Your Guide to Calculating Alcohol Macros

 
Julie-Ledbetter-Guide-To-Calculating-Alcohol-Macros
 
 

If you are looking to learn how to calculate alcohol macros without cutting back on alcohol or skipping out the social events, this guide is for you!

Drinking alcohol does not directly lead to weight loss; however, by understanding how to make it fit within your daily allotment, you can still reach your health and fitness goals without having to completely cut it out of your intake, as long as you’re in a caloric deficit.

Most common questions I get asked:

  • Can I still drink and lose weight?

  • Can I track alcohol into my macros?

  • Can I go out and drink with my friends without gaining fat?

  • What about beer? Wine? Shots? Etc.?

The answer to these questions is yes, absolutely, and I’ll show you how to track these drinks into your macros.

Alcohol, although does not provide any nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, it is still considered to be a macronutrient alongside protein, carbs, and fats.

Here’s the macronutrient breakdown:

  • Protein: Has 4 calories per gram.

  • Carbs: Has 4 calories per gram.

  • Fats: Has 9 calories per gram.

  • Alcohol: Has 7 calories per gram.

How To Calculate An Alcohol Drink

So how does it work when it comes to counting alcoholic macros?

Example: let’s say you’re wanting to drink a light and lower calorie beer like Michelob Ultra. One 12 oz. can is around 95 calories.

The first thing that you need to know is that you’ll convert those calories into carbs, fats or a combination of both.

NOTE: One of the most common mistakes people do is look at the nutritional label (in this case says 2.6g of carbs) and think that’s all they track, when in reality you need to look at the total caloric value and break it down into carbs, fat, or a combination of both.

If you’re wanting to drink one 12 oz. Michelob Ultra that is 95 calories, you have a few ways you can track it:

  • Carbs: 95 calories / 4 calories per gram = 24g of carbs.

    – So you would track that one 12 oz. beer as 24g of carbs.

  • Fat: 95 calories / 9 calories per gram = 11g of fat.

    – So you would track that one 12 oz. beer as 11g of fat.

  • Combination (50/50 carbs & fats): 95 calories / 2 macros = 47.5 calories / 4 calories (carbs) and 9 calories (fat) = 12g of carbs and 5g of fat.

    – So in this case, you would track 12g of carbs and 5g of fat.

You might be looking at those three options wondering which is best to go with. We always suggest that you start subtracting it from your daily carbohydrate intake, and here’s why:

Carbohydrate is the most flexible macronutrient when it comes to manipulation due to that it’s not essential to our intake, meaning carbs are not required for us to survive. Our bodies still rely on protein and fat to function optimally.

However whatever way you choose to do it is a personal preference!

Click here to use the free Macro Alcohol Calculator to find the macros for your favorite alcoholic drinks!

Can Alcohol Consumption Slow Down Recovery?

When you drink alcohol, your body will not recover as quickly since the protein synthesis is put on hold while the body prioritizes alcohol to be processed first to get out of the system.

Keep this in mind that recovery from your workout is an integral part of the process, especially if you want to improve the level of performance throughout your workout sessions.

However, it will likely not to be a deal-breaker for most who keep their alcohol intake in moderation and who prioritize a healthy balance between honoring your body with movement and socializing with your loved ones.

How To Fit Alcoholic Drinks Into Your Macros

Fitting alcoholic drinks into your daily allotment of macros is easy!

First, after deciding what drink you want to have and figuring out the macronutrient allotment (see calculation above), then you’ll want to enter it in as a “custom” food in your macro tracker.

We typically recommend doing this the night before or the morning of so that it’s already entered into your macro tracker before other foods has been entered so you’re able to use the remaining amount of protein, carbs, and fat for meals and or snacks throughout the day.

Be sure to stay hydrated with plenty of water as alcohol can quickly dehydrate the body. A simple way to keep your body hydrated is to drink of water beforehand, and when you have a beer or wine – drink a glass of water or two along with it.

