Tryingto

I am sorry. This might sound trivial. I was already bordering being chubby when drinking alcohol, from poor food choices.
Yes I am sober, but I need to eat. One vice replaces another. I need to still feel the void. I have been in counseling a long time, so it's not something I should just 'work on'


Any advice???

Tryingto

Partner walked in room & I didn't want him to see this.

Most of me is thinking ugh just easier to drink (no that is NOT what I am going to do) but my brain is telling me, you think your smart for not drinking... you will always have a problem

Latte

I understand. Weight gain happens often. I'm working on taking off a good amount of weight after getting clean and sober. What seriously worked for me was being honest with myself. AA talks about honesty and I believe that it also means being honest with myself. "Do I need that extra serving?" etc.

laurie6781

When I first got into recovery I did gain weight, lots of weight. Those first 3 months or so, it seemed all I did was eat, and most of the 'extra' I ate was sweets and carbs. I found out later, what I was doing was trying to get the sugar fix that my body was craving. It wasn't getting the sugar from alcohol anymore.

As I 'settled' into recovery, and the cravings slowly abated, and I ate more healthy, I started to lose the weight. By a year sober not only had I lost what I had gained, but some more besides and was almost back to my ideal weight.

I know of many folks that have gained weight in early recovery and then some slowly and some quickly lose it and more if they need to, to get to a healthy weight.

Right now, if you can stay focused on your recovery from alcohol, I do believe the 'weight problem' will resolve itself as you stay sober and clean.

J M H O

Love and hugs,

nolawench

Tryingto... I'm in the same boat, after feeling like crap 99.9% of the time, being unable to eat and only ingesting vodka, I now find myself eating any and everything. I try to make healthy choices, but dammit it's the holidays and I want cookies and fudge.

tommyk

I have had the eating problem. Can't control portions, can't resist cookies/sweets.

I realize that it is just more of the "I want, I want, I want..." syndrome.

Once the "I want" to lose weight became more important than the "I want" to eat everything in sight, things began to get better for me.

So.. for me... it is all a matter of what "I want".

These days I eat what "I need" more than what "I want".

Tryingto

I will try.

I often feel...........empty though..........and like my counselor said I rely on external things to make me "whole"

I just can't seem to stop - but I know I say that about alcohol (still struggle though) and I have stopped, for now at least.
7 days today!!!

four812

often I go to the FOOD also when I am uncomfortable. knowing that i should stop eating even as i take another bite or prepare just one more bowl of ice cream etc.

it sure beats the alternative of picking up a pipe or a drink.

each day i can start again...some days i do better than others in the eating and that is just OK.

Mariposa18

TryingTo~ I understand what you are going through. I've been doing the same thing and it wouldn't be so bad if I was working out, but I haven't exercised in 2 months. I know if I at least workout, I'll feel better and I won't want the junk food. BUT if I do happen to eat it at least I won't gain weight, you know?

Thing is like you, I also am replacing the alcohol with the food. I noticed I've always had some sort of crutch, even as a young girl. Back then I had a fantastic body! (Wish I'd appreciated it) so there was no way I'd overeat to comfort myself, I was too worried about getting fat, so I would starve myself for weeks, then give in when the hunger became too much. I took diet pills sometimes as well as purge. Now I didn't do this all the time by any means, but when my emotions overwhelmed me it's what I did.

Then I drank....that became my crutch for a while. Quit drinking and discovered weed (at 22, go figure!) That was my new addiction. Quit that and started cigarettes. Quit THAT and yep, started to eat again. I swear it's ridiculous!!!! I'm sitting here typing it and reading it and realizing how I just don't deal with my emotions, I push them away any way possible!

Anyway, didn't mean to make it about me, I'm sorry. Just know that I know how you feel and we can help each other stay sober AND take control of our overeating. No more shoving away our feelings, because until we learn to deal with it, we're never going to be okay, kwim?

Latte

I HAD to get into serious recovery for my chemcial addictions before I could deal with my food issues.

I knew that I could only do one thing at a time and the drugs and alcohol was going to kill me before being overweight or ever obese would.

It was really hard to watch my waist line grow as I got clean and sober, but it has been fun to watch it shrink in the last few months.

My recovery comes first though, I'll go to a meeting before I go to the gym if I'm pressed for time.

MagicMan08

I gained a ton of weight on a diet of beer and pizzas etc.

It seems when I sober up though, I crave sweets. Strangest thing. If I didn't just get into trouble for driving with revoked, I would prolly go to the gym right now.

ufe

That's absolutely right. I have always had a mild sweet tooth, but when I was on alcohol, the enjoyment of anything sweet, almost even fruit which I love pales into the requirement for beer. I have heard people say things like "if you don't like dessert, you're an alcoholic...."

I guess our brains are telling us we are shoving a garbage load of useless carbohydrates into our bodies, we don't need chocolate!

I've rekindled my sweet tooth with fruit.

doorknob

I told my gf that I was working on my dickydo...