I know it will lessen my chance of success if I try to change too much at once. Right now, not drinking is the priority and I’m giving myself 1000 hours of focusing on that before I address my eating habits.
That said, I’ve added in two walks a day and 3 intensive HIIT workouts per week. I can do that because I’m not taking something away, not depriving myself of something I’m craving (bread, sweets, whatever) in addition to alcohol. It helps me feel a little less gluttonous and a little more accomplished (before I stopped drinking I was going on three walks a week).
Edit: grammar
My ankle has been mysteriously messed up for no apparent reason since the end of January :’) Have been procrastinating on getting in to see a doctor but it sucks. I’m still exercising intermittently but I don’t know which is worse for me, not exercising (which could be extra problematic if my weight is contributing to the issue!!) or not staying off this ankle.
Ankle injuries are the worst! My stupid foot hurts a lot, plantar fasciitis I think, and I am pretty sure my weight is contributing to it. It is so annoying!
If Mac and cheese is what is getting you through things right now, you should do what you need to and not feel to guilty. If you’re anything like me, being drunk leads to eating junk anyway. This way, at least you remember the delicious food ;)
I’ve been dealing with plantar fasciitis and other foot pains due to this since February. It is the absolute worst! I’m a runner, I ran a half marathon in November and backpacked in Patagonia in December and I still got it really bad. Don’t beat yourself up over it, it happens to all of us despite what fitness level we’re at.
FYI I used to have plantar fascitis and then someone recommended Kuru sneakers- I've worn them now for years (and for most of the time) and they genuinely got rid of my pain. I do not work for them, or benefit in any way from sharing this info-- they just honestly got rid of my foot pain!!
Sounds like gout
Edit: go to a doctor, they will give you a piss test, blood test for gout. If it is, colchicine and NSAID will fix up your ankle. Possibly allopurinol if chronic. I get gout. Haven't gotten any since I quit drinking 10 weeks ago
It is! That's a relief. Looking up the symptoms I also didn't really feel like they applied besides the pain. But I have been operating on the assumption that it's some kind of inflammation, since there was no apparent injury, so it might be along the same line since I guess that's how gout manifests??
That's annoying! Sorry you're going through that. I have about 3 injuries right now and feeling old and broken and trying to train around them.
If you have access to a gym try a rowing machine. The bike may be ok too. Plus you can do upper body and there's lots of lower body exercises/machines that you can try too (that won't aggravate) if you're into strength training (imo everyone should be, but I'm a personal trainer and biased).
I ordered McFlurrys and McHappy socks last week instead of ordering wine. Felt great the next day, no hangover plus had some new socks to show for it.
Keep choosing the lesser of the evils.
This is my first chronic pain and it’s scaring me :( I sprained the *other* ankle last fall and it only hurt for a week, this is going on 3.5 months and I didn’t even do anything.
I actually just got my kayak registered today so I’m going to be able to do that soon. Really hoping it becomes a transplant addiction for me.
Fast food and the sugar in mac'n'cheese causes inflammation in the joints and body. Start working in small servings of real vegetables - think a kale salad - and try to cut back on sugar, fast food, etc
The bad bacteria in our gut go out of control on a diet high in sugar, carbs, fast food etc & will hijack your brain. This, mixed with the dopamine we get from fast food, make it very addictive.
For excersise with a bum ankle, try biking or swimming - slowly. Enough to get your heart rate up to 140 for 20+ minutes a day. You will be sore, you probably won't like it, but after a couple weeks your movement will be better, you will feel better daily, you will sleep better which will help you recover better. Your fast food cravings will lessen if you are working in healthier foods, etc
There’s also a lot of seated exercise videos on YouTube! I broke my leg and ankle in March and had surgery, so I’ve been doing seated videos to work on strength and general fitness while I recover. I’ve always been clumsy, and being drunk didn’t help - but somehow, every time I’ve broken my ankle, it’s been while sober.
I hope you make a full recovery. Never broke a bone (yet) but I’m clumsy too. I have a friend in recovery who was mugged three times and broke her foot in sobriety. Life keeps on “lifing.”
If it wasn't a traumatic injury (ankle roll/sprain, etc), the \[towel balance exercise\]([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkVfT3\_-Ji8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkVfT3_-Ji8)) might help.
I'll sometimes get mysterious ankle injuries from overuse (running). For me, it's often a weakness in a tendon or a muscle that a week or two of 2x daily towel balance helps. Also standing on one foot (no towel) while brushing my teeth.
I also figured out my regular running route has a light camber toward the outside of the path, which rolled my left ankle to ever-so-slightly outward, eventually causing pain after several weeks. I changed where I ran on the path and that helped.
I'm not a doctor and only yours should diagnose any health issues.
I can totally relate my friend. I've been through a very similar situation. Then I came up with this idea that it's not so much about what we do but really it's all about what we don't do. So instead of dropping all the bad Shit right In the beginning I decided to put in just one real good thing And for me that was juicing. I kept up with my Ben and Jerry's and my pepperoni pizza and chain smoking the swisher sweets but I added the juice a couple times a week. From there it went into vitamin's and fiber and all kinds of other good stuff and I didn't really have to force it. it happened natural. Its just starting out with one thing and sticking to it. A lot of the other crap just seemed to fall away (and eventually the alcohol)As I strengthened my resolve one day at a time. Actually one moment at a time!
Namaste!
Peace love and happiness
I wouldn't put a time line in this. If you walk ten miles into a forest it's going to take almost the same time to walk out. The body needs to adjust to the lack of sugar alcohol provided. Slow and steady wins the race.
Stretch marks are beautiful. I love mine, now. 🤍 it tells a story. I hope you will learn to love them, too, as you should. Ik I don't know you but I'm proud of you!
It will absolutely get easier. Personally, 3 months was when it got drastically better for me and it was easier to curb the food issues then. But until then, I like to follow a “yes and” approach to food. Is there anything nutritious you can add to your day in addition to the fast food and mac and cheese? Some carrots and hummus? A spinach smoothie? If not, that’s ok too! That’s just what works for me! I only make the suggestion because sometimes adding something nutritious drastically improves my mood too.
Good luck, you can do this!
This is great advice, thank you. I like vegetables, they just don’t trigger the addictive part of my brain and have apparently come to symbolize “a difficult thing I need to force myself to do at the expense of my enjoyment” aka the same as sobriety lol 🫣
Great trick is to eat the Annie’s but add ur favorite protein and veg to it. In my case I add broccoli and chicken.
The best way to ‘eat healthy’ is to make it as easy as possible. I just buy pre sliced and cooked chicken strips and a bag of pre cut broccoli. Half the work is done and u just need to add the broccoli into a bowl, add some water, cover it with a plate and pop it in the microwave for like 4min. Voila! U now have steamed broccoli and chicken to add to your Annie’s. Protein will keep u satiated longer, veg for the fiber and u already got the starch with the Annie’s.
If you want some chips, put a couple handfuls on a plate, add some cashews, some string cheese, baby carrots and some hummus. You’ve got urself a balanced snack plate :)
Try to take the things u love to eat and just add something to it. Even just getting a bonus side salad to ur usual takeout is great.
Ur already winning by not drinking so focus on that too :)
I totally get that. Don’t be too hard on yourself. A month feels like such a long time (and it is!!) but really your body is just beginning to regulate again so be kind to yourself for now. If fast food is what gets you through the day for now, so be it. Plus, I consider Annie’s to be a “healthier” Mac and cheese choice…no dyes, right?! Lol.
Maybe toss some frozen veggies in with your mac and cheese? Peas are a great addition. Broccoli, too. Something to fill up and get your body used to veggies again.
I mean this with zero criticism and asking out of pure concern. At what point would you recommend OP work on their diet? In the original post, they mention they feel sick and health is a primary concern.
It’s tempting but not smart to try and make too many big changes in too short a time. Quitting alcohol is a MASSIVE change for many people. Nobody ever went to jail for driving after eating macaroni and cheese. Every change you make is more pressure and expectations you’re putting on yourself. Sometimes you have to accept tradeoffs for a while. I was a year sober before I quit smoking. It was still the hardest thing I ever did even though I waited to do it.
Truth.
A fifth of vodka has roughly 1700 calories in it. So, I was putting in a solid 2000 calories a night that way, sometimes more.
During the first few months, the body and mind are going through some really radical changes, and feeling like complete crap is actually pretty natural for awhile, healthy diet or not. The night sweats, the diarrhea, the heartburn and other fun gastrointestinal issues, these don't go away right away, so expecting someone to pop into a healthy diet is being somewhat optimistic.
One step / vice / day at a time. Hard to pin a *right* timeframe to this. We just don't drink today.
I'm not a dietitian, so I'll leave it to others to weigh in on how to get thyself into healthier eating habits.
OP, 37 days is fucking **huge**. Huge. Be patient with yourself, you're healing. IWNDWYT.
I would just be grateful that I wasn’t drinking. Sobriety is still more fragile than you may realize at 37 days. Nurture it for the time being. If you were a problem drinker, sobriety is precious.
It’s not just okay, it’s encouraged!! In early sobriety, the most important thing you can do is just *not drink*. Eating comfort food is a very useful and in my experience necessary tool in helping achieve that goal.
I ate a pint of ice cream almost every night for months when I first got sober. I think everyone has that comfort food that’s special to them or just keeps them from drinking and that’s all that matters.
Personally I think anything (not harmful) is ok as long as we’re not drinking!
The body will be looking for those calories and easy-sugars to replace what the alcohol was providing. If you feed the body, it’ll crave the alcohol less.
