Azreal

Afternoon all!

So I'm assuming some of you experienced weight loss after becoming sober. How long did it take you to lose weight? How much did you lose? Did any of you incorporate a diet at the same time? I know to stop drinking is a big change to make in and of itself, but I'm pushing it a little further and considering overall health. Starting to exercise more and also eat better. Just curious if any of you have taken a similar path and have any successes/failures...

Thanks!

Danae

Hi,

Have overall been eating very healthy and working out for the last 3 + months since I stopped drinking. Have lost weight, although not as much as I might have hoped, given that I used to eat a lot late at night after drinking. Have also found the gut is the last to go, sadly. Perhaps because I haven't entirely given up ice cream?

I had about 30 lbs to lose overall, and I'm halfway there, but it has been hard won. That may just be being middle-aged, though I'm interested to hear what others have to say on this.

But eating right and exercising is a reward in itself, so I highly recommend it!

BadLove

I'm only on day 30, but I've definitely lost a few pounds (mostly as a side effect of the missing alcohol calories, plus being sober has helped me make healthier eating choices.)

This is usually the time of a year I try eat lighter and exercise more, and so far it's much less frustrating without the hangovers and face-and-belly pudge from drinking. I'm trying to just make gradual diet and exercise changes though. My number one priority is staying sober, and for now the weight loss (and a general feeling of well-being) is an encouraging byproduct.

LaFemme

I was so jealous of the people who dropped weight when they quit...I didn't! I eat pretty healthy and exercise and I've lost a little but nowhere near as much as I would have expected after losing the 2 liters of nightly wine and junk food.

I've come to realize that being healthy isn't so much about looks but in valuing myself that I want to give my body the best care possible.

tk1fry

i'm with lafemme, treat your body right and it will treat you right. when i quit drinking i ended up losing nada. my uptake in cheeseburgers probably didn't help. today, i eat mainly unproccesed foods, watch my caffine, take vitamins and excercise regulary and still haven't lost much, but feel great. i thought i would have lost more after i stopped drinking, but oh well, i'll put it on my 4th step next time i do it. lol

Azreal

You would think with the loss of all those calories from alcohol, anyone who quit drinking would lose weight right?! Here's to hoping I'm one of them! Thanks for the feedback!

ImReadyToQuit

I'm not so sure of that... I have lost 10 lbs in 5 weeks.. Seems good, however I have been eating calorie restricted to 1700 cals a day of perfect (or close to it food).. As well as cardio 6 days a week and lifting on 4 a week.....

When I added up my typical diet before (including alcohol), I was consuming around 4000 cals a day.. I never got over 215 lbs... I'm assuming my GI tract was so bad that I wasn't absorbing many of those calories..

I have a feeling that some would actually put on weight as their digestive systems start functioning better if they didn't exercise and the same..

doggonecarl

I noticed a weight loss pretty quickly, within the first month. The reason being, I don't think I did anything to replace the 1000 or so beer calories I was taking in before bed. And when I quit drinking I quit all the thirst-inducing salty snacks and nuts that accompanied my beer.

I've gotten a sweet tooth since I quit...gotta get those carbs somewhere, but again, not in the same range as what drinking provided.

Six months sober, the last time I stepped on a scale, I was down to 140 pounds.

CarolD

With my doctors permission I did use an eating plan
for hypoglycemia for about 6 months.

Yes..I did lose a bit.maybe 15 lbs. but the goal was
not to lose....but to get bac in balance mentally and physically.

worked very well for me...

SASA

well I started taking a multivitamin, L Glutamine and animal thyroid to get my thyroid levels up. I lost 75pounds in the 2 years I started trying to quit, however about 30 pounds since last summer, still want to loose 30.....

Ghostly

Yeah...LF and I have talked bout this. I didn't lose weight either which blew my mind. Since I topped drinking last April I made some significant other changes too, like giving up soda. I eat A LOT better, and am committed to focusing on that more now.

Don't assume you will lose weight. It makes no sense but a lot of people don't. Make other changes with diet and exercise and you should see results. I think that bein in my mid 30's, it is harder to lose weight than it used to be.

Oh yeah...at one point LF and I discussed traveling the world, takin out our frustration on the people in the fitness Thread that can lose weight at will. We're still considering it.

