RoyGBiv

I'm back, months after my last failed try.

I was almost underweight when I quit drinking 15 days ago, at 6'4" 185lbs. (193cm, 84kg for my metric friends.) I had sometimes skipped dinner in favor of beer, ate a half a lunch if I was sick to my stomach from last night's binge... I had just become used to not eating a lot, then flushing my system with 10 beers a night or more.

Since I quit, I have gained 11.5 lbs (5.2kg) in these 15 days.

Think maybe my body was missing something ?

Looks like I'll have to begin managing my diet sooner than I'd like, and not indulge the sweet tooth that takes me over when I stop drinking.

now If I could just solve the insomnia, constipation, loneliness, etc.. well one thing and one day at a time, right?

bunnezjp

Um, yeah, your body was missing nutrients.

Bunnez

huntingtontx

You are doing great. 15 days is awesome. I also gained when I quit, but you can always lose weight. Not drinking is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I listened to meditation music to sleep in the early days.

IOAA2

My main concern is the drinking any amount if you’re an alcoholic.
You can always loose the weight after a period of sobriety, can’t fix the looking up at the grass roots as easily.

BE WELL

MelindaFlowers

When I stopped drinking I self-soothed with food. Lots of it and the fattening kind. It worked though. A few extra pounds is better than active alcoholism.

waynetheking

Your body is thanking you. Let it happen. And yes one day at a time. It will get better each day. Trust me. Glad your here!

mns1

RoyGBiv I think that is the important thing. You're body is adjusting to normalcy again. At 15 days in (well done by the way!) I don't think you should concern yourself with too much at once.

Just stay focused and faithful and good things will come!

sleepie

Hi RoyGBiv ... Do you like beans and rice? Soaked from dry and cooked with brown rice is nutritious, cheap and easy. It will also help with one of these I won't say which!

I always find protein satisfying too, when I am awfully hungry. Way to go on sobriety

Mikie9

I am a tall skinny guy too. As I have stopped drinking my calories and started eating again(and we seem to have had the same eating patterns) I needed the weight gain. One thing to keep in mind is, since you are now eating your calories instead of drinking them your body is happily storing these real calories as fat. the reason is, your body sees this as an opportunity to store some real calories since it has been starving so long. Ride it out. Once your body figures out it can use these new, real calories for activity, consistently, everything changes.

You didn't mention breakfast, and neither did I. We need food in recovery. We stopped eating in favor of drinking beer, and our bodies are a little pissed about it and is trying to save itself, no matter what our brains is thinking about it all.

Keep going and don't worry so much. Once our bodies figure out we aren't starving it any longer, things will change

RoyGBiv

Yeah I never ate breakfast. Usually didn't feel like it.. too busy fighting off the upset tummy from the night before. I'd get hungry by noon, or make myself eat a little if I didn't.

Now up 15 lbs in 20 days. I just touched 200lbs for the first time since 2008.

Aellyce

Roy, if you want to manage your weight and stay healthy (also mentally), it's best to eat regular meals. It'll help keep your metabolism up. If we starve ourselves routinely or skip meals, our system goes into "conservation mode" after a while, and it's really not good in any way. 15 lbs gain if you were almost underweight does not sound like a big deal? Perhaps amp up your exercise (or start working out rigorously if you have not been and are able to). Also, many of us heavy drinkers have nutritional and metabolic imbalances that take a while to normalize. Some of these can definitely affect our weight. Maybe get a physical to assess these things, and talk with a nutritionist for advice? Eating sweets seems to help a lot of people to fight alcohol cravings in early recovery, but lots of it is not the best form of diet in the long run. That, and also having a lot of salt can also cause water retention, which can contribute to weight gain. Maybe try not to eat too much processed foods either since many of them contain additives that can interfere with metabolism and many other biological processes.

So again, if you are worried, see a doctor and start an exercise regime that might help with what you want to achieve.

There is a forum here for Fitness, Health, and Nutrition that seems to be pretty active, check it out maybe:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...lth-nutrition/