If you’ve battled with or overcome addiction, you’re well aware that weight fluctuations can often be part of the journey. If you’re quitting alcohol, you’re likely expecting to shed some pounds in sobriety—simply because alcohol is calorie-dense, and cutting it out can majorly reduce your calorie intake.
However, whether due to metabolic changes or new dietary habits, some people experience weight gain after quitting drinking. But why does this happen, and how can you keep it in check?
Read on to learn everything you need to know about weight gain after quitting alcohol, including why it occurs and tips to help you manage it.
Understanding Weight Gain After Quitting Alcohol
Many people who quit alcohol wonder, “Is it normal to gain weight after you stop drinking?” The short answer is yes. Even though you might expect to lose weight after cutting alcohol from your diet, it turns out that weight gain can be just as common.
There are many factors that can lead to gaining weight after quitting alcohol, and they can be tough to manage in early sobriety. These include things like metabolic changes, emotional eating, or using food to cope with triggers or cravings—all of which could contribute to gaining unexpected pounds in recovery.
How and Why You May Gain Weight During Addiction Recovery
Chronic, heavy drinking can impact your metabolism, hormones, and glucose levels, all while disrupting the absorption of key nutrients. After getting sober, your hormones and metabolism will begin “bouncing back.” At the same time, your body will have more energy to focus on getting nutrients that it previously missed out on—and all of this can lead to an increase in your appetite.
Aside from an increase in appetite, it’s common to struggle with emotional or comfort eating in sobriety. This is because emotions can feel more intense while your brain chemistry adjusts to life without alcohol. And if you used to drink to cope with difficult emotions in the past, you might find yourself using food in its place.
Establishing a new healthy lifestyle after quitting drinking can be hard—especially when you’re pouring all of your energy into staying sober. In these times, it can help to remind yourself that getting healthy can actually make sobriety easier and that reaching a healthy weight is achievable with the right knowledge and tools.
Schedule a private call with a Ria Health team member and we can help you get started.
Managing Weight Gain After Quitting Alcohol
If you’ve recently stopped drinking and gained weight, focusing on a multi-faceted approach to your health will help support a healthy weight. Here are some habits that can help:
Focus on Balanced & Healthy Eating
It comes as no surprise, but a healthy diet is the best way to manage weight gain or achieve weight loss. It will also help boost your mental well-being after quitting drinking. You can improve your diet by choosing the right foods and supplements that can be particularly supportive to your body during alcohol recovery. You can also follow these general tips:
- Eat balanced, whole-food-based meals with carbs, fats, and proteins.
- Eat regularly with portions that help to manage cravings and hunger.
- Minimize your intake of ultra-processed and high-sugar foods.
- Choose liver-boosting foods to feel your best in recovery.
Increase Physical Activity
Getting enough exercise will work wonders for your weight—and your brain chemistry—after quitting drinking. If you haven’t exercised much in the past, the good news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple options like walking, yoga, or swimming can pack some surprising health benefits despite being lower-intensity. Even light weightlifting can be an excellent option for boosting your health while building your confidence.
The most important factor is making sure your exercise routine is sustainable, so you can stick to it long-term. You can do this by:
- Starting with small, achievable forms of exercise.
- Choosing workouts that feel fun to you.
- Tying it to something you already do, like drinking coffee in the morning. This creates a “habit cue” that you will subconsciously begin to associate with working out.
- Recognizing and rewarding yourself for fitness milestones.
Identify and Manage Emotional Eating
In recovery, it’s common to self-soothe with food when faced with stress, anxiety, or depression. This is called emotional eating, and the good news is that there are ways to overcome it.
First, it can help to identify the emotions that trigger you into emotional eating. For example, do you often snack when you’re stressed out? If so, you can start looking for healthy stress management tools to use instead of food. Options like mindfulness, meditation, exercise, or calling a friend can be great places to start. But if you tend to eat when you’re fatigued and irritable, you might benefit from a nap instead.
For emotional eating that’s hard to tackle on your own, therapists and support groups can be another excellent resource. In-person or telehealth counseling are the most straightforward options, but you could also join online groups and communities for extra support.
Practical Tips for Staying at a Healthy Weight
If you’ve stopped drinking and gained weight, setting attainable goals is one of the best first steps you can take to get it under control. You’ll want to ensure your goals feel achievable and realistic so that you don’t feel discouraged from the get-go.
Another helpful tip is to track your habits in a journal or on your phone. Keeping an eye on the following habits can give you insight into your overall health and show you areas you may need to pay more attention to:
- Daily meals and snacks
- Workouts and activity level
- Sleep quality
- Energy levels
- Mood
- Anxiety and stress
This can help you visualize your progress, motivate yourself, and see exactly how your diet and exercise impact your weight (and overall health). If you have a friend who’s also trying to lose weight, enlisting them as your accountability buddy can also help.
Finally, remember that setbacks are common, and losing progress doesn’t mean you’ve failed. In fact, you can gain a lot of insight when you fall out of healthy routines, and taking time to reflect on setbacks can make you more successful in the long run.
When To Seek Professional Help
Just like with quitting alcohol, there’s no shame in seeking professional help if weight loss proves to be challenging for you. If it feels overwhelming to do on your own—or you’re unable to lose weight despite diet and exercise—a dietitian or other health professional can help.
Not only can they give you science-backed strategies for weight loss, but they can also identify other underlying factors—like hormonal issues or other medical conditions—that may be playing a role.
For more help, you could find local or online support groups through Google, social media, recovery meetings, or your treatment program. Connecting with others who share your journey can be more helpful than you might think, and studies show that peer support has surprising benefits for both addiction recovery and weight loss.
Stay on Track With Extra Support
Staying sober is a huge accomplishment, but staying healthy while you’re sober can make an even bigger difference in your quality of life. As long as you stay consistent, practice healthy habits, and reach out for support when you need it, you can be successful in your sobriety and weight loss goals.
If you could use some extra support along the way, apps like Ria Health can help. Ria Health is a telehealth program that makes it easier for you to access recovery resources from the comfort of your home—including anti-craving prescriptions, regular support meetings, access to medical professionals, and more. Get in touch with a team member today, or learn more about how it works.
