Since the birth of my youngest (10 years ago) I vowed never to touch spirits again, as that would have been the death of me. And to this day I haven’t!
Wine abstinence followed a few years later for the same reason. At that point I thought I was in control.
However all I really did was substitute with beer.
To begin with it was ‘just a couple, now and then’, but over the last few years my consumption increased and the frequency. The beer had completely taken hold of me and I was living in denial about it.
Anyway to the weight issue –
I used to wear rings, but 2 years ago I had to have them physically cut off, my fingers had swollen so much they were now cutting my circulation! If I hadn’t been in denial I would have seen that coming and could have saved myself the humiliation of that day!
That should have been a wake-up call, the turning point. But it had the opposite effect. Between the self shame and other life factors my alcohol consumption increased dramatically.
Since that point I gained a dramatic amount of weight, I could see how ‘fat and ugly’ I had become and I knew I had no-one to blame but myself.
The low self-esteem that resulted from this led to the following cycle: – beer=weight gain=miserable=beer=weight gain=miserable=beer – you get the idea.
I guess I just want to know – Am I beyond hope? Will I ever lose this excess weight?
(I should also say I am 36, so I don’t have youth in my favour. Also I don’t currently have the self-discipline to regularly attend a gym)
I put on 3 stone when I was doing a sedentary job years ago. First I got a free app for my phone that tracked how far I walked, jogged, ran, cycled. I then worked out a couple of routes. I started by walking, then walking faster, then power walking, then alternated, then I introduced a slow jog, then slightly faster, then intervals with running.
The apps measure speed, calories, etc. (No need to pay for a fitness device if you don’t need to).
I went out regardless of the weather (once you start building in that sort of stuff it’s like saying I’ll just drink at weekends) and ended up jogging a 5k twice a week.
Don’t be put off, when I started I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to jog or run (because I’d filled my head up with nonsense) and I happily walked until I felt good, then, with the app, just did a little more.
However, you also need a calorie-counting app, because you won’t achieve your goal by taking in more than you need.
I also found 5:2 amazing - it takes a little bit of will power initially, but no more than giving up drink!
And yes, I lost the 3 stone in around 9 months.
It felt great - good luck with whatever you decide to do!
I too have had issues with my weight, reached just shy of 300 lbs, and because of my weight I felt horrible which in turn made me drink more which in turn made me gain more weight, I stopped drinking 22 days ago and have lost 19 lbs with out even trying. When u drink 3500 calories a day and then stop and eat normal the weight comes off, I have learned that…don’t drink alcohol because of my weight…stop drinking alcohol because of my weight, stay strong u can do this😃
It took me about 30 days before some weight came off. If I understand the biology correctly the first Ste is to heal the liver so it can do its job properly. It isn’t just the calories that matter but also that the health of all your organs. Give yourself time.
I’m at 50 days now and haven’t lost a thing! I’m not worried though. Like you mention VSue, the body’s probably so busy repairing itself it’s probably not too worried about anything else. And I have been eating more, probably to make up for the sugar loss.
I think that if I can contine with my sobriety, I’ll have a think about weight loss in February (although I do envy people who can just tackle everything at once!)
Hey @Zara. I agree with all of the responses above but I would also like to touch on the fact that your low self esteem is the route of the problem. Try to write down at least one thing that you like about yourself every day. Try not to focus on the negative things. Once you start loving yourself (which takes time and practice) the need to fill the void with food and alcohol will start to subside. hugs
From the documentary “Hungry for Change”…look at yourself in the mirror and say ‘I accept myself unconditionally, right now.’ It may seem silly but after 30 days you will actually start to believe it. You need to be the positive voice in your head, not the negative.
Thank you for sharing this, and awesome post @Zara.
This is something I’ve struggled with as well, gaining 60 lbs. from the same cycle of drinking in less than a year. Glad to hear it can take about a month. The weight hasn’t been coming off as easily as I thought it would. I didn’t lose it immediately and that in itself is incredibly frustrating. I kept thinking - but I’m not drinking and I’m exercising again! It should just come off without exercise because I was drinking so many calories before, wth! Thanks for giving me hope @VSue. Apparently I have to be patient or something, gross.
Thank you all so much for the replies and support guys. It really does mean such a lot!!!
You’re absolutely right @MissQuinn the low self-esteem has been a huge factor in my sudden increase of alcohol consumption.
