huntwc

I was so hoping that giving up drinking 4- 5 glasses of wine 5 nights a week, plus the extra munchies that gave me while drinking and the day after drinking munchies would result in a weight loss but the exact opposite has happened. I have gained 4 lbs. in 2 mos. I am a fitness instructor and teach 10 - 12 classes a week plus I work out on my own so lack of exercise is not a problem. I have to say this has me really bummed out. If you read my "scary thoughts" thread earlier this week you know that I have had some feelings of giving up and this may be part of it...Yes...I indulged in some extra sweets when I first stopped but I thought I cut out way more wine calories than those snacks were...so now not only am I not drinking wine but I have to give up "treats" so I can lose this weight...grrrrrrr

LexieCat

Yeah, I gained twenty pounds since I got sober.

Still, I'd rather lose the weight again than my sobriety.

Anna

I gained a few pounds when I stopped drinking, but I had lost weight before that because I wasn't eating properly.

I hope you don't let a few pounds get you down.

HidLid

You sure the 4lbs is fat gain? Muscle isn't weightless and you work out, something to consider. Also, even if it is fat, 4lbs is a small price to be sober.

Supercrew

If you are working out regularly, the 4 lbs is water weight. Alcohol dehydrates you, so when you weigh in you have more water in your system. I used to use alcohol to lose water weight to make me feel like I was losing weight. If you would like to see a change cut the salt out of your diet, and quit drinking anything after 7 PM at night, when you weigh in in the AM you should see a difference.

julez

I'm a personal trainer and also exercise a lot, and I've gained weight as well. Its only a few pounds, but still. I know exactly what I need to do to lose it, but its taking more work than usual. I think my metabolism has changed and needs to reset itself, maybe after a while of not drinking it will get back to normal..

sleepie

It's really frustrating. I have been a bit up and down all my life as far as weight goes, never to an unhealthy degree but I also gained weight when I gained a few months of sobriety last year. It's really hard to be disciplined about your diet when giving up alcohol, I agree... "Grrrrr!"

lildawg

I've gained about 30 lbs. since I got sober. However, before I got sober, I looked like someone with a terminal illness. You could see every bone.

Mcribb

I gained weight as well, but you have to put sobriety and being healthy, you will have plenty of time to loose the weight if you one handled

Fandy

I was consuming about 1500-2000 wine calories every day and had gained almost 35# in the last 2 years,,,along with menopause it was a double whammy.

since February i've lost about 12 lbs. but I need to get back to the gym & weights, currently i'm just walking with my new dog and i feel *flabby*, i'm still wearing the same sizes and am not tight.

nothing is effortless, but I sure wish it would come off and easily as it came on.

since you probably know more about metabolism than me, it might be advantageous for you to speak to a nutritionist to see what is causing your gain....it could also be thyroid or hormonal?

congrats on your sobriety and your great commitment to exercise...maybe some will rub off on me too!

mariellen

Im a trainer too, and after 2 1/2 weeks of not drinking ive packed on almost 5 lbs. Ive upped my cardio, and lift 6x a week, steadily gaining. Pretty depressing, have not a clue what my body is doing. I used to have a six pack, now ive got lots of fat on my stomach. Probally from the last binge, went on for a month!. I swear i have two personalities, healthy trainer, workout hard, dont drink for a month , eat good, get ripped. Reward drink myself silly for a month , crazy stuff.

loveon2legs

Oh I feel your frustration!! I've gained about 20 pounds in the 7 mths I've been sober....I'm tackling the drinking,now it's time to focus on loosing this weight!! Hang in there, it will balance out...I hoping so!!

alexvt

Hey well I lost 9 pounds in the last 12 days. I am doing the atkins diet induction. I had always wanted to do it and I could never make it even 1 week because I couldn't go without a drink that long and you can't drink on it and be successful.
My very first attempt at getting sober was in June and I had 23 days and prob gained 8 pounds, but I didn't mind because it was my first serious detox and i gave myself permission to just concentrate on staying sober.
Then I went a little crazy drinking off and on in july and august.

This time I said I am going to do both at the same time, and I have never felt better.
I have this new willpower!
Started both the diet and day 1 on same day! Kill 2 birds with one stone!

Now I am not condoning any diet to anyone always ask a dr before you start anything drastic.
Just wanted to share my experience.
Oh and trust me I still have a lot of baby fat to lose from 1 yr ago.

huntwc

Thanks all...forgot to mention my age which is 45...I am sure this is not helping! Had a done this even 5 years ago I think the weight would have melted off! I mentioned this weight gain to my Add. counselor who suggested my body may be holding onto the calories for fear it is going to get the empty wine calories again..."food" for thought perhaps!

stephnc

I'd give anything to have only gained 4 pounds after getting sober...for me it's been closer to 40. Between the increased beer consumption in the last months of my drinking and the sweets I inhaled after quitting, NONE of my clothes still fit me. Grrrrrr, indeed.

Chloe60

I'm glad you posted this. I've gained a modest amount of weight, less than 5 pounds. I also expected to lose weight instead, so I'm glad to hear that some gain can be normal.

Fandy

as i've gotten older, it is MUCH harder to lose weight too. I really have to concentrate on both working out and watching my carbs/white foods...which I try to avoid....when I was drinking i was inching closer and closer to typeII diabetes.

my cravings for sweets have somewhat disapated with some good summer fruits available, but I do reward myself with of all things Twizzlers...(which i never ate before)and if a small dish of ice cream helps me sleep instead of wine, i fugure it's a good trade.

your ob-gyno may be able to help you if you still have trouble getting weight off, but I would give your body a few weeks to regulate itself. you certainly get enough exercise and probably eat well...you have muscle on your body which burns more calories than fat.

when i get back to my work computer on Tuesday I will check Tom Venuto's e-book that is stored on there "Burn the Fat-Feed the Muscle"..he has a lot of good information.

again thanks for starting this thread, i find it motivating...the dog and I were out at 8AM today, we did a mile.

mariellen

Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle is an awsome book! Good luck.

huntwc

Strange how much we all have in common isn't it! In spite of the weight gain there is not a doubt that I do feel physically better and I hope you guys all can say the same thing!!! I swore the fat around my middle was a wine belly but it is still there and then some...not fair but still better than drinking too much wine and having reflux and headaches!

mariellen

amen to that!!