Going to get a little personal...drugs and whatnot...
 

So maybe I feel comfortable posting this cause I don't know anyone here, but I'm hoping someone will have some type of response, be it personal or a friend or something.
Well I abused heroin and crack cocaine (to a much lesser extent) for years, and in May I will be reaching two years clean. I was on Suboxone, and due to general frustration of being hooked on a different form of opiate for the rest of my life, I stopped taking it cold turkey after a few weeks of weaning down. This was about a year and a half ago or so. At the time I first got clean and started the Suboxone regime I was around 170lbs,give or take 10lbs because of bloating, etc. less than 1.5 years later I got up to 295. It's pretty obvious to me that not doing drugs has severely affected my weight, and my health is probably terrible because at some level my body is still detoxing and adjusting. Since New Years I've been working very hard and am now at 285, I have a long way to go so i was wondering if anyone else had some type of experience relating to my problem. It's hard enough having the motivation to stay drug free and away from old friends, but my weight is making things a whole lot harder. Can anyone relate, advice, hopeful words, wisdom, something? Thanks.

Oh and at my heaviest point of using I was about 130lbs...I don't want to be that small and sick again, but it's easy to see how I am not what I used to be at all weight wise. That's the condensed story. I'd really like to find someone to talk to about this.

I'm not the person to relate to about this, but I just wanted to say congratulations to you for getting yourself clean and having the determination to stay that way. I'm an ex-smoker in progress, I know it's an addiction I'll never be able to completely be free of, and I'll never be one of those people that can just have a puff.

That's not nearly anything close to what you're having to go through, but I just wanted to say congrats and it's so impressive that you've been able to do that!

Keep with it, if you can get yourself clean, you can lose the weight!

Hi There Congratualtions on getting clean, it is my daughter not myself who struggles with weight after getting off meth she is about your hieght and weight. She has been clean almost 9 years and is 28. She gained one hundred pounds after getting clean, after about 3 or 4 years clean she got pregnant and quit smoking as soon as she found out. I know her struggles intimatley as we talk about it alot.
She met her hubby just after geting clean then gained the weight but he didnt care he loves her the way she is.
Even though i need to lose weight my weight gain was from stress eating and being married to an abusive alcholic for 10 years.
You should be so proud of being clean that is awesome! I wish there was more I could say to encourage you but you have already done an amazing job. Eating right is also one day at a time.

That is amazing that your daughter got clean. I never tried meth, honestly because I know I'd love it, but I've met users and can say with confidence it is the hardest drug to get off of. She should be very proud.
I've been with a great guy since I got clean, and though he loves me as I am, I know he wants to see me healthy and happy.
Thanks to both of you for responding, sometimes it just gets overwhelming. I have depression problems, so looking at myself and feeling fat is a huge trigger for me. I used to use when I was depressed, before it escalated and I used to use. But knowing there are people out there who even though they don't know me are proud of what I've done makes me feel it will be better someday.

I think you are an incredibly strong person for being able to get clean. Hero-like strong. I believe that weight loss is something you can handle hands down.
I really admire someone who had the strength to escape. Unfortunately, I had friends who didn't make it and thankfully I have friends who did. Congratulations.
And congratulations for the 10 pounds! :)

I've used drugs in the past as well, but never in an addictive way. A lot of pot and ecstasy, some shrooms and acid. I think the pot is one of the reasons I got so fat in the first place, I would stuff my face so much.

I've seen you posting a lot in the 'Does it work' forum about different pills and stuff you take and have taken. With your past I think it's best to do a diet where you eat whole and healthy foods aned exercise. Stay away from the pills, you don't need them and many of the long term maintainers here have lost weight without them.

Best of luck.

Great job getting clean, it's not an easy feat at all and you should definitely give yourself credit for it. I struggled with cocaine for a while before so I can sort of relate, but I didn't use it for too long. I know what you mean about seeing your body change after you've gotten clean, though. I put on a lot of weight when I stopped using and even though I'm clean now, and have been for a few years, I still think about how I used to look and feel about my body.

I was aggravated with my weight gain after getting clean, and have been aggravated with my weight for some time now.. I know that it's a lot easier to lose weight than it is to get off narcotics, it just takes a lot of trial and error and a lot of patience (which isn't something I'm known to posses). Your body is probably still detoxing in a lot of ways and recovering from a lot of abuse.

You can do it! Healthy eating and exercise are the way to do it, and when you've reached your goal the healthy way you'll be able to look back and see just how absolutely strong and able you are! You really should be proud of the steps you've already taken for your health!

Now that you're clean it's SO important to focus on your health!

Find something sustainable for the rest of your life and stick with it.

You can do this!! Shoot, you kicked drugs... the weight will be cake!

My mother-in-law was a heavy drug user. It was mostly meth and she did it for years. After she stopped, she gained a lot of weight as well. She went from about 140 to close to 250 (and shes 5'2). She also had severe knee problems and arthritis in her hands to the point of being unable to work. Her years of being able to eat whatever she wanted and her unhealthy cooking habits did not help. She has been off drugs for about 7 years. Two months ago she got lap band surgery. She has lost about 20 pounds so far I believe. I have not had a chance to talk to her about it in a 2 weeks however.