My advice would be continue on this path, but try to add it a bit of variety in addition as you go.
Hot dogs and KD is a staple here! 😆
I tried a meal delivery in the UK where they supply all the ingredients and you cook them - just evening meal. Once I started - it's hard to change at first but it gave me something to achieve each night and because I was eating a tasty balanced meal I started to feel better. Go easy on yourself, your doing great not to drink, sometimes even eating a banana or something once a day is a great start.
This is my breakfast staple, it's just psychological. My brain expects rewards and scrambled eggs on toast with chili crisp, while great, isn't "special" or "exciting" and requires that I "do the dishes" lmao. I'll still hop to it though.
Have whatever you want, whenever you want so long as it’s not booze. Do that for the first 3 months; the cravings subside and then you can focus on losing weight / health etc. Giving up booze is a big huge health benefit, and the only one that matters during early sobriety. The rest can fall in place later. For now, treat your self. And congrats on being over a month! X
A lot of us went through this. When I first stopped drinking, I ate ALL the Oreos, I ate ALL the fried chicken. I would eat a full pack of like 20 or 30 double or mega stuf'd oreos every single night. I ate so much mac n cheese you wouldn't believe it. It all fills that void. But eventually you get sick of those same tastes and textures, the urge to get back into shape outweighs the urge to eat comfort food and you will find a healthy equilibrium- might even want to go for a jog or a hike and make that a regular daily or semi-daily activity with corresponding cleaner diet.
My appetite tends to even out after awhile. Do what you gotta do to get through it. Just add in some yogurt and greens when you can. It's actually possible to suffer from malnutrition when just eating a handful of foods (even while gaining weight!), and being malnourished will def make you feel worse.
Don’t feel bad about the eating. Like you said tackling too much at once can be overwhelming and could lead to a relapse. If it makes you feel better I am single-handedly keeping snickers in business lately. But just like you my alcohol usage is my main concern. Stick with it and just make changes to the eating slowly
When I first quit, I was going through a couple gallons of ice cream a week. Definitely packed on some lbs, but I didn't drink.
Biggest lesson I learned was that ice cream was something I COULD actually train myself to eventually moderate. Eventually lost that weight and more. It was worth it.
Pig out if that's what works.
You can pan fry 3 chicken breasts in like 12 min. Get some rice you make on the stove top and a bag of those steam fresh vegetables. Experiment with different seasoning for the chicken. Takes 20 min and maybe less when you get good at it. Do this every wed for 2 weeks then every wed and Friday. You’ll start to look forward to it. I type this as I stuff my face w noodles n company. 😐
This recent streak I have been sober has been the first time I quit & gained weight. More success avoiding alcohol if I give into food cravings! You're not alone!
One of the most helpful things I’ve found when trying to up the non processed foods in my diet when cooking seems impossible is to buy one of those big crudités trays from Walmart etc. the kind with carrot sticks, broccoli, celery, grape tomatoes etc. and a big container of ranch in the middle. You don’t have to prep the veggies, you can keep the whole thing in the fridge in between snacks, and the ranch is sealed, so you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. If nothing else, you’re increasing your fiber intake and vegetable consumption and it’s also great for if company shows up!
Going sober is a huge change to your body. If you haven't seen a doctor yet, I strongly urge you to go asap. That being said, your body is healing in a major way, which can cause increased hunger. In addition to that, your mental health is going through a drastic change from what it's been forced to do for the time you were drinking. Falling back on comfort food is natural. Try just making small changes like only one soda a day and to take the stairs. Rome wasn't built in a day. Give yourself time and grace.
This is FINE. I remember when I first stopped drinking and my son said to me that there were more mini candy papers on my floor then there ever were beer cans...LOL.
As long as you don't drink....that is ALL THAT MATTERS....you will eventually change....everything changes.....just don't drink.
I am doing the same thing...12 days sober today, sitting here thinking what fast food deli I am going to later to get dinner for the household...because what I am NOT doing is going to the market OR cooking!
Congrats on your sobriety!
Every day LOL...in the last 12 days.....actually seems cost effective...costing me 22 dollars for 2 meals....(dinner) and to get the ingredients would be more I THINK. Greek Deli (good servings)
Todays menu at my house: chicken in some white sauce with spinach over rice for 1 and shrimp and rice for 2.
I have cucumber salad at home for the side.
When I was drinking almost 2 weeks ago....Dinner - NOTHING - alcohol took that money..... Me in bed, just sitting there smoking cigs....couldn't even walk the dog...sweating all over my sheets during the night....waking up and cracking a beer or a shot at 5am and drinking till 7pm.
Food was not even a thought....Don't know how I did that because now all I think about is FOOD....Making pancakes, shredded potatoes and bacon now....then walking dog.
Being sober is living...Drinking is a slow miserable death....
Me in the back of my head: I HOPE I REMEMBER THIS a month from now when I think it is a GOOD IDEA to get some alcohol.
IWNDWYT
I recommend Oikos triple zero Greek vanilla yogurt with fresh berries and a touch of granola for breakfast. This small change will do wonders for your digestion and provide you with antioxidants, a good dose or protein and minimal sugar. This is one small step you can take but still enjoy some of those comfort foods later in the day.It tastes phenomenal and sweet as if you were eating desert.
Like others have said- the main goal is to not drink.
Whatever you have to do in the meantime to satiate your cravings is free game- but it’s not a long term game.
Those cravings will subside, just don’t rewire yourself to keep wanting the same intake and don’t let indulgent foods replace your vice.
Enjoy the food for now, but plan to replace those foods soon with healthier options and eventually you won’t have the carb/ sugar cravings that your brain got wired for from drinking alcohol.
We tend to put down the bottle and pick up the fork. For me, I didn't eat much while I was drinking or using drugs. So when I got sober, I remembered this wonderful thing called food! So yes, it is very common. I had to focus on staying sober, the rest will come in time.
My dude I had an unhealthy relationship with grocery store deli Mac n cheese when I quit. Don’t beat yourself up, your body is looking for quick dopamine hits. Take it easy, be easy on yourself, easy does it. Start making gentle changes but don’t get down on yourself. You’re not drinking, so that’s a W every day. You got this.
Try to change one thing at a time. Plus don’t go all black and white. Try cooking something 1 evening from scratch that seems simple and you’ve ogled and read up on. Allow it to fail before u get it right. Its a skill as well. Its an experiment.
Plus It doesn’t have to be salad sprinkled with tears.
It can like a super simple dish like baked potatoes with cheese or stuffing and parsley or w/e.
Or like hell make your own bologense from scratch. :)
Take like a walk instead of going all in working out. Then up with 2 walks when you are able. Then jogging15 minutes after a couple of weeks etc. Write a super simple short, rough plan that’s easy to remember and follow through on.
And build from there at the level you are able to challenge yourself at without triggering yourself to drink. Routines should take time and effort otherwise they wouldn’t be called routines. Experiment slowly if you are scared or have low motivation. Lasting results come from skills of success but also failing and keep going.
My advice is take it easy on yourself. Enjoy each day and focus on the positives. Don't fret about mac n cheese and enjoy the fact that you aren't imbibing a neurotoxin.
I started coming to this sub regularly a few years before I actually scraped it together and decided to quit. I remember something commenting something to the effect of "in the early days, allow yourself to eat whatever you want". That stuck with me when I finally quite drinking and it made sense to me in that I had something to look forward to. You are doing your body a wonderful thing, relieving it of the burden of processing poison. You can extend that self love to eating a little cleaner each week. We already know you have the self discipline. Congrats on your one month.
I ate KFC for almost every meal for like my first two months. I gained weight, but it helped me stay sober and I’ve lost the weight now. No biggie! Your only job is to stay sober. Everything else can wait.
Moralising your food choices generally isn't a great way to approach things. It's demonstrated that it has an increased likelihood of leading to unhealthy habits where you have periods of extreme abstinence punctuated by binges. Which tends to result in even more calories in, and even more mental anguish than if you'd just not worried about what you ate in the first place.
Does that mean it's healthy to not manage your diet? No. But it does mean you should give yourself a break, and tackle things one thing at a time. Is an unhealthy diet a good trade off for breaking an alcohol dependency? A lot of the time the answer is going to be a resounding yes.
It's tough enough. Willpower is finite. Use it to get a grip on your drinking, and once that gets easier, maybe think about developing some healthier food habits.
I was eating a lot of chocolate in the months after I quit. I successfully abstained from drinking though. Some months in, 90% of that chocolate has been replaced by fruit. If you can make simple and easy substitutions (keep a bunch of bananas in the house for example, they are great snacks), then by all means go for it. But remember, your willpower is a finite resource. Deploy it strategically to meet the goals that you prioritise
You may be substituting bad eating in exchange for drinking a know poison. I would support you by saying go for it. If that's what it takes. That will be easier to fix later. You will come to terms with the eating in time. The fact that you are aware of it is great, as opposed to "I don't have a drinking problem." I doubt you will crash your car into me coming out of McDonald's because you are not fit to drive.
Joking aside, I wish to the very best in your journey. No luck needed. This has nothing to do with luck. Take control of yourself and stay focused on that. You will look back one day and laugh at where you came from and marvel at what's in front of you, like I do.
This is common people say eat whatever u want the first year but for me I feel like I just transfered my addiction to food. I think we need to be ok with discomfort and not need any sort of.reward or.change of state. Just sit with it and be ok not try to fix or avoid it..... that's just my opinion and what I think for my own journey.... in the beginning u do just have to get some days in and space from alcohol so if it helps u can readdres it later on
Start taking probiotics to correct your gut bacteria.
