by beerNbourbon » Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:54 pm
Bringing this up from the dead.
Alcohol is 7 calories per gram, regardless of whether it is in beer, wine, liquor, or mixed in mouthwash or gasoline.
Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram as does protein. Fat has 9 calories per gram.
Here is the science-y part: alcohol is 100% burned by the human body. What does this mean? It means, simply, that it cannot be converted by the body to fat. It is converted, primarily in the liver, to 'energy' that the body uses to move about, think (poorly), and drink more alcohol. Unlike fat, carbohydrates, and (to a much lesser degree) protein, it cannot be converted to / stored in the body (as fat).
So, can whiskey make you gain or lose weight? That is a trick question. Whiskey, by itself, will not make you gain weight. Even taking supplements of vitamins and minerals, your body will eventually die of any number of nasty things even if you drink all your necessary calories in the form of whiskey. Drinking beer and/or wine would increase your life expectancy but not nearly as much as eating a balanced diet would. Does anyone remember Leaving Las Vegas?
The real answer is that whiskey, when combined with the proper number of calories per day (i.e. not overeating) will not cause you to gain weight nor lose weight. If your body requires 1500 calories per day and you eat 1300 of those and have a couple of drinks, you'll likely not gain nor lose weight. If you eat 1500 and add another 200 calories from whiskey, you'll gradually gain weight. Why? Because your body is taking in 200 extra calories per day.