Alcohol?

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

Obviously, beer type drinks are out of the question. But anybody know what's in whiskey? Tequila?

[mission to lose]

No alcohol is allowed on induction. I miss my Martini.

Not until rung #5
Wine and other spirits low in carbs
Spirits
White Wine
Red Wine
Low-carbohydrate Beer

[chinadoll]

No alcohol is allowed until you have reached Rung 5 on Ongoing Weight Loss. Here is a brief (an incomplete) list of the stages before alcohol.

Induction
Rung One- 5gr extra vegetables
Rung Two - 5 more gr including Dairy
Rung Three-5 more, Nuts
Rung Four - 5 more, Berries and Some melons
Rung Five - 5 gr more, Spirits and other alcohol.

You might want to read the 2002 Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution so that you understand the processes and why Ongoing Weight Loss is set up in this manner.

[nimbinpaul]

I miss my scotch and soda!!
What Im wondering is... if whiskey has almost zero carbs and Im allowed to add in 5g on that rung.... thats an AWFUL lot of alcohol. Might be fun for a night but not for a sustainable way of living.

The other thing Ive heard is that while there is alcohol in the system then fat is not burned, so even though the whiskey has hardly any carbs, it will slow down weight loss just because it nudges out the fat burning...???? Right??

[sallyseachange]

The body will burn alcohol in preference to other "fuels" if alcohol has been consumed, therefore it slows losses. It won't knock you out of ketosis, but it will mess up the results of the ketostix and make readings unreliable.

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by chinadoll

Rung Three-5 more, Nuts

Unlike other foods, nuts are not added in 5-net-carb amounts. A serving size of nuts is one ounce, and that's how we reintroduce them in OWL. An exception is cashews, which are limited to 1/2 oz.

Originally Posted by nimbinpaul

What Im wondering is... if whiskey has almost zero carbs and Im allowed to add in 5g on that rung.... thats an AWFUL lot of alcohol. Might be fun for a night but not for a sustainable way of living.

Oil has 0 carbs. You can drink a whole bottle of it and still be below your carb level. Yet, I doubt you guzzle a whole bottle.

Same with vodka.

Common sense should dictate how much you drink.

Originally Posted by sallyseachange

It won't knock you out of ketosis

Technically, this is correct... meaning that if you are in ketosis from following Atkins and then drink alcohol, you will continue to make ketone bodies. However, temporarily, the ketone bodies will be the result of the oxidation of secondary alcohols to ketones---not the result of fat burning---because alcohol decreases the amount of free fatty acids that can be utilized by the liver.

Since Dr. Atkins tells us that "ketosis is a secondary process of lipolysis" and lipolysis is "burning your fat for energy", someone who drinks alcohol will not be in ketosis according to Dr. Atkins' definition of the term, because he/she will not be burning primarily fat for energy.

Another thing to keep in mind is that alcohol inhibits gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis is the process by which glucose is created from non-carbohydrate sources (e.g., protein). It is an important metabolic pathway for low carbers, because certain body parts (e.g., some brain tissues, parts of the retina, red blood cells) are not able to use ketones or fatty acids for fuel. When you drink and gluconeogenesis is inhibited, you are depriving these body parts of the glucose they need. Not something I would like to do to my body! This could also explain why many people claim they are hit harder by alcohol when low carbing than they were before.

[fatastic]

Thank you Georgiana, I am doing really well with the only temptation I still have - which is a glass of wine (which turns into a bottle, then a carby snack)
This type of information helps to know, when the temptation is high and the excuses start to make it easier to say - "just one glass." Knowing how it affects my body (besides a GNARLY hangover) makes it less appealing.
Thanks!