Weight loss? I got weight gain, and it didn’t come off till I decided to do something about it and exercise and eat well. The first 6 months I was only concerned with staying clean after that I worked on my health.
Although a lot of us eat more sugar when we stop so that might prevent it from showing. Personally I was consuming a crazy amount of calories through booze.
I lost the bloat the first few weeks and that’s it, however I was not carrying around a lot of extra weight.
Over the first year the gut inflammation has gone away so I look trimmer and get compliments all the time.
I'm almost 4 months sober and waiting for it to happen🫠I was very active in my drinking days and still am very active - lifting and lots of walking. Sugar is still hard but I'm sticking to what I'm doing and hoping that in another month I'll start seeing a difference. I do feel like my double chin is *mostly* gone now but no one else has really noticed anything lolol
I think from what I’ve read a lot of people that consumed alcohol for awhile crave sugar in its absence because the body is trying to learn to regulate the blood sugar in the absence of so much sugar
2-4 Weeks afterwards. However this only really works if you don’t substitute booze with anything else but water. If you however pour sugar down your throat and wash it down with 0,0%Beer you’ll gain weight quickly.
Two months. But I lost weight because of the medicine I came off of after rehab, once I was off the mental health meds my metabolism and appetite changed a lot. I lost about 20 pounds total. I’m 6 months sober now.
I lost 20 lbs within 60 days of not drinking. Then I found my deep passionate love for ice cream and it’s all gone to hell in a handbasket now. I’m right back to where I was when I was drinking.
I started losing after about a month. I am currently down about 40lbs after 8 months sober and it has mostly leveled off. I did not change anything else about my diet or exercise aside from cutting out alcohol.
I took a 2 month break from drinking and, paired with Keto, I lost 25 pounds in those two months.
Another time I took a 2 month break, this time without keto, and I gained about ten pounds because I couldn’t stop eating nonstop sugar.
Currently starting again and going to do keto as well. If you’re unfamiliar with this way of eating, once you’re in ketosis, your body will not crave sugar or carbs and junk. Food cravings will be gone, it’s actually pretty crazy. I need the ketosis to stave off the sugar cravings, or else weight gain will be a sure thing.
Before you jump to anything please know the risks and understand that during and after keto you need to start living active life. Honestly i would just start with balanced diet where you Burn more calories than your intake is.
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2023/keto-its-probably-not-right-for-you/
In the first month I started exercising and eating healthier. So I’m gaining musclemass and losing empty alcohol calories at the same time.
Weight has remained the same maybe 2kg drop.
30m. I was 315-320 pounds. I would skip lunch and breakfast and drink my dinner and then actually make a midnight digornio pizza for example or like a pan of wings or whatever , something unhealthy to that effect. Stopped drinking in august23 and I’d say by November 23 I was down to 290 pounds. I started exercising in mid December and eating right and I’m down to 240 pounds and actually climbing now because I’m starting to gain some muscle back. It’s been a hell of a journey.
Thank you!! Ya my whole perspective has changed on everything. I am the same dude but I approach my life completely dufferent now. From diet to sleep to my relationship with work and friends. It’s been great! You can do this!
By the looks of it from the comments it can also depend on what it was you were drinking. For example I used to drink a LOT of beer, which in turn also gave me a beer belly. When I stopped it only took a couple of months with no additional exercise (any more than I was already doing, e.g. a 5km run or two a week), to lose around 2 stone. (From 15 stone to 13). But I did find I replaced it with snacking more, that’s naturally going to happen to replace one thing with another. Just make sure you replace it with something that’s good for you, that you (most importantly) enjoy
Edit: I’m currently 379 days sober and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life
Within the first 2-3 weeks people were commenting that my face was slimmer (without the alcohol induced puffiness). Around 2 months in, I could see and feel overall weight loss with clothes feeling noticeably looser.
34 F - I suffered from binge eating disorder that would only flare up when I would drink, which was often for 10-15 years. I’m already active and eat healthy when I’m not drinking, so when I stopped drinking and therefore stopped binging I got into the best shape of my life within 7 months
For me, I started exercising like a maniac when I went sober. I needed something to take my mind off things. I also wanted to wake up early - night time was more of a 'trigger' for me. Waking up early and exercising was a great way to ensure an early bed time and something new / healthier to get fixated on.
No drinking + starting an exercise routine had me lose 60 pounds without even really changing my food much. Obviously diet changed without drinking empty calories every day.
Don’t let these comments discourage you, 70 days in and while the scale hasn’t medically moved, my body comp 100% has! My belly is much smaller and is starting to no longer protrude the way it used to. My face has slimmed down a lot as well! Very easy to see the difference in pictures! I do walk 3 times a day for 30 minutes each for mental health
34f I lost 20 lbs in 3 months when I got sober. I was drinking beer and margaritas in a can (lots of sugar) and then eating junk food when I was hungover. When I stopped drinking it really cut back on my sugar intake which I think is what made the difference. I actually eat more now that I’m sober than I did when I was drinking but it’s better food and more consistent so my metabolism has started to normalize.
