ALCOHOLISM/SKINNINESS?!

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  • pucenavel
    pucenavel Posts: 972 Member
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    Gasoline contains 35,000 calories per gallon.

    If you drink it you won't gain weight.

    Why?

    Because it will f----g kill you....

    Just because something has a caloric load doesn't necessarily mean your body can absorb it or make good use of it.

    Alcohol is a poison. In small amounts, it either won't affect your health or may even have some side effects that can be seen as benefits. Anything above that level is causing damage to your body.

    I gained when I stopped because, guess what, I started actually eating food (and loads of gummy bears). I've since gotten over that, exercise, eat quality foods and pay attention to my health.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    A lot of alcoholics end up eating too much sugar when they recover. Plus, if you're in one if the young people groups they always want to go to the diner in the middle of the night, out to Starbucks, etc. I lost weight when I got off of heroin (it makes me hungry for some reason) but stayed the same when I stopped drinking.
  • red0801
    red0801 Posts: 283 Member
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    Been in recovery for about 5 yrs. The weight gain is normal as you learn how to eat right. So much of active using was focused on getting "more". That mindset doesn't just leave when we stop. It's a process. For the first thing I had to do was ask myself the question " am I eating for sustenance or am I using food for other reasons." When I got to the place that I ate to support my health & happiness and started to work on the indirect amends I owe to my body. I started to become a better image of who my God wants me to be.
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
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    when my great aunt got divorced from her flagrantly cheating husband, she became an alcoholic for about a year - year and a half...

    she drank....that's ALL she did....

    she drank gin and tonic, and then just gin....and ate olives...that was it.

    we would go to her house and ALL she would have in it was gin...and olives...

    no food, no mix, no normal drinks...

    the house smelled like a brewery...

    she woke up one day and said WTF? dried out (that was HORRIBLE...you didn't want to be near her unless you wanted to be verbally ripped to shreds) and promptly put on weight becoming a softly plump woman I remember for most of my childhood...

    but when you drink nothing but the alcohol....with no mix...(where the real calories can lay) and eat nothing...

    you are bound to not be overweight.

    (edited for spelling error)
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 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.
    Without having done any research, I would assume that is something to do with the priority it is given in being expelled from the body.

    Interesting topic though.
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
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    Couple of questions...

    1) when you drank, what did you do....dance?
    2) Did you ever eat?
  • bonniecarbs
    bonniecarbs Posts: 446 Member
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    It is weird, I guess it just depends on that particular person. My brother was an alcoholic, he was skinny. All of his friends were alcoholics - they were skinny. My now dead boyfriend was one, he was wiry and muscular. so its just the person.
  • futuresize8
    futuresize8 Posts: 476 Member
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    I love the brave honesty in this thread. And to the original poster, I congratulate your recovery and I'm wishing you success!

    I know very heavy alcoholics and emaciated alcoholics.

    I think that alcohol, just like certain foods, impact each metabolism differently.

    And whenever you make a major change to your intake, it can take a body some time to get used to the change.

    I believe your healthier for what you've decided and that your body is going to reward you for it. Give it time and keep doing what you're doing!
  • lttappenn
    lttappenn Posts: 40 Member
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    Congrats on getting into recovery! I have 17 years clean and sober and I too was skinny when I was drinking and using. Food just wasn't a priority then. Take away the drugs and alcohol and what did I have left? Outrageous amounts of coffee and food! I think it is pretty normal for newly recovering alcoholics or addicts of any kind to gain weight. The good news is that you are addressing the issue early. Now you have the opportunity to develop new healthy eating and exercise habits. Good luck on your journey!
  • rlmadrid
    rlmadrid Posts: 694 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:

    There is actually some validity to this. In the same way, I dropped weight fast when sick with Celiac reactions but added it even faster the moment I was absorbing nutrients. It's not a good thin on chronic alcoholics.
  • Teardrop81
    Teardrop81 Posts: 132 Member
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    I think the belly you're concerned with could be most improved by exercise and the toning of your abdominal muscles to support your midsection.

    Huge congrats on your sobriety! :happy:
  • halzuzu
    halzuzu Posts: 60 Member
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    First of all OP, congrats on 7 months!!

    8 months sober here.

    I think it's fairly common for recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, and smokers to gain a lttile weight in early recovery. For some its the sweet cravings. For others its just the act of putting food in our mouths to satisfy cravings. I lost 10 pounds when I initially stopped drinking then it slowly started to creep up cause I had insane sweet cravings. I'd never been a sweet person and all of a sudden I could not stop myself from eating cake, cookies, donuts..you name it. Still have those sweet cravings but I've learned good alternatives to eat. My weight is starting to go down again as I'm up early (no hangovers) and at the gym 5 days week. I also think that after poisening our bodies for so long that it takes awhile for the body to detox, re-adjust and get back to a normal functioning state.

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