Frogleg > wrote:

> But alcohol is a similar source of virtually empty calories. I mean,
> there are no carbohydrates in distilled liquor as there are in sugar,
> but there's nothing else, either. Just calories. Nutritionally
> speaking.

A typical wine does not contain a lot of alcohol though, at least not
when compared to liquors and other spirits. The wines I tend to like
are around 12% alcohol. That's not an insignificant amount of alcohol,
but if one drinks wine moderately, such as eight ounces with a meal,
its not a whole hell of a lot of alcohol.

> High carb/lo carb, Atkins, Weight Watchers, "the French Miracle",
> USDA guidelines -- weight loss, if that's what you're after, involves
> fewer calories or increased activity. Atkins *is* a reduced-calorie
> program, even 'though the calories are in a relatively dense form.

True. The key is to reduce overall calories via a reduction in carbs
and fat and add on some excercise. In other words, moderation.