Newatthis34

Hey everyone,

So after 32 days I went on the lash two nights in a row. I'm back on the wagon and committed again, I've gotten support from my April colleagues on the daily thread so I won't bore you all with the details. I realise this may sound a bit silly considering the severity of damage alcohol does to the body but I was really p*ssed I didn't lose any weight in the time I wasn't drinking. I thought the lack of calories would make a huge difference to my waist line, and even though I was eating chocolate etc I wasn't eating the equivalent calorific amount to offset the non-drinking. What I'm trying to say is that I think if I had been losing weight I would have had another reason to stay sober and therefore wouldn't have relapsed. The visual evidence of weightloss wouldve been a huge incentive. Anyways anyone got any advice? I'm eating healthily, running 4 times a week and generally very active. Have I destroyed my metabolism after 10 years heavy drinking? (I'm 35).

Easyrider

Uh oh! I'm expecting to lose weight! 2000 calories a day x 30 days is an extra 60,000 calories a month. Makes sense right? hmmm....

Newatthis34

Right! That's what I thought...

flutter

I gained weight initially after I quit. I had been only consuming alcohol calories towards the end, I was incredibly malnourished. After I quit and started feeling better I was HUNGRY and not making great choices.. part of me felt it was ok to 'indulge' in whatever I wanted because I had stopped drinking and that in itself made me super healthy..not true. I had to make a lot of changes to my lifestyle to actually maintain my health (and lose weight).

hypochondriac

I lost weight, but very slowly because of the amount I was eating. Now I've started exercising more and trying to cut out chocolate...I know it's not going to be easy now to loose weight and I'm going to have to put the effort in. Not least because I'm in my 30's now. It might not be the alcohol ruining your metabolism rather than just getting on a bit...don't hit me for saying that...I'm in the same boat x

But I did really think that giving up alcohol would create these huge miracles in my life. Don't get me wrong, things are much much better, but I do think some part of me expected that all of my problems would just disappear. Slightly insane thinking. Now I'm relieved that didn't happen because I like a lot of things in my life, it was just the alcohol I needed to get rid of

Glad you're back x

Saliena

You didn't relapse because you weren't losing weight... you relapsed because you wanted to drink. That is the short and skinny of it. Best of luck with staying stopped are you seeking any outside help? AA or AVRT?

Duke10

You could put a 1,000 reasons for drinking again. Weight gain, bad day, death in the family, fight with wife/husband. Literally anything because they have all gone through my brain as well. You drank because you are an alcoholic and could not fight the temptation. Lots of people relapse. Get back on that wagon. You can do it.

DisplacedGRITS

I didn't notice much weight loss during my first month. I think my body was so out of wack and dehydrated to boot that it was holding onto every nutritious thing i out into it. After a month of sobriety though whooooboy! I've started losing weight like crazy! I'm down between 10 to 15 pounds (i weigh about 131 now) and about 10 pounds of that has been in 3 weeks with no real lifestyle change. I think it takes a while for your body to get it's rhythm back before weight loss can occur. I just checked my alcohol caloric intake and it was at least 1500 calories a day which is more than i even eat. Give your body more time. You've been wrecking it a lot longer than a month so it's going to take longer than a month to recover.

Patience, young grasshopper.

Tuitiefruitie

I actually gained weight because I was eating. I've lost it. Down to where I was but my body isn't as bloated looking. Building muscle mass a lot easier. Still eating chocolate and ice cream though. I need to cut back, but at least I'm not drinking. I'm sure my body and mind will keep changing with every sober day. Give yourself time to heal.

instant

Your expectations seem to be causing you distress. Reality is what it is. Try to go with the flow. Let things come in their own time.

See the serenity prayer for a helpful method that I have found useful.

Easyrider

Was drinking lemonade earlier then noticed all the sugar in it! Whoops.

Newatthis34

I know that sobriety is more important than anything else, but I was hoping to lose weight too in the general sense of all round health, healing and so on. I was posting this to try and see if others also had a similar problem. I agree that my impatience is an issue plus my expectations are unrealistic!!

Luling

This is an interesting thread, because I'm really hoping to lose weight as a side effect of sobriety. I think I will lose at least some, because I have a habit of diving into the junk food after a couple of drinks. (I had a sad experience with a bag of Cheetos and a bottle of wine last week.) I think I'll not worry about losing weight the first month, but if I do that will be extra awesome.

Dee74

Losing weight is not an overnight thing, not if we're doing it in a healthy way...

if you watch what you eat and keep up physical activity - if you have more energy going out than you have coming in? it's inevitable you'll lose weight - it just may not be as fast as you like.

My metabolism was really wonky after years of drinking.
I ate so badly and so irregularly, my body got used to storing fat.

You don't change that over night, but it will happen - if you stay committed, ask for advice, get some support and have a little faith and patience.

It's a lot like recovery

See a nutritionist if this is a big thing for you, newattthis

D