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Your experiences with weightloss (or not) in early recovery...



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Your experiences with weightloss (or not) in early recovery...

Old 09-05-2011, 07:39 AM
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Your experiences with weightloss (or not) in early recovery...

Hi all,

I was wondering what your experiences were with the weight put on during your drinking days. I put on a lot of weight over the last few years. Now that isn't surprising considering I was killing half of a large box of wine or a full big bottle of margaritas every single night. Additionally I would eat comfort food during my binges bc the booze would make my stomach hurt so bad. When you figure a few liters of wine plus bowls of fatty food 7 nights a week, it was logical that I got so big. But now I have been without that for 17 days and the scale has only moved 2 pounds. That just seems weird to me. I feel like I was consuming a pound a day of calories during my binges alone (in addition to eating normally throughout the day), so now that I am eating healthy the weight should be falling off.(???) Anyway, I am curious about everyone's experiences etc.....

Thanks!!

Carla
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Old 09-05-2011, 07:48 AM
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Hi Carla,

when I quit, I was expecting the exact same thing as you. I did originally lose 5 pounds but then kind of evened out. However, I am definitely eating more and more 'bad' things these days! I love cooking and I am trying out tons of new recipes and a lot of them have been deep fried or cheesy. mmmm. cheesy. anyway, I know it's time to quit that. I have learned that when you quit drinking things take a bit longer to straighten out than I originally thought - at least 90 days or so. So I am just hanging in there and I think that as long as we do keep eating normally things will go back to normal and the weight should start dropping too.
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Old 09-05-2011, 07:49 AM
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I know. It's a little discouraging. I kinda figured I'd have lost more than 5lbs after 45 days of serious change...oh well. At least all I've gained is happiness
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Old 09-05-2011, 07:50 AM
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I put on a ton of weight through drinking leading to poor diet and lack of exercise. When I got sober I also decided to change my diet and exercise patterns dramatically. As of today (day 107) I have lost 43 lbs and feel great. It came with work and determination, however.
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Old 09-05-2011, 08:05 AM
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Congrats on 17 days! Remember that you have 2 weeks + a few days. 2 lbs. is awesome! I've gained 10 pounds, but my eating has been a lot of sugary things, restaurant foods, and not a lot of exercise. When I exercise, my weight will regulate.

For you, at 17 days, your body is regulating to no drinking. Give time time. Chew more, eat slowly, drink lots of water. You'll be ok, in time!
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Old 09-05-2011, 01:57 PM
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Between my first try (~16 days) and my relapse of one night then second try (3days) I lost 10lbs. So 10 lbs in 20 days. Sounds great right? Problem is my appetite is gone. I get really bad hangovers so never eat the day after the binge. Then sobriety doesnt seem to sit well with my tummy either so I just feel it is so hard to actually eat. Everything seems yucky.

For the record I gained at least 35lbs during my 10+ years of heavy drinking. I actually miss things tasting good.
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Old 09-05-2011, 02:00 PM
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I had lost about 10 pounds during my last months of drinking and I was way too thin. But, once I began drinking, I had no interest in food. Thankfully when I stopped drinking my appetite returned and I quickly regained the weight.
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Old 09-05-2011, 02:01 PM
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I'm the same as MycoolFitz. I did lose 8 lbs of water weight the first week. But I replaced alcohol with my previous love of lifting weights and exercise. So through hard work I've lost 20lbs so far and put on some muscle in the past 80 days or so.
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Old 09-05-2011, 02:26 PM
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Im a stonne and a half heavier than when I quit three plus years ago. I actually eat now rather than spending my days feeing ill and then only eating when drunk. I was at a stage shere I could only get food down when Id been drinking by the time I quit. I needed alcohol to eat. How mad is that. Now I eat loads. Exercise a fair bit too. I like to think some of my weight gain is muscle !!!!
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Old 09-05-2011, 02:37 PM
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I can relate, Carla. Drinking has caused me to put on a lot of weight too. I haven't touched a drop of alcohol in 25 days and so far I lost 6 lbs.. With me, it took about 20 days of not drinking to notice any weight loss. Now, at 25 days, my weight appears to be dropping at a more rapid pace. I am being very careful not to replace my alcohol habit with a junk food habit. This is quite difficult, because I've been craving sugar now that I haven't been drinking. I never craved sugar while I was drinking. All I can say is try to hang in there and be careful of what you eat. I'm sure that with continued abstinence from alcohol, you will begin to shed the weight. A little exercise everyday can't hurt either. Congrats on 17 days!!!
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Old 09-05-2011, 02:59 PM
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Hi Carla, congratulations on your 17 days . When I first got sober in March I was shocked at my food cravings. I was about 35 pounds overweight at that time. I just allowed myself to eat whatever I wanted, figuring it was much better than booze. Even with all the food, I didn't gain any weight, but did lose so much bloating, especially in the face, in the first 2 weeks or so. I can't believe how puffy and fat I was.

As time goes by, the crazy food cravings are pretty much gone & I've lost about 25 pounds. I do like to eat, a lot, so I make sure I exercise every day. Usually walking about 4-7 miles a day.

I think it takes our bodies some time to regulate & figure out what the heck is going on. After years of poisoning them with alcohol and the corresponding poor eating habits.
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Old 09-05-2011, 03:16 PM
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Great post! Thanks

I went from 236 pounds to 183 pounds in a little over 5 months. I tapered my drinking (thanks to Baclofen) until July 2nd or so and just stopped drinking altogether. Before total abstinence, I was stuck at 210 pounds.