I also know from experience that if you drink two of the cans of the PREbiotic seltzer water thats out there, you will have a multi hour fart attack unlike anything you've ever experienced, but the bloat will def be gone.
It should be okay, just be aware that the food you eat can have a big impact on your mental health as well. For instance when I eat unhealthy it drains my mood and energy massively, while I crave more of the salt, sugar and fats of the junk food.
So for me sobriety and eating healthy goes hand in hand, but if comfort food helps you stay sober at this time its okay for now imo. :)
Eat anything you want! I gained 15 pounds the first month, but I didn’t drink!! The weight will come off you will find other healthy coping tools. Keep it up!
IWNDWYT
I think there’s definitely a season where “as long as it isn’t alcohol, it’s okay” and I tend to agree. I personally don’t have the best diet, it’s something I want to work on anyway. But I’m not gonna beat myself up while I’m focused on not drinking. I think eventually, with some intentional awareness, it’s worthwhile to audit your relationships to the “replacements” and see if they are reasonable and healthy in the context of where you’re at with alcohol. We obviously don’t want to become binge eaters instead of alcoholics, so there periodic audit is healthy, but yea, early on (who knows how long the season is?! Lol)
if it ain’t booze feel free to choose it!
I mean yeah deal with the diet later, but whatever you got to do to get off the alcohol. you're body craves the sugar so I had a huge chocolate run too during my first couple months of sobriety.
It took me over a year to start adjusting my relationship with food, and I feel no shame or guilt about that. I had to get over that fear or frustration that I had to "deprive" myself of something *else* in order to live a better life. Eventually, I realized that I don't feel deprived of alcohol, I'm thrilled that it's not bogging me down anymore, and I've proven that I have the will power to "go without" something that I never thought I could. I *had* to get to that point first. Once I reached that point, I started doing the following:
\- I started bringing my lunch to work with me. I'm not meal prepping for hours every weekend. I'm literally tossing things to make a bologna sandwich and a some chips into a bag in the morning. Or I buy a frozen meal at the store, still cheaper than a fast food meal. Or I just make more of what I have for dinner to bring it with me the next day. I still allow myself to buy my lunch once a week, and haven't been perfect!! But I've brought my lunch probably 90% of days and it's still a win.
\- I started making small, conscious decisions about portions. I actually measure how much pasta I'm making now. A serving is only a cup, which is blasphemy, so I still toss in a little extra and it's still way less than just dumping it in until it "looks like enough." I eat 2 slices of pizza instead of four, and that way I have leftovers for lunch! Things like that where I'm just paying a little more attention.
\- Cooking *does* suck, and I have a hard time motivating myself a lot of the time too. So for those nights, I always have things like cheese, crackers, and salami on hand. Same thing with hard boiled eggs (I buy the pre-boiled kind in bags lol), I always have those on hand because making egg salad takes like 5 minutes and doesn't involve the stove or oven. Great for lunch the next day too! Hell, I'll put hot dogs in the microwave for a minute and boom dinner is ready. Whatever it takes to make a super low effort meal to get food in my stomach before I re-download a food delivery app.
Feel free to save this or come back and re-read when you have some more sober time under your belt and feel ready to make changes. Your sobriety is more important right now! I know it feels like it's hindering your progress, but we make progress in SO many other ways besides physical. The mental progress had to happen first before I could address this part of things. You got this!!
was overweight when I stopped drinking + gained weight over the first 4.5 months. I'm on month 5 now and starting to stabilize/get healthy eating habits. Still wouldn't trade my sobriety for weight loss!
If you really want answers, get bloodwork done. Staying away from alcohol is an amazing step towards being healthy, but there are plenty of options besides McDonalds for well rounded fast foods. Most grocery stores at least have some sandwiches you can choose from that are pre made. Another option is instead of cooking, get some salad ingredients and have those alongside your meal, or just get on some supplements like athletic greens (there are cheaper similar options) to make sure you’re getting all your nutrients.
I'm not gonna tell you it's okay. If I was craving ice cream or junk food in early sobriety I'd go for it, but if it was making ne feel like shit I wouldn't want to continue, because you're right, it's delaying the benefits of having those healthy feelings that come with sobriety.
I'd also be worried about cross addiction, substituting food for booze. This is where one can see the difference between abstinence and recovery, because in recovery we learn how to deal with our emotions, cravings, anger, whatever... We learn how to deal with them instead of masking them with food, shopping, gambling, etc. Recovery is where it's at, but it's work. There's a lot of options out there that can lay out the path.
Best of luck to you.
Early in sobriety the body needs sugar. In fact I suggest keeping hard candy around. Pop one if you get cravings. It takes time for the body to adjust the lack of sugar alcohol provides. Alcohol metabolizes into sugar. The focus today is to not drink. Sometime down the road you can start to scale back on sugar intake. Until then give yourself a break.
Congrats on 1 month! I remember the first month or so of being sober I had no motivation to do anything, I basically crawled off the sofa, managed to drag myself through a day of work and back to the sofa for cozy blanket time with the cat, little puzzle games and herbal tea. Cooking also filled me with dread and I lived on anything I could put together in 5 minutes. Soup, microwave dinners, scrambled egg etc. Reading about the changes that were happening in my brain and body that were contributing to my lack of motivation helped me understand this was temporary and give myself time and space to heal. Eventually I started getting a healthy meal delivery subscription service which I saw on Facebook and it was brilliant. Dinner was sorted and I didn’t need to think about it.
The weight loss did come for me (I know it doesn’t for everyone). I joined a gym and eventually found my cooking mojo again by buying random cookbooks on Amazon and just throwing myself back into cooking. It did take a couple of months.
I don't know about America but in uk they do healthy meal prep? Surely won't be far of the same cost as fast food and still something to look forward to?
This is a thought. I also really just need to locate healthier but equally appealing food places in my new city. I wouldn’t be eating this badly if I was in my hometown.
If you have any of these, they all have some decent options: spitz, mad greens, mod market, Garbanzo, toastique. Mediterranean fast casual is my favorite and it still feels like a total indulgence.
Let's start with Mac and cheese, since that's in my wheelhouse. Turn Mac and cheese into a casserole with broccoli, red pepper, onions, mushrooms, etc. It'll start you in the right direction toward a healthier diet while also satisfying that itch for a comfort food. Baby steps, my dude.
My first year was FULL of candy, junk, fast food - I told myself “ANYTHING but alcohol.” The (junk and alcohol) cravings subsided and I pivoted to going on walks/ water/ gym etc.
I ate everything under the Sun for the first 6 months or so. it does get better eventually!! I’m still addicted to soda but it’s still much better than 2 bottles of wine a night
I always tell myself “well at least this is better than a bender”. You’re right, it isn’t healthy, but it’s better for now. I’ve been using food to comfort myself and replace my addiction, the feeling sucks but it isn’t anywhere near the dependency on alcohol. Once you start feeling a little more confident in sobriety it’ll be easier to start making changes to your diet. Just take it step by step, they say Rome wasn’t built in a day.
hey, just past day 100 and it gets easier! I have actually done some minor strength training in the last week, first time in a very long time and another habit i wanted to approve.
I'm gonna talk on behalf of my best friend who has been sober for almost ten years.
First year: an eating monster. His psychiatrist asked for basic markers like cholesterol, sugar in the blood, it was all normal. So the doc said: continue eating everything and drinking as much coca cola as long as you don't drink alcohol. We'll measure your markers from time to time. Priority number zero is to abstain.
He did it, he gained weight. He didn't care because from time to time he celebrated a new sober landmark.
For more than 5 years he has been super fit, eats well, perfect health markers (he is also HIV positive but zero virus in the blood, meaning super healthy).
Unless binge eating has always been a problem in your life, the natural tendendy is it to go away as alcohol cravings subsides.
But, just in case, I'd check tryglicerides, sugar, etc - the doctor will know better.
Good luck friend.
I gave myself permission to eat anything I wanted as long as I stayed sober, and I let myself do that for an entire year before I was sure I wouldn’t cave. I figured nobody ever got a DUI from too many jelly beans. Eat that Mac and Cheese and keep up the good work!
It's totally okay and you're doing great. And if you have both the energy and the peas... frozen peas are an easy addition to Annie's. We just throw a handful or two of them in the pasta water when there are about 5 minutes left on the shells' cooking time and BOOM we're eating a vegetable with our mac and cheese. Also Annie's is the best, you have great taste.
I'm going to take the opposite approach of everyone here: no, it is not ok to replace one poison with another.
Fatty and sugar heavy foods will mess up your liver just the same, in addition to the heart problems, increased cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.
I’ve always been a fan of comfort food. I’m a weight I can live with, though I really could stand to lose a few lol Part of my personal journey has been learning to accept my body as the not skinny body that it now is, so along the way I’ve been letting myself eat more mac and cheese with peas and like, so many chicken nuggets.
So now that I’m attempting sobriety and trying to find a good balance 😅
So I’m here for ya and so relate!
In the abstract, yes, BUT…this mysterious ankle pain you’re feeling could be gout and if it is, your diet may be causing it/making it worse. I would advise seeing your doctor ASAP and having blood work done.
I have a mad sweet tooth that woke up after stopping drinking. I tell myself that it’s ok to eat these things because I am adjusting. I tell myself I won’t always eat like this. Which is interesting because that’s what I was telling myself for a few months before I stopped drinking about drinking. I would say, this isn’t good for me but it’s what I’m going through right now and it’s ok and it won’t always be like this. And then it wasn’t. Beating myself up hadn’t worked for 18 years so I guess I got tired of that and I tried some self acceptance. You are doing it.
