Meth and weight gain

tweaked
nomore

Meth & Weight Gain

Sorry if this post sounds very vane, but
I'm just at my wits end about this. PLEASE HELP!!

Ever since quitting meth about a year ago I have gained about 20 pounds that has been nearly impossible to lose no matter how much I work out. I am 30 year old (male) & I've never had such difficulty shedding weight until now.
I know it has to do with my much slower metabolism.
I'M SURE A LOT OF YOU ARE GOING THRU THE SAME SO DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THE METABOLISM EVENTUALLY STABILIZES AND THE POUNDS WILL EVENTUALLY SHED OVER TIME?
Or is this a permanent situation?? If so, I am highly considering lipo-surgery.
PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH THIS PROBLEM!!

Thanks!!

Replies...

Sfj

Re: Meth & Weight Gain

Things change if you facilitate their change.
Especially weight gain.
I quit using meth a little over five years ago and gained quite a portly appearance in the early years of recovery. About 30 - 40 lbs too much. I don't like being overweight for a number of reasons. Health is the primary reason though.
My wife talked me into going to 'Weight Watchers' since it was working for her.
I'm a stubborn 'speedfreak" and wanted to do it my way, and I did. Basically, what worked for me was ending junk food, animal fat, and large portions.
I eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish. And honestly, that's about it.
I've lost about 25 lbs. and I have about 15 more to go.
I refuse to be obese or overweight if I don't have to.

le grumps

Re: Meth & Weight Gain

Hi tweakednomore,
The weight gain after meth is such a drag! I can empathize, since quitting meth I have gained 100 lbs. I hate it.
But I think there is something I am learning.
One, I have always been weight obsessed, and I have always had a poor self image. Even when I was thin from the tweaking, I still thought I was fat.
Now that it's been over a year and a half not using, I am thinking "whose fat now?"

Even though I am not happy gaining all this weight, and want to begin doing something about it, it is really teaching me a lesson about self-acceptance. Usually, on stints where I am heavy, I don't "put myself out there", I hide under my body as a self fulfilling prophecy of "no one wants me, everyone thinks I am ugly, I don't want to show my face, everyone judges".
This time, because I have been able to grasp some principles of recovery, I am able to say, yes, I may be heavy right now, but that doesn't mean that I can't love myself, dress cute, be cute, and develop some confidence in myself, regardless of how much I weigh. Sure, 20 lbs is a significant amount of weight gain. But you should ask yourself, is it really that important that I lose this weight?
Does going to the gym make you feel good, or is it just something you grind though to get that body that you had before?
You may want to try to focus on enjoying yourself, learning to be comfortable and confident in your body, and letting go. Still be healthy, still work out, but not freak out over the 20 lbs. Trust me, it's not that much.
I gained 100 lbs in one year. And even though it was an astonishing thing to happen, I have learned that no one judges me as much as I judged myself.

Loraura

Re: Meth & Weight Gain

Article on Meth recovery and weight gain

BrokenN2

Re: Meth & Weight Gain

I have gained like 60lbs in the past two years while trying to quit Meth.
The weight gain sux...but not as bad as the other side effects I am having. Like no attention span, can't concentrate, memory loss, depression and on & on...
One things for sure though. it beats the hell out of using meth and skitz'n out on a daily basis.

tweaked
nomore

Re: Meth & Weight Gain

Thanks guys for the advice and support. It's amazing how much weight people have gained more than I have Honestly, if I didn't work out on a regular basis and watched what I eat (no junk food, etc) I would have easily ballooned to over 50 lbs over my ideal weight. I feel like I'm struggling to maintain my 20 lb weight gain rather than getting back to my ideal weight
Brok3n: Thanks for putting it in perspective, there ARE much worse effects of meth than weight gain so I'm trying hard not to obsess about it..
Loraura Thanks for that great article on weight gain on how the meth really affects the body. Great Top 10 list of things to do to battle this problem!! As SFJ mentioned, one way to bring change is to do everything possible to facilitate it...I've considered eating 100% organic food or becoming a vegan very soon. It's amazing how all the chemicals, hormones and crap in our food actually makes us more obese!!!

THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE AND BEST OF LUCK
ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY!!

sunshine
skye

Re: Meth & Weight Gain

I understand how you feel. I've always been concerned about my weight and I know how depressed you can get when you can't get it to come off no matter how hard you work at it.
It took me 3 years to get the weight off from meth. Mostly because I couldn't stay on my program like I used to be able to.
There are 2 things that worked well for me:
1. Body for Life (bodyforlife.com or the book, the book is great! High intensity workouts are what you need to get the weight off)
2. The Master Cleanse (hard core crazy stuff but it worked; read lots and lots on curezone.com before attempting this)

Take care!

tweaked
nomore

Re: Meth & Weight Gain

Thanks Sunshine!!
I heard a lot about Body for Life. A friend of
mine is on it. I plan to buy the book.
I heard it takes a lot of discipline and yes,
a lot of high intensity workouts but I hear
it works. I wish I had a personal trainer to
get me started.
Did it really make a difference for you?
How much weight did u lose with the program?
Are u still on it?

Macystiller: Loraura posted that same link
earlier. but thanks for the input!

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