How To Use These Numbers From Alcoholic Drink Recommendations

Once you pick which alcoholic drink you’d like, open your macro tracking app, like MyMacros+ or MyFitnessPal and choose “custom” then enter in the name of drink, the size of the drink and enter the macros in.

My recommendation is to go with carbs first if possible; if not, then no worries!

This will subtract the macronutrient value of the drink from your daily allotment of customized macros.

LIST OF MACRO FRIENDLY ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

Beer: 1 serving – 12 fl. oz.

  • Beck’s Premier Light – 64 Calories (C-16g; F-7g; or C-8g/F-4g)

  • MGD 64 (Miller 64) – 64 Calories (C-16g; F-7g; or C-8g/F-4g)

  • Michelob Ultra – 95 Calories (C-24g; F-11g; or C-12g/F-5g)

  • Amstel Light – 95 Calories (C-24g; F-11g; or C-12g/F-5g)

  • Ballast Point Wahoo Wheat Beer – 120 Calories (C-30g; F-13g; or C-15g/F-7g)

  • Magic Hat #9 Not Quite Pale Ale – 153 Calories (C-38g; F-17g; or C-19g/F-9g)

Hard Seltzer: Serving size varies.

  • Canteen Spirits Watermelon – 99 Calories (C-25g; F-11g; or C-12g/F-6g)

  • White Claw Black Cherry – 100 Calories (C-25g; F-11g; or C-13g/F-6g)

  • Bud Light Lemon Lime – 100 Calories (C-25g; F-11g; or C-13g/F-6g)

  • Vive Dragonfruit – 100 Calories (C-25g; F-11g; or C-13g/F-6g)

  • Willie’s Super-brew Mango & Passionfruit – 110 Calories (C-28g; F-12g; or C-14g/F-6g)

  • Lift Bridge St. Croix Berries – 120 Calories (C-30g; F-13g; or C-15g/F-7g)

Red Wine: 1 serving – 5 fl. oz.

  • Pinot Noir – 120 Calories (C-30g; F-13g; or C-15g/F-7g)

  • Merlot – 122 Calories (C-31g; F-14g; or C-15g/F-7g)

  • Cabernet – 123 Calories (C-13g; F-14g; or C-15g/F-7g)

  • Sangiovese – 126 Calories (C-32g; F-14g; or C-16g/F-7g)

  • Monastrell – 130 Calories (C-33g; F-14g; or C-16g/F-7g)

  • Rosé – 147 Calories (C-37g; F-16g; or C-18g/F-8g)

Tequila: Serving size varies.

  • Tequila & Diet Soda – 96 Calories (C-24g; F-11g; or C-12g/F-5g)

  • Long Island Iced Tea (With Diet Soda) – 136 Calories (C-34g; F-15g; or C-17g/F-8g)

  • Margarita On The Rocks – 153 Calories (C-38g; F-17g; or C-19g/F-9g)

  • Añejo New Fashioned – 158 Calories (C-40g; F-18g; or C-20g/F-9g)

  • La Paloma – 166 Calories (C-42g; C-18g; or C-21g/F-9g)

  • Tequila Manhattan – 173 Calories (C-43g; F-19g; or C-22g/F-10g)

Vodka: Serving size varies.

  • Vodka Soda Water (or Diet Soda) – 96 Calories (C-24g; F-11g; or C-12g/F-5g)

  • Skinny Margarita – 126 Calories (C-32g; F-14g; or C-16g/F-7g)

  • Cosmopolitan – 150 Calories (C-38g; F-17g; or C-19g/F-8g)

  • Apple Martini – 150 Calories (C-38g; F-17g; or C-19g/F-8g)

  • Classic Margarita On The Rocks – 153 Calories (C-38g; F-17g; or C-19g/F-9g)

  • Drunken Arnold Palmer – 160 Calories (C-40g; F-18g; or C-20g/F-9g)

Whiskey: Serving size varies.