Unfortunately over the last couple of years things I worked hard to achieve, slowly began slipping away i.e jobs, friends, college, added to that the everyday battle of raising kids. All this combined left me feeling like I had failed - with everything!
I found it impossible to pick myself back up after so many consecutive knock-downs.
But that is why I have reached out. I am not here to be negative and sombre, far from it…
It’s a New Year! Time I got a grip, shook myself off and started rebuilding Bring it on 2017!
Absolutely true @VSue I was that voice once but it got lost along the way. I will work hard to be that positive voice again!
As for the weight issue, just talking about it with you all today encouraged me to do some research into the calorie intake that lead me to this point. I got quite the eye opener!
But at least now I see the problem, I’ll be able to address it. All positive steps forward.
Once again, thank you all for your support. I am more grateful than I could possibly express. And I am overjoyed that I am no longer battling this on my own!!!
Good topic, I am 36 too, and Im sure it’s the drinking has aided in me gaining 60 lbs in the last 7 years. I recently had 2 weeks with no drinks, lots of water, and some exercise and haven’t lost a pound. I figured not consuming those 10,000 calories or so would have helped but not yet I think it will just take some time.
Well, it’s been a month to the day since I questioned whether I would ever shed the weight that I had drank onto myself. I didn’t really want to start some crazy diet or become a gym freak. I knew I would get fed up of both. And sobriety was the #1 priority. I needed to find a way to lose weight that I knew I would enjoy, that could easily fit into my life.
I can proudly say that I have lost 14lbs since that day and continue to lose daily
This is how I’ve done it:
Do not sit down all day, as a result find lots of little jobs around the house to do to keep busy.
Bought trampette, stick on dance tunes and get at least 30 minute ‘boogie’ most days.
Take a walk most days - end up in coffee shop, not pub.
No snacks - replace with cup of tea or coffee
Normal meals, minus white bread, pasta or potatoes
That’s pretty much it.
Anyway I thought I’d share this in case anyone’s struggling to shed those pounds and looking for some inspiration and reassurance that it is possible. (Much like myself when my journey began.)
I honestly didn’t think I’d lose as much as I have already, but then I had gained A LOT through my alcohol consumption. So I guess cutting out the beers has itself helped with the weight loss.
I just need to keep burning off the excess and that was never going to happen sitting on the sofa all day eating junk.
Thank you all for your ongoing support. You all continue to be my daily inspiration and motivation!!
Wow @Zara that is a lot of weight loss in a month, amazing!! (I read back through the older postings) Keep it up! The rate of lbs lost my slow down with time, and that’s ok. I managed to lose weight since my first quit date 13 months ago, but at about a 1lb or less per week. It’s through calorie restriction and some exercise. It was impossible when I was drinking heavily - 1000 calories a day would go to vodka, and after that who would remember what I ate!
Six small meals a day, walk everywhere you can try and find a friend to hit the gym with or link up with a professional trainer. I Also recently downloaded the Nike Training Center app it’s got a bunch of great exercises and beginner workouts you can easily do at home only takes about 30 mins or less. Get out in nature when you can too I find nature pretty inspiring and beautiful, just being in it is amazing and your staying active burning calories without even realizing it. Best wishes!
Thanks guys
Certainly the more I lose, the more determined I am to maintain this healthier lifestyle and continue to lose the excess weight! Another 12lbs loss will see me back into the normal weight range for my height And as you girls know, it sure is nice fitting back into old clothes that have been hiding in the cupboard for ages!!
As you mentioned @JohnSee the weight loss will slow down, which is just as well. Otherwise by the end of the year I would just disappear!
@Zara. I agree, and the weight loss & health gains has been a major motivator for my sobriety. One of the few solid ones. But as many people have pointed out on the forum, weight loss is not automatic once you stop drinking - people can compensate by eating more, or much more, especially sugars and sweet drinks. But I would clarify that sobriety makes weight loss possible for the first time in years, because the massive amount of calories in alcohol, combined with bad judgment eating, makes it impossible. (unless you run marathons I guess!). Anyway please keep it all up!
That’s great. I found that at about 5 weeks I started losing a stupid amount of weight…it was almost 1 lb every other day. But then I relapsed and now I’m back to no weight loss. So now that I’m at 3 weeks I’m hoping the weight loss kick in again. I’m just hoping that I don’t have to wait the full amount of time again though since my relapse certainly wasn’t long compared to my original days of drinking!!
I think it will just take some time.
