The not so fun part of sobriety: keeping weight off
Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 446
Originally Posted by Stayingsassy 
I do agree with doing one thing at a time, but some folks seem to be able to maintain weight in sobriety and I struggle to keep weight off, so it's like another battle on top of sobriety. And harder in sobriety, because I can't just drink in place of eating.
I'm still kind of evaluating what to eat. I've done paleo because I feel ill after eating wheat and wheat products, and paleo explores a lot of non-grain eating options.
But I'm realizing how far off from normal eating I am. I read an article last night about a facility for alcoholic women: they serve no sugar in the facility, the admin states "it spikes dopamine, which we want to avoid." Then they teach the women how to eat, again. Female alcoholics are notorious for skipping meals to drink, and after years of that? It's as if we had never learned to eat. Regular, nutritious meals are the focal point of this particular rehab.
I'm still kind of evaluating what to eat. I've done paleo because I feel ill after eating wheat and wheat products, and paleo explores a lot of non-grain eating options.
But I'm realizing how far off from normal eating I am. I read an article last night about a facility for alcoholic women: they serve no sugar in the facility, the admin states "it spikes dopamine, which we want to avoid." Then they teach the women how to eat, again. Female alcoholics are notorious for skipping meals to drink, and after years of that? It's as if we had never learned to eat. Regular, nutritious meals are the focal point of this particular rehab.
Maladaptive
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: East coast, USA
Posts: 558
I did atkins for a year lost a bunch of weight then tried to moderate with south beach.
We know how moderation goes.
I am good off carbs or on carbs. No zone or south beach will work for my personality. But its ok, i really enjoy this. The only drawback is it's a lot of planning and prep and cleanup.
We know how moderation goes.
I am good off carbs or on carbs. No zone or south beach will work for my personality. But its ok, i really enjoy this. The only drawback is it's a lot of planning and prep and cleanup.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 3,027
I'm starting to think that it's going to work as long as I keep paying attention. The last two times I gained a lot of weight in sobriety I had an "anything goes" mentality.....like "I want cheetos," go buy Cheetos. "I want a half gallon of ice cream" go buy ice cream. "I want a pile of Taco Bell...." You get the drift. Then somehow thinking I was going to escape weight gain, haha.
This time I am going to the gym 4 days a week, weighing every few days, and just trying to figure it out without going nuts or restricting myself too much...moderation is way harder than eating nothing or eating everything....it's going to be interesting. ��
This time I am going to the gym 4 days a week, weighing every few days, and just trying to figure it out without going nuts or restricting myself too much...moderation is way harder than eating nothing or eating everything....it's going to be interesting. ��
Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: East Coast
Posts: 1,906
my wife is an incredible baker and has even entertained opening her own bakery so it's around ALL the time. It sucks too....my wife is this tiny woman and my daughter takes after her. They can snack for days. I look at a slice of cake and i gain 12 pounds. haha....
welll...there's nothing like a good ol' fashioned case of the grumpies to get stuff kick started. I told my wife she had to stop making all of this or do something with it because i can't have it in the house.
When i got home from the range tonight, there was this giant freezer sized container in my kitchen underneath the kitchen table with a pad lock on it. She was either plannin to kill me or lock up the junk. Glad it was the ladder. LOL
Now i don't have to try to survive the staring contests with all this stuff.
the battle rages on.
welll...there's nothing like a good ol' fashioned case of the grumpies to get stuff kick started. I told my wife she had to stop making all of this or do something with it because i can't have it in the house.
When i got home from the range tonight, there was this giant freezer sized container in my kitchen underneath the kitchen table with a pad lock on it. She was either plannin to kill me or lock up the junk. Glad it was the ladder. LOL
Now i don't have to try to survive the staring contests with all this stuff.
the battle rages on.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 3,027
Oh no...your wife is tiny AND a baker?? The unfairness of the universe rages on....
Funny, my husband did the same thing with the booze. I asked him to clear the kitchen "i don't want to see it!!" So he brought it in the garage, packed it away and put locks on the openings of his booze. Whatever, man! Not drinking it anyway, just didn't want to look at it.
My husband and kids have the same weight issues I do. My two oldest girls watch it carefully so they are normal weight now (they are 19 and almost 21) but they were heavy as kids, my youngest is heavy and working on it now that she's almost 12, she's getting there. I'm really the only one who has succeeded in getting it off and consistently working at it. But I did it boozing, so now it's a whole other more difficult ballgame....a lot of genetic obesity going on though, and also diabetes rampant through my extended family.
Man I really, really, really don't want to pack it back on, this morning was thinking I'd come up with some new set recipes. That always helps, having my go-to healthy recipes.
Funny, my husband did the same thing with the booze. I asked him to clear the kitchen "i don't want to see it!!" So he brought it in the garage, packed it away and put locks on the openings of his booze. Whatever, man! Not drinking it anyway, just didn't want to look at it.