  • Whiskey Sour (1 fl. oz.) – 48 Calories (C-12g; F-5g; or C-6g/F-3g)

  • Tom & Jerry – 120 Calories (C-30g; F-13g; or C-15g/F-7g)

  • Sazerac – 136 Calories (C-34g; F-15g; or C-17g/F-8g)

  • Scotch & Soda – 142 Calories (C-36g; F-17g; or C-18g/F-8g)

  • Rob Roy – 145 Calories (C-36g; F-16g; or C-18g/F-8g)

  • Old Fashioned – 150 Calories (C-38g; F-17g; C-19g/F-8g)

White Wine: 1 serving – 5 fl. oz.

  • Pinot Grigio – 114 Calories (C-29g; F-13g; or C-14g/F-6g)

  • Riesling – 120 Calories (C-30g; F-13g; or C-15g/F-7g)

  • Sauvignon Blanc – 122 Calories (C-31g; F-14g; or C-15g/F-7g)

  • Chardonnay – 123 Calories (C-31g; F-14g; or C-15g/F-7g)

  • Moscato – 127 Calories (C-32g; F-14g; or C-16g/F-7g)

  • Albariño – 130 Calories (C-33g; F-14g; or C-16g/F-7g)

* Important Note: I try my best to determine the number of calories each drink has, but it isn’t guaranteed to be accurate due to a variety of factors involved in making a drink. I’d take these macros as an estimated amount to plug in your macro tracking app, like MyMacros+, as it is more important to be consistent than perfection!

Use This Equation To Find Macros For Any Alcoholic Drink

This equation is useful if you’re unable to figure out the total calories for an alcoholic drink you want to have by using alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage.

Imperial (Ounces)

  • Step One: 1 gram / 0.0352 oz. = 28.409

  • Step Two: 28.409 x ___ oz. = ___ grams.

  • Step Three: X = ___ grams x 7 calories per gram = ___ total calories.

  • Step Four: ___ (ABV%) x ___ total calories = ___ calories per ___ oz.

  • Step Five: Convert calories in carbs, fat, or a combination of both.

Metric (Milliliters)

  • Step One: 1 gram = 1 ml.

  • Step Two: X = ___ grams x 7 calories per ml. = ___ total calories.

  • Step Three: ___ (ABV%) x ___ total calories = ___ calories per ___ ml.

  • Step Four: Convert calories in carbs, fat, or a combination of both.

* Important Note: ABV% is the alcohol by volume, which measures how much alcohol (ethanol) is in the amount of an alcoholic beverage.

Don’t Have Time To Figure Out Alcohol Macros?

If you’re under a time crunch, here are some of the top macro-friendly drinks on the go that aren’t high in macros and or calories that I highly recommend.

Going to an Italian Restaurant? Opt for Pinot Noir or Pinot Grigio.

Thinking about a Mexican Restaurant? Opt for Skinny Margarita or Margarita On The Rocks.

Are you going to an American Restaurant? Opt for a light beer like Michelob Ultra.

How about sushi? Opt for a light beer or vodka soda water (or diet soda).

Drinking alcohol can be tricky because the serving size is often different due to various restaurants and bars in using different sizes of glasses.

For example if you’re ordering a margarita, you can always ask the waiter or waitress how large it is so you can gauge it and if they don’t know, try your best to guess how big it is and you’ll be good to go!

Conclusion

Take some time to look at your meals and snacks, figure out how many macros you’re going to save and roll them over to ensure you’re able to have favorite alcoholic drinks without falling off track from your goals.

Alternatively, you could fit a drink or two into your macros first to determine the number of macros leftover to use for your meals and or snacks throughout the day.

You can always make some substitutions for beer by swapping them with lighter versions (i.e., instead of Miller, opt for Miller Lite), fruity drinks for zero-calorie mixers to keep your macros lower.

At the end of the day, when it comes to following a successful macro program, you still need to have some discipline, especially with alcohol intake.

I’d keep these drinks to 1-2 times a week, if possible, to give you a sense of balance while building your happiest, healthy, and sustainable lifestyle you can maintain long-term.

Did you find this post to be helpful? What was your favorite takeaway? I am looking forward to responding to your comment below! =)

 
NutritionJulie LedbetterComment