Weight loss after giving up Alcohol

I’d love to hear any weight loss success stories after giving up alcohol. Losing weight is not the main reason I’m choosing to give up alcohol, but it would certainly give me confidence if I did.

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You can search this one, it comes up a lot. It seems to really vary depending what your habits are like. Before and after drinking.

For me, by the end drinking had me eating a trash diet and completely without motivation. Almost as soon as I got sober, I didn’t want as much garbage food. And I started moving around again. Dropped some weight right there just getting sober!

Then as I really rediscovered my motivation for things and not constantly hungover or drunk, I was outdoors more and started working out a little. I lost even more.

I think after my first year I had dropped like 60 lbs, all told, and felt way better! Of course I came in a hot mess. :rofl:

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To echo @Eke, really depends. Alcohol has lots of empty calories, so I figured I should lose weight if I gave it up, but I rarely ate when I drank, and now all I do is eat (sigh). So I got chunky after quitting. :man_shrugging:

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We have a daily check in thread. I will link you :trophy::v::grin:

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I tend to walk and workout more, when I’m not drinking on the daily and if I lose weight that’s why. I do look and feel healthier not drinking regardless of activity. My eyes less puffy and brighter, my skin not as dry and my stomach not as bloated.

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I’ve been on and off relapsing for quite a while, but definitely less alcohol overall compared to a year ago… Plus less crisps and late night junk food eating which came with the drinking…

Saying that I have lost NO weight since changing drinking habits, I think I may eat a little more sugary foods, but nothing extreme. I don’t really understand why I haven’t lost weight!!! I am a steady 8.5 to 9 stones.

@moderators do you want to merge these threads? Thank you :grinning:

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All I do is eat now its 3 am in Las Vegas and I’m thinking of going to go get a cupcake

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I didn’t loose an weight after stopping drinking! I hardly ate enough while using, plus I worked a crazy schedule at the ICU. So when I stopped drinking and quit my job, I finally ate and slept enough. People keep telling me how healthy I look. Since I started working out I even put on muscle weight :sweat_smile:
So please don’t be disappointed if you don’t drop pounds like crazy when quitting. Most likely you will feel much better an healthier, inside and out! I’m sure that’ll boost your confidence and make it easier to implement healthy habits! One day at a time :muscle:

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I dropped several pounds with no change in activity level. For me it was the late night munchies with the drinks. I don’t eat after dinner at all anymore, and just drink tea.

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@Dejavu I am in the same boat! Who are these people who lose weight. LOL

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Girl, I feel ya. I walked into treatment 6 months ago at 198 lbs. Today I am 150 lbs so far. I was responsible for supplying my food while I was there, so,

I made a decision to change the way I eat,
and I stayed with it one day at a time. I made many choices everyday including what I would put in my mouth… if its good for me, yes
If it bad for me, no. Controlling my diet gave me inspiration… I’ve never been disciplined with anything… It has layed the groundwork for confidence in myself. I was a blackout EATER. I would wake up from a binge and find bags from every fast food restaurant I could imagine. So alcohol and food go hand in hand for me. To keep it simple, I went KETO. Everyone responds to diets differently. That’s what worked for me so far. Now that I’m out of treatment and able to exercise more I eat more carbs for my activity level. Do some research. You can do anything. Use your tool box friend, in all aspects of this life.
Good Luck.

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Omg, that’s so awesome!! Great Job!
I was 185.2 this morning :disappointed_relieved:. This is the heaviest I’ve ever been. I eat a lot when I’m drinking too. I’d be happy if I could just get to 165.

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@SassyRocks do you want to merge these threads? Helping with thread house keeping :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I gave up drinking last year for lent. Then shortly afterwards we went on lockdown for covid. I started at 145 lbs and by the end of summer I was 125 lbs. My activity level was the same as while I was drinking. But my wine consumption was a significant portion of my daily calories. Good luck on your sobriety. Focus on that first and changes in your life will drive you to a healthier lifestyle. Hugs.

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Would recommend this thread :blush:

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I lost approximately 40 pounds within my first year of sobriety. I did it with a Fitbit. In the last few years before I quit drinking, I had become very inactive. When I first stopped drinking, I did not lose weight. Six months into sobriety, I got a Fitbit and began walking 10k steps every day. I quickly increased that to 12k steps a day and I now walk/ run a minimum of 18k steps a day, every single day. I’ve kept all of the weight off and maintained my walking without fail for six years now.

Walking changed my body. I would never have believed that just walking could make such a big difference. I am so much stronger and more fit than I was when I was drinking. Losing the weight was also a wonderful motivation to remain sober. There was no way I wanted to regain the weight.

It also became a very good way for me to process my thoughts. A walk outside is an immediate mood booster for me.

Losing the weight in the beginning inspired me to continue with sobriety and my sobriety inspired me to keep walking. For me, the two go hand in hand.

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Ive recently lost 13 pounds by not overeating and choosing healthier options to begin with im starting out with 10 to 15 minutes of calisthenics a day as time goes by i will intensify my workout i lost close to 80 pounds couple years back took me 6 months but then i started smoking weed (munchies) and alcohol going to partys eating late at night and i gained it all back so now that im sober again im loosing it all again amd never going back !!

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Sorry, didn’t merge these as here folks were asking/sharing in general about how sobriety affected their weight. Didn’t wanna clutter up the daily check in thread!

For those interested in long term fitness in sobriety though, I’ll remind everyone there are some specific groups that are active, as @siand did:

As mentioned above, I for one found with sobriety that my baseline health was much better sober (shocker :rofl:), and my motivation to enjoy that health. Great way to spend sober time!

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Thank you :grinning::v: