How Soon After Quitting Alcohol Will I Lose Weight

Bhaven Taylor, 41, from London, shares how he transformed his body—and his entire mindset—by changing his diet, giving up alcohol, and working out three times a week.

I was extremely fit when I was younger, playing all sports at first team level (rugby, football, cricket) while at school and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The negative change started to occur once I attended university, which often consisted of nights out binge-drinking, lack of good sleep, and poor diet. My weight began to creep up, and this continued into my work life in London from 2002 onwards. This lasted for almost 20 years, and a combination of unhealthy eating and inactivity meant that I steadily gained weight throughout my 20s and 30s.

I probably reached my heaviest around 35 years old. It had a huge impact on my self-esteem and overall confidence, both of which were extremely low. I did not feel good about myself or how I looked, and I was a prime candidate for Type 2 diabetes, which runs in my family.

What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Drinking

Having spent a large part of 2020 indoors in the UK, coming into 2021 I decided I wanted to make a change. I decided that this could be a good opportunity as there were still so few distractions available due to lockdown. So in January 2021 I signed up to Ultimate Performance. I had come across them 15 years ago but when I saw the before and after pictures from their transformation program, I honestly thought that was not possible for someone like me. However, I spoke to a friend who went through it and achieved incredible results, so I immediately signed up. This was the first time in my life where I invested directly into myself, and thought I would put my all into it and see what happens.

The UK was in a strict lockdown from the moment I started until gyms reopened on 13th April 2021, so my trainer Jason and I had a weekly 30-minute call to focus primarily on nutrition and increasing my energy output. He aimed to improve my education on nutrition and how to ensure I was eating and tracking the right amount of calories, split across the appropriate protein, carbohydrates and fats. I quite enjoyed cooking and I got into it immediately, weighing foods and learning how to use spices to ensure the meal tasted good. I also cut out alcohol in order to get the best outcome from the whole process.

The first time I worked out with Jason in person three months later, I was blown away. We kept the workouts simple, did around 6 or 7 exercises per session, super-setting each exercise and ensuring we did a whole body workout. Jason started to educate me on weight training, proper form and slowly progressively overloading. My experience in the gym at UP was just incredible: the environment is set up for gear motivation and maximum output and I loved every minute of it.

If I Quit Drinking Alcohol, Will I Lose Weight?

From then on, I worked out with Jason 3 times per week and this really was enough to change my overall body. In addition, Jason set me a daily step target and I found a new appreciation for long walks—podcasts and audiobooks became my best friends during this time—but I was able to hit my weight loss goals without doing excessive amounts of cardio.

Within three months I lost about 17 kgs (37 pounds) and got my body fat, which was close to 30 percent when I started, down to 11 percent. When I saw my friends and family for the first time after lockdown, many of them were shocked, and some didn't even recognize me. I have now got myself back to how I looked when I was 17 years old, at the age of 41. My experience has motivated others to get fit themselves, and I have countless conversations about what I did. What blew me away is when an extremely close friend referred to me as an inspiration, and that he has never seen me this focused, and how proud he was.

The entire transformation journey was truly an incredible experience, but the most dramatic effect was not my weight or the way I looked: it was actually more on the mental side and how I felt. My sleep was transformed, I naturally became a morning person (not something I could have said for 25 years), productivity increased, my energy rose, and my self-esteem and confidence improved dramatically. I started to ask myself how far can I take this, and what could I be capable of? I actually got approached and started a new job during lockdown and have begun working in a new industry for a truly amazing company. This for me was a life transformation rather than just a body one.

Giving Up Alcohol: The Benefits Of Quitting

If you want to make a change, just go for it: it's all about taking it one step at a time, and once you begin to see progress it is immensely motivating. Consistency is key, but if you're turning up every day, then it is amazing what you can achieve in just three months.

, covering fitness, pop culture, sex and relationships, and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV, and he is the author of

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This Guy Dropped 27 Pounds With Simple Fixes Hulk Hogan Feels Healthier Than Ever at 69 This Guy Changed His Mindset and Dropped 43 Pounds Pickleball Helped This Guy Drop 70 PoundsAlcoholism can ravage all aspects of your life, altering your behavior, damaging your relationships, wrecking your health, and destroying your self-esteem. Over time, the toll of alcoholism can leave you feeling and looking different from the person you want to be. You will see many beneficial appearance changes after you quit drinking, including in the mirror.

While Drinking: Consuming alcohol in excess can significantly impact someone’s body shape. For starters, alcohol is very high in calories.  There are seven calories in every gram of alcohol; for context, protein holds four calories per gram and fat has nine calories per gram. In addition, drinking alcohol activates the brain cells in the hypothalamus that make people feel hungry. This is the reason why after a night of drinking people tend to have the munchies. Lots of drinks plus extra eating equals a lot more calories than your body needs.

How Quitting Alcohol Helps Anxiety

Alcohol also makes it more difficult for your body to burn any foods you eat. The body flags alcohol as a toxin, and the liver focuses on breaking down alcohol before any fat, carbohydrate, or protein. When the liver is constantly working to process alcohol rather than food, you start to gain weight. In the case of heavy drinkers, alcohol can cause so much damage to the liver that it stops functioning properly, which can lead to deadly conditions such as fatty liver disease or cirrhosis.

After Quitting: Weight loss happens during sobriety when someone replaces their old habits with new ones: sticking to healthier meals, no longer binge eating extra food while drinking, and, of course, no longer drinking all those empty calories. After quitting alcohol, your body can once again focus on metabolizing nutrients.

While Drinking: When you are struggling with alcoholism, your skin is probably the least of your concerns. But the effects of drinking may be more serious than you think. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means that it causes more water to be processed through the kidneys. This leaves you dehydrated and causes dry patches, dull skin, fine lines, and dark under-eye circles. Your skin may become sensitive to the touch and feel uncomfortable, even itchy.

Quitting Alcohol And Weight Loss: What To Expect

Chronic alcohol consumption also elevates the level of the stress hormone cortisol in the body, triggering alcohol-related premature aging. This stress can break down the skin’s collagen and cause inflammation, leading to wrinkles. Cortisol can also aggravate other skin conditions like rosacea or acne, causing flareups and breakouts.

After Quitting: By replacing alcoholic drinks with plenty of water, you are allowing your skin to rehydrate and flush out toxins through urine and sweat. Your skin will regain its natural, healthy glow as you replenish the necessary vitamins and minerals lost from active addiction.

While Drinking: When alcohol dehydrates your body, it also dehydrates your hair. The lack of moisture causes thinning, hair loss, and dandruff on the scalp.  Hair shedding is compounded by alcohol triggering increased production of cortisol and the hormone estrogen.

Lifting Weights And Giving Up Alcohol Helped Me Lose 35 Pounds

Alcohol also inhibits nutrient absorption by harming the lining of your digestive system over time, damaging your intestines until they can’t transfer nutrients to the blood. Without proper protein, the production of keratin slows; this protective agent bonds hair cells together and your hair becomes prone to split ends and breakage. Similarly,