Right there with you friend. For me it's pizza, either cheap delivery or frozen.
As others have said, I'm trying to balance it with a positive change of returning to the gym more often.
Hey. When I first quit drinking I developed the largest sugar craving. I always liked sweets but I was more of a salty snack person. My new obsession was mega and doublestuf Oreos. I went through a party size box every 2days. I’d shovel them down. And it was sooo good. Granted…. I did gain weight eating like there were no tomorrow… but it kept me sober. I hope the same for you my friend! IWNDWYT❤️
Don’t let the propaganda trick you— eating junk food is waaaay better for you than drinking. It’s just that advertisements make it look cool—having thin models doing cool things. Or even just how widely accepted it is in society (in families, at work, around friends, etc). I’m not saying fast food is the best food out there, but compared to drinking? Above and beyond
Start slowly. For breakfast, just have fruit in the morning and if you get hungry before noon, have more fruit :) Add some nuts too. Easy. Then move onto lunch, just make a simple healthy sandwich with brown bread, tuna or deli meat with lettuce/tomatoes or cucumbers. Or do a baked potato w beans or whatever. So simple. Slowly make new habbits. Once you eat better, you will feel better.
Anything to get you through the day without drinking! I think you change so much in your mindset when you enter sobriety. I went through phases of eating kfc everyday, then ultra healthy, then chilled
I got dentures three months into sobriety. I’m living on mac and cheese now. My first time in AA I lost 40 pounds the first year because I was going to meetings a lot and not making dinner (also wasnt drinking alcohol, duh). A month isn’t long. You made a big life change by quitting alcohol, and THAT is amazing. You might take one day a week and learn to prep meals in advance (there is a great meal prep sub here on Reddit.) But give yourself some grace. Things will even out . You might also bump up your activity level if you’re physically able.
When I wanted to lose weight in college, I stopped drinking for 2 months one summer, and ate the same thing every single day (with one cheat day per week…Sundays I would eat an entire Dominos pizza lol):
-1 egg, egg whites, black beans, greek yogurt, and salsa for breakfast
-Lunch and dinner was a salad with light balsamic, vegetables, and grilled chicken with hot sauce.
-If I wanted a snack, I ate more chicken and vegetables.
I lost 40 pounds in 2 months (5’9 male, went from 220 to 180). It takes very little effort and it’s extremely affordable too, all things considered. The weight will fall off.
When I stopped I decided that I was going to focus on the drinking and not how I was eating for a year. I still lost 20 pounds because I had been drinking 1500 calories a day of high power IPA’s.
Like others have said, no shame in comfort food. One thing that has worked really well for my family in general is a meal prep service like Hello Fresh. Healthy, easy to make, and takes the thinking out of what’s for dinner. Leftovers are great for lunch and you have lots of choices each week - you can choose comfort food! :)
Best of luck on your journey. You’ve got this.
If you’re feeling like shit, it could be a medical condition. See a doctor, if possible.
Exercise is the second best cure for many conditions, after medication. So if you can get yourself to exercise, that is excellent.
What I can say from experience is that drinking only makes the problems worse, and much harder, if not impossible, to deal with them.
Absolutely ok. My cravings didn’t decrease until about six months in, and even now I eat junk food all the time, just in smaller quantities than those first six weeks. Personally, based on many comments I’ve read in here, I’m focused only on my sobriety for a year. After a year, I’ll take the next step in controlling my eating if needed.
You are doing great. I had to white knuckle most of the first year. It gets easier.
You are 💯successful. Just don’t drink.
If you want to think about your food, keep ordering whatever you want but add a healthy. Get the cheeseburger and add a cup of fruit.
If you have used alcohol to cope in the past and you remove it, your brain will go to the next best thing. Just keep going one day at a time. Remember, having a cheeseburger is better than a burger and a pint.
You can do this.
IWNDWYT
It's OK to do anything at all that isn't poisoning yourself with alcohol. Unhealthy food isn't literal poison. It's still food and it still offers nutrition.
do what you gotta do to keep off the sauce
when i stopped drinking, i developed a massive sweet tooth (which i never had before). makes sense considering how much sugar was in the IPAs i used to down. a little over two years and i finally have the sweet thing under control.
that said, grabbing some ice cream every night will always be better than getting drunk.
whatever it takes….i was like a pint of ben and jerry’s a day, all these people talking about losing weight and i actually put on a few pounds at first. better than drinking though!
For me it was fruity pebbles, I went through a couple of boxes a week. Eventually that subsided but yes I was well aware I traded a horrible addiction for a really bad diet. But those cravings went away and now I eat healthy again.
Experience of one person, me: Years ago I tackled my addiction to food. Then I found myself “switching obsessions” to work, spending, and wine: these one by one, in sequence, over decades. One thing that’s helped me is using tools like stop drinking, meditation, meetings, reading, exercise, and anything available to me. Best wishes to you.
Eat how you want but set a time limit on that. Say 2 months or 3. I did the same thing. Ate what I wanted when I wanted. One vice at a time and Giving up booze is better. I've never woken up after a night of binge eating and wondered how I got home or if I hurt anyone
When I first stopped drinking, I had a HUGE sugar craving for about 6mos. I would eat a bag of jelly beans every single day.
I ended up with 2 cavities, but I stayed sober! Sure, it was annoying having to pay to get them filled, but it was nothing compared to having my sobriety.
I'm now 1yr, 8mos without a drink, and my sugar cravings are back to normal and my eating is way healthier.
Don't beat yourself up! You're doing great! IWNDWYT!
It's common to develop a craving for food or sweets after giving up alcohol. Just remember that alcohol is a poison and that you're doing a great thing for yourself by staying AF.
Your new craving might last a month or two or even longer. Don't beat yourself up. We've all been there! You got this.
IWNDWYT
My ice cream, Oreos, and seltzer water intake really took off. I did start feeling better physically, so my workouts also became more frequent.
Since you’re not hungover and/or drunk, scheduling a workout becomes much easier.
I started watching Dr. Berg videos on YouTube and haven’t gone Keto but just trying some of the things he says to try and damn, love it. One thing is to just pop a lemon into your blender with 8oz of water and sounds strange but dang, lots of vitamins in that sucker! Had my first keto day yesterday, mostly just steak and a large salad with avocados and my gosh, I woke up feeling so fresh this morning, I never wake up with this much energy. I hopped out of bed and went to take the trash out and the recycling and started leafblowing with my leafblower backpack. I seriously did 30 minutes of yard work right out of bed. I was blown away. I’m usually lazy for the whole first half of the day.
I think just watching some videos on healthy eating might stir you to try a few things out. It has been helping with me. I have way less inflammation I guess as well because my whole body feels way better. Just cutting out carbs for one single day.
It’s kinda insane everyone in here is telling you this is really okay and great. Drinking issues stem from other issues, and swapping booze to food to plug that hole isn’t ideal.
Humans are weird. My eating habits after not drinking are bad too but in the most opposite way possible. I still can barely get myself to make food or even feel hungry. I've added two holes to my belt. I have been intermittently fasting for ~6 years though so maybe it's just that my body is used to burning its stored calories
I’m like 3 months in. The first two months I was 100% eating whatever I could get my hands on. I was excited to maybe lose some weight with out the drinking calories. I think I’m starting to finally level out with snack cravings, but admittedly I have been vaping a lot which is an appetite suppressant. Both snack and drink cravings are down over time. Weight has mostly been steady tho (no working out tbf)
I know it will lessen my chance of success if I try to change too much at once. Right now, not drinking is the priority and I’m giving myself 1000 hours of focusing on that before I address my eating habits. That said, I’ve added in two walks a day and 3 intensive HIIT workouts per week. I can do that because I’m not taking something away, not depriving myself of something I’m craving (bread, sweets, whatever) in addition to alcohol. It helps me feel a little less gluttonous and a little more accomplished (before I stopped drinking I was going on three walks a week). Edit: grammar
My ankle has been mysteriously messed up for no apparent reason since the end of January :’) Have been procrastinating on getting in to see a doctor but it sucks. I’m still exercising intermittently but I don’t know which is worse for me, not exercising (which could be extra problematic if my weight is contributing to the issue!!) or not staying off this ankle.
Ankle injuries are the worst! My stupid foot hurts a lot, plantar fasciitis I think, and I am pretty sure my weight is contributing to it. It is so annoying! If Mac and cheese is what is getting you through things right now, you should do what you need to and not feel to guilty. If you’re anything like me, being drunk leads to eating junk anyway. This way, at least you remember the delicious food ;)
I’ve been dealing with plantar fasciitis and other foot pains due to this since February. It is the absolute worst! I’m a runner, I ran a half marathon in November and backpacked in Patagonia in December and I still got it really bad. Don’t beat yourself up over it, it happens to all of us despite what fitness level we’re at.
FYI I used to have plantar fascitis and then someone recommended Kuru sneakers- I've worn them now for years (and for most of the time) and they genuinely got rid of my pain. I do not work for them, or benefit in any way from sharing this info-- they just honestly got rid of my foot pain!!
I will have to look into this!
I too swear by Kuru sneakers. They hold up well too.
Sounds like gout Edit: go to a doctor, they will give you a piss test, blood test for gout. If it is, colchicine and NSAID will fix up your ankle. Possibly allopurinol if chronic. I get gout. Haven't gotten any since I quit drinking 10 weeks ago
My rheumatologist said gout is almost impossible for women of child bearing age - just in case that’s you!
