peaceful2

I am putting on weight due to overcoming initial cravings with junk food and lots of sugar. But lately I see that I have just replaced one addiction with another. I am using my overeating as an excuse to let go. And I hate how I feel. My clothes feel so tight on me. Yuck.


So here I am procrastinating again about eating healthier and exercising. I don't need to eat all that ice cream , chocolate etc as I don't have as many cravings.


Have any of you lost weight after giving up alcohol? And when did you say to yourself that enough is enough with the junk food.


Grateful for any tips

Dee74

I didn't lose weight then but exercise and sensible eating seems to do a lot for most of us

D

Culture

I didn't lose weight giving up alcohol because I did the same as you by replacing it with sweet stuff. I didn't put on any either though, my weight has pretty much stayed the same. It's only now at nearly 2 years sober that I am beginning to do something about the sugar habit. I did try initially but I found that by cutting back in the early days it triggered the craving to drink. Sugar seems to shut the drink cravings up or it did for me, something which makes sense when you consider how much sugar is in wine, cider etc and I was mainly a wine drinker.

Santi27

I lost 2kg in May when I didn't drink.
In 2017 and 2018 when I had no alcohol I for 3-4 months I lost 5kg.
That said, I didn't change my diet when not drinking, I didn't substitute sugar for alcohol, so I think it's just a simple equation, a sensible diet keeps your weight in order and drinking alcohol adds a few kilos. From my experience it's just that and nothing more- alcohol has calories and so adds weight.

WhoDeyPI

Honestly even when I replaced alcohol with junk foods such as ice cream, which I did for quite awhile, I was still dropping weight. I lost 38 lbs while eating a pint of ice cream every night before bed.

Keep in mind, I was drinking 750ml of vodka per night, mixed with 60oz of sugary Gatorade....which equated to about 2000+ added calories.

Helianthus

As of yesterday I've lost 56lbs since I became sober and honestly, even though I have been doing more exercise more consistently, a large majority of it is because I now get up in the morning instead of laying in bed, the dog gets all the walks she can cope with and I have a job now. I did develop a very sweet tooth and I still have something sweet after dinner everyday, I just make sure it fits in my calories. I don't like mindlessly overeating sugary foods because it reminds me too much of mindlessly drinking too much alcohol.

StrengthNme

I gained weight because of the calories that came from drinking. I'm only on day 5, but I have been trying to go for a walk every day. I have also started planning an exercise routine that includes weights, sit-ups and karate. I know I need to make some changes to my diet as well because I have been eating a lot of carbs, but I'm waiting to do that until I am a little farther than 5 days in.

boreas

Weight gain was one of the reasons I quit drinking. For me, in my 40’s, change of life stuff was definitely exacerbated by nightly drinking. It took a while, but my weight is down and I’m back in good shape.

Exercise is a big part of recovery for me, but more for the mental benefits. We all know that you can’t out-exercise a cookie. To that end, I didn’t indulge in sugary treats when I quit as that is a slippery slope for me. What I did eat in HUGE quantities was...

FRUIT. I gorged myself on grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, anything I could fine. The local winery laughed when I bought pounds of muscadines. Cold fruit, and tons of it, satisfied my sweet tooth and for me was better than processed or homemade sweet treats.

Just wanted to share my experience. I knew that if I didn’t keep a handle on my weight during recovery that it would weigh heavily on my mind and impede my progress.

There is more and more research which suggests that refined sugar has unique effects on the body. For me, staying away from it is best, and so cookies and such are a treat rather than the norm.
-bora

peaceful2

I thought the same. Three weeks in and then I slipped...two weeks later another slip...two weeks later another slip. In the meantime eating buckets of junk food

peaceful2

I need to start doing the same. Enough is enough. fruit is a good answer!

boreas

Yoga was big for me, because it’s good for you and I enjoy it. Also, it’s free with all of the youtube flows out there. I also walked/hiked almost every day.

My regimen is more strenuous now, but I’ve worked up to that over 2 years. What was key for me was eating healthy, exercising only as much as was comfortable (and doing things I actually looked forward to), and an overall attitude that I would be kind to myself as I healed and got healthy. No quick fixes or over training. I was, and am, in it for the long haul. That way, my health has become an investment of which sobriety is a part. Like any investment, it has great value to me.

The peace of mind that has come along with it is just the icing on the proverbial cake. The benefits of sustained sobriety are truly endless.
-bora

dcg

I gained a lot by replacing booze with food. Then weight became an issue instead, and I had to get a handle on that.

abgator

I lost weight when I quit drinking, but I've always been on the more slender side. Also consider that A LOT of your size is due to bloat that's caused my alcohol and other sugars. That part drops off pretty fast (or it did for me).

I was drinking a lot, daily and it often caused me to make poor food decisions. At 6'1", I was up to 205 lbs. I wasn't huge, but I had a small gut and you could see it in my face. I changed my diet entirely and the first time I quit drinking, after just 3 months I was back down to 175 lbs. Even when I relapsed, I maintained my healthy eating habits for hte most part and got sober again after a few days. I've maintained that weight now for 9 months or so.

That was mostly without exercise as I've been dealing with a nagging neck injury.

bradley26

When im sober exercise and healthy eating is how I focus my addictive behaviour. The last time I was sober was for 4 months and I lost 50lbs and I felt amazing, physically and mentally.


Then I got complacent fell off the wagon and put all the weight back on.
Just keep telling yourself that eating that food will make you feel good for a few minutes but after that you will feel like sh1t for it and it will take even longer to get to your ideal weight.