Less Alcohol- July 2018- One Day at a Time

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  • SunnyDays930
    SunnyDays930 Posts: 1,577 Member
    Wow @NormInv that is amazing. And inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
  • SunnyDays930
    SunnyDays930 Posts: 1,577 Member
    @donimfp. I have been following your struggles with this for months and I really really feel like I relate to you in so many ways. We are both in the same boat a lot of the time. I appreciate your insights. <3
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    Same here, @JenT304. I wish it were easy and simple, but it's not. But it's a worthwhile adventure. Milagro is now hanging on a chain around my neck. Nice to have a reminder of miracles close by.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,415 Member
    edited July 2018
    donimfp wrote: »
    Same here, @JenT304. I wish it were easy and simple, but it's not. But it's a worthwhile adventure. Milagro is now hanging on a chain around my neck. Nice to have a reminder of miracles close by.

    Me, three. For me, the pickle cannot go back to being a cucumber. At least, you only had two drinks. But the negative is the depression. :/
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,415 Member
    @Ke22yB very helpful reflections. Thank you so much! It gives me added fuel to stay strong. Xo
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,415 Member
    fitand50inSD wrote: »
    I am back (was in and out of the thread a few months ago.) I am not a heavy drinker, but have been a daily drinker most of my adult life. I generally have 1-2 glasses of wine or vodka soda each day. Tuesday night I had more to drink than I should have and woke up Wednesday feeling kind of crappy.

    I think I drink because it lifts my mood in the short term, but I really think it is actually contributing at some level to the sadness I have been feeling lately. I haven't ever had issues with depression, but lately I just am feeling off. Anyway I am really going to try and cut back. I started yesterday...Independence Day. I am thinking of it as my "independence" from the hold alcohol has on me. So it isn't much, but 2 days down. Thank you all for sharing your struggles and triumphs. It helps to know I am not alone.

    Alcohol is known to be a depressant. Welcome back. I am in the middle of the book by Jack Vale "Kick the drink easily". Very very interesting. You may want to read it; I was just reading it. I'll post some excerpts tomorrow.
  • fitand50inSD
    fitand50inSD Posts: 166 Member
    Thank you Julie. I just sent a sample of the book to my Kindle.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,415 Member
    fitand50inSD wrote: »
    Thank you Julie. I just sent a sample of the book to my Kindle.

    It took the About 40 pages to get into the heart of the matter. But once he does , I found myself highlighting some things I want to remember. Xo
  • SunnyDays930
    SunnyDays930 Posts: 1,577 Member
    @NovusDies I too have decided to drink alcohol VERY rarely. My next scheduled drink will be a champagne toast at a wedding in September (IF I even want to). I'm stating my intention to all of you right now and you can all gently remind me of that if need be but I feel pretty strong in my resolve. It just doesn't feel fun to me anymore.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    JulieAL1969 wrote: »
    @NovusDies Bravo! 60th one day at a times !

    Thanks and thanks for phrasing it that way for me. That is the mindset that works best for me. I am not trying to accomplish anything specific just deal with today's outcome and I doubt I will be drinking today.
  • NormInv
    NormInv Posts: 3,303 Member
    Im drinking a beer!!!!

    .....Virgil's zero sugar root beer to be precise....
  • snoo61
    snoo61 Posts: 549 Member
    Orphia wrote: »
    jenbrothers01 wrote: »
    I'm in!!! Starting a new healthy lifestyle and I want to be alcchol free.

    @jenbrothers01 Welcome! Keep reading in here, and I'm sure you'll find something that helps your particular circumstances.

    jaime920 wrote: »
    I've been lurking since June but I'm ready to jump in! I love how positive and encouraging everyone is here (and @JulieAL1969 and @NovusDies - you guys provide so much great info and insight that has really impacted the way I'm thinking about drinking AND eating, bc I'm finding this information applies to both). Over the years my "weekend wine" has become more frequent that just weekends, and I hate the effects on my waistline and how I feel, but it's such an easy trap to stay in (especially with work, kids, life stress - and in summer, it seems to be even worse). I would really like to cut way back. Still deciding if that means totally "Dry July" or if I want to have some other plan. Guess I better figure that out quickly.

