[sli]

Tonight my DH and his friends (with their wifes) wanted to go out for frozen margarita's. (Flavored ones are YUMMY)
Well I said that I would go but I wasn't going to drink. They all asked why and I said because of the calories.
Well one of my DH friends said that it didn't count because they were "empty calories".
So I didn't want to look dumb and say "WHAT" so I let it go.
My question is What are empty calories and why wouldn't they count????? I have never heard of this.
By the way I still didn't have any drinks..

I hope that Iposted this in the right spot because I wasn't real sure where the question would go

[kykaree]

Your friend has the definition of "empty calories" all wrong. The only time I have ever heard of the term "empty calories" is in reference to food that is bad for you. For example, say a small bowl of pasta is 300 calories, and a sticky gooey chocolate cake slice is also 300 calories. The chocolate cake is the "empty calorie" food as it contains no or little nutrition, or the fat content outweighs any nutritional benefits.

A calorie is a unit of energy. A calorie is a calorie, so whether you get them from fruit or veggies, chocolate cake, or vodka and coke, they're all going to provide energy. How much energy depends on how many of the critters you eat.

[Meg]

Kylie's right - an 'empty calorie' means it's empty of nutritional value, not of calories. DH's friend is right that those drink are 'empty calories' -- too bad he's using the phrase incorrectly. There's no nutrition in the drinks, but there are a TON of calories!

Good for you for not having the drinks! You did yourself a huge favor!

[jillybean720]

yupyup--the responses you've already gotten hit the nail on the head. Maybe your friend doesn't count "alcohol" calories, as some people seem to think they don't affect the body in the same way as other calories, but those types of drinks have WAY more ingredients than just alcohol--think of the sugar in those things! You did the right thing

[Meg]

Jill, I've read that alcohol calories go straight to fat, so they're actually worse than other kinds of calories!

[Misti in Seattle]

Good for you for being wise enough not to "buy"this, Sli! Your friend is kidding himself if he thinks alcohol calories don't count LOL

[LLV]

Originally Posted by Meg

Jill, I've read that alcohol calories go straight to fat, so they're actually worse than other kinds of calories!

That's because alcohol, instead of being first converted to glucose like food carbohydrates, it is converted to fatty acids. So yes, alcohol is more likely to be stored at fat. That's why when I drink, I make sure the alcohol calories are counted in with my daily intake. I never eat my alotted amount of calories and then drink on top of that. If I know I'm going to drink, I count the alcohol calories and sacrifice the food. Not that it changes anything, alcohol is still stored as fatty acids, but I just mean my alcohol calories are not in EXCESS of my food calories. Plus I drink lots of water in between cocktails. It helps the body metabolize the alcohol more efficiently so there's a less chance of it being stored as ALL fat.