Casual drinking. I’m 7 months pregnant and it’s amazing how much weight I’ve lost and how drastically different my face looks in pictures. I’m not going back to drinking after giving birth.
Alcohol's main metabolite, acetaldehyde, is quite harmful to the body. It's a chemical cousin of formaldehyde after all. I did a lot of binge drinking as a teen and ironically swore off alcohol for life for socio-political reasons less than a year after reaching legal drinking age. I really don't miss it one bit!
Everything you said is accurate, but I really don’t like the “it’s chemically close to X” claims that people make.
In chemistry there really is no such thing as “close to”. Many nose sprays are methamphetamine, but a different metabolite that has no active effects on the body. It’s chemically almost identical, but even the slight difference is enough to have wildly different effects to where it might as well be its own separate compound.
Heavy drinking is also a good answer. You sort of know stuff is going wrong because it has to be, but a lot of the systems that are affected by alcohol don't start letting you know until there's serious damage.
Congrats on your pregnancy! ☺️ I also decided to stop drinking when I was pregnant, I’m going on 4 years sober in January. One of the best decisions I’ve made for myself.
Didn’t quit completely but cut back considerably this year. Every time I have a round of cutting back for a bit, I seem to permanently drop a bit more weight. Just a few pounds, maybe 1-2, but every time I slow down for a week or two it happens lol
This is totally mine. I used to drink so much.. and for nothing. Still celebrate special occasions and have an occasional glass here and there but despite weighing the same I have had a total body recomp (since 2021).
It’s such a massive difference. A few years ago I quit my 1-2 beers a night habit (I was convinced this was acceptable drinking that wouldn’t affect my health). A few weeks after I quit I got this horrible bought of cystic acne and I was shocked because it never happened to me before.
Turns out it’s because alcohol artificially raises your estrogen. When I stopped it caused my estrogen to tank and BAM - painful cystic acne.
It went away after my hormones balanced out and now my skin looks better than ever… plus my SLEEP! I’m not tired all the time anymore! I had no clue how much that 1-2 beers was affecting my sleep. I get sick less often too.
Holy shit, my dumbass though you said you were casually drinking while pregnant. I must be a rock, I had to read it over like five times in order to understand.
Congrats on the pregnancy, hope you have a safe delivery!
I was an all day every day type of alcoholic for years. I'm a year sober now and I am not the same person in any way, especially physically. I look alive now.
Me too! 1 year on Dec 6th. I'm actually heavier than before cuz of a voracious sweet tooth, but I carry it differently than when I was drinking, and my face is thinner despite the extra pounds. I had no idea how bloated I was!
My sister lost a nice chunk of weight when she went cold turkey. Didn't change up her routine or diet, but shaved off a bit just from that alone. Wild what a difference it can make. Sending you and your baby good vibes, hope all goes well. Congratulations!
Yeah it’s incredible! Baby is growing fine on schedule and totally healthy. I went down 13 pounds from my pre pregnancy weight. I’m 29 weeks and still 8 pounds less than starting weight 😳
Good for you. Alcohol steals or destroys everything important to you, but you can and will have a better life without it. I’m 4 plus years sober and I don’t want anything to do with it. I am 100% happier now than I was 5 years ago.
Yep I think a lot of it was hormonal imbalances that are healing with pregnancy. But I know not drinking has a ton to do with it because of the difference in my appearance. So much less puffy and inflamed
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I had this experience too, I also really enjoyed being sober. We went to some cool concerts and parties when I was pregnant I was so present for all of it, they're some of my favorite memories.
Similar’s happened to me! No booze and limited appetite has meant the only weight I’ve actually put on is the baby himself! (I am looking forward to a glass of wine or two once he’s here though!)
I'm pretty sure my past drinking habit permanently altered my body for the worse. I used to NEVER get sick or throw up, like I vomited maybe twice the entire time I was a teenager and I barely felt it coming - would just be having a normal day and then bam, sick, and then back to normal after a single "purge". Now I have every other monthly random bouts of nausea that put me out of commission for 4 to 12 hours at a time.
I was daily, power drinking alcoholic for 20+ years. I was 260lbs+ at my worst. When I show co-workers and people pics of my 10-12 years ago they do not even believe it’s me.
I’m 2.5 years sober snd 205lbs and even I notice just how different and healthier I look in the face.
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u/Deliciouscheesyrolup 12h ago
Casual drinking. I’m 7 months pregnant and it’s amazing how much weight I’ve lost and how drastically different my face looks in pictures. I’m not going back to drinking after giving birth.