    I lost weight tracking calories on MFP years ago, and I dabble in tracking here and there, but I know that consistent dedication is what needs to happen. I also had success with WW in the past. For the past few years, though, it seems that the things that used to work just aren't any more, and I get frustrated when I don't see results so I throw in the towel - again and again. I would love to know what other threads on MFP you guys like for weight loss, and if you have any tips in addition to cutting back on alcohol!

    @jaime920 Glad you've jumped in!!

    I started being alcohol-free at the time of Feb Fast. I didn't announce I was planning the full month. I just took it one day at a time. One day led to the next, and now it's been more than 5 months. You can do this!

    With alcohol, losing weight is the same. One day leads to the next. I lost 80 lbs the first year with MFP and got to goal weight, then have kept at goal 2 years 3 months so far, by just making a bit of an effort every day, eating what I want, and sticking to my calorie limit.

    My best weight loss tip is "Be honest with yourself".

    Check out this video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o

    Quote from James Fell:

    "It tells the tale of actor Debbie Chazen who reports that: “I’ve been big all my life.” She says she eats a healthy diet and stays active, and explains her weight by saying, “I believe I must be one of those people who has a slow metabolism.” She says she is “eating well, doing lots of exercise,” so it must be her metabolism, right?

    And so in the video they have an expert test her metabolic rate. The results? A perfectly normal metabolic rate for someone of her size. “Almost spot on” was the term used. So why is Debbie obese? Why can’t she lose weight? (Note: there are medical conditions that can affect weight gain such as hypothyroidism and Cushing’s syndrome. Medication can also be a culprit.)

    The researchers got her to keep a food diary to gain understanding. They wanted to find out if she was “eating more than the 2,000 calories per day recommended for the average woman of her age and height.” But beyond the food diary, the researchers decided to spy on Debbie as well using a scientific method called “doubly-labeled water” to get an accurate measurement of not only how many calories she consumes, but how much she burns.

    The first four days of the reporting of food intake was a video diary. Here are the results:
    Debbie’s reporting: “about 1,100 calories” a day.
    Reality as per the doubly-labeled water: 3,000 calories a day.

    She was off by almost a factor of three.

    The next five days were done via a written diary, which the documentary asserts allows people to be more thorough, but still she underreported her caloric intake by 43%. The video then asserts that this is common, as on average people underreport their food intake by as much as 50%.

    [...]

    As someone who is very opposed to fat shaming of any kind, please don’t take this as such. I understand that this can be construed as me saying, “Stop sucking at math, fatty,” but that’s not what I’m trying to communicate. The majority of the planet is bad at tracking caloric intake and burn. REALLY bad at it, so don’t feel as though it’s a personal failing if you’re part of this majority.

    Accurate tracking is a tough skill to learn, especially in an environment where we’re constantly surrounded by hyper-yummy junk food, machines doing most of our work for us, and fancy, interesting things on electronic screens that lead us to sit for hours on end.

    So, after reading all this, what is this “most important thing” you can do to lose weight and keep it off? The answer is not an easy one to accept or to implement, and before telling you I must remind you that there are myriad methods in which to create a sustained caloric deficit. There are lots of diets and lots of ways to engage in more physical activity to burn more calories. But through all of this, to lose weight, you must do this one thing:

    You must be honest with yourself.

    Brutally honest."

    ===

    In addition to this, here is a list of all the best threads on MFP that tell you how to count calories properly.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10260499/i-like-old-posts-and-i-cannot-lie/p1

    My success with weight loss owes a massive debt to the excellent resources other successful people on MFP have shared in the Community forums.

    The MFP Community is absolutely awesome, and this thread we're in right here is another example.

    Thank you for this! An eye opening explanation of reality
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