If on weight loss diet can you include alcohol as long as you stay within your set amount of calories?

Question

because I would rather skip a meal and have 2 glasses of wine, but my diet says STRICTLY NO ALCOHOL - why is this.

Answer 1

You answered your own question.  You asked if your diet can include alcohol, but your diet says STRICTLY NO ALCOHOL.  I don't know why your diet restricts alcohol since you don't say what kind of diet you're on.  

Under normal conditions, if you're just trying to eat healthy to lose weight, then it's all about calories in vs. calories out.  As long as you're consuming the same amount of calories, it wouldn't matter.

Why skip a meal to have 2 glasses of wine?  You could just cut back on your meal portion to include a glass of wine.  You could do this for 2 meals and have 2 glasses of wine.  A glass of wine with a meal is very good for you, unless you're an alcoholic of course.  Or, unless you have a medical condition that prohibits alcohol.

Answer 2

Due to the nature of alcohol, it is high in calories, but very low in nutritional value. Because it is dehydrating and quickly metabolized, it can cause your blood sugar levels to spike and drop. The most likely thing to happen next: you get super hungry! It can also be very difficult to stop drinking once you start, as I'm sure many people have experienced. It is of course okay to have alcohol in moderation, but that is key. Instead of skipping a meal, which would leave your tummy empty and allow the alcohol be absorbed more quickly, maybe you could just reduce your caloric intake by about 200-300 calories for the whole day, so you can have that wine with dinner. If that means reducing the portion of everything just a bit, or maybe skipping one or two higher calorie items, you'll be fine! You shouldn't follow any plan that doesn't allow you at least a little bit of  wiggle room.

Answer 3

I think booze is classed as empty calories because nutritionally they're not much use.  Why don't you have just one glass of wine with your evening meal and work it into your calorie allowance for the day?

Answer 4

Alot of diets say that - it depends on the diet. If its a very specific diet like no carbs, or no sugar or no fat or something, then I'd follow the guidelines. Otherwise, if its just calorie controlling, then as long as you stick to your limit, you can have alcohol.

Personally, I wouldn't skip a meal to have wine though. Maybe I'd skip a snack, but not a meal. It's not good for you. My personal preference when having alcohol is to burn the calories off with a run first.