My point is that when we drink like that and snack, we need to learn how to eat healthy again. I accomplished this with the "17 day Diet". The book is on Amazon for 10 bucks or so. There are recipes in there to. It basically takes you through a few phases. The first is getting rid of the bloat/ water and detoxifying. As an alcoholic, I really needed that for the reasons stated in your original post.

It works and I am sober, more alert, skinny and more active.

By the way, I lost that weight without a lot of exercise. If the calories don't go in your mouth, they won't go around your middle!
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Old 09-05-2011, 05:19 PM
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Thanks all for your responses! I "knew" that the weight didn't go on in a day, so it probably wasn't going to come off in just a few. That said, in my brain, I figured I was consuming nearly a pound of calories a night during my binges, so once that stopped maybe I would lose a pound every couple of days....wishful thinking! I do plan to drag my butt back to gym. I have just been waiting for this total body exhaustion to lift. I have been going to bed right after my kids most nights....I just can't stay awake! If it doesn't lift soon I may try some small workouts to see if that generates some energy. I have just never felt so utterly sapped! Like too tired to watch tv (!) and NOTHING comes between me and a Law and Order Marathon! *chung chung*

Carla
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Old 09-05-2011, 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Carla77 View Post
If it doesn't lift soon I may try some small workouts to see if that generates some energy.

Carla
Starting off slow with the working out is a great idea to "generate some energy"

I knew I tended to be a little compulsive (go figure, huh !?!) about the rate I'd be losing weight. So I promised myself not to get on a scale for 90 days.

Started off riding a bike for 20 minutes a day; .....as hard as I could, (which wasn't very) Gradually able to slowly increase the mileage over several months.

Lost more than I'd imagined that first 90, so keep the "only weigh every 90 days or so" thing going after 17 months sober.

After reading "sugar blues", ....it gave me enough reasons never to touch sucrose. Since all the booze I drank was/is sucrose based (speedy fermentation, and all) ........keeping that stuff as far away from my body seems to work.

I really hope you'll be able to sort out what's the best foods for you and your family.

You've got a hell of a headstart with your successful sobriety !!

Congrats
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Old 09-05-2011, 06:34 PM
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I have been losing weight in the 47 days I have stopped drinking. I am pretty short/small, about 5'6", so to have a healthy BMI I should be in the 125 to 150-ish range. I have dropped from about 147 to 139 so far. I think it was adding a lot of calories, and making me eat poorly, like having fatty fast-foods the next day, and not caring. I would like to be at 130, as I like a trim figure, and this way, I can wear more or my retro clothing Now, to add some exercise! So losing at just over a pound a week, here.
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Old 09-05-2011, 06:44 PM
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I would drink until I was staving then binge eat. I'm 4.5 months sober and lost 11kg.
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Old 09-05-2011, 06:47 PM
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Congrats Carla and thanks for the post.

Over 90 days sober and at the beginning craved sugar bought soft drinks which I never did before. The craving for sugar diminished on its own but flared up over the weekend.
I started fully back at work and was feeling anxious and mildy depressed. I gave it full rein, 5 ice-creams on Saturday, 4 boxes of chocloate covered raisons and 2 mango slurpies on Sunday.
I didn't give myself a hard time, before it would have been alcohol, not ice-cream.
The anxiety triggered the sugar craving the anxiety was triggered by work and the anxiety with work was triggerd by ????????????.
Yesterday I picked up a slurpy on the way home from work.

I would like to give sugar away altogether. The thing is when I was not anxious I didn't want sugar. I need to find the cause of my anxiety and deal with it.

I don't weigh myself and there hasn't been any great fluctuations in weight but certainly less bloating and my digestive system is working more efficiently.

I am not a gym person and get exercise by riding my bike everywhere. My problen with riding the bike is I get so angry with "the way they drive". Yesterday as I ventured out the front gate, a woman of the canine variety just cut across the double yellow lines in front of me. Nothing happened, nothing was going to happen, it just infuriates me, just now a small mouse, perhaps a baby rat came out from under the AC, I was thinking it is really cute and where are those 2 bloody freeloading cats when you need them and like a streak of lightening the cat has it in it's jaws and is making off into the garden. I digress, I live alone.

I had stiffness in my lower back so I started cleaning the floors by hand while listening to AA speakers.
A sort of "grasshopper thing".

Anyway this is rather longwinded but I think I may be feeling lonely and need to share whatever is going on in my mind.
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Old 09-05-2011, 07:21 PM
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Originally Posted by CaiHong View Post

I would like to give sugar away altogether. The thing is when I was not anxious I didn't want sugar. I need to find the cause of my anxiety and deal with it.

Some folks think refined sugar actually causes a sort of melancholy state.
I'm def. not trying to make a comparison (at all) to falling down, or blackout, drunk;
........

I am not a gym person and get exercise by riding my bike everywhere. My problen with riding the bike is I get so angry with "the way they drive". Yesterday as I ventured out the front gate, a woman of the canine variety just cut across the double yellow lines in front of me. Nothing happened, nothing was going to happen, it just infuriates me, just now a small mouse, perhaps a baby rat came out from under the AC, I was thinking it is really cute and where are those 2 bloody freeloading cats when you need them and like a streak of lightening the cat has it in it's jaws and is making off into the garden. I digress, I live alone.


CaiHong

This story puts a smile on my face


Thanks !?!
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Old 09-05-2011, 07:42 PM
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Carla, congrats on 17 days! I have a completely nonscientific. Theory that when we were drinking and eating all those calories our digestive systems just shut down and didn't process much of anything (they were drunk after all) now that we are eating better and not destroying our bodies our bodies are hoarding the calories because they don't trust that we wont go back to drinking. Give your body time to heal and adjust.

I lost bloat right away so at least my face lost the puffiness. But have not found the other weight to go anywhere unless I exercise and diet...go figure
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