Draciack

Hi Azreal

Holistic recovery has been huge for me - and that means eating healthier and exercising more often, cutting down on the caffeine and the sugary food, which when used tend to wreak havoc on my moods in a way I didn't understand until I quit.

I lost weight pretty quickly but when I quit drinking I quit binge-eating too and was eating 1500 calories a day, which is nuts and unhealthy.

The change though was great. I had more energy, could concentrate longer, didn't have those mid-afternoon crashes, and so forth. Made life a lot more enjoyable, and isn't that what sobriety is about?

Muunray

I've only lost 5 pounds since 3 months sober (was drinking almost a fifth of vodka a day). I haven't changed much else though....guess I need to increase my activity and decrease my intake. One thing I did notice is I'm taking care of my family, house, and personal belongings better now that I am feeling better. Anyways, people still compliment me and tell me I look like I lost a lot more so guess I'm not so bloated or something.
I already work out 3 times a week in the gym..so my next step is incorporating more into my activities- like when I park at the store I park a little farther away than I have to to walk the extra steps and I consciously walk vigorously instead of stroll. Or I make sure I take shopping cart back up to store instead of putting it into a convenient corral. So I mean simple little things I try to do a little bit more challenging. Anyways, enjoy yourself, enjoy your life!

dbearw

Almost 2 yrs later and I'm still waiting for the pounds to fly off.

Kjell

Oh yeah. I'm 6' and I was about 190lbs.

Once I quit drinking, I went to about 155lbs pretty quickly, but I also started working out and running and eating MUCH better. I get compliments all the time now and it's pretty cool. I can't wait for the pool to open

I was always fairly active, but now after being sober, I can actually finish what I start and maintain any changes in my life for much longer periods of time.

Whereas before, I would start running and stop. I would start working out, then stop. I would start eating healthy, then stop. (you get the point)

Kjell~

Jabbadabutt

The shear amount of calories from alcohol ( beer, wine, whatever) is astounding that I was consuming!!! It was the equivelant of going to Burger Doodle at 10pm and downing 4 whoppers then hitting the hay (NOT a good weigh loss program). Combine that with hangover dollar menu breakfast items and it is a recipe for disaster. I started to lose weigh towards the end of my drinking career (when I realized i REALLY had a problem with alcohol) because I tried to moderate more but just followed it up with heavier benders instead. Then I became sober an lost another 10 pounds (a total of 15 since last Fall) and I feel great. I have by default been watching what I am eating better and making better choices (because I am not drunk and making poor choices). If I could only get that exercise thing going I would be in even better shape !!!! Time management is always a problem.

Good luck to you on sobriety. If NOT drinking makes you NOT lose weight right away, who cares? It's better than dying from alcohol.

jamdls

I gained 25 lbs in the first year or 2 I wasn't drinking because when I drank I rarely bothered to eat (I'd often go the entire weekend w/o any food just alcohol) or I would just nibble on something; then I replaced the alcohol with lots of sweets and breads. I was 50 when I quit drinking so it was tough taking off those pounds but diet and exercise worked and I'm back to my "drinking weight" but a whole lot more fit.

DrunkenBasement

Hmmmm, I think I missed that conversation!

I have lost about 15 pounds since I quit drinking 3 months or so ago. I was drinking between 8 and 24 beers a day, or 2 bottles of wine and some beer AND eating everything in the fridge and/ or freezer. I was working out, but alcohol basically counteracts muscle buildup as well as nutrition intake. I work out now, more often and more intensely than before, and I am more careful about what I eat. I think my stomach has gotten smaller because I am not stuffing it all the time, so I am not able to eat ecerything on my plate when I go out the way I used to. I get full and I am able to stop.

Anyway, that's been my experience.

LaFemme

DB...Ghost and I are putting you on our list!

Seriously.... I had no appetite the first few months I was sober and hardly ate...I probably cut 1600 daily calories out of my life overnight. But didn't loose a thing.

Someone mentioned this might be because our digestive tracks are shot. That's pretty much the only thing I can think of.

UniqueNewYork

I got into weight lifting and went from 167 lbs to 190+ and then cut. I absolutely love lifting. My 84 year old grandmother still works out. Very few people are incapable of working out. Most just convince themselves they don't have it in them. It is true that everyone should start out light and progressively work their way up. I have obtained a couple of injuries from trying to push myself too hard too fast.