Should I Try To Lose Weight When I Quit Drinking?

Should I Try To Lose Weight When I Quit Drinking? Is one of the common questions that I get.

Only 7 Calories Adding Up To One Massive Belly!

When I was using alcohol, putting on weight was a big problem. The reasons why I put on weight included the calories that were in the alcoholic drinks, Guinness is packed with them. There are 7 calories in every gram of alcohol. Then you have the calories that are contained in the carrier liquid. So, you might be drinking soft drinks, lemonade, soda’s, coke, that kind of thing. you also have to take into account the calories in the other ingredients that are in the drink like the malt in beer.

Fat, Salt, Sugar

Another reason I put on weight was because I had very little regard as to what I was putting in my body once the drug started to take effect and my inhibitions began to wane. So, I would eat any food that contained fat. I love fat and salt and sugar. There is a tolerance level for both salt and sugar, what is called the bliss point. It is the point at the top of the curve where you are getting the most pleasure.

The Bliss Point

Once this bliss point is exceeded, the pleasure starts dropping off and you get negative feedback. Fat has no such blisspoint. The body loves fat and will keep consuming as the fat saturation levels of the food increase, the more the better. It definitely showed if I was out and about while drinking. I would stagger to the nearest take away, fast food joint, and order enough calorie packed ‘food’ to keep me going for a couple of days. Often, three or four thousand calories in one sitting including the soft drinks.

Comforting Eating

Then, to add insult to injury, I would delve back into the fat laden, calorie intense comfort food the next day while my body was recovering from the alcohol poisoning.

Needless to say, once I quit using alcohol, I had a lot of extra weight to lose. I still have a bit of my beer belly left, but that will go over time, naturally.

Step by Step!

I would recommend to anyone who is overweight and quitting alcohol to take one step at a time. Focus all your energies on getting through the first few weeks. The weight will drop off naturally when you stop consuming all those extra calories.

Be Careful of Your Replacement

If you replace those alcohol calories like for like, say you change to drinking a couple of bottles of coke a day, or you eat a box of candy, you won’t lose the weight. My advice would be to try and help your body go through the natural healing processes by eating a good diet. It’s good for your body and your brain. You’ll have more energy at your disposal which means you’ll be able to ‘cope’ a lot better with any discomfort you might feel in your body. Feeding yourself on the right foods will help you maintain the right levels of mental strength to see you through.

Mental Strength to Fight The Fat

The last thing you want to do at this stage is to feel mentally deprived. If you don’t get enough calories into your system, that’s what’s going to happen. Once you feel like you have a handle on the alcohol, then you can turn your full attention onto your weight.

Thanks for visiting the site.
Until next time…
Onwards and Upwards!
Kev

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