Is Drinking Alcohol On Low-Carb Okay?

Is there a prohibition on drinking when you are livin' la vida low-carb?

Let me state up front that I am not a drinker. Well, yeah, I drink lots of water and diet soda, but I choose to refrain from drinking any alcoholic beverages.

My reasoning for this decision is plain and simple -- it goes against my moral beliefs that drinking alcohol is wrong based on my religious upbringing about what God would have me to do with my body.

Thinking about my view of drinking alcohol, it is a shame my position on that subject couldn't have been applied to all those years of sinful gluttony I engaged in with food that made me become obese, but that's a subject for another day! :-~

One of my readers wrote me an e-mail today and wanted to know what I thought about drinking alcohol while on the low-carb lifestyle. Since I am not a drinker, I don't have any firsthand knowledge of what effect drinking beer, wine, or champagne would have on the body when you are losing weight on low-carb.

While there are certainly many "low-carb" versions of beer and other adult drinks on the market, I would think the same rule would apply to anything you put in your mouth -- READ THE LABELS and don't allow yourself to go over your daily carb limit.

Here was her e-mail to me:

Hi Jimmy,

I've been battling getting rid of excess weight for 2 years. I had previously started low-carb, but then got scared off by 'do gooders' telling me it's so bad.

When I started reading your blog, though, it made me realize that this is the right lifestyle choice for me. I am able to stick to 30-40g of carbs without suffering or being hungry and I hope to see my weight drop doing this.

But I have one problem -- my husband and I live a very social life and there are lots of drinking events we like to attend. The problem is that I like to drink socially. Considering that alcohol is low in carbs and if I count each drop that I drink, am I allowed to consume alcohol and still lose weight? Or will alcohol slow down or stall my weight loss? Do you have any advice?

You have really encouraged me - thank you so much.

And here's to living la vida low-carb.

Cheers, my friend, and thank you for writing and sharing your kind comments with me. She has some great questions, doesn't she?

Here was my response:

THANK YOU for contacting me today and for sharing your question with me. It's a good one to ask and I am so glad you did. Let me attempt to answer it for you.

As a nondrinker, I don't have any firsthand knowledge of what effect alcohol consumption has when you are losing weight on low-carb. However, in my research for my book, I learned that drinking alcohol dehydrates your body and can cause it to become extremely thirsty. This thirst is sometimes misinterpreted as hunger and the body can begin craving sugar for example.

But I think as long as you keep a very close eye on the number of carbohydrates you are putting in your mouth and drinking just a few glasses of your favorite low-carb alcoholic beverage, then you should be fine with that.

Again, I personally would NOT drink, but that's a choice I have made for myself. Just like anything else, be careful about letting the drinking get out of control. Just like sugar and other carbs, alcohol can be very enticing when you are given just a taste of it. Know your own limits and don't allow yourself to go overboard.

Remember your goal of losing weight and let that drive you to do everything you can to get there. If you notice your weight is not coming off like you expected, then back off on the drinking for a few weeks to see if it makes a difference.

It'll be up to you which is more important -- losing weight or drinking. But it is quite possible the two can be compatible with each other as long as you keep the right balance.

THANKS again for writing and God bless you in your low-carb lifestyle!

The bottom line is this: DON'T LET ANYTHING STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUR SUCCESS! If something is causing you to falter, whether it is that sugary snack, the lack of desire to exercise, or alcohol, then make the necessary CHANGE immediately to see the results you want.

There is just no excuse good enough to allow any hindrance to be a stumbling block when you are trying to lose weight. If you BELIEVE you can ACHEIVE, then you will!

Gotta burning question for me? Drop me a line anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.