Why do most people
 

Gain weight in recovery even if eating nutritionally and exercising? I do not give into cravings, was a binger not an every day drinker and, and never replaced food with alcohol. I ate normal, though sometimez binged on food when binged on alcohol which was typically around a bottle of wine and a couple of shots 3x a week for 3 years. It made me gain 10 lbs when typically a very healthy person. Now I should expect to gain more in sobriety when being healthy? I can't afford to. I just went out my bmi healthy range and at 5 feet tall even a couple lbs makes a huge impact on my figure, much less my self-esteem. Can it still be bloat? How long does that last?

It could be many things. Most common is water weight as alcohol is huge diuretic. Sort of like how MMA fighters can drop 10-20 lbs or more to make weight classes, then put it all back on within days from rehydrating. Also alcohol messes with your digestive tract making it absorb nutrients poorly.
Also alcohol can make you feel less hungry so you eat less.
I really wouldn't worry too much about it as staying sober is more important than that weight gain. Give it time, stick with your proper diet and exercise routine, and I'm sure you'll be where you want to be.

Everyone is different, but getting back to a mormal weight and normal processing after drinking for a period of time can take a while. I thought that I would lose weight quickly after I stopped drinking because I wasn't stoking up with empty calories anymore. That didn't really happen until several years later when I adopted a low carb, high fiber and high protein eating programand was pretty serious about sticking to it. Keep eating lots of fruits and vegetables, avoid sugars and sugary beverages/foods and getting regular exercise. I know, it's not magical, but it does work. Good luck.

How long sober?

I understand your frustration. I am 5'4" and went from a size 2/4 to a 10 in the six months I have been completely sober. Very hard on my ego but - BUT - I think being sane(r) and an overall nicer person is better.

I hope to figure it all out and understand that my poor body is recalibrating after decades of abuse. Patience and total commitment to sobriety! I would rather my son remember his mother as a person who wrestled her demons and WON than a thin woman :)

2 months completely sober.

It does seem that it takes longer to have an impact the older you are or are female. At age 57 I was only up 4 or 5 pounds over my realistic baseline weight and it took six months for those to go away and now at eight months I've lost another couple. I'm about where I should be now.

Give it time and stay hydrated. It will happen.

How long have you been exercising? I ask this cause I see new people at the gym I go to constantly weighing themselves, and eventually give up cause they don't see immediate results. It really does take a while before your body is willing to give up the weight. At least for me, I didn't see any loss in weight for a while, then the next thing I know, the pounds started dropping off. John

I hate responding to my own thread, but I hate it more when nobody else does. Why is this not a big topic? As a perfectionist, before alcohol was involved I loved the control. Especially with fitness. Not having that now SUCKS.

Hey Babes,
I think first you have to work on accepting your body the way it is now and then make a plan to change it.
The BIGGEST factor in losing weight is not how much you exercise but rather how much caloric energy goes into your mouth vs your daily caloric expenditure. Meaning, where your weight loss comes from is in the kitchen.

The quickest and easiest advice I can give you, is to shop on the outside aisles of the grocery store. Try to eat and cook as many fresh meals as possible and stay away from processed foods or simple carbohydrates.

There is A LOT I could say about good nutrition and weight loss- I know how to do it properly probably better than most but I struggle with food addictions so I'm a better instructor than doer ;)

All the exercise in the world is not going to help you lose weight if you are not eating a proper diet. Exercise will help to trim off some extra calories and depending on your level of fitness will help develop nice toned muscles.
But the focus will have to be on first a healthy diet, and then some kind of regular exercise regimen to help boost your overall health.

I do not know about you but I certainly upped my sweets intake in the early months. It helped with the cravings. So weight loss will be slower. If you do not take sugar in then perhaps cut out all carbs.

It was only around the two month mark of sobriety that I started to lose weight and see changes in my body, and I was exercising every day, both weight training and cardio. I have no evidence for it, but I feel like it took that long for my liver to heal and start functioning properly. I say that only because the difference before and after the 2 month point was quite stark to me - since that point in time, my body has reacted to changes in diet and exercise quite noticeably.

But every person is different, it goes without saying.

I certainly don't think you should expect to gain more weight in sobriety if you're eating healthily and exercising.

Eat healthy, be active, and most of all dont drink. Those pounds with start to come off. Give it some time. You can't metabolize fat in your body when alcohol is present. Also, never trust a BMI. The worst indicator of body fat ever. Can't believe it's come back. According to it olympic gymnasts and pro running backs are morbidly obese.

I first gained in the first couple of weeks. I felt my body was in a re-hydration period,clinging to fluids it desperately needed. I also went through phases of exhaustion and couldn't make my morning workouts, I would just go on a 30 minute run which wasn't as effective. I haven't re-weighed myself but around week 3 I felt very de-puffed and balanced. Depending on how much and how often you drank, your body will need to adjust. Finally after week 4 I felt mentally ready to get more strict with my diet and exercise regime again. It just takes time for some people, and I can definitely understand the frustration.

I gained about 20 pounds. My craving for sugar was out of control and my coping skills with that and other things were pretty undeveloped. I've been sober almost 4 years and can now wrap my head around the fact that I am 50 and that my body has changed and that I need to exercise. Eating healthy is great, but for this chicky it is exercise.

Well it seems that at least 75% of the ones that I see sober up and come into the AA program do put on some extra weight in time.

I also need to recognize that as we all get older that also seems to be the trend.

M-Bob