messyliver

Tomorrow will be day 7 and i'm super happy. Went on a 5 hour hike yesterday and am starting to feel super productive. (Still very tired though!) However, i just can't stop eating! I'm hungry all the time and am indulging in carb heavy and high sugar food! I expected this to happen obviously but at this rate i'm going to be huge. Huge and sober of course, but still huge haha xx

ANewDayNYC

I've been drinking more soda since quitting (so I can relate to the need for sugar). To be honest, it doesn't bother me - Coca-Cola and Pepsi aren't ruining my life like alcohol. I will just go to the gym a bit more.

ShenzyT

Awh Messy - I feel your pain ..... I don't stop shovelling food in all day .... I was ok the 1st 10 days .... but this past week I've been eating everything in sight.....it's awful....
I'm hoping it'll settle down soon.

Soberwolf

Well done for your week sober Messyliver i was underweight when i got sober and when my appetite came bk it came bk with a bang

ppl told me this was normal

Congrats your doing exellent Messyliver

messyliver

I've always struggled with my weight anyway and have to be very careful to keep myself a normal weight! I'm hoping that over time the lack of alcohol calories will even out lol xx

happyandfree

It's been 11 months for me and I was really concerned that I was going to gain a lot of weight. I really ate a lot in the beginning. But actually, I've gained 4lbs, which isn't that bad. And it was mainly due to the holidays. Now I'm trying to cut back on ice cream and sweets. My rationale was that any thing was better than drinking. I didn't put any pressure on myself regarding the increased food intake. Especially in the beginning, I think we are undernourished and our bodies need extra tlc. My suggestion is to not worry about weight gain for a while, just be kind to yourself.

Stoogy

I drink a lot of sugary drinks, Pepsi, coke and my favoroute without doubt is strawberry milk.

Anything is better than alcohol even if it is not so good for my teeth.

Riel

You might want to try a low carb, or ketogenic diet.

It can reduce your sugar cravings, and you'll likely find you can go for long hikes without getting super hungry once you're keto adapted.

JanieJ

I ate loads in the first few weeks. I still lost weight. There are a lot of cals in booze.

Now my appetite seems to have levelled out (at three months) and I'm eating pretty much normally again, and the weight had kept off too.

VikingGF

Just eat and don't worry about it. I was exactly the same way, but then it all leveled off and the weight literally started to fall off. And weight has always been an issue for me, so that was incredulous! Then, about a month or so in, my appetite became pretty normal and I found I was eating better because I wasn't craving junk and sugar anymore. The weight has continued to come off, but I do pay attention now, and added some regular exercise, which I now have the energy for. It all changes pretty quickly, just keep going!

Good for you on 7 days!!

saudades

Last month I quit for 9 days, and probably a week in my mom asked if I'd lost weight--that's how much puffier alcohol made me look. I'm on day 2 this time around and I noticed these past couple of nights that I'm reaching for the bag of chips a couple of hours after dinner...I think it may just be that I'm so used to having something in my hand this time of night that I reach for food when I can't have alcohol. Keep in mind that alcohol is pure sugar (carbs) so when you give it up it makes sense to still get carb cravings. I'm going to try to find some healthy snacks to keep around if I get those nighttime cravings, and maybe get some yummy herbal teas to sip on instead. Keep at it and good job on 7 days

jryan19982

They make some very decent lower sugar sodas, organic sodas, so there are options for a lower sugar or dare i say a healthier soda.

Anewyear

I. So with you. Totally craving sugar. ( candy, chocolate). Having to exercise more to combat this change. I hope this slows down,

matilda123

I can commiserate. I think I started a thread a few months ago entitled something like, "Pizza and chocolate and candy, oh my!: For the first month and a half in particular, I was craving a lot of sugar and also a lot of carb heavy food. Initially, that surprised me, as I didn't eat that stuff much before. But as others explained to me, particularly around the sugar cravings, I was really eating a ton of sugar with the wine I was drinking. Irony of ironies, I always prided myself on eating "healthily," all while drinking three to four bottles of wine a week! Somehow, I guess I thought that didn't count.

It has calmed down a bit (I'm just about at 3 and a half months). But I wouldn't worry too much about it. It helps with the cravings and it will slow down. Although not the case for everyone, I haven't gained weight (lots of calories in alcohol--if I was drinking and eating sweets, then I'd have a serious problem). In the meantime, I recommend Talenti's chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream--it is the bomb.

pattyj

I ate everything that my body craved for about the first 6 months. I didn't really gain or lose anything. After about 6 months I was able to make healthy decisions and have lost about 30 pounds in the last 1.5 years. Food is good, your body is craving it. Just don't make yourself sick with the sweets. I ate a pint of Ben and Jerry's every day for the first month or so. Then it was a large box of sugar babies everyday for the next month or two and then it was some sugar every once in a while and now I never really eat any sugar. By mindful but just eat what your body is craving. Any food is better then alcohol. In a few months, you'll be able to get in under control.

Jupiters

I'd be hungry too if I was going on 5 hour hikes!
try not to stress out too much about the food. I think it's quite normal to splurge in the early days. It levels off at some point, at least for me it did.
As my energy/motivation increased, I started exercising regularly too which helps the balance.
Least I wasn't consuming thousands of empty wine calories every week!

messyliver

I'm not doing too bad with the sugar really. I'm allowing myself some dark chocolate every day and am still going out to socialise to end up having a soda or two instead of the 5 glasses of wine i would normally have but only one day i've ended up binging on chocolate (last sunday i ate about 6 bars haha!) but they were delicious lol xx