weight gain following alcohol

[thickym]

I tried to put this on body and soul, but only got a couple of unhelpful comments!
I went out on sat night and ended up drinking 6 pints of lager!! (well it was hot!)
I jumped on the scales the following morning (as I always do) to discover that I'd managed to stack on 7lb. I had been drinking water throughout the night/morning to rehydrate, but wondered how long it took the body get back to it's proper fluid balance after a boozy night.
We're now more than 48hrs post-tipple, but still seem to be an extra 3-4 lbs over what I was on friday morning before I went out!!
I am due to weigh in at my fat club on thursday...any chance of getting back to normal before then.
(no kebabs were consumed...although I did munch a packet of dry roasted nuts!!)
Thanks

[ugly_bob]

alcohol is very high in calories.
7 cal per gram i think
fat is 9
sugar about 3

those figures might not be 100% accurate, just off the top of my head

[Lorrymac]

I can assure you that you can't gain 7lb over night! a lb of fat is 3500 calories, you'd have to have consumed 24,500 calories to gain that and a pint is about 200-300 i think.

it is likely that some of it was fluid retention if you drank loads of water to re-hydrate?

I'm the same as you - i weigh myself every morning without fail and can gain stupid amounts over a few days. it does me no good though and funnily enough, it does generally drop back off after a few days. try not to let what the scales say worry you and just put your efforts into making your day healthy.

Regarding trying to lose a few lb - why not try cutting down on your starchy carbs? i'm not sure what you generally eat but i find that if i cut down (not omit! Atkins did me no favours when i tried it years ago!) on starchy carbs, i retained less water. eat more salads and protein, and keep drinking water - if you give your body water, it desn't hold onto it so much

hope it helps and all the best with your goal x

[thickym]

Thank you both for your replies.

I am following slimming world so red/green days.
I too find the less carbs I eat the more weight comes off.
I will have to try not to be tempted again by the beer monster within....it was not a thing I do regularly!!!
I'll just have to avoid scales and alcohol for a while!!
Thanks again.

[Lorrymac]

I tried slimming world but gave up - hated the classes! plus, i got sick to death of eating eggs and jacket potatoes so i'm just trying to stick to the right no of calories at the moment, but it's not working too well!

every one is different and you will find what works for you - just don't beat yourself up if you have a naughty day. just make the next day a good day.

i am getting married in 12 weeks so i'm on such a tight deadline! i had 7 months originally to lose weight and i've not lost much at all yet (well, i did but thoroughly enjoyed gaining it back!)

ho hum......

[littlechick]

drinking a pint of beer or lager is similar in cals to eating a chocolate bar, but it does dehydrate you making ot look as though you've lost weight. Drinking water is probably the real reason why it looks as though you've put on weight. There's no point in weighing yourself if your body is full of fluids, wait a few days for a more accurate reading

[sue11]

I also think it is down to water retention. I went out to a restaurant and because I was really thirsty, downed about 8 half pints of cola. The next day I had put on about 6 pounds and I was really shocked! I am putting it mostly down to the water element rather than the sugar and I did lose it pretty quickly over the next few days, but it has made me think about doing that again!