Before & after pics
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: British columbia
Posts: 128
Before & after pics
https://www.wittyfeed.com/story/3951...hash=9umQz&i=2
I've seen this link on Facebook a couple of times, it gives me more motivation to stay sober ! I'm hoping my face gets more skinny
I've seen this link on Facebook a couple of times, it gives me more motivation to stay sober ! I'm hoping my face gets more skinny
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 403
not to rain on anyone's parade, but here I am, sober, 10 months sober, and thirty pounds heavier. I had gotten to the really dangerous point where the munchies, eating junk was no longer part of the disease. I was wasting away, but after I came out the hospital in June, I'm not going to lie. It was great being 120 all summer long. Now I'm 150 again. Yuck. My before, sadly, looks so much better. really.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: British columbia
Posts: 128
Originally Posted by notgonnastoptry 
not to rain on anyone's parade, but here I am, sober, 10 months sober, and thirty pounds heavier. I had gotten to the really dangerous point where the munchies, eating junk was no longer part of the disease. I was wasting away, but after I came out the hospital in June, I'm not going to lie. It was great being 120 all summer long. Now I'm 150 again. Yuck. My before, sadly, looks so much better. really.
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 1,543
I think looking great is obviously no bad thing. I've been a gym goer for many years.
About 3 months ago I was 196 pounds with a 36 inch waist. I'm a 6 foot male in my late forties in the UK. Most people would have said I looked pretty good for a guy of that age and the weights I was lifting in the gym were respectable.
My wife said to me as I started on bottle number three of wine for the umpteenth day running "you might look ok from the outside darling but you're rotting from the inside".
I guess she was right. As 20 days ago I was writhing in agony in my bed in pain and not being able to get up. This lasted for about 10 days (still got up to drink three bottles of wine a night though) until she finally made me see out day 1.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that we need to concentrate on our bodies health, organs, blood, brain, nutrition. The weight loss and skin tone will then take care of itself.
I'm going to work. Sober.
About 3 months ago I was 196 pounds with a 36 inch waist. I'm a 6 foot male in my late forties in the UK. Most people would have said I looked pretty good for a guy of that age and the weights I was lifting in the gym were respectable.
My wife said to me as I started on bottle number three of wine for the umpteenth day running "you might look ok from the outside darling but you're rotting from the inside".
I guess she was right. As 20 days ago I was writhing in agony in my bed in pain and not being able to get up. This lasted for about 10 days (still got up to drink three bottles of wine a night though) until she finally made me see out day 1.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that we need to concentrate on our bodies health, organs, blood, brain, nutrition. The weight loss and skin tone will then take care of itself.
I'm going to work. Sober.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 6,902
I find it hard to compare old and new photos as I used to dye my hair a very different colour and used so much makeup it was unreal (even to pop to the shop). I do remember being concerned that my skin wasn't so great and had started getting thread veins all over my cheeks. Nowadays I'll put a little BB cream and subtle blush on with some brown mascara and I'm done. People often comment that I look so 'well' and I don't actually worry about my appearance so much now, so maybe it's true.
Weight wise, I'm heading back to slimming world tonight after a break of a month. I'd been doing so well, and for the first time in decades was just a pound off target weight. I may have put a couple more on since then. I always need to watch it as my sweet tooth can become riotous, and once I pop, I just can't stop. Just like it used to be with the booze. I've been reading about food that is good for giving the dopamine that I suspect I'm craving when I go on a sugar binge and have accepted that, you know, when I say I fancy something sweet, I don't EVER mean just A candy bar, or a FEW biscuits. No more than when I said I was going for a drink, I ever wanted A drink. And perhaps it's just not worth it to engage in that battle with my will power and eat that kind of stuff, because what I'm learning is that, like booze, it's much easier to not indulge in it at all than it is to try to moderate it.
Hopefully my weigh in tonight won't be too discouraging, but if it is disappointing, at least I have a new plan as well as the main Slimming World one, and that is no sugary snacks, and to include as many of the dopamine boosting foods as possible in my daily scoff.
This is the article I've been reading about the dopamine... https://bebrainfit.com/increase-dopamine/
Weight wise, I'm heading back to slimming world tonight after a break of a month. I'd been doing so well, and for the first time in decades was just a pound off target weight. I may have put a couple more on since then. I always need to watch it as my sweet tooth can become riotous, and once I pop, I just can't stop. Just like it used to be with the booze. I've been reading about food that is good for giving the dopamine that I suspect I'm craving when I go on a sugar binge and have accepted that, you know, when I say I fancy something sweet, I don't EVER mean just A candy bar, or a FEW biscuits. No more than when I said I was going for a drink, I ever wanted A drink. And perhaps it's just not worth it to engage in that battle with my will power and eat that kind of stuff, because what I'm learning is that, like booze, it's much easier to not indulge in it at all than it is to try to moderate it.
