Alcohol can fit into MacroRx+, and you don’t have to completely give up alcohol to be successful with the program. But alcohol contains calories, and those calories need to be included in your daily prescription.

Alcohol is a little different from the other foods and drinks you log. Alcohol itself provides about 7 calories per gram, but MyFitnessPal tracks protein, carbohydrates, and fat—not alcohol as a separate macronutrient.

Because of this, many alcohol entries in MyFitnessPal can be misleading. You might search for “red wine,” for example, and find an entry that shows calories but very few carbohydrates, no fat, and no protein. The calories are there, but they aren’t being represented in the macros you’re using to follow your MacroRx+ prescription.

For MacroRx+, we account for the calories from alcohol as carbohydrates.

When searching MyFitnessPal for beer, wine, liquor, or another alcoholic drink, look for an entry with iffym in the name. These entries have converted the calories from alcohol into carbohydrate grams so they can be properly accounted for in your macro totals.

The correct iffym entry should show the calories represented as 100% carbohydrates, with no protein or fat assigned to the alcohol itself.

For example, if two entries for the same glass of wine both show roughly the same calories but one shows almost no macros while the iffym entry assigns those calories to carbohydrates, use the iffym entry.

Mixed drinks require a little more attention. The iffym conversion accounts for the alcohol, but ingredients such as regular soda, juice, simple syrup, cream, or other caloric mixers need to be accounted for as well.

Whenever practical, log your drinks before you drink them. Alcohol calories can add up quickly, and pre-logging lets you see how they fit into your calorie and carbohydrate targets before you’ve consumed them.

You may also notice unusual movement on the scale after drinking. Alcohol can increase urination and contribute to temporary fluid loss, so a lower scale weight the following morning may partly reflect a change in hydration—not additional body-fat loss. Don’t read too much into that single weigh-in. Resume your normal hydration and routine and let the longer-term trend tell the story.

MacroRx+ doesn’t require members who drink alcohol to eliminate it completely. At the same time, reducing the amount or frequency of alcohol you drink can have health benefits beyond simply saving calories. If you don’t drink alcohol, there’s no reason to start for health purposes.

As with other foods and drinks, we’re looking for informed choices rather than perfection. Decide when alcohol is worth including, account for it accurately, and consider how both the calories and the alcohol itself fit into your goals.

You don’t have to give up alcohol. If you choose to drink, log it accurately using an iffym entry, count the alcohol calories as carbohydrates, and remember that drinking less can benefit both your prescription and your overall health.