Did you gain or lose weight when quitting drinking?
 

I'm trying to figure out which way this thing will go (and hoping for another benefit of quitting drinking!) I'd like to lose about 10 pounds, and clearly alcohol has a lot of calories (not to mention the crap I eat when I'm drunk and don't care). However, I notice I've given myself permission to eat more junk during the day now that I'm "saving" calories from alcohol. Just interested what your experience has been?

Initially I gained weight which I suspect was due to all the milkshakes I was drinking each night to replace the booze. I gained like 20lbs, and had a hard time fitting into my clothes, lol.

With exercise, and some change in diet, the scale has been more welcoming each morning, now it just states my weight in digital, instead of saying, "GET OFF OF ME", lol.

Great question! 20 pounds came off simply by putting the drink down. Thereafter, at about 8 months, I worked off another 20 pounds.That took me quite a while! Recently another 5 came off! I went vegetarian in August 09. 45 pounds over 2 years! Back in a size 4, a size I haven't been since I was 30! I call myself the incredile shrinking woman! haha It took a long time to gain the weight (5 years) and it came off in 2.

Yep, weightwatchers opened my eyes to the fact that I had a problem. One glass of wine was 4 points. I was allowed 21 points a day. I'd have 4 glasses of wine. That left me wth six points! yikes! It helped that my sponsor is a trainer and all I had to do was watch what she ate!

Thanks so much for asking and thanks for letting me share!

No noticeable change at all for me.

(If you're intentionally snacking more because you're not drinking I'd say. don't do that. ;) Not if you're after weight loss.)

While drinking, I gained weight because I did not exercise at all and because I did not cook for myself so I would eat take out food late at night, and fast food during the day.

Then I gained weight when I first stopped because I ate a lot for about a month, but then I was exercising more, and eating better so I started to lose weight.

I have 4 months sober and I've lost about 4 inches off my waist...it did not happen over night. I think it is because I am no longer poisoning myself and I now care enough about myself to eat well and exercise :-)

I've always been a bit underweight so giving up drinking meant I was eating more, and eating better, so I gained a bit of needed weight. But more than that, I feel so much better sober!:)


:lmao

There was no weight change for me. When I quit drinking I noticed an increase in the amount of candy I ate (there is a candy machine down the hall from my office).

I lost over 2 stone in 120 days when I first quit last year. I was though following a rather obsessive healthy diet and walking miles and miles every day to overcome the drinking thoughs and cravings.

In retrospect, that probably wasn't the best idea. This time around I might just chill out for a bit and eat what I want. Anything's better than drinking...

I gained back the 10 or so pounds I had lost during the last months of my drinking. I hadn't been eating properly at all, and so gaining back the weight was a bonus.

I've been sober about 8 months and lost 30 lbs. I have so much more energy so exercising became fun again and I started eating better, cutting down on junk.

I am gaining weight. 45 days of sobriety and five pounds. It is probably due to all the mints I am consuming daily.

My weight stayed the same.

However, I did get my self respect back. :)

Grrrrrr...this topic makes me cringe. Gained weight from daily consumption of around 12 beers and McDonald's milkshakes before getting sober, then gained even more weight from all the sweets I ate to replace the alcohol afterwards. And naturally I stopped exercising when my drinking got heavy, now almost six months sober I haven't started up the exercising again (but this thread is motivating me to do so.)

:herewego

I believe I lost some weight. but my weight always fluctuates from +/- 10lbs from what my normal weight usually is. So it's hard for me to tell lol.

Initially in the first couple of months I gained weight. I think my body was trying to catch up on the nutrition it was missing. After around six months my weight returned to close to ideal for my body type.

I wouldn't worry too much about weight changes in early sobriety. Most of the people that I have known that have gotten sober wind up with a body weight reflective of a healthier lifestyle.

initially i lost 12-13# over 2 months...but compensated with too many sweets. and not exercising enough.

after a rude awakening from the scale, i'm tracking what I eat and getting back to regular exercising....i had been consuming lots of halloween candy the past 2-3 weeks.

i was drinking about 2,000 extra calories a day in wine, empty sugar alcohol calories, gained over 30# in 2 years....looked and felt horrible.

one thing that is helpful is to take a weekly picture of yourself, you will be amazed at the changes, for me especially the facial bloat disappeared.

I lost 15lbs in the 1st month of sobriety and figured why not keep it going. I'm 3.5 months sober and have lost almost 30lbs! At first I was at the gym 6 days a week, but then started to cut it back because I'm trying to keep EVERYTHING in moderation in all aspects of my life. We alkies tend to be ALL OR NOTHING and I'm trying to fix that thinking in my daily routine. It's tough.

Starting, the short answer is that I lost about 10 pounds over time.

The long answer is I come from a family in which the males are wired to be fairly tall and lean normally. After I quit drinking, it seemed like I would just go up or down 5 pounds, with little major change. And I was inspired to eat (and eat with variety) a lot more every day. I did what I could to exercise during the winter, but I was exhausted much of the time. Once the Spring hit, I took advantage of the opportunity to make myself walk a lot more. Then I was starting to notice that the beer belly was finally disappearing. A year ago (drinking) I was somewhere around 180 or 185, and when I check now, I am 170 or just under. Six weeks ago somebody told me I felt skinny when she hugged me, and she also told me I look young. I was treated to a few comments about looking at least 8 years younger during that week. So that tells me I am doing what I should be for now.

It's been almost 7 months with a one night relapse in June. I gained 15 lb. I think a lot of alcoholics just don't eat. I would go on five day binges and eat maybe a slice of pizza.....how intercoursing stupid is that?