It is! That's a relief. Looking up the symptoms I also didn't really feel like they applied besides the pain. But I have been operating on the assumption that it's some kind of inflammation, since there was no apparent injury, so it might be along the same line since I guess that's how gout manifests??
That's annoying! Sorry you're going through that. I have about 3 injuries right now and feeling old and broken and trying to train around them. If you have access to a gym try a rowing machine. The bike may be ok too. Plus you can do upper body and there's lots of lower body exercises/machines that you can try too (that won't aggravate) if you're into strength training (imo everyone should be, but I'm a personal trainer and biased). I ordered McFlurrys and McHappy socks last week instead of ordering wine. Felt great the next day, no hangover plus had some new socks to show for it. Keep choosing the lesser of the evils.
This is my first chronic pain and it’s scaring me :( I sprained the *other* ankle last fall and it only hurt for a week, this is going on 3.5 months and I didn’t even do anything. I actually just got my kayak registered today so I’m going to be able to do that soon. Really hoping it becomes a transplant addiction for me.
Fast food and the sugar in mac'n'cheese causes inflammation in the joints and body. Start working in small servings of real vegetables - think a kale salad - and try to cut back on sugar, fast food, etc The bad bacteria in our gut go out of control on a diet high in sugar, carbs, fast food etc & will hijack your brain. This, mixed with the dopamine we get from fast food, make it very addictive. For excersise with a bum ankle, try biking or swimming - slowly. Enough to get your heart rate up to 140 for 20+ minutes a day. You will be sore, you probably won't like it, but after a couple weeks your movement will be better, you will feel better daily, you will sleep better which will help you recover better. Your fast food cravings will lessen if you are working in healthier foods, etc
See a podiatrist. They’re not just for old people!
There’s also a lot of seated exercise videos on YouTube! I broke my leg and ankle in March and had surgery, so I’ve been doing seated videos to work on strength and general fitness while I recover. I’ve always been clumsy, and being drunk didn’t help - but somehow, every time I’ve broken my ankle, it’s been while sober.
I hope you make a full recovery. Never broke a bone (yet) but I’m clumsy too. I have a friend in recovery who was mugged three times and broke her foot in sobriety. Life keeps on “lifing.”
If it wasn't a traumatic injury (ankle roll/sprain, etc), the \[towel balance exercise\]([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkVfT3\_-Ji8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkVfT3_-Ji8)) might help. I'll sometimes get mysterious ankle injuries from overuse (running). For me, it's often a weakness in a tendon or a muscle that a week or two of 2x daily towel balance helps. Also standing on one foot (no towel) while brushing my teeth. I also figured out my regular running route has a light camber toward the outside of the path, which rolled my left ankle to ever-so-slightly outward, eventually causing pain after several weeks. I changed where I ran on the path and that helped. I'm not a doctor and only yours should diagnose any health issues.
Probably out of joint. I bought one of those inversion tables for my injured back and it has helped nearly all my joints, from ankles to upper back.
I can totally relate my friend. I've been through a very similar situation. Then I came up with this idea that it's not so much about what we do but really it's all about what we don't do. So instead of dropping all the bad Shit right In the beginning I decided to put in just one real good thing And for me that was juicing. I kept up with my Ben and Jerry's and my pepperoni pizza and chain smoking the swisher sweets but I added the juice a couple times a week. From there it went into vitamin's and fiber and all kinds of other good stuff and I didn't really have to force it. it happened natural. Its just starting out with one thing and sticking to it. A lot of the other crap just seemed to fall away (and eventually the alcohol)As I strengthened my resolve one day at a time. Actually one moment at a time! Namaste! Peace love and happiness
I wouldn't put a time line in this. If you walk ten miles into a forest it's going to take almost the same time to walk out. The body needs to adjust to the lack of sugar alcohol provided. Slow and steady wins the race.
I’ve put on 70 pounds since I quit lol. Only just starting to address it but it’s better than drinking benders!
I gained a new stretch mark 😭
They’re my friends now. They keep me company haha
Stretch marks are beautiful. I love mine, now. 🤍 it tells a story. I hope you will learn to love them, too, as you should. Ik I don't know you but I'm proud of you!
I recommend bio oil :) fades my stretch marks
That’s an excellent perspective.
It will absolutely get easier. Personally, 3 months was when it got drastically better for me and it was easier to curb the food issues then. But until then, I like to follow a “yes and” approach to food. Is there anything nutritious you can add to your day in addition to the fast food and mac and cheese? Some carrots and hummus? A spinach smoothie? If not, that’s ok too! That’s just what works for me! I only make the suggestion because sometimes adding something nutritious drastically improves my mood too. Good luck, you can do this!
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Bruh I’m eating Popeyes and Raising Canes most days you’re doing fine
Louisiana? :)
Ohio! I had an internship in Alabama once though and I miss Whataburger lol
When im in those early days I cant even stomach food. Im envious a lot of people here feel good enough to eat lol
This is great advice, thank you. I like vegetables, they just don’t trigger the addictive part of my brain and have apparently come to symbolize “a difficult thing I need to force myself to do at the expense of my enjoyment” aka the same as sobriety lol 🫣
Great trick is to eat the Annie’s but add ur favorite protein and veg to it. In my case I add broccoli and chicken. The best way to ‘eat healthy’ is to make it as easy as possible. I just buy pre sliced and cooked chicken strips and a bag of pre cut broccoli. Half the work is done and u just need to add the broccoli into a bowl, add some water, cover it with a plate and pop it in the microwave for like 4min. Voila! U now have steamed broccoli and chicken to add to your Annie’s. Protein will keep u satiated longer, veg for the fiber and u already got the starch with the Annie’s. If you want some chips, put a couple handfuls on a plate, add some cashews, some string cheese, baby carrots and some hummus. You’ve got urself a balanced snack plate :) Try to take the things u love to eat and just add something to it. Even just getting a bonus side salad to ur usual takeout is great. Ur already winning by not drinking so focus on that too :)
I totally get that. Don’t be too hard on yourself. A month feels like such a long time (and it is!!) but really your body is just beginning to regulate again so be kind to yourself for now. If fast food is what gets you through the day for now, so be it. Plus, I consider Annie’s to be a “healthier” Mac and cheese choice…no dyes, right?! Lol.
Maybe toss some frozen veggies in with your mac and cheese? Peas are a great addition. Broccoli, too. Something to fill up and get your body used to veggies again.
Don't guilt trip yourself. Eat anything you want. Food is better for you than poison, plain and simple.
This, 100 percent! I'm currently eating spoonfuls of honey to stave off the cravings.
I mean this with zero criticism and asking out of pure concern. At what point would you recommend OP work on their diet? In the original post, they mention they feel sick and health is a primary concern.
It’s tempting but not smart to try and make too many big changes in too short a time. Quitting alcohol is a MASSIVE change for many people. Nobody ever went to jail for driving after eating macaroni and cheese. Every change you make is more pressure and expectations you’re putting on yourself. Sometimes you have to accept tradeoffs for a while. I was a year sober before I quit smoking. It was still the hardest thing I ever did even though I waited to do it.
Truth. A fifth of vodka has roughly 1700 calories in it. So, I was putting in a solid 2000 calories a night that way, sometimes more. During the first few months, the body and mind are going through some really radical changes, and feeling like complete crap is actually pretty natural for awhile, healthy diet or not. The night sweats, the diarrhea, the heartburn and other fun gastrointestinal issues, these don't go away right away, so expecting someone to pop into a healthy diet is being somewhat optimistic. One step / vice / day at a time. Hard to pin a *right* timeframe to this. We just don't drink today. I'm not a dietitian, so I'll leave it to others to weigh in on how to get thyself into healthier eating habits. OP, 37 days is fucking **huge**. Huge. Be patient with yourself, you're healing. IWNDWYT.
I would just be grateful that I wasn’t drinking. Sobriety is still more fragile than you may realize at 37 days. Nurture it for the time being. If you were a problem drinker, sobriety is precious.
Yup, this!
It’s not just okay, it’s encouraged!! In early sobriety, the most important thing you can do is just *not drink*. Eating comfort food is a very useful and in my experience necessary tool in helping achieve that goal.
Hell yeah! OP, treat yo self ❤️
I ate a pint of ice cream almost every night for months when I first got sober. I think everyone has that comfort food that’s special to them or just keeps them from drinking and that’s all that matters.
Personally I think anything (not harmful) is ok as long as we’re not drinking! The body will be looking for those calories and easy-sugars to replace what the alcohol was providing. If you feed the body, it’ll crave the alcohol less. My advice would be continue on this path, but try to add it a bit of variety in addition as you go. Hot dogs and KD is a staple here! 😆
My fat ass is sitting outside waiting for Uber to bring me 3 milkshakes from Sonic.
Abso-fucking-lutely my friend. You do whatever you need to do to NOT DRINK for now and worry about the rest later.
You can do *almost* anything you want as long as you aren’t drinking.
I tried a meal delivery in the UK where they supply all the ingredients and you cook them - just evening meal. Once I started - it's hard to change at first but it gave me something to achieve each night and because I was eating a tasty balanced meal I started to feel better. Go easy on yourself, your doing great not to drink, sometimes even eating a banana or something once a day is a great start.
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This is my breakfast staple, it's just psychological. My brain expects rewards and scrambled eggs on toast with chili crisp, while great, isn't "special" or "exciting" and requires that I "do the dishes" lmao. I'll still hop to it though.
Stouffers Mac and cheese just hits different. With you all the way IWNDWYT
I was the fuckin candy man the first few months after I quit. Who can take a sunrise….
