ALCOHOLISM/SKINNINESS?!

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robinjjordan
robinjjordan Posts: 18
in Food and Nutrition
i dont know the weird thing is i used to be an alcoholic and am in recovery now i know nothing bout a few drinks here and there for weight loss but when i was an alcoholic i was skinny when i stopped i gained alot of weight idk why i always thought it was cuz alcohol fills u up so u barely eat and liquid calories go away quicker than solids. any1 else know why some alcoholics r skinny and gain weight when they stop? i'm curious
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  • blondageh
    blondageh Posts: 923 Member
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    I always known it to be the exact opposite. The alcoholics I have known have boated faces and tummies. When they quit drinking, they lose weight and look healthy again. My Mom and sister both lost a ton of weight when they quit drinking from all the sugar they were no longer ingesting.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    i dont know the weird thing is i used to be an alcoholic and am in recovery now i know nothing bout a few drinks here and there for weight loss but when i was an alcoholic i was skinny when i stopped i gained alot of weight idk why i always thought it was cuz alcohol fills u up so u barely eat and liquid calories go away quicker than solids. any1 else know why some alcoholics r skinny and gain weight when they stop? i'm curious
    Eating more food? I've talked to people who had similar experiences because they drank a lot but didn't really eat much of anything.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Alcohol in nutrition seems to be "controversial" ie their isn't a universal agreement. A beer belly is actually a carb belly not an alcohol belly, and I'm also of the view that hardcore spirit drinking alcoholics are very thin.

    In a clinical trial they overfed young men with wither chocolate or alcohol (equivalent calories) and only the chocolate munchers got fatter.
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
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    The alcohol could have been blocking your body from properly absorbing the nutrients in your food. You were likely chronically malnourished which made you skinny. Once you stopped your body could absorbe everything again so you gained weight, likely much of it weight you needed to gain. I'm not a doctor so I don't know this for sure but it would be my guess. Good luck with your recovery :flowerforyou:
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Alcohol in nutrition seems to be "controversial" ie there isn't a universal agreement. A beer belly is actually a carb belly not an alcohol belly, and I'm also of the view that hardcore spirit drinking alcoholics are very thin.

    In a clinical trial they overfed young men with wither chocolate or alcohol (equivalent calories) and only the chocolate munchers got fatter.
  • Kath712
    Kath712 Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I always known it to be the exact opposite. The alcoholics I have known have boated faces and tummies. When they quit drinking, they lose weight and look healthy again. My Mom and sister both lost a ton of weight when they quit drinking from all the sugar they were no longer ingesting.

    This^^^ Between the sugar in alcohol and lack of other nutrients, including water, I've seen bloated faces and tummies. But I guess everyone is different. Maybe it depends on what you drank, like yarwell said.
  • robinjjordan
    robinjjordan Posts: 18
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    true this is the first time i'll be losing weight and not drinking and even tho i was skinny i always had a belly! do u think i will just genetically still have a belly cuz thats where i gain alot of weight or do u think since i stopped drinking when i'm skinny this time my belly will be less?
  • jamescorcoran1
    jamescorcoran1 Posts: 1
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    I've been in recovery for 8 1/2 years. After I stopped drinking, my weight dropped 10 lbs or so. However, when I was about 3 years sober my weight increased dramatically. I've been slowly working it down for the past 3 years by exercise and calorie counting.

    In my professional life, I work with a lot of people in recovery and active alcoholism. My understanding from a number of experts is that alcoholics are very prone to "process addictions" when in recovery (also known as addiction swapping). The most popular process addictions are gambling, sex and over-eating. Over 75% of the members of Gamblers anonymous are recovering alcoholics. I think alcoholics are generally prone to overusing things and activities to make them feel better (or avoid feeling). Food is one of them.

    That being said, when people are new in recovery, they are used to getting a lot of extra calories from alcohol. Oftentimes there is some weight gain because people end up craving sugar and sweets at times of the day that they typically drank, because their body is used to it. I used to have a whole lot of energy drinks early in recovery, and if I had been a little older at the time it probably would have resulted in weight gain.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,771 Member
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    At my "bottom", I weighed 123lbs and looked like a crack *kitten* cuz all I was doing was drinking, lots of empty calories with absolutely no redeeming nutritional value. I gained weight in sobriety, and am now losing that extra weight.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,324 Member
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    its the food. my aunt never eats. just drinks.
    people often use food as a replacement for some addictions. people who quit smoking tend to gain weight as well.

    liquid calories do not "go away" faster than solids.

    glad to hear you are in recovery.
  • singlefemalelawyer
    singlefemalelawyer Posts: 382 Member
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    A lot of people who quit drugs or alcohol will gain weight because they replace the addiction with food/emotional eating. I'm not saying this is the case for you, but it could explain a weight gain while in recovery.
  • gel91
    gel91 Posts: 309
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    You realise quickly you can get a buzz and your fix and feel how you wanna feel quicker on an empty tummy, so it's easier not to eat.

    I'm not too sure about always being skinny though, it'll still give alot of calories. I was an ok weight when I had a drinking problem and can't really say I cared too much about how I felt, but I'm sure I was bloated alot.

    I'm sure your body is just working itself out again and keeping a bit of the food back.

    Also I'm not sure if liquid calories actually go through faster than solids?
  • KatLifter
    KatLifter Posts: 1,314 Member
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    I always known it to be the exact opposite. The alcoholics I have known have boated faces and tummies. When they quit drinking, they lose weight and look healthy again. My Mom and sister both lost a ton of weight when they quit drinking from all the sugar they were no longer ingesting.

    This was me. I would pair my drinks with unhealthy takeout.
    Once, I forgot that I ordered food, then kebabs showed up at my door and I was like, "it's a miracle!!" :noway:
    Some people will gain weight because they were malnourished when they were drinking. Also the sugar cravings of early sobriety can make people gain weight if they're eating a lot of sweets.
  • robinjjordan
    robinjjordan Posts: 18
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    thankyou i have 7 months ! i think im gonna post the belly topic seperately to get more responses
  • IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym
    IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym Posts: 5,573 Member
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    less drinks more junk food?
  • KatLifter
    KatLifter Posts: 1,314 Member
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    thankyou i have 7 months ! i think im gonna post the belly topic seperately to get more responses
    Awesome work :flowerforyou:
  • DaniJeanine
    DaniJeanine Posts: 473 Member
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    I drink a lot of wine and I'm pretty skinny...I think it's about calories overall. That being said, alcohol has a lot of calories, sugar an carbs so you have to be mindful.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
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    true this is the first time i'll be losing weight and not drinking and even tho i was skinny i always had a belly! do u think i will just genetically still have a belly cuz thats where i gain alot of weight or do u think since i stopped drinking when i'm skinny this time my belly will be less?

    When I drink for a week or two (wine) and stop I lose my belly quickly. :)
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    Hello, my name is Lesa and I am an alcoholic.

    When I got sober I was running around 33% body fat. I was heavy because I would drink then make bad food choices that night then make even worse food choices the next day. I always justified my choices because I always swore that would be the last time I drank like that............yeah, right....

    I was 39 when I got sober and stayed rather skinny in my 20s when I drank. I wonder how much of it had to do with my age, metabolism and finances? When I was younger an money was tighter, I choose booze and cigs over food and would not eat as much. When I was older and financially stable, I could afford to eat more.

    I lost my first 20 lbs just by stopping drinking. I added in a good diet and slowly started throwing exercise into the mix and now, at close to 6 years sober, I am running at about 19% body fat. So the opposite rang true for me.

    I also know that when we first get sober we crave lots of sugar, and it is recommended that we eat it to help with the cravings, after all, it is the sugar we are detoxing from in the alcohol. Many people do not realize that those that are physically addicted to alcohol are addicted to the sugar.

    Congrats on your new life. It is awesome and I can honestly say that I have not woke up one single time in the last 5 years and 41 weeks and wished I had a hang over. :smile:
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    i'll be sober 6 years in july. i was never skinny before...never huge either. just a little more bloated. i am healthier now than i have ever been because i take care of my mind and soul and body now in ways that i didn't before. i've only lost 10 lbs in the past two years but i've become more muscular and a lot stronger too. just my $.02.

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