My husband and kids have the same weight issues I do. My two oldest girls watch it carefully so they are normal weight now (they are 19 and almost 21) but they were heavy as kids, my youngest is heavy and working on it now that she's almost 12, she's getting there. I'm really the only one who has succeeded in getting it off and consistently working at it. But I did it boozing, so now it's a whole other more difficult ballgame....a lot of genetic obesity going on though, and also diabetes rampant through my extended family.
Man I really, really, really don't want to pack it back on, this morning was thinking I'd come up with some new set recipes. That always helps, having my go-to healthy recipes.
No Dogma Please
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: SoCal
Posts: 2,562
Originally Posted by DosJi8
Calling serotonin a feel good neurotransmitter is an obvious reference to the popular serotonin-as-the-happiness-molecule theory launched and marketed by corporate medicine.
Yet a sizable volume of sound research studies demonstrated that increasing serotonin and tryptophan either with drugs or supplements (not food because food's unlikely to significantly raise tryptophan or serotonin in the brain) is linked to brain dysfunction, stress hormone release, cognitive deficits, inflammation, impaired blood circulation in the brain, hypertension, cancer, and other less than "happy" effects - search online for the scholarly report"Tryptophan Side Effects: L-Tryptophan Is Far From Harmless"
The "serotonin-happiness" mantra, just like the mechanistic simplistic "chemical imbalance" idea, are almost entirely all-too convenient inventions of the medical-pharma business, which allowed them to sell their highly profitable antidepressant drugs, such as SSRIs, while causing massive human destruction. And for agents of the natural medicine industry to sell tryptophan and 5HTP supplements. Because of the vast propaganda of both industries almost everyone repeats their disinformation on serotonin, antidepressants, etc as if it were the truth.
Yet a sizable volume of sound research studies demonstrated that increasing serotonin and tryptophan either with drugs or supplements (not food because food's unlikely to significantly raise tryptophan or serotonin in the brain) is linked to brain dysfunction, stress hormone release, cognitive deficits, inflammation, impaired blood circulation in the brain, hypertension, cancer, and other less than "happy" effects - search online for the scholarly report"Tryptophan Side Effects: L-Tryptophan Is Far From Harmless"
The "serotonin-happiness" mantra, just like the mechanistic simplistic "chemical imbalance" idea, are almost entirely all-too convenient inventions of the medical-pharma business, which allowed them to sell their highly profitable antidepressant drugs, such as SSRIs, while causing massive human destruction. And for agents of the natural medicine industry to sell tryptophan and 5HTP supplements. Because of the vast propaganda of both industries almost everyone repeats their disinformation on serotonin, antidepressants, etc as if it were the truth.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 5
Originally Posted by Stayingsassy
Oh no...your wife is tiny AND a baker?? The unfairness of the universe rages on....
Funny, my husband did the same thing with the booze. I asked him to clear the kitchen "i don't want to see it!!" So he brought it in the garage, packed it away and put locks on the openings of his booze. Whatever, man! Not drinking it anyway, just didn't want to look at it.
My husband and kids have the same weight issues I do. My two oldest girls watch it carefully so they are normal weight now (they are 19 and almost 21) but they were heavy as kids, my youngest is heavy and working on it now that she's almost 12, she's getting there. I'm really the only one who has succeeded in getting it off and consistently working at it. But I did it boozing, so now it's a whole other more difficult ballgame....a lot of genetic obesity going on though, and also diabetes rampant through my extended family.
Man I really, really, really don't want to pack it back on, this morning was thinking I'd come up with some new set recipes. That always helps, having my go-to healthy recipes.
Funny, my husband did the same thing with the booze. I asked him to clear the kitchen "i don't want to see it!!" So he brought it in the garage, packed it away and put locks on the openings of his booze. Whatever, man! Not drinking it anyway, just didn't want to look at it.
My husband and kids have the same weight issues I do. My two oldest girls watch it carefully so they are normal weight now (they are 19 and almost 21) but they were heavy as kids, my youngest is heavy and working on it now that she's almost 12, she's getting there. I'm really the only one who has succeeded in getting it off and consistently working at it. But I did it boozing, so now it's a whole other more difficult ballgame....a lot of genetic obesity going on though, and also diabetes rampant through my extended family.
Man I really, really, really don't want to pack it back on, this morning was thinking I'd come up with some new set recipes. That always helps, having my go-to healthy recipes.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 3,027
Originally Posted by Darcerella
I am newer to recovery and I was hoping I would LOSE weight since I would be free of all of the carbs and calories of the many many drinks I used to consume daily. After reading through these comments I am starting to panic. It seems like the opposite is true. It just makes me not want to consume anything. 
It's why I'm trying to think in terms of moderation with food.
Try not to freak out. I'm newly sober myself so this thread has a fair amount of panicking in it, but it doesn't help you or me to over restrict...eat real food and enough of it to be nourished, try to avoid junk and sweets, and let's heal from this thing.
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