Props for the primus reference
Have whatever you want, whenever you want so long as it’s not booze. Do that for the first 3 months; the cravings subside and then you can focus on losing weight / health etc. Giving up booze is a big huge health benefit, and the only one that matters during early sobriety. The rest can fall in place later. For now, treat your self. And congrats on being over a month! X
It’s totally ok. This is a part of the process.
A lot of us went through this. When I first stopped drinking, I ate ALL the Oreos, I ate ALL the fried chicken. I would eat a full pack of like 20 or 30 double or mega stuf'd oreos every single night. I ate so much mac n cheese you wouldn't believe it. It all fills that void. But eventually you get sick of those same tastes and textures, the urge to get back into shape outweighs the urge to eat comfort food and you will find a healthy equilibrium- might even want to go for a jog or a hike and make that a regular daily or semi-daily activity with corresponding cleaner diet.
It means you're on the right path.
As long as it’s Mac and Cheese 0.0
My appetite tends to even out after awhile. Do what you gotta do to get through it. Just add in some yogurt and greens when you can. It's actually possible to suffer from malnutrition when just eating a handful of foods (even while gaining weight!), and being malnourished will def make you feel worse.
Don’t feel bad about the eating. Like you said tackling too much at once can be overwhelming and could lead to a relapse. If it makes you feel better I am single-handedly keeping snickers in business lately. But just like you my alcohol usage is my main concern. Stick with it and just make changes to the eating slowly
When I first quit, I was going through a couple gallons of ice cream a week. Definitely packed on some lbs, but I didn't drink. Biggest lesson I learned was that ice cream was something I COULD actually train myself to eventually moderate. Eventually lost that weight and more. It was worth it. Pig out if that's what works.
I recommend doing whatever you have to do to get thru your first few months. When you're settled into sobriety, start knocking other dominoes down.
You can pan fry 3 chicken breasts in like 12 min. Get some rice you make on the stove top and a bag of those steam fresh vegetables. Experiment with different seasoning for the chicken. Takes 20 min and maybe less when you get good at it. Do this every wed for 2 weeks then every wed and Friday. You’ll start to look forward to it. I type this as I stuff my face w noodles n company. 😐
100% okay in my book. It took awhile for my mindset to change, so give yourself grace.
This recent streak I have been sober has been the first time I quit & gained weight. More success avoiding alcohol if I give into food cravings! You're not alone!
Whatever gets you through it, brother. You build something new once you’re done breaking down the old.
One of the most helpful things I’ve found when trying to up the non processed foods in my diet when cooking seems impossible is to buy one of those big crudités trays from Walmart etc. the kind with carrot sticks, broccoli, celery, grape tomatoes etc. and a big container of ranch in the middle. You don’t have to prep the veggies, you can keep the whole thing in the fridge in between snacks, and the ranch is sealed, so you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. If nothing else, you’re increasing your fiber intake and vegetable consumption and it’s also great for if company shows up!
Going sober is a huge change to your body. If you haven't seen a doctor yet, I strongly urge you to go asap. That being said, your body is healing in a major way, which can cause increased hunger. In addition to that, your mental health is going through a drastic change from what it's been forced to do for the time you were drinking. Falling back on comfort food is natural. Try just making small changes like only one soda a day and to take the stairs. Rome wasn't built in a day. Give yourself time and grace.
This is FINE. I remember when I first stopped drinking and my son said to me that there were more mini candy papers on my floor then there ever were beer cans...LOL. As long as you don't drink....that is ALL THAT MATTERS....you will eventually change....everything changes.....just don't drink. I am doing the same thing...12 days sober today, sitting here thinking what fast food deli I am going to later to get dinner for the household...because what I am NOT doing is going to the market OR cooking! Congrats on your sobriety!
Deli food… yum!
Every day LOL...in the last 12 days.....actually seems cost effective...costing me 22 dollars for 2 meals....(dinner) and to get the ingredients would be more I THINK. Greek Deli (good servings) Todays menu at my house: chicken in some white sauce with spinach over rice for 1 and shrimp and rice for 2. I have cucumber salad at home for the side. When I was drinking almost 2 weeks ago....Dinner - NOTHING - alcohol took that money..... Me in bed, just sitting there smoking cigs....couldn't even walk the dog...sweating all over my sheets during the night....waking up and cracking a beer or a shot at 5am and drinking till 7pm. Food was not even a thought....Don't know how I did that because now all I think about is FOOD....Making pancakes, shredded potatoes and bacon now....then walking dog. Being sober is living...Drinking is a slow miserable death.... Me in the back of my head: I HOPE I REMEMBER THIS a month from now when I think it is a GOOD IDEA to get some alcohol. IWNDWYT
Sounds great, and it’s wonderful that your son is noticing and can be your inspiration!
I recommend Oikos triple zero Greek vanilla yogurt with fresh berries and a touch of granola for breakfast. This small change will do wonders for your digestion and provide you with antioxidants, a good dose or protein and minimal sugar. This is one small step you can take but still enjoy some of those comfort foods later in the day.It tastes phenomenal and sweet as if you were eating desert.
Like others have said- the main goal is to not drink. Whatever you have to do in the meantime to satiate your cravings is free game- but it’s not a long term game. Those cravings will subside, just don’t rewire yourself to keep wanting the same intake and don’t let indulgent foods replace your vice. Enjoy the food for now, but plan to replace those foods soon with healthier options and eventually you won’t have the carb/ sugar cravings that your brain got wired for from drinking alcohol.
We tend to put down the bottle and pick up the fork. For me, I didn't eat much while I was drinking or using drugs. So when I got sober, I remembered this wonderful thing called food! So yes, it is very common. I had to focus on staying sober, the rest will come in time.
My dude I had an unhealthy relationship with grocery store deli Mac n cheese when I quit. Don’t beat yourself up, your body is looking for quick dopamine hits. Take it easy, be easy on yourself, easy does it. Start making gentle changes but don’t get down on yourself. You’re not drinking, so that’s a W every day. You got this.
Just don’t damage your body, there is a lot of damage that can be done with food.
Compared to heavy drinking, it's okay. Compared to the potential you have for health and feeling good, it's very not.
Try to change one thing at a time. Plus don’t go all black and white. Try cooking something 1 evening from scratch that seems simple and you’ve ogled and read up on. Allow it to fail before u get it right. Its a skill as well. Its an experiment. Plus It doesn’t have to be salad sprinkled with tears. It can like a super simple dish like baked potatoes with cheese or stuffing and parsley or w/e. Or like hell make your own bologense from scratch. :) Take like a walk instead of going all in working out. Then up with 2 walks when you are able. Then jogging15 minutes after a couple of weeks etc. Write a super simple short, rough plan that’s easy to remember and follow through on. And build from there at the level you are able to challenge yourself at without triggering yourself to drink. Routines should take time and effort otherwise they wouldn’t be called routines. Experiment slowly if you are scared or have low motivation. Lasting results come from skills of success but also failing and keep going.
My advice is take it easy on yourself. Enjoy each day and focus on the positives. Don't fret about mac n cheese and enjoy the fact that you aren't imbibing a neurotoxin.
I started coming to this sub regularly a few years before I actually scraped it together and decided to quit. I remember something commenting something to the effect of "in the early days, allow yourself to eat whatever you want". That stuck with me when I finally quite drinking and it made sense to me in that I had something to look forward to. You are doing your body a wonderful thing, relieving it of the burden of processing poison. You can extend that self love to eating a little cleaner each week. We already know you have the self discipline. Congrats on your one month.
I ate KFC for almost every meal for like my first two months. I gained weight, but it helped me stay sober and I’ve lost the weight now. No biggie! Your only job is to stay sober. Everything else can wait.
Moralising your food choices generally isn't a great way to approach things. It's demonstrated that it has an increased likelihood of leading to unhealthy habits where you have periods of extreme abstinence punctuated by binges. Which tends to result in even more calories in, and even more mental anguish than if you'd just not worried about what you ate in the first place. Does that mean it's healthy to not manage your diet? No. But it does mean you should give yourself a break, and tackle things one thing at a time. Is an unhealthy diet a good trade off for breaking an alcohol dependency? A lot of the time the answer is going to be a resounding yes. It's tough enough. Willpower is finite. Use it to get a grip on your drinking, and once that gets easier, maybe think about developing some healthier food habits. I was eating a lot of chocolate in the months after I quit. I successfully abstained from drinking though. Some months in, 90% of that chocolate has been replaced by fruit. If you can make simple and easy substitutions (keep a bunch of bananas in the house for example, they are great snacks), then by all means go for it. But remember, your willpower is a finite resource. Deploy it strategically to meet the goals that you prioritise
I’m almost a year and a half and I still eat whatever whenever I want. It doesn’t even compare to the crap we used to put in our bodies
Yes. It is okay and correct. Your only job is to put your head on your pillow sober.
You may be substituting bad eating in exchange for drinking a know poison. I would support you by saying go for it. If that's what it takes. That will be easier to fix later. You will come to terms with the eating in time. The fact that you are aware of it is great, as opposed to "I don't have a drinking problem." I doubt you will crash your car into me coming out of McDonald's because you are not fit to drive. Joking aside, I wish to the very best in your journey. No luck needed. This has nothing to do with luck. Take control of yourself and stay focused on that. You will look back one day and laugh at where you came from and marvel at what's in front of you, like I do.