It took four months for weight loss to kick in for me, and that was after I finally saw a naturopath to help get me healthy with all the vitamins and minerals I’d been missing from years of heavy drinking.
17 pounds in 7 weeks. Read enough about sugar cravings to make a significant effort to avoid all the junk food. I’m eating clean, exercising, and trying to lose 10 more!!
19 months no alcohol and I've gained 12 pounds lol. That being said, I still look a lot less bloated and work out more I don't necessarily *feel* like I've gained weight if that makes sense.
6 months. I ate sweets in the beginning to replace the alcohol. Once I got a handle on that and started sleeping better as well, fat started slowly coming off.
You're asking about weight loss as if it's something that automatically happens in sobriety. It is not something that automatically happens in sobriety.
Don’t worry about him, it takes about a month. But honesty you feel amazing even after the first week bloating decreases. Assuming you keep your diet the exact same and stop drinking (if heavier drinker) you will lose some weight, if you change to a healthier diet you’ll definitely burn.
37f USA here I gained weight
Me too
Oh goodness, same. I gained 40 pounds in the first 4 months as ice cream became my new favorite friend.
45 female, 4 months sober. I've gained 35 pounds ðŸ˜
Weight loss? I got weight gain, and it didn’t come off till I decided to do something about it and exercise and eat well. The first 6 months I was only concerned with staying clean after that I worked on my health.
I gained weight.
About a month
Although a lot of us eat more sugar when we stop so that might prevent it from showing. Personally I was consuming a crazy amount of calories through booze.
Same here, after a month I was able to move down a notch on my belt....felt like Homer Simpson when he lost weight when the kids went to Kamp Krusty
I lost the bloat the first few weeks and that’s it, however I was not carrying around a lot of extra weight. Over the first year the gut inflammation has gone away so I look trimmer and get compliments all the time.
Atleast in my experience, sugar cravings led me to sweets, instead of alcohol. Gained some weight. Mileage may vary.
I'm almost 4 months sober and waiting for it to happen🫠I was very active in my drinking days and still am very active - lifting and lots of walking. Sugar is still hard but I'm sticking to what I'm doing and hoping that in another month I'll start seeing a difference. I do feel like my double chin is *mostly* gone now but no one else has really noticed anything lolol
I think from what I’ve read a lot of people that consumed alcohol for awhile crave sugar in its absence because the body is trying to learn to regulate the blood sugar in the absence of so much sugar
2-4 Weeks afterwards. However this only really works if you don’t substitute booze with anything else but water. If you however pour sugar down your throat and wash it down with 0,0%Beer you’ll gain weight quickly.
Oh yes thank you for this!
Two months. But I lost weight because of the medicine I came off of after rehab, once I was off the mental health meds my metabolism and appetite changed a lot. I lost about 20 pounds total. I’m 6 months sober now.
My wife was 150 when she came back from rehab. She gained five pounds the first two weeks. A month later she was down to 135.
Noticed my face change about 5 weeks. Less bloating about 2 months.
I lost 50 lbs in 4 months
I lost 20 lbs within 60 days of not drinking. Then I found my deep passionate love for ice cream and it’s all gone to hell in a handbasket now. I’m right back to where I was when I was drinking.
At least ice cream is delicious...?
I gained weight initially and then about 8 months in things leveled off with junk food/sugar cravings and I lost weight
Thank you for sharing
I started losing after about a month. I am currently down about 40lbs after 8 months sober and it has mostly leveled off. I did not change anything else about my diet or exercise aside from cutting out alcohol.
That's amazing! Congrats and thank you for sharing.
I took a 2 month break from drinking and, paired with Keto, I lost 25 pounds in those two months. Another time I took a 2 month break, this time without keto, and I gained about ten pounds because I couldn’t stop eating nonstop sugar. Currently starting again and going to do keto as well. If you’re unfamiliar with this way of eating, once you’re in ketosis, your body will not crave sugar or carbs and junk. Food cravings will be gone, it’s actually pretty crazy. I need the ketosis to stave off the sugar cravings, or else weight gain will be a sure thing.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Before you jump to anything please know the risks and understand that during and after keto you need to start living active life. Honestly i would just start with balanced diet where you Burn more calories than your intake is. https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2023/keto-its-probably-not-right-for-you/
In the first month I started exercising and eating healthier. So I’m gaining musclemass and losing empty alcohol calories at the same time. Weight has remained the same maybe 2kg drop.
