Parsifal88

I've read that recovering alcoholics typically lose weight because they're no longer ingesting all the extra calories. I've also read that they can gain weight due to food craving. I've not yet seen any change...(though i'm a runner...and typically ran 3-4 times a week while at the heights of my drinking problem.)

What's your experience been?

Pinkcuda

My drinking took the place of eating so I gained about 25 pounds when I quit.

c49

I lost a few, I think of fat, but I felt like I got a better physique out of the deal.

The best way I could describe it is thinking of it in terms of symmetry... symmetry was lost during the drinking years. My face and stomach were swollen while my legs and ass shrunk. And I am a runner too.

No big changes in weight after I quit, my face and stomach returned to normal and I'm able to run lots of miles these days... symmetry is back baby!!

coopde2

I am brand new to this... I posted a message this morning which sums it all up... I haven't had a drink since friday night... I was at my ideal wieght Saturday morning... 205 pounds... im 6'3"... I have lost 5 pounds since then. I go to the gym 4 times a week... have also noticead I've lost strength as well.... should i be concerned.... I was one of the extreme constant drinkers... 16 beers a day... morning till 8 pm - which brings another question... I only had one really unpleasant day... (saturday)... i read other people comments on withdrawl and don't understand given my volume of consumption... why i got off so easy? Is the worst yet to come?

Ceres

I lost weight quickly. I also didn't need my eyeglasses anymore after 6 months sober. Which is sort of weird.

baggervance

I was like cuda drinking took the place of eating or if im using I dont eat I use. Im 6'3 6'4 when I quit drinking I might have weighed 130 Im now around 190 sometimes Ill get above 200.

bdiddy5522

I packed on quite a bit of weight after my college tennis career due to drinking. Between a sedentary lifestyle combined with all the calories of drinking, I got up to about 275 pounds. I am 6'1" and pretty muscular, but this was way too much. Since quitting drinking 70 days ago, I have dropped 20 pounds. I have a long ways to go, but it seems to be coming off pretty quickly. For me, I didn't quit eating while drinking, so I was just consuming probably 1,500 extra calories a day from alcohol.

Just my scenario, hope it helps.

coopde2

HOw could you have 130 with out being in the hospital? How bad did things get? There is another post below yours that I think fits my scenario better... In addition to the 16 beers I eat 2 big meals a day.... So i guess now I have to eat 4? Or will the metabolizm straighten it self out? I thought booze slowed metabolic rate? Plus... why am I losing strength... I still have alittle fat to burn... should that not go first?

coopde2

I think your scenario fits mine... In addition to the 16 beers I eat 2 big heavy meals a day.... - I go to the gym - but have never had a weight problem - between 198 and 215 for the last 10 years. So i guess now I have to eat 4 meals a day? Or will the metabolizm straighten it self out? I thought booze slowed metabolic rate? Plus... why am I losing strength... I still have a little fat to burn on my gut... should that not go first? I wish i knew more about these things... I guess I should just starting buying steaks with the saved beer money! LOL

baggervance

coopde2
I was bad I had almost drank myself to death. I never ate at the end. I look back on pictures and I resembled someone in a concentration camp I had a gryish complexion. I hope i never go there agin. Didnt mean jump on the OP thread jus responding.

Dutch226

Coop

re: your withdrawals. Obviously it varies, but I too thought I got off easy with only a bad day or 2. However, you might find a mental weirdness set in after a week or so. Once the determination to quit fades, an emptiness or void might set in. It's weird. Try to be aware of it. Remember why you stopped, why you can't go back etc. I always say getting sober is easy. Staying sober is very very difficult, and it's why AA is so important to some (among other reasons I'm sure)

yeahgr8

I id 5 months dry by myself once and put on 2 stone...this time i lost 3 stone in the first 4 months...for me it was all about whether i was substituting the alcohol with something, e.g. eating, work, relationship etc...this time i haven't so no probs and much happier to have lost the weight too i must say:-)

hughs dad

I have gained about 80 pounds over the past few years - I think booze played a major role. My solution to boozing heavily 3 to 4 times per week was that end of the night meal to soak up the booze. It wansn't uncommon for me to eat mcd's breakfast (hungover) then crappy lunch, candy bar at 4pm cuz blood sugar dropped, then a dinner, then about a fifth of vodka, then another meal to soak it up. my god that's awful... I never want to go back to that. I've lost a few pounds, need to lose a lot more!!

JohnnyZ

This coming Sunday the 24th will be 6 months for me, and I've lost 33 pounds so far. Besides not drinking, I've changed my eating habits to several small snacks and small meals vs. 2 huge meals and a huge midnight snack per day. And, I haven't yet seriously started exercising...

coopde2

Dutch.... About the mental Wierdness.... How long did that last for you? I find it nice to know what to expect even though not everyones experience is the same of course.

jamdls

I rarely ate when I drank and was dangerously thin when I quit; I craved chocolate when I quit and rewarded myself with chocolate massive quantities and I gained 30 pounds but I've lost 20 of the 30 and now I'm right where I want to be.

ElegantlyWasted

Looking back on my cycling log; I've lost 5 lbs since I quit six months ago. I've also had a relatively healthy diet and logged in 1,500 miles, 83 hrs. I think the important thing to get out of this is that it's all about balance. My body
looks totally different though. Fat has been replaced with an increase of lean muscle
mass. Alcohol interferes with nutrient absorbtion, is junk calories, and it's consuption can be a bad habit. Replace said bad habit with some thing better. The same person can be perfectly healthy at 180 or 150; bmi calculators tell only part of the story.

Note to behavioral science grad students: relationship bewteen PAWS and exercise.

LimaCharlie

3 weeks in I've lost 5 lbs and increased muscle mass. I'm working out more consistently but have always been in relatively good shape. It's easier when not drinking.

GeeQ

Haven't been on a scale, but I have moved to a tighter hole on my belt since I quit a few weeks ago, which is surprising because I was more than happy to skip meals so my buzz would have been more intense.

humblestudent

I haven't lost 1 lb. in 26 days. I can't believe it, because I used to easily put away nearly a large 1.75 ml. bottle of vodka in a weekend. Plus all the cranberry I used to mix it with! That's got to be a lot of calories!!!???