alcohol and insulin spikes

[miguelg]

hi, i'm new to these forums so i'd figure i'd say hello. my question is that i've been following the protein power plan for a few months now and have been working out with weights and am beginning to notice results in strength, muscular definition and fat loss, which is great!

my question is that i love to occassionally go out with my friends and have some drinks. i rarely nowadays ever drink beer or wine due, but does hard alcohol spike insulin? i ask because after drinking a few straight shots of vodka or whiskey, i crave chicken fried steak and homefries, burritos and that stuff...and usually, we go out and eat it anyway. is the craving for junk food a result of the alcohol creating an insulin spike?

thank you for any help

[Spruce Goose]

I can't give you a definitive answer to your question but here's a couple things that came to mind:

If you're used to going out after drinking with friends to eat that sort of thing, maybe it's a habit that your body has begun to expect. Or, after you inhibitions have be lowered a bit, you're subconsciously wanting to eat all those high-carb comfort foods that you deny yourself the rest of the time?

Also, depending on what you're drinking you might want to find out the carbs involved. First thing that popped up on my google search was: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art580.asp

[laughingW]

Or it could be from the endorphins of alcohol. Both alcohol and junk food prime and excite endorphins, so if you start the roller coaster with alcohol it awakens cravings for the junk food too.

Not just the insulin system is affected but neurochemicals too.

[miguelg]

thanks, yes i can say that it's largely the inhibitions being lowered, and also i figure it would be hard to reverse all the years of bad habits considering i've only been following this plan for about 4 months.

[laughingW]

EFAs and good fats really help quiet down the brain stuff. So even if you do indulge the blowback is less if you know what I mean.

I ended up quitting the alcohol just because I didn't like how I felt overall. Wasn't worth it and it's just as fun to act tipsy as to actually be there, turns out :)

[cosmicfracas]

Several nights ago I had 1 glass (5 oz) of dry white wine. My heart began to pound in my chest. That hasn't happened to me before. Just right now I tried it again. I had one glass of 5 oz. wine and my heart began racing for a few of minutes. I only had 1 glass of 5 oz wine. My heart feels fine now, but now I am concerned over this. Has anyone else had this problem? I suspect this is related to the diet since I have never had this problem before. I've only been on the diet for a week. Perhaps I should wait until the maintenance stage to drink my wine.....

thanks,
kika

[gitfiddle]

Kika, just for the record, I've never experienced that when drinking alcohol. I rarely drink it any more because I have to count the carbs, but it hasn't been any different than pre-PP.

[cosmicfracas]

Yeah, I think I will wait a couple of weeks before attempting another glass of wine. I planned for it all day! lol I saved my carbs for one glass of wine and boom! I don't get that with caffeine or anything else. Also, I am drinking lots and lots and water and I am still thirsty. Do you take pottassium supplements? Thanks!

[gitfiddle]

Yes, I do. And magnesium and vitamin D3 (according to Dr. Eades's recommendation). I suppose you've already considered whether your meals are too salty. I know that excess thirst can be a sign of diabetes, but I passed it off as related to my medications at the time. You might just ask your doctor to check your meds. There are some that need adjusting when you radically change what you eat.

[cosmicfracas]

Hey, Carol.

Well, I am not diabetic. I just went to the doc back in October. The thirst did not start until the diet. The last time I went on the diet I was also very thirsty. I certaintly remember that! I drank lots and lots and lots of water. As I am now. And I am not on any meds. I will get some vitamins this weekend! Thanks!!!

[gitfiddle]

Kika, I'm not recommending vitamins. I just was trying to think of what would cause you to be thirsty. I'm sure drinking water is a very good thing to do.

[cosmicfracas]

Well, I was thinking of getting them anyway. I got a cramp on my foot a couple of nights ago. I think I may not be getting enough potassium. That is why I asked. As to the thirst, it wasn't as bad, still thirsty, but not as bad today. So maybe my body is just adjusting to the new way of eating. I didn't drink enough water before the diet. Last night I read in the book where vitamins are recommended. Thank you, Carol.

[belleadonna]

The PP diet causes you to lose lots of fluid so it is no suprise to be thirsty. Just keep hydrated. Drink lots of water. :D

[cosmicfracas]

Thanks, Belleadonna! I woke up thirsty this morning, drank lots of water, but the thirst seemed to lessen throughout the day. Drinking until I float..... *smile*

[belleadonna]

Sure. I find that alcohol makes me very hungry so I try to stay away from it. Alcohol also dries you out and makes you dehydrated. Yup, drink (water) till you float is always good for a body!!:D

[KimmieB]

Hi, I am new to this forum and pretty new to PP. I previously did PP about 7 or 8 years ago. I lost weight, but I used PP as a diet, not a lifestyle change. As soon as I started eating my regular pizza, pasta, etc., I gained my weight back plus. I also enjoy drinking alcohol. I am 41 and all my excess weight is in my gut. I enjoy the PP lifestyle, but I don't want to give up drinking. Before PP I was consuming 2 to 3 alcohol drinks per night and 2 to 4 beers following that. Since starting PP, I have cut down to no beer and 1 to 2 drinks. I only put one shot of Jack Daniels and 1 diet soda per drink. I have been to the JD website and they claim the following: Jack has no carbs (sugar, starch), gluten, fat, or cholesterol for 1 oz. = 65 calories. They further claim that all has been removed in the distilling process. My question is will this still have any affect on my insulin? Since starting PP, I have not felt hungry like I used to, even after working out. I don't get hungry while I am consuming my JD and diet. I stretch the drink out to over an hour. I drink plenty of water during the day and in the evening (at least 10 to 12 glasses per day). I have already seen a decrease on the scale after 10 days on PP.