3 weeks without alcohol

lorib642

Awesome! I am cutting way back.

mbaker566

all the support here makes me a happy bunny. I hope this weekend went well for all of you

stepea83

haven't had any alcohol since December 27th, haven't missed it one bit. (social drinker with mates) but im going away this weekend of which i dont actually feel like drinking, alls im thinking about is the amount of calories it has and is it worth it.

chefdarnell

Thanks for posting. I am on day 2!
So strange how much I thougjt about it all day. Hopefully today is better. I have to decide how to handle my Girls Night Out group this week- it is basically a drinking group!

mbaker566

cranberry and seltzer?
orange juice and mountain dew
or "I don't feel like drinking tonight"

Burger2066

@chefdarnell I've used the same "excuse" when going out with friends as I did on my work trip. "I'm not going to drink for a while because I'm working on getting back into hockey shape." Nobody asked questions about my drinking, they were all more interested in what I was doing to get back. Maybe say something like that and use your reason for not drinking. Try to direct the conversation more towards the reason rather than about just not drinking, if they ask...if they don't ask after you tell them you aren't drinking, then move on to the next topic and have fun.

caroldavison332

Never drank much, but gave up rich cards like soda, candy, cakes, etc.; which is something like it. Lost 4 pounds in 1 week.

bionicrooster

I usually give up hard alcohol for Lent. This year I gave up red meat instead. But after reading this thread I am going to add all alcohol for the remainder of Lent and see how I feel.

cmorris30316

Great work everybody. I am on day 23 without. I have been out a few times for dinner. It hasn't been as difficult as I thought. I am feeling better in the morning and not so foggy. Easier to get up and work out too. I was going to do it just for February but I may just keep going for awhile and see how much weight I can lose.

cmorris30316

chefdarnell wrote: »

Thanks for posting. I am on day 2!
So strange how much I thougjt about it all day. Hopefully today is better. I have to decide how to handle my Girls Night Out group this week- it is basically a drinking group!

That could be tough !
I'm having dinner with gf's tonite but haven't been out out !
It hasn't been as hard for me as i thought it would be. But i have lost weight so it's motivating me !

cmorris30316

moyer566 wrote: »

all the support here makes me a happy bunny. I hope this weekend went well for all of you

I went out of town with my sister

We normally drink wine together. She was surprised I wasn't drinking. But didn't pressure me. She continued having her red wine and I was fine with soda water.

Burger2066

Well...I have passed the 60 day mark without a drink. I've had plenty of opportunities and been in plenty of situations where I could have had a drink, but I didn't. Still loving the difference it has made for me in so many ways. I hope everyone is doing well.

greeentea

Good job! The longest I've gone without a single drink was 6+ months. I had more clarity and more energy. It was amazing to no longer deal with weekend hangovers!

After a wild Halloween jungle juice night... I decided no more liquor for me. So, yeah, I haven't consumed hard liquor in 5 months! Sticking to beer is muuuuch better for my body. Especially since I cut myself off after two, hahaha.

kwtilbury

I quit alcohol in 2003 and haven't regretted it one day since.

Carlos_421

Burger2066 wrote: »

Well...I have passed the 60 day mark without a drink. I've had plenty of opportunities and been in plenty of situations where I could have had a drink, but I didn't. Still loving the difference it has made for me in so many ways. I hope everyone is doing well.

Well done!!!

cmorris30316

Great everybody !!! Well done. I'm on day 40 and really surprised it hasn't been that badfor me !! I do feel clearer headed and sleep so well ! Not sure how much longer I'll go. I was thinking maybe go for 25 pounds lost versus counting the days. Because I feel it is one of the main reasons I've lost anything to begin with- I'm only down about 15 pounds so I think 25 would be a good short term goal !!

cmorris30316

bionicrooster wrote: »

I usually give up hard alcohol for Lent. This year I gave up red meat instead. But after reading this thread I am going to add all alcohol for the remainder of Lent and see how I feel.

How are you doing ? A couple people have assumed I'm doing it for lent. I'm thinking about going for 25 pounds lost versus counting my days.

LBuehrle8

Burger2066 wrote: »

Well...I have passed the 60 day mark without a drink. I've had plenty of opportunities and been in plenty of situations where I could have had a drink, but I didn't. Still loving the difference it has made for me in so many ways. I hope everyone is doing well.

Awesome!! Really love this thread! Going on 15 months alcohol free here

hockeysniper8

Congrats @Burger2066 It's really tough to do, when all my friends drink every weekend. I sometimes lie to my friends to stay in and not drink on wknds, haha

ElizabethOakes2

WAY to go to everyone on this thread who has managed to quit drinking entirely or cut down their intake! It is hard, especially if you're in a situation where all of your social interactions include drinking.
I LOVE my wine, but you know, now that I allow myself a glass or two a month, or on a special occasion, I find I really enjoy it more. And, because I'm not buying 3 or 4 $5.99 bottles of wine a week, I can afford to buy one bottle of a much better wine to enjoy. I had a glass of incredible Brazilian carmenere on Saturday, and I can remember every flavor and nuance of it. I found myself closing my eyes (mid conversation at a lively dinner party) to enjoy it.

mjwarbeck

If you want to cut alcohol then good for you. People has any number of reasons not to drink and I appreciate all of them.

That being said, from a diet point it is no different then any other food you eat. In moderation it is fine. I love wine and a good IPA...so I account for them in my calories. Really a bottle of beer or glass has no more calories (if not less) than a standard bagel.

