Quitting Drinking - Losing weight?
 

OK.. So it's been a week since I quit drinking. I'm beginning to think about the positive aspects in regards to weight loss (or at very least lose my beer belly and slim my face down.

Can someone tell me in a month... how many pounds I "could" lose if I take away the drinking and add the exercise daily.


THANKS!

Don't put too much pressure on yourself in focussing on weight loss at the same time as giving up the alcohol.... I am the same I keep thinking that I will lose weight in time, but at the moment I am focussing on the drinking. I guess the rest will follow once you have one part sorted. Good luck. !!

Can't help you there, but with sporadic exercise, it took me at least 6 months to drop 10 pounds.

I think it's reasonable in general to expect to lose roughly 1/2 to a pound a week, more or less. Two pounds a week or more is considered extreme. Also depends how much you plan to lose. If it's not much, it's usually more difficult.

Thanks... Yeah I am figuring without the drinking that I'm talking in 700-1000 less calories a day. Plus I am trying to walk every day which is 200-300 more calories burned.

I guess I'm wondering how long it would take to drop 10-15 lbs...

Thanks! Not putting pressure. Just trying to focus on something new. The walking is really helping!

Day 41 here. I was hoping the extra weight would melt away since I was a wine drinker - nope. My diet is impeccable during the day (probably a little too restrictive) and I walk a lot (yesterday 8 miles) but what is killing me right now is the insomnia and the sugar craving DEMON which has me standing in front of the refrigerator like a crazy woman at 3am.

The good news? My skin looks soo much better - hardly need any cosmetics - and hair looks better - eyes are brighter - greatly decreased anxiety - etc. I don't think short term sobriety equals massive weight loss? I think this is more of a complete spiritual overhaul - but if you stay the course, I think (I hope!) the weight will eventually come off.

I had lost weight during the last months of my drinking, so I happily gained weight during the first few weeks of my sobriety. At that point, I had begun walking regularly and that managed my weight well.

Yes.. These are positive aspects that I'm hoping for too!

Although, I don't use cosmetics (my 'Glam' days of the 80's are long gone)... :-)

losing weight in the most basic terms is fairly mathematical.
You will effectively drop 1lb for every 3500 calories either burned through exercise or from reduced calorie intake from alcohol.
With all else being equal, if you cut out your daily drinking which was roughly equal to 700ca/day. Then you will effectively lose 1lb/week until you hit your ideal weight.

Refer to BMI index for a better understanding of a healthy weight.

I am approaching 6 months sober and have lost about 30lbs with no increased exercise and no change to my diet(except for cutting alcohol).

6'0" === started at 204lbs, currently at 175lbs. I dont want to lose more weight, so I am actually trying to eat more.

LOL Easy2slip

For me it was really important in those first few months to not be hungry. I ate a lot of healthy foods, but also more cookies, ice cream and candy than I did when drinking. The replacement of the carbs that I was used to by drinking was a necessary thing for a while.

Being hungry for me equals feeling anxious and fidgety and I couldn't afford any spiritual upsets in early sobriety. I ate a lot of sugary things in the first 90 days, and then my serious cravings started to die down.

My main focus in early sobriety was not feeling out of sorts, or not letting anything affect my serenity. I didn't start losing weight until I was over a year into sobriety - and I did it in a purposeful, mindful way.

I gained weight when I stopped drinking. For some reason, I was super skinny when I was drinking (ugh) cuz I was not eating anything. :(

Could be a wash, weight-wise, if you exercise a lot. That's what I am shooting for anyway - plus the exercise is good for the soul.

My weight has gone up and down since I quit drinking. What has changed is where I am carrying it. Giving up the booze for good has allowed me to make the right choices, the choices of what I eat, my lifestyle, and that sort of thing. So quitting drinking didn't change anything, but it let me change everything.

Just work on making small changes. A little better diet, whatever that means to you. A little more exercise on the daily. Better and longer sleep. A new or an old hobby that gives you mastery and human contact and achievement. You will see the benefits very soon, and they will continue to increase for you as your health and lifestyle improve.

Work on what you are doing now, this minute, and the future will look after itself.

Curious on this too. I've never had a problem losing weight in the past and I hope it won't be harder now.

Joe - Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for.

Makes sense, if one takes in same amount of daily food calories (as before quitting) ..... Cut out the booze calories. Add the exercise.....

Seems logical that one would lose weight!

I think it's different with everybody. If you put on a lot of weight when drinking compared to those who lose weight when drinking, then you will probably lose a lot when you stop. Also age and motabolism could factor into how much you lose.

When I drank, I would gain a lot of weight because not only did I consume extra calories from beer, I would usually get the munchies and eat a second dinner.

The 1st time I quit seriously, I lost 40 pounds in 3 months while putting on muscle. The weight flew off me. Years later, as I got a little older and quit, I lost the weight but not as quickly. It took me 6 months to lose 40 pounds. And this last time I have quit, it has been over a year and im just on the verge of getting to 40 pounds.

How old were you the 1st time you quit? And are you a man or woman? I'm female and this is my first time seriously attempting quitting so I'm curious. Thanks!

Hello,

I will have four months on Sunday, and I have lost 26.5 pounds, but I committed to doing weight watchers in conjunction with quitting alcohol. I have also been exercising. I know that cutting out the bottle (sometimes more) of wine I was drinking each night helped.

One week is great, try to focus on being healthy rather than weight, it is a good way to shift your thinking.

I'm a man. I think I was around 30 when i first quit. Now I'm 42. I would usually plateau at 235 pounds when drinking. When I lose weight I can usually get to 195 pounds. Anything after that become more difficult. At 6 ft, I should probably weigh about 170 in an ideal world.