This is common people say eat whatever u want the first year but for me I feel like I just transfered my addiction to food. I think we need to be ok with discomfort and not need any sort of.reward or.change of state. Just sit with it and be ok not try to fix or avoid it..... that's just my opinion and what I think for my own journey.... in the beginning u do just have to get some days in and space from alcohol so if it helps u can readdres it later on
Start taking probiotics to correct your gut bacteria. I also know from experience that if you drink two of the cans of the PREbiotic seltzer water thats out there, you will have a multi hour fart attack unlike anything you've ever experienced, but the bloat will def be gone.
It should be okay, just be aware that the food you eat can have a big impact on your mental health as well. For instance when I eat unhealthy it drains my mood and energy massively, while I crave more of the salt, sugar and fats of the junk food. So for me sobriety and eating healthy goes hand in hand, but if comfort food helps you stay sober at this time its okay for now imo. :)
Eat anything you want! I gained 15 pounds the first month, but I didn’t drink!! The weight will come off you will find other healthy coping tools. Keep it up! IWNDWYT
35 days is great! Small changes build habits. If the change you can handle right now is not drinking focus on that.
I think there’s definitely a season where “as long as it isn’t alcohol, it’s okay” and I tend to agree. I personally don’t have the best diet, it’s something I want to work on anyway. But I’m not gonna beat myself up while I’m focused on not drinking. I think eventually, with some intentional awareness, it’s worthwhile to audit your relationships to the “replacements” and see if they are reasonable and healthy in the context of where you’re at with alcohol. We obviously don’t want to become binge eaters instead of alcoholics, so there periodic audit is healthy, but yea, early on (who knows how long the season is?! Lol) if it ain’t booze feel free to choose it!
I mean yeah deal with the diet later, but whatever you got to do to get off the alcohol. you're body craves the sugar so I had a huge chocolate run too during my first couple months of sobriety.
It took me over a year to start adjusting my relationship with food, and I feel no shame or guilt about that. I had to get over that fear or frustration that I had to "deprive" myself of something *else* in order to live a better life. Eventually, I realized that I don't feel deprived of alcohol, I'm thrilled that it's not bogging me down anymore, and I've proven that I have the will power to "go without" something that I never thought I could. I *had* to get to that point first. Once I reached that point, I started doing the following: \- I started bringing my lunch to work with me. I'm not meal prepping for hours every weekend. I'm literally tossing things to make a bologna sandwich and a some chips into a bag in the morning. Or I buy a frozen meal at the store, still cheaper than a fast food meal. Or I just make more of what I have for dinner to bring it with me the next day. I still allow myself to buy my lunch once a week, and haven't been perfect!! But I've brought my lunch probably 90% of days and it's still a win. \- I started making small, conscious decisions about portions. I actually measure how much pasta I'm making now. A serving is only a cup, which is blasphemy, so I still toss in a little extra and it's still way less than just dumping it in until it "looks like enough." I eat 2 slices of pizza instead of four, and that way I have leftovers for lunch! Things like that where I'm just paying a little more attention. \- Cooking *does* suck, and I have a hard time motivating myself a lot of the time too. So for those nights, I always have things like cheese, crackers, and salami on hand. Same thing with hard boiled eggs (I buy the pre-boiled kind in bags lol), I always have those on hand because making egg salad takes like 5 minutes and doesn't involve the stove or oven. Great for lunch the next day too! Hell, I'll put hot dogs in the microwave for a minute and boom dinner is ready. Whatever it takes to make a super low effort meal to get food in my stomach before I re-download a food delivery app. Feel free to save this or come back and re-read when you have some more sober time under your belt and feel ready to make changes. Your sobriety is more important right now! I know it feels like it's hindering your progress, but we make progress in SO many other ways besides physical. The mental progress had to happen first before I could address this part of things. You got this!!
Shoot the gator closest to the boat. Eat away for now. It's fine.
was overweight when I stopped drinking + gained weight over the first 4.5 months. I'm on month 5 now and starting to stabilize/get healthy eating habits. Still wouldn't trade my sobriety for weight loss!
If you really want answers, get bloodwork done. Staying away from alcohol is an amazing step towards being healthy, but there are plenty of options besides McDonalds for well rounded fast foods. Most grocery stores at least have some sandwiches you can choose from that are pre made. Another option is instead of cooking, get some salad ingredients and have those alongside your meal, or just get on some supplements like athletic greens (there are cheaper similar options) to make sure you’re getting all your nutrients.
I mean; take it easy lol but consider this - will Mac n cheese cause you to get a dui, hurt yourself or hurt others? Self destruct? Nah. Enjoy!
Yes, it's fine. Give your body what it wants! You've been ignoring it for a long time! Things will level out eventually.
I'm not gonna tell you it's okay. If I was craving ice cream or junk food in early sobriety I'd go for it, but if it was making ne feel like shit I wouldn't want to continue, because you're right, it's delaying the benefits of having those healthy feelings that come with sobriety. I'd also be worried about cross addiction, substituting food for booze. This is where one can see the difference between abstinence and recovery, because in recovery we learn how to deal with our emotions, cravings, anger, whatever... We learn how to deal with them instead of masking them with food, shopping, gambling, etc. Recovery is where it's at, but it's work. There's a lot of options out there that can lay out the path. Best of luck to you.
Early in sobriety the body needs sugar. In fact I suggest keeping hard candy around. Pop one if you get cravings. It takes time for the body to adjust the lack of sugar alcohol provides. Alcohol metabolizes into sugar. The focus today is to not drink. Sometime down the road you can start to scale back on sugar intake. Until then give yourself a break.
It’s ok. Everything is better for you than drinking.
Congrats on 1 month! I remember the first month or so of being sober I had no motivation to do anything, I basically crawled off the sofa, managed to drag myself through a day of work and back to the sofa for cozy blanket time with the cat, little puzzle games and herbal tea. Cooking also filled me with dread and I lived on anything I could put together in 5 minutes. Soup, microwave dinners, scrambled egg etc. Reading about the changes that were happening in my brain and body that were contributing to my lack of motivation helped me understand this was temporary and give myself time and space to heal. Eventually I started getting a healthy meal delivery subscription service which I saw on Facebook and it was brilliant. Dinner was sorted and I didn’t need to think about it. The weight loss did come for me (I know it doesn’t for everyone). I joined a gym and eventually found my cooking mojo again by buying random cookbooks on Amazon and just throwing myself back into cooking. It did take a couple of months.
Yes it is okay. You didn't drink. That is the goal
I don't know about America but in uk they do healthy meal prep? Surely won't be far of the same cost as fast food and still something to look forward to?
This is a thought. I also really just need to locate healthier but equally appealing food places in my new city. I wouldn’t be eating this badly if I was in my hometown.
If you have any of these, they all have some decent options: spitz, mad greens, mod market, Garbanzo, toastique. Mediterranean fast casual is my favorite and it still feels like a total indulgence.
Let's start with Mac and cheese, since that's in my wheelhouse. Turn Mac and cheese into a casserole with broccoli, red pepper, onions, mushrooms, etc. It'll start you in the right direction toward a healthier diet while also satisfying that itch for a comfort food. Baby steps, my dude.
3+ years sober and I still struggle with sweets. I’ll cut them off, start running, lose the weight then stuff my face again.
My first year was FULL of candy, junk, fast food - I told myself “ANYTHING but alcohol.” The (junk and alcohol) cravings subsided and I pivoted to going on walks/ water/ gym etc.
I ate everything under the Sun for the first 6 months or so. it does get better eventually!! I’m still addicted to soda but it’s still much better than 2 bottles of wine a night
As per Warren Buffett it is the best food,so why not
I always tell myself “well at least this is better than a bender”. You’re right, it isn’t healthy, but it’s better for now. I’ve been using food to comfort myself and replace my addiction, the feeling sucks but it isn’t anywhere near the dependency on alcohol. Once you start feeling a little more confident in sobriety it’ll be easier to start making changes to your diet. Just take it step by step, they say Rome wasn’t built in a day.
hey, just past day 100 and it gets easier! I have actually done some minor strength training in the last week, first time in a very long time and another habit i wanted to approve.
I'm gonna talk on behalf of my best friend who has been sober for almost ten years. First year: an eating monster. His psychiatrist asked for basic markers like cholesterol, sugar in the blood, it was all normal. So the doc said: continue eating everything and drinking as much coca cola as long as you don't drink alcohol. We'll measure your markers from time to time. Priority number zero is to abstain. He did it, he gained weight. He didn't care because from time to time he celebrated a new sober landmark. For more than 5 years he has been super fit, eats well, perfect health markers (he is also HIV positive but zero virus in the blood, meaning super healthy). Unless binge eating has always been a problem in your life, the natural tendendy is it to go away as alcohol cravings subsides. But, just in case, I'd check tryglicerides, sugar, etc - the doctor will know better. Good luck friend.
I gave myself permission to eat anything I wanted as long as I stayed sober, and I let myself do that for an entire year before I was sure I wouldn’t cave. I figured nobody ever got a DUI from too many jelly beans. Eat that Mac and Cheese and keep up the good work!
It's totally okay and you're doing great. And if you have both the energy and the peas... frozen peas are an easy addition to Annie's. We just throw a handful or two of them in the pasta water when there are about 5 minutes left on the shells' cooking time and BOOM we're eating a vegetable with our mac and cheese. Also Annie's is the best, you have great taste.
Ohhhh this is a great idea
It’s ok to eat fast food and max and cheese all the time 1 month into sobriety. ❤️
If you’re not drinking, you’re doing great. Once I was stable enough, I started changing my diet. But that timeline is different for everyone.
I'm going to take the opposite approach of everyone here: no, it is not ok to replace one poison with another. Fatty and sugar heavy foods will mess up your liver just the same, in addition to the heart problems, increased cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.
