dehydration, fluid retention, headaches, potassium deficiency, and dizziness.

So a beer or glass of wine every now and then won't kill you, but it's going to slow down your weight loss, possibly cause you to make bad food choices. This is mostly why Atkins is against using alcohol.

Regards,
Lux :wave:

[Kristine]

Hi Laurie :wave:

I'm glad you found a way to limit your alcohol. :thup: I think carbs and alcohol are *very* closely tied. Alcohol, in addition to the effects Lux mentioned, messes up your blood sugar. Most diet plans that address alcoholism are carb controlled.

Take care.

[AnnetteW]

If you were a real alcoholic you'd be craving it now. I went through a time too when I drank too much (after my husband died) and asked a friend of mine about it (who had an alcoholic wife). His reply to me was "Do you have an open bottle of wine in the fridge?" and I said "yes". He said I wasn't an alcoholic then, if I were, it would have been drunk and the bottle in the trash. After that I relaxed.

I love wine, I adore wine, and I look forward to putting it back into my diet. But I also can go without it.

You're doing great.