Hopefully my weigh in tonight won't be too discouraging, but if it is disappointing, at least I have a new plan as well as the main Slimming World one, and that is no sugary snacks, and to include as many of the dopamine boosting foods as possible in my daily scoff.
This is the article I've been reading about the dopamine... https://bebrainfit.com/increase-dopamine/
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 937
Your face should change and slim down, even if you end up gaining weight in early recovery - that is what happened to me, anyway.
I got through very early recovery (first sixty days) by walking my dog multiple times a day and eating cookies or some other kind of sugary treats in the "witching hour" - wine o'clock (evenings).
I did put on weight but I feel so much better. Even if I were to remain at this state the rest of my days, I wouldn't swap it out for the old me.
That said, I am now on a very low carb and no sugar diet, as I discovered I binge on those things just like I used to do with alcohol. I am treating sugar particularly like alcohol - it has an AV in my head, so I can work my same plan with it just like alcohol.
I wouldnt worry about the gain in early recovery though - get through each day sober, keep piling the nights of sober sleep up and in time you can tackle your outside.
I got through very early recovery (first sixty days) by walking my dog multiple times a day and eating cookies or some other kind of sugary treats in the "witching hour" - wine o'clock (evenings).
I did put on weight but I feel so much better. Even if I were to remain at this state the rest of my days, I wouldn't swap it out for the old me.
That said, I am now on a very low carb and no sugar diet, as I discovered I binge on those things just like I used to do with alcohol. I am treating sugar particularly like alcohol - it has an AV in my head, so I can work my same plan with it just like alcohol.
I wouldnt worry about the gain in early recovery though - get through each day sober, keep piling the nights of sober sleep up and in time you can tackle your outside.
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
I don't look an awful lot different.... my weight hovers right around the same it has for years.
In some ways, it's frustrating - because at the last height of my drinking I actually looked a lot 'better' than I do now. I was working out like a beast (mostly because I'd been single for several years and so had the benefit of time and the motive of dating), was running a lot and hitting the weights like crazy.
It's odd that I also felt like I had more energy and power back then - even though much of the time I was drunk, hungover, recovering from a binge or in the process of getting drunk. But, I'd even go to the gym drunk. I'd go on long runs half in the bag. I'd work out like a madman for 2 hours to 'earn' the abuse to my body of getting loaded that night.
The upshot is I look fine.... I'm a 44 year old Dad with a generally fit phsyique. It's softer round the edges than I'd ideally like it to be, but it's healthy. I'm less concerned these days how I look than how I feel, what I'm capable of and the quality of the life I'm living overall. Those are things you can't really capture in a before or after photo.....
In some ways, it's frustrating - because at the last height of my drinking I actually looked a lot 'better' than I do now. I was working out like a beast (mostly because I'd been single for several years and so had the benefit of time and the motive of dating), was running a lot and hitting the weights like crazy.
It's odd that I also felt like I had more energy and power back then - even though much of the time I was drunk, hungover, recovering from a binge or in the process of getting drunk. But, I'd even go to the gym drunk. I'd go on long runs half in the bag. I'd work out like a madman for 2 hours to 'earn' the abuse to my body of getting loaded that night.
The upshot is I look fine.... I'm a 44 year old Dad with a generally fit phsyique. It's softer round the edges than I'd ideally like it to be, but it's healthy. I'm less concerned these days how I look than how I feel, what I'm capable of and the quality of the life I'm living overall. Those are things you can't really capture in a before or after photo.....
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Maine
Posts: 3,649
Originally Posted by notgonnastoptry
not to rain on anyone's parade, but here I am, sober, 10 months sober, and thirty pounds heavier. I had gotten to the really dangerous point where the munchies, eating junk was no longer part of the disease. I was wasting away, but after I came out the hospital in June, I'm not going to lie. It was great being 120 all summer long. Now I'm 150 again. Yuck. My before, sadly, looks so much better. really.
Think of it this way. If we could see a picture of our insides and our organs on the day we quit and a comparison picture now we'd be fully appreciative of the work we've done. The outside we can work on and take care of. It's what we couldn't see happening on the inside and what we were doing to ourselves that's truly horrifying.