Yesterday we had friends over so had a few glasses of wine...still finished within my calories...had a good balance of macros...etc

Burger2066

Great job everyone. It is cool to see so many of you with similar goals and some that have done a great job for a really long time.
@cmorris30316 That is a great goal. And great job on the weight loss so far. Once you hit that goal, you can obviously re-evaluate and go from there. Keep it up!
@hockeysniper8 I hear you. Most of my friends have been pretty good about not pushing drinks my way. They're probably excited that they now have a guaranteed DD. Hahaha.
@mjwarbeck I completely agree. For me, it made sense to stop drinking as opposed to cutting back. But a big part of my reason for stopping wasn't for the calories in calories out benefits. I was drinking too much too often, and once I'd have a drink, drinks 2, 3, 4 etc would come. I felt like I had a drinking problem and I want to set a better example for my kids. If/when I decide to drink again, it'll be when I know I can keep it to the one drink. But the longer I go without a drink, the easier it is not to have one. Regarding the CICO thing, since I didn't always stop at 1 drink, that did impact my nutrition and what I could eat if I wanted to meet a calorie goal. I found myself not eating as much during the day "in case" I was going to have 2 or 3 drinks at night, saving those calories, then I found myself saying "Well, I have these calories saved up, might as well drink them." It was a cycle that was getting worse and worse.

calmandpeaceful

Burger2066 wrote: »

Great job everyone. It is cool to see so many of you with similar goals and some that have done a great job for a really long time.
@cmorris30316 That is a great goal. And great job on the weight loss so far. Once you hit that goal, you can obviously re-evaluate and go from there. Keep it up!
@hockeysniper8 I hear you. Most of my friends have been pretty good about not pushing drinks my way. They're probably excited that they now have a guaranteed DD. Hahaha.
@mjwarbeck I completely agree. For me, it made sense to stop drinking as opposed to cutting back. But a big part of my reason for stopping wasn't for the calories in calories out benefits. I was drinking too much too often, and once I'd have a drink, drinks 2, 3, 4 etc would come. I felt like I had a drinking problem and I want to set a better example for my kids. If/when I decide to drink again, it'll be when I know I can keep it to the one drink. But the longer I go without a drink, the easier it is not to have one. Regarding the CICO thing, since I didn't always stop at 1 drink, that did impact my nutrition and what I could eat if I wanted to meet a calorie goal. I found myself not eating as much during the day "in case" I was going to have 2 or 3 drinks at night, saving those calories, then I found myself saying "Well, I have these calories saved up, might as well drink them." It was a cycle that was getting worse and worse.

Burger - this sounds like me. So how did you get through the first week? I agree with what everyone said - but for me, wine at night is a treat. I have a boring job and 4 teenaged daughters - many, many blessings - but those two get on my nerves. What actual steps did you take to remove alcohol from your life? I need to re-adjust my life/brain. My nutrition and exercise are good - but it's the wine that adds calories, is obviously unhealthy because I am not a moderate drinker (well, most times) and, I eat more late at night. I think if I can get a few good weeks under my belt of not drinking - or modifying greatly - then I will be in a good rhythm.

Thanks

Burger2066

calmandpeaceful wrote: »

Burger2066 wrote: »

Great job everyone. It is cool to see so many of you with similar goals and some that have done a great job for a really long time.
@cmorris30316 That is a great goal. And great job on the weight loss so far. Once you hit that goal, you can obviously re-evaluate and go from there. Keep it up!
@hockeysniper8 I hear you. Most of my friends have been pretty good about not pushing drinks my way. They're probably excited that they now have a guaranteed DD. Hahaha.
@mjwarbeck I completely agree. For me, it made sense to stop drinking as opposed to cutting back. But a big part of my reason for stopping wasn't for the calories in calories out benefits. I was drinking too much too often, and once I'd have a drink, drinks 2, 3, 4 etc would come. I felt like I had a drinking problem and I want to set a better example for my kids. If/when I decide to drink again, it'll be when I know I can keep it to the one drink. But the longer I go without a drink, the easier it is not to have one. Regarding the CICO thing, since I didn't always stop at 1 drink, that did impact my nutrition and what I could eat if I wanted to meet a calorie goal. I found myself not eating as much during the day "in case" I was going to have 2 or 3 drinks at night, saving those calories, then I found myself saying "Well, I have these calories saved up, might as well drink them." It was a cycle that was getting worse and worse.

Burger - this sounds like me. So how did you get through the first week? I agree with what everyone said - but for me, wine at night is a treat. I have a boring job and 4 teenaged daughters - many, many blessings - but those two get on my nerves. What actual steps did you take to remove alcohol from your life? I need to re-adjust my life/brain. My nutrition and exercise are good - but it's the wine that adds calories, is obviously unhealthy because I am not a moderate drinker (well, most times) and, I eat more late at night. I think if I can get a few good weeks under my belt of not drinking - or modifying greatly - then I will be in a good rhythm.

Thanks

The first week was tough, I'm not going to lie. I had a bottle of Jack and a bottle of vodka in the house. I put post it notes on them that simple said "Think". I also put a counter timer on my phone, so when I unlock my phone, that is the first thing I see. Those two things helped me a lot, but it wasn't easy. I also carried around my shaker bottle and drank water non-stop (which I usually do anyway), but I made it a point to have an extra 2 bottles worth each night (that's an extra 40oz of water) so it helped me feel full and not thirsty. I would also recommend putting the bottles in a place where you wouldn't regularly see them, so that you have to intentionally go for them...put notes along the way that you will see, read, and stop yourself. I hope some of that helps and I hope you can reach your goals! It isn't easy, but so far, it has been worth it.

cmorris30316

How is everyone doing ? Did anyone stay alcohol free until now ?

fr33sia12

I've gone 3 months without alcohol and hoping to last till Christmas. Don't think I could not drink at Christmas, but then will give it up again afterwards.

cmorris30316

I went 46 days. Then had a few drinks a couple times. But definitely cut way back. It's helped immensely. My blood pressure is back to normal range and I sleep very well.