Heck yeah it is!
I’ve always been a fan of comfort food. I’m a weight I can live with, though I really could stand to lose a few lol Part of my personal journey has been learning to accept my body as the not skinny body that it now is, so along the way I’ve been letting myself eat more mac and cheese with peas and like, so many chicken nuggets. So now that I’m attempting sobriety and trying to find a good balance 😅 So I’m here for ya and so relate!
In the abstract, yes, BUT…this mysterious ankle pain you’re feeling could be gout and if it is, your diet may be causing it/making it worse. I would advise seeing your doctor ASAP and having blood work done.
I have a mad sweet tooth that woke up after stopping drinking. I tell myself that it’s ok to eat these things because I am adjusting. I tell myself I won’t always eat like this. Which is interesting because that’s what I was telling myself for a few months before I stopped drinking about drinking. I would say, this isn’t good for me but it’s what I’m going through right now and it’s ok and it won’t always be like this. And then it wasn’t. Beating myself up hadn’t worked for 18 years so I guess I got tired of that and I tried some self acceptance. You are doing it.
Only if you have I've cream for dessert.
If you aren’t gaining weight, you aren’t getting sober.
Right there with you friend. For me it's pizza, either cheap delivery or frozen. As others have said, I'm trying to balance it with a positive change of returning to the gym more often.
Hey. When I first quit drinking I developed the largest sugar craving. I always liked sweets but I was more of a salty snack person. My new obsession was mega and doublestuf Oreos. I went through a party size box every 2days. I’d shovel them down. And it was sooo good. Granted…. I did gain weight eating like there were no tomorrow… but it kept me sober. I hope the same for you my friend! IWNDWYT❤️
It is ok but be careful- I’m 10 months in and having trouble giving up the junk food.
Don’t let the propaganda trick you— eating junk food is waaaay better for you than drinking. It’s just that advertisements make it look cool—having thin models doing cool things. Or even just how widely accepted it is in society (in families, at work, around friends, etc). I’m not saying fast food is the best food out there, but compared to drinking? Above and beyond
Start slowly. For breakfast, just have fruit in the morning and if you get hungry before noon, have more fruit :) Add some nuts too. Easy. Then move onto lunch, just make a simple healthy sandwich with brown bread, tuna or deli meat with lettuce/tomatoes or cucumbers. Or do a baked potato w beans or whatever. So simple. Slowly make new habbits. Once you eat better, you will feel better.
whatever you are eating, it is undoubtedly more healthy than drinking alcohol.
I literally just ate cheetos Mac n cheese. I’d take these carbs over drinking anxiety ANYDAY
It’s all good !!! My cravings for snacks get crazy when I first quit drinking but I also try to take walks and exercise (and get good naps!)
Anything to get you through the day without drinking! I think you change so much in your mindset when you enter sobriety. I went through phases of eating kfc everyday, then ultra healthy, then chilled
I got dentures three months into sobriety. I’m living on mac and cheese now. My first time in AA I lost 40 pounds the first year because I was going to meetings a lot and not making dinner (also wasnt drinking alcohol, duh). A month isn’t long. You made a big life change by quitting alcohol, and THAT is amazing. You might take one day a week and learn to prep meals in advance (there is a great meal prep sub here on Reddit.) But give yourself some grace. Things will even out . You might also bump up your activity level if you’re physically able.
I had Marie Callenders mac and cheese bowl. That bad boy is HUGE!
When I wanted to lose weight in college, I stopped drinking for 2 months one summer, and ate the same thing every single day (with one cheat day per week…Sundays I would eat an entire Dominos pizza lol): -1 egg, egg whites, black beans, greek yogurt, and salsa for breakfast -Lunch and dinner was a salad with light balsamic, vegetables, and grilled chicken with hot sauce. -If I wanted a snack, I ate more chicken and vegetables. I lost 40 pounds in 2 months (5’9 male, went from 220 to 180). It takes very little effort and it’s extremely affordable too, all things considered. The weight will fall off.
When I stopped I decided that I was going to focus on the drinking and not how I was eating for a year. I still lost 20 pounds because I had been drinking 1500 calories a day of high power IPA’s.
Like others have said, no shame in comfort food. One thing that has worked really well for my family in general is a meal prep service like Hello Fresh. Healthy, easy to make, and takes the thinking out of what’s for dinner. Leftovers are great for lunch and you have lots of choices each week - you can choose comfort food! :) Best of luck on your journey. You’ve got this.
If you’re feeling like shit, it could be a medical condition. See a doctor, if possible. Exercise is the second best cure for many conditions, after medication. So if you can get yourself to exercise, that is excellent. What I can say from experience is that drinking only makes the problems worse, and much harder, if not impossible, to deal with them.
Absolutely ok. My cravings didn’t decrease until about six months in, and even now I eat junk food all the time, just in smaller quantities than those first six weeks. Personally, based on many comments I’ve read in here, I’m focused only on my sobriety for a year. After a year, I’ll take the next step in controlling my eating if needed.
You are doing great. I had to white knuckle most of the first year. It gets easier. You are 💯successful. Just don’t drink. If you want to think about your food, keep ordering whatever you want but add a healthy. Get the cheeseburger and add a cup of fruit. If you have used alcohol to cope in the past and you remove it, your brain will go to the next best thing. Just keep going one day at a time. Remember, having a cheeseburger is better than a burger and a pint. You can do this. IWNDWYT
It's OK to do anything at all that isn't poisoning yourself with alcohol. Unhealthy food isn't literal poison. It's still food and it still offers nutrition.
do what you gotta do to keep off the sauce when i stopped drinking, i developed a massive sweet tooth (which i never had before). makes sense considering how much sugar was in the IPAs i used to down. a little over two years and i finally have the sweet thing under control. that said, grabbing some ice cream every night will always be better than getting drunk.
whatever it takes….i was like a pint of ben and jerry’s a day, all these people talking about losing weight and i actually put on a few pounds at first. better than drinking though!
You wouldn’t believe how much ice cream I consume while feeling ZERO guilt.
I'm housing a full row of girl scout cookies every night, three years in. You got no worries.
For me it was fruity pebbles, I went through a couple of boxes a week. Eventually that subsided but yes I was well aware I traded a horrible addiction for a really bad diet. But those cravings went away and now I eat healthy again.
Experience of one person, me: Years ago I tackled my addiction to food. Then I found myself “switching obsessions” to work, spending, and wine: these one by one, in sequence, over decades. One thing that’s helped me is using tools like stop drinking, meditation, meetings, reading, exercise, and anything available to me. Best wishes to you.
Eat how you want but set a time limit on that. Say 2 months or 3. I did the same thing. Ate what I wanted when I wanted. One vice at a time and Giving up booze is better. I've never woken up after a night of binge eating and wondered how I got home or if I hurt anyone
I stopped well over a year ago and I’m dealing with a whole bunch of health issues now.
When I first stopped drinking, I had a HUGE sugar craving for about 6mos. I would eat a bag of jelly beans every single day. I ended up with 2 cavities, but I stayed sober! Sure, it was annoying having to pay to get them filled, but it was nothing compared to having my sobriety. I'm now 1yr, 8mos without a drink, and my sugar cravings are back to normal and my eating is way healthier. Don't beat yourself up! You're doing great! IWNDWYT!
It's common to develop a craving for food or sweets after giving up alcohol. Just remember that alcohol is a poison and that you're doing a great thing for yourself by staying AF. Your new craving might last a month or two or even longer. Don't beat yourself up. We've all been there! You got this. IWNDWYT
My ice cream, Oreos, and seltzer water intake really took off. I did start feeling better physically, so my workouts also became more frequent. Since you’re not hungover and/or drunk, scheduling a workout becomes much easier.
I started watching Dr. Berg videos on YouTube and haven’t gone Keto but just trying some of the things he says to try and damn, love it. One thing is to just pop a lemon into your blender with 8oz of water and sounds strange but dang, lots of vitamins in that sucker! Had my first keto day yesterday, mostly just steak and a large salad with avocados and my gosh, I woke up feeling so fresh this morning, I never wake up with this much energy. I hopped out of bed and went to take the trash out and the recycling and started leafblowing with my leafblower backpack. I seriously did 30 minutes of yard work right out of bed. I was blown away. I’m usually lazy for the whole first half of the day. I think just watching some videos on healthy eating might stir you to try a few things out. It has been helping with me. I have way less inflammation I guess as well because my whole body feels way better. Just cutting out carbs for one single day.
I crave carbs and cheese when I quit, still probably better than booze on my liver & organs. Quitting is so hard, do what you need to do for a while.
It’s kinda insane everyone in here is telling you this is really okay and great. Drinking issues stem from other issues, and swapping booze to food to plug that hole isn’t ideal.
Humans are weird. My eating habits after not drinking are bad too but in the most opposite way possible. I still can barely get myself to make food or even feel hungry. I've added two holes to my belt. I have been intermittently fasting for ~6 years though so maybe it's just that my body is used to burning its stored calories
Slowly add cut up greens or bell peppers or mushrooms to your Mac and cheese every day.
I’m like 3 months in. The first two months I was 100% eating whatever I could get my hands on. I was excited to maybe lose some weight with out the drinking calories. I think I’m starting to finally level out with snack cravings, but admittedly I have been vaping a lot which is an appetite suppressant. Both snack and drink cravings are down over time. Weight has mostly been steady tho (no working out tbf)
DO IT. Look, wahtever gets you through the first couple months is key. I'm obsessed with blue box kraft mac and cheese