I don't think it's shallow at all, and I bet a lot of us feel the same way. I had spent most of my life of the thin side, but I put on a lot of weight over just the past 3 yrs as my drinking got totally out of hand (and I'm sure being in my 40s didn't help matters as I hear that's when metabolism starts to slow.). For me personally, the weight gain was actually a trigger to drink more because every time I tried to sober up, I just felt so horrible about how I had let myself go. I hated especially running into people I didn't see often, and became more and more isolated to avoid chances of running into people. Very vicious cycle
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This time I took getting sober a lot more seriously. I think I finally reached that point where I just felt completely defeated. I joined SR (class off April 2016) and joined AA/got sponsor/started very slowly on the steps.
I wanted to lose weight quickly but I repeated over and over to myself "Sobriety first ". And since like many folks, I had intense sugar cravings, I was kind to myself for a while and just went with the flow.... Especially chocolate and ice cream. I eat fairly healthy food other than the sweets, so I also tried to balance that with lots and lots of walking my dog. I would listen to audio books to pass the time and so I could lose myself in the walk. My dog was oh so happy, and those walks helped quiet the restlessness and anxiety that were so strong the first month or so.
I think I lost 15 pounds fairly quickly...probably by about 2.5 months. That made me feel better, and then by 3 months,, the weight loss slowed, but I was feeling so much better that I was ready to ramp things up. I intended to increase my exercise, but as things were getting so busy at work and at home with the kids, I haven't gotten there yet. But what I did do, was give up processed sugar for about a month and ate low carb. And that's when the weight loss started to ramp up. Had a very active sober vacation, then started allowing myself an ice cream treat on Fri afternoons with my kids. Other than that, still no processed sugar and low carb eating. Yesterday was 5 months and I've lost a little over 35 pounds. My goodness, I feel so much better physically and emotionally. I still want to lose about 15 pounds, and next step is finally upping the exercise, including strength training.
I just want to encourage everyone just starting to tell yourself over and over that your sobriety is the most important thing. And if that means having ice cream when you have cravings, then so be it. You WILL start feeling better physically in the near future and that will motivate you, and this can turn that vicious cycle around. If you are feeling blah about yourself until you start to lose the weight, then do something else to pamper yourself, like a facial, or buying some new clothes that flatter the size you are now. Mostly, treat yourself kindly. You are doing the most important thing you can do for yourself and everyone around you by not drinking. And if that's all you can focus on right now, that's just fine.