Eating like a goat
 

I’m 3.5 weeks into my sobriety and I can’t stop eating…mostly sweet stuff but I’m also more than happy to eat carbs and whatever else is lying around. Anybody else deal with that and how do I freaking stop? 😂

Congrats on 3.5 weeks, Schaffe. Very well done.

Yes, I can relate to consuming copious amounts of sweets in early sobriety. Alcohol contains sugar so it is likely that your body is seeking the level of sugar that you previously consumed through alcohol.

Substutions and diversions could help.

Have you tried quick substitutes for the sweets - nuts, whole grain cereals, seeds, pre-cut veggies, blueberries.? Grabbing those instead of sweets may help you to cut back. Maybe, grab a bag of nuts and cereal and go for a walk as a diversion.

Maintaining your sobriety is the most important thing at this stage.

Again, congrats.

Well done on 3.5 weeks of sobriety. Do you have any kind of exercise program? It might be helpful to try to spend time every day doing some kind of exercise.

Your body is lacking in vitamins and just trying to re-regulate itself. Be gentle with yourself, but be mindful of your health!

First go through the kitchen/house and do the sweets just like like you should have done alcohol three weeks ago. Throw them out so the temptation is not there. Then make a trip to the grocery store and stock up on healthy snacks. I personally stocked up on peanut butter, saltine crackers, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, baby carrots and pickles. Hate vegetables? They are much better with a touch of peanut butter so buy a large jar. You can pretty much snack on those all you want without a bunch of weight gain. If you don't already do so now is also a good time to start on a multivitamin as well. If you are drinking pop give it up. I drink one energy drink first thing every day for the extra B vitamins I need for other reasons. The rest of the day is nothing but lots of water. Nothing will help you at this point like water. It helps clean your system out as well as helping you feel full so your desire to snack goes way down. Please consult with your doctor first though before following any of my advice as I am not one.

Ice cream, popsicles, and candy were life savers for me to replace that sugar. Of course I had free reign after losing 20 pounds due to drinking and being underweight. I know, shut up OTM right? lol. But lets not get crazy. Watch overindulging but right now not drinking is the priority. The rest can come with time.

I did the same thing. I wouldn't worry about it too much - just focus on sobriety because it's more important. If you're already struggling, don't try to put too much on yourself all at once. Two months after stopping drinking, I felt that I had the headspace to start eating healthily and exercising. In time, the other elements of a healthy lifestyle seem easier without alcohol.

Don’t worry about the eating until you are solid in your sobriety and recovery. Staying sober at all costs every day is what matters. You can look at the eating if necessary further down the road 🙏

I am 19 days. I have eaten all day every day for 16 days.
Mostly rubbish. I know before years ago I went on a health kick and I only ate highly nutritious food. It made me less hungry. I thought at the time, if your body isn't getting the nutrition it needs, you will keep on craving food. Because it is craving what is missing. But you don't know what that is.
I have just bought a lot of more healthy food to see if that helps with the gluttony.

The sweet craving, the more sweet stuff and refined carbohydrates you eat, the more you will crave them. This is because they cause a sugar spike in your blood. To counter that, your body produces a burst of insulin to bring the blood sugar down. Which makes you crave more sugar. I have bought a lot of fruit so you get the fructose from it, but the fibre in the fruit slows down the sugar absorption . So you don't get the sugar spike and the insulin release.

Glad to see you doing well :) in not drinking.

While you continue to learn healthy ways to remain sober, you
can also learn healthy ways to eat well too. Find a balance in
all you do. A happy medium.

With everything, too much of things are not good. Too much
sweets, carbs, chips, candy, ice cream, fried. Yes they taste
good, but there are consequences to eating too much of those
types of foods.

Weight gain, heart disease, clogged arteries.

Look to the healthy food groups in fruits, veggies, lean meats,
heathy grains.

Keep up the good work with remaining sober first and foremost,
then add healthy eating so that you can become the best, healthiest
person you can be while achieving continuous sobriety and a happy
life in the long run. :c014:

It is very common. The brain is missing out on the mesolimbic dopamine rewards that it used to get from alcohol and is replacing it with sugar (which activates the same system).

As others have said I wouldn't worry about it if it is helping you stay sober at the moment.

​​​​​​

Obviously on a lighter note, but if you ask me eating like a 🐐 is much better than drinking like a 🐟.

I also had cravings for sweets and food in general, but within a few weeks I was back to my normal, healthier eating habits.

Hey Schaffe, I agree with the fight-one-fire at a time consensus here.
Getting over the alcohol addiction is the main thing to work on.
If junk food helps, so be it.

Of course, substituting healthy snacks is a good idea.
Fruit, healthy juices, nuts, low fat ice cream.
I have to admit, I love breads, ginger ale and ice cream.

But working thru the alcohol cravings is most important.

Thank you all! I was always a stress eater of a sort, but without having the evening 3-4 drinks, I don't have the substitute or the artificial come-down that would keep me from stress eating. This does seem somewhat like a whack-a-mole exercise. I just got a new treadmill and a musical instrument...let's see if I can make my brain settle for dopamine from those sources!

Schaffe - Add me to the list of those who went through the same thing. :) In my case I pacified myself with sweets. I hadn't even been a big fan of them before quitting - but suddenly I couldn't get enough. After a while it settled down on it's own. The cravings grew less. As others have said, don't worry about it too much - you know it won't continue forever. Be kind & patient with youself as you make this big adjustment. You're doing great.

As long as you’re not drinking you are good! Eat whatever you’d like and just focus on sobriety, your body will take care of itself later.

Congrats on 3.5 weeks 😊

Exactly!

+1

I avoided cookies, cakes etc., but allowed myself to eat all the fresh, whole fruit I wanted. Meals were healthy meat/veg, but fruit was unlimited. I quit during muscadine grape season and ate gallons. I had cut up watermelon available at all times, and kept large containers of fruit salad at the ready. It was an effective way for me to deal with cravings, and fructose from whole fruit is better than juice or sweets. Vitamins and fluids are another plus.
-bora

lol! :)