Just like you've worked hard on recovery you'll also lose the weight. You know, us people have great dedication and resolve to getting it done!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 60
Originally Posted by notgonnastoptry
not to rain on anyone's parade, but here I am, sober, 10 months sober, and thirty pounds heavier. I had gotten to the really dangerous point where the munchies, eating junk was no longer part of the disease. I was wasting away, but after I came out the hospital in June, I'm not going to lie. It was great being 120 all summer long. Now I'm 150 again. Yuck. My before, sadly, looks so much better. really.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 125
The first thing any real trainer is going to tell you is do not look at the scale. In the initial stages of exercise your body is going to tone up or build new muscle which will in fact make you gain weight initially because muscle weighs more than fat. Over time as your muscle percentage increases it will use the stored fat as energy to feed the muscles. Thus causing you to loose fat while maintaining muscle. To accelerate this you can add in cardio. There are two different types of exercise aerobic and anaerobic. Anaerobic (weight training) will burn calories 24 hours a day, aerobic (running, dance, etc.) stops burning calories when you stop the exercise. That is why combination programs are so popular at the clubs, such as bodyshape, bodysculpt, and bootcamp.
You need to find the balance depending on your body type:
Ectomorph: Lean and long, with difficulty building muscle.
Endomorph: Big, high body fat, often pear-shaped, with a high tendency to store body fat.
Mesomorph: Muscular and well-built, with a high metabolism and responsive muscle cells.
Also it is not how much you eat it is what you eat. Fruits and veggies are all guilt free. Eat as much as you want. Without the butter or cheese sauce of course. Starvation diets don't work because the body uses (eats) its own muscle (pure protein) for energy thereby raising your BMI (% of body fat). Do some reading and talk to a trainer, dietitian, or doctor. There is a plethora of exercise websites for direction.
You need to find the balance depending on your body type:
Ectomorph: Lean and long, with difficulty building muscle.
Endomorph: Big, high body fat, often pear-shaped, with a high tendency to store body fat.
Mesomorph: Muscular and well-built, with a high metabolism and responsive muscle cells.
Also it is not how much you eat it is what you eat. Fruits and veggies are all guilt free. Eat as much as you want. Without the butter or cheese sauce of course. Starvation diets don't work because the body uses (eats) its own muscle (pure protein) for energy thereby raising your BMI (% of body fat). Do some reading and talk to a trainer, dietitian, or doctor. There is a plethora of exercise websites for direction.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 403
Originally Posted by LadyBlue0527
I feel your pain, I scarfed down the chocolate ice cream and allowed myself anything I wanted to eat in the beginning. Then, I realized how deeply I was paying for it and started on a new lifestyle change December 12th. I've lost 12 lbs since then and yes, I realize it's 4 months but I'm not looking for a quick fix and have set no expectations. A true lifestyle change. Eventually I'll be back to where I was.
Think of it this way. If we could see a picture of our insides and our organs on the day we quit and a comparison picture now we'd be fully appreciative of the work we've done. The outside we can work on and take care of. It's what we couldn't see happening on the inside and what we were doing to ourselves that's truly horrifying.
Just like you've worked hard on recovery you'll also lose the weight. You know, us people have great dedication and resolve to getting it done!
Think of it this way. If we could see a picture of our insides and our organs on the day we quit and a comparison picture now we'd be fully appreciative of the work we've done. The outside we can work on and take care of. It's what we couldn't see happening on the inside and what we were doing to ourselves that's truly horrifying.
Just like you've worked hard on recovery you'll also lose the weight. You know, us people have great dedication and resolve to getting it done!
It was very hard when I got out because I could eat anything and everything. And I did. It started to catch up about six months in, but I kept going. Now I'm thirty lbs over. All the really cute outfits I bought over the summer are useless. I'm on a low carb low sugar diet now. I hope to loss at least 10 lbs in the next six weeks. Maybe 15 by my birthday.
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Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 71
[QUOTE=LadyBlue0527;6396135] I've lost 12 lbs since then and yes, I realize it's 4 months but I'm not looking for a quick fix and have set no expectations. A true lifestyle change. Eventually I'll be back to where I was. QUOTE]
Love this attitude! I'm giving myself 5 months to lose 20lbs. Hopefully I can pull off the 1lb/week bit!
Love this attitude! I'm giving myself 5 months to lose 20lbs
. Hopefully I can pull off the 1lb/week bit!
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