SoberSam

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and happy to say I have been sober for 16 days now. I have tried quitting in the past but never made it very long. This time I know I'm ready and as a plus I don't even crave it. The first few days made me feel off but it wasn't too bad. I now find myself with lots of energy but I actually get tired at a decent time at night. I was an evening drinker mostly and stayed up late to finish my drinks, eat then go to bed. I would wake up feeling gross and then start it all over again almost daily which continued for a long time. Last night I also had my first drinking dream which didn't bother me too much after I woke up but did leave me feeling off. I woke up almost feeling hungover. Strange! I'm quitting for many reason such as for my kids sake, my marriage, and to help us financially as we now have debt and because I want to be healthy. A huge motivator for me is losing weight as I have put many pounds on throughout the years as a result of drinking, unhealthy eating and lack of energy. In the past 16 days I have lost roughly 8lbs (going from my highest seen weight while drinking before quitting). How much has everyone else lost and in what time frame? And what can I expect from here on out? Looking forward to the replies and being a part of this community.
Happy sober days to all.

Upstairs

Congrats on the 16 days! I actually wound up gaining a lot of weight after quitting, but I had been pretty ill for a long time due to alcoholism. Seems like most people lose weight on quitting. Hope that helps!

Maudcat

16 days is great! A lot of people lose weight after they quit.
I did not, unfortunately. At least, not right away.
I followed a pre diabetes eating program about a year later. THEN I lost.

WhyNotNowMe

It gets easier over time. I feel normal at 2 weeks mark.

BrendaChenowyth

It's different for every person, depending on how much of a calorie deficit eliminating alcohol makes, how much and what foods and drinks you have instead, since a lot of people experience increased thirst and hunger after they stop drinking... many people gain... how much you exercise... you can actually gain weight from gaining muscle just because you got up and started using your body again... and you can have insulin resistance from years of drinking, so many people do not lose any weight for quite some time after they stop drinking, even though they are eating healthy at a calorie deficit and exercising.

SoberSam

Thank you all for the replies. When I was drinking I would drink a few beers or a bottle or two of wine a night. Ever since quitting I have been drinking atleast 8 glasses of water a day, eating healthier and doing a bit of excersize here and there. I'm sure thats all helped with the weight loss so far. I plan on continuing what I'm doing and maybe up the exercise a bit soon too as it all seems to be working. I was just curious to see what other peoples weight loss has been like since quitting if any at all and to find out what symptoms I might experiance at this point?

jryan19982

Take the time to count your calories you sre consuming currently.

Now think back to what you were eating while you were drinking. Then add in the colories you were consuming with alcohol.

Compare the two numbers. For most people the maintaining colories intake id about 2000 calories. How do your two numbers compare to the 2000 mark?

Personally i usually drank about 900 calories a day in alcohol. Add that to my diet which was at times less than stellar. I stopped drinking and I lost about 8 lbs in two weeks.

least

Welcome to the family. 16 days sober is a good start.