Did ya'll gain weight when you quit drinking? I'm gaining right around the middle like a spare tire. When I drank, I went from a size 16 to a size 4 because I stayed sick all the time. Never could figure out the point to stop drinking before I would get sick.
I was kind of likeing being a size 4 (I'm only 4'11" so size 16 makes me look as big round as tall LOL). Now that I don't drink anymore I'm in a size 6 and working on a size 8. My sponsor says this is normal. Anybody else? And if so did it come back off?
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Wishing OCD was Over Concluded Done!
When you where drinking, your body was metabolizing the alcohol for energy. that with the irritation to the bowels, and everything just passes right thru. After sobering up, your cells are still geared to that easy source of energy. Thus the craving for carbs, etc. From what I know there is no simpler source of energy than metabolized alcohol. No more breaking down, the sugar is so basic the cell just slurps it up. I'm 8 months sober and still crave carbs. If I had a slower metabolism, I'd be screwed. Up to 160 from 130 when I stopped, lost 10 and down to 150 from the heat. (roofer). Anotherwords, yeah. Your just gonna gain weight, it should be a good thing if you eat right. (I like women a little thick- tells me they can cook!) heheh I better shut up and go to bed.
When I first stopped drinking someone at AA told me to try eating chocolate as this would help to compensate for the sudden loss of sugar that I was used to getting from the alcohol. Nine months later, I'm still eating chocolate like it's going out of fashion!
But, after a few months of sobriety I took up regular walking and started eating more healthily than I had done for many years. So, my weight has gone back to where it used to be. I wouldn't mind, though, if I did put on weight. The most important thing to me is that I don't pick up a drink again.
Take care,
Carol
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
Let's see..........I'm 5'6". While drinking I weighed 108lbs & wore a size 2. Three months into sobriety (a year ago) I gained up to 117lbs & was in a size 6. I've noticed the last 3-5 months I fluctuate between 116 & 122lbs. Everyone says "you look so much healthier" so I do my best to exercise and eat right to maintain this. I'm hoping one day it won't fluctuate so much!
AA told me the whole "chocolate & candy therory" too. Diabetes runs in my immediate family, so under the circumstances I choose not to use that one.
(btw: I've always wanted to know, where do drunks get the idea that alcohol CONTAINS sugar? Most does not. The body metabolizes it INTO sugar, therefore possibly causing insulin problems for many)
I would suggest, if possible, see a doctor and get a physical.
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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
I have also read studies that suggest that part of our nervous system (a sheath around the 'tail' part of a nerve cell) depends upon fat to conduct impulses properly. When we get malnourished from drinking, these sheaths break down and the nerve impulses do not travel as quickly or efficiently. That is a supposed reason why many of us crave not only carbs, but fatty foods. Our body is attempting to repair parts of our nervous system so that we can handle things like stress.
When I quit drinking/using after many years of daily intoxication, I was 125 lbs. at 5'9". I was immaciated. I gained extremely quickly, as I was truly malnourished in every sense of the word. Recognizing that this recovery thing is an 'inside job', I worked on the inside, and definitely indulged in carbs and chocolate. But at the time, it was much better than being drunk!!
I gained 50 lbs. and still looked fine, for my height. When I was ready, I started walking also, as Quetzal mentioned. I have a couple of AA girlfriends that walk with me regularly. We have 'meetings on foot'.
I got sober in 2001 and had a relapse of a few weeks over Christmas 04'-05'. What I have done since is try to put 'first things first'. The Big Book states that 'when the Spiritual Malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. Very true for me. I am never going to be a supermodel. And today, I am perfectly OK with that. With a healthier spirit, I am more likely to take better care of my body.
For me, I had to start putting more stock in how I felt about myself on the inside. It does me no good to be skinny, and yet a liar and full of fear. I have also done a lot of work in counselling regarding how society tells me I should look in order to have worth, and I found that society is full of crap.
So I have stayed sober first and foremost, and out of that spiritual growth has come a healthy acceptance of the 'outside'. I exercise regularly and indulge at times, and that's OK. I like myself a lot more, inside and out. And my husband is not complaining, either. Just remember, that in all things, this is a process.
My sex life improved....:) and I was allowed to share a bed with my spouse..instead of sleeping on the living room floor...and telling the dog..I loved her deeply..
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"LOVE" devoid of self-gratification, is in essence, the will, to the greatest good...of another.
Did ya'll gain weight when you quit drinking? I'm gaining right around the middle like a spare tire. When I drank, I went from a size 16 to a size 4 because I stayed sick all the time. Never could figure out the point to stop drinking before I would get sick.
