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10 Days Sober: Will quitting alcohol make me gain or lose weight?

Posted by Sober Tony on June 3, 2016 2 Comments

losing-weightDrinking has made me fat.

That’s no secret.

My size has grown along with my alcohol abuse. Beer belly is the right name. Over the last 2 years of increasing drinking, I’ve added 35 pounds. Obviously alcohol weight gain.

Now I’m committed and moving forward in my recovery, should I expect to lose weight?

Some say yes – other say no.

Just from a calorie standpoint this should be obvious. My two bottles of wine were nearly 1300 calories. Even 10 bottles of light beer could be 1200. Eliminating that should be a real step in the right direction.

I also had a bad habit of drunk eating. As my drinking would wind down, I liked to have a late night snack. That could be half a pizza or a couple sandwiches.

One other upside is my renewed interest in exercise. My first 10 days sober wouldn’t have happened without the jogging and other physical activity. I’m even considering a return to CrossFit once I buy bigger gym clothes.

The real negative was my first few days of sobriety. I was so crazy and stressed that I ate anything in front of me. It was a food disaster marathon.

I’ll update this post later, but 10 days in I’m only down about a pound.  I’m feeling very healthy overall – even a few minutes this morning when I liked myself.

I didn’t quit drinking to lose weight -and I’ll fight to stay sober even if I gain weight.

But it would be nice to wake up sober and a little closer to skinny.

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Filed Under: Getting Sober

About Sober Tony

Tony is the founder and editor of Daily Recovery Club. He is a widely respected authority (in his own mind).

This blog is not professional or medical advice, rather a support community for others suffering from alcoholism. We are all experts on failure, starting over, and trying to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Find him on Twitter @soberTony

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kate says

    July 23, 2016 at 8:46 pm

    This aspect of quitting drinking really pissed me off. I mean, I would drink at least a bottle of wine a night & eat dinner. By mid-morning the next day, my blood-sugar would be so whack, I would inhale half a box of crackers.
    I quit drinking & all of a sudden I NEEDED chocolate/pie/cookies. It was crazy. This went on for about a month & I got a hold of myself. However, here I am 4 months sober & haven’t lost weight. WTF.

    Reply
  2. Rory Barker says

    July 7, 2022 at 10:03 am

    I appreciate the the comments. It strengthens goal of a life of sobriety.

    Reply

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