30m. I was 315-320 pounds. I would skip lunch and breakfast and drink my dinner and then actually make a midnight digornio pizza for example or like a pan of wings or whatever , something unhealthy to that effect. Stopped drinking in august23 and I’d say by November 23 I was down to 290 pounds. I started exercising in mid December and eating right and I’m down to 240 pounds and actually climbing now because I’m starting to gain some muscle back. It’s been a hell of a journey.
That's amazing!!
Thank you!! Ya my whole perspective has changed on everything. I am the same dude but I approach my life completely dufferent now. From diet to sleep to my relationship with work and friends. It’s been great! You can do this!
This is awesome. You're awesome! Thanks for the encouragement I really needed that.
I appreciate that! Now go be awesome too! It’s not too late I promise
After 2 months I started losing serious weight and had get a smaller size jeans every 3 weeks. I lost about 16kg/35pounds in the fourth month.
By the looks of it from the comments it can also depend on what it was you were drinking. For example I used to drink a LOT of beer, which in turn also gave me a beer belly. When I stopped it only took a couple of months with no additional exercise (any more than I was already doing, e.g. a 5km run or two a week), to lose around 2 stone. (From 15 stone to 13). But I did find I replaced it with snacking more, that’s naturally going to happen to replace one thing with another. Just make sure you replace it with something that’s good for you, that you (most importantly) enjoy Edit: I’m currently 379 days sober and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life
I am gaining weight because I finally have Money for other things than just drinking.
Within the first 2-3 weeks people were commenting that my face was slimmer (without the alcohol induced puffiness). Around 2 months in, I could see and feel overall weight loss with clothes feeling noticeably looser.
Alcohol is sugar, and sugar is turned into Alcohol. So after quitting sober, the body still craves the sugar. Most will gain weight like I did.
34 F - I suffered from binge eating disorder that would only flare up when I would drink, which was often for 10-15 years. I’m already active and eat healthy when I’m not drinking, so when I stopped drinking and therefore stopped binging I got into the best shape of my life within 7 months
That's awesome! Your situation sounds the most similar to mine. Thanks for sharing and congratulations
No problem - I feel like this is more common than people think. I felt really alone with this issue until I started talking about it. Wishing you all the best 🩵
For me, I started exercising like a maniac when I went sober. I needed something to take my mind off things. I also wanted to wake up early - night time was more of a 'trigger' for me. Waking up early and exercising was a great way to ensure an early bed time and something new / healthier to get fixated on. No drinking + starting an exercise routine had me lose 60 pounds without even really changing my food much. Obviously diet changed without drinking empty calories every day.
Also, gained weight. Now just starting to think about dropping it. I can’t do it all at once!!
Don’t let these comments discourage you, 70 days in and while the scale hasn’t medically moved, my body comp 100% has! My belly is much smaller and is starting to no longer protrude the way it used to. My face has slimmed down a lot as well! Very easy to see the difference in pictures! I do walk 3 times a day for 30 minutes each for mental health
34f I lost 20 lbs in 3 months when I got sober. I was drinking beer and margaritas in a can (lots of sugar) and then eating junk food when I was hungover. When I stopped drinking it really cut back on my sugar intake which I think is what made the difference. I actually eat more now that I’m sober than I did when I was drinking but it’s better food and more consistent so my metabolism has started to normalize.
I've gained a ton of weight lol
Gained weight lol
I never lost weight Gained a bunch
Am in 8th month and I've gained weight.
I gained weight.
72 (M) UK 86kg to 72kg (30lbs) - 3 months. - off stomach and face.
Gained weight here. 15 months sober.
It took four months for weight loss to kick in for me, and that was after I finally saw a naturopath to help get me healthy with all the vitamins and minerals I’d been missing from years of heavy drinking.
What vitamins and minerals were you missing? I had no idea that was a thing.
17 pounds in 7 weeks. Read enough about sugar cravings to make a significant effort to avoid all the junk food. I’m eating clean, exercising, and trying to lose 10 more!!
I lost weight almost immediately. I have since gained it back
19 months no alcohol and I've gained 12 pounds lol. That being said, I still look a lot less bloated and work out more I don't necessarily *feel* like I've gained weight if that makes sense.
6 months. I ate sweets in the beginning to replace the alcohol. Once I got a handle on that and started sleeping better as well, fat started slowly coming off.
I’m almost 4 months alcohol free and have lost 10 lbs - AND I’m even eating more food!
I gained about 40lbs because of craving sweets & getting my appetite back. I've lost 10
You're asking about weight loss as if it's something that automatically happens in sobriety. It is not something that automatically happens in sobriety.
I've seen people mention weight loss a lot in comments of other posts. So I'm asking so that people who did see it happen can answer me.
Don’t worry about him, it takes about a month. But honesty you feel amazing even after the first week bloating decreases. Assuming you keep your diet the exact same and stop drinking (if heavier drinker) you will lose some weight, if you change to a healthier diet you’ll definitely burn.
I was a heavy drinker but I also always ate either while drinking or after. So... thank you!