Question about weight loss and bloat
 

I often read about people losing weight, etc. where all they do is quit drinking and the weight “falls off” even though they keep the same diet. This hasn’t really happened for me yet but I do have a question about bloat. When you say bloat, what exactly does that mean? Is it from the face, stomach, etc.? Do clothes fit better? Why do bloat go down versus weight loss? What in alcohol makes you lose the bloat?

Thanks for any details you can give me, would be a good inspiration for me.

I think bloat refers to water retention anywhere in your body. For me, when I was drinking, it was my face and stomach. And, I actually gained weight when I stopped drinking, which I needed to do. My appetite returned and food tasted good again. :)

I stay bloated (face, stomach, thighs) when I drink. I also always snack when I drink. When I quit a few years ago, after about 3 years ago I lost around 25 pounds even with eating ice cream most nights. But with all the extra beer calories and the calories from the constant snacking while I drank, the ice cream wasn’t so bad

I didn’t lose any weight, but I had a hard, protruding belly that retracted into a normal, old lady chubby belly.

I notice that too, when I'm drinking my belly gets hard and protrudes, when I get a couple sober days, the bloating goes away and my stomach is soft and chubby again. Face definitely, under the chin as well.

I had quite a bit of weight to lose when I stopped drinking. In past (failed) attempts, I made the mistake of trying to lose weight and stop drinking at the same time, which didn't work for me at all. So, I waited until I was sober for 6 months before really focusing on weight loss, and then I lost 40 pounds fairly esaily. That said, even though I didn't lose much weight initially, I definitely looked better, less puffy, younger, etc. :)

It might depend on certain factors, like your age, current level of physical fitness and metabolism, how overweight you are, how long you've been overweight, etc.

For me, it went really fast, but I was very sick as well and then started walking a lot and cutting down on portions to cut down on calories.

So not sure if it just falls off for most people, but add some exercise and cut calories (of course you're probably cutting a lot already with the alcohol), and you will probably start losing weight more quickly. Alcohol also lowers your metabolism, so that's another factor.