Less Alcohol - February 2019 - One Day at a Time

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  • gladys0919
    gladys0919 Posts: 41 Member
    marcvb35 wrote: »
    hello all. although I don't want to quit I truly believe I need to drink less. almost 30 years of heavy drinking and now its affecting my health. I have an open diary for all to see. feel free to judge me.

    No judging here darling, only truth's and encouragement and lots of support!
  • gladys0919
    gladys0919 Posts: 41 Member
    teriseaton wrote: »
    Again, I just love this thread. I get so much inspiration on here. THIS is the reason I don't loose weight. Tracking my food and all is helpful, but my downfall is the consumption. When I can do it within moderation I will be successful. My anxiety is I will have to go AF completely. I don't want that. I want the old me, that enjoyed it on occasion at events with friends and family, not a nightly requirement.
    I remember when my husband did a 30 stay in rehab for his drug problems 30 years ago. I attended one of family presentations that talked about the euphoria stage. The addict needs to meet that and it made sense, but I never thought that I'd be in the same boat. 30 years later, I have a hard time stopping once I start. So, my weekend, Friday I had my normal allotment, 5 beers and two run and cokes (good for you @gladys0919 for passing on Friday!!) Saturday a social event, another good buzz on. Sunday, had two beers left in the house. Thought I'd need to get more. We took a drive to watch balled eagles, usually we each grab a couple for our country cruising. Yes, I know, VERY STUPID AND DANGEROUS, that's our life. Anyways, hubby didn't take any...….hummm…. ok, hummm…….well I want at least one. I mentioned to him I will need to get some more while we're out, he told me I could do without. Well normally he'd still stop, or if not, I'd go after we got home. We didn't get anymore. Today, there was only one beer left in the fridge. I drank just the one. Felt so good to go to bed with a clear head, and even better to feel fresh when I woke up. As I laid in bed last night I told myself, do not stop and buy any beer tonight either. That's my plan.
    Have a great Monday everyone!!

    THANK YOU- i stayed busy Friday so didnt even think of drinking! on Saturday I totally could have drank WAY more since EVERYONE was drinking heavy, but I wanted to be the sober one, and it's interesting how others look drinking when you are.....
  • nvasquez41
    nvasquez41 Posts: 59 Member
    Today I'm officially three weeks AF! The weekends are always pretty easy for me to stay sober because as a bartender, I'm usually working. This week I am off Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday so that's when i'll be feeling the most temptation, especially with Valentines day. I haven't lost any weight but I've been putting in some really good work outs and I look slimmer so I won't dwell on what the scale says. When I decided to go AF for a bit I kind of expected a whole bunch of weight to disappear overnight and that definitely didn't happen......
    I also wasn't logging my first couple AF weeks so we'll see what happens when I'm AF plus honest with the calories that I am eating.

    Everyone is doing a great job, especially those who have had to cope with stressful situations while remaining AF!
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,937 Member
    Goal: 4AF days per week. It is a short month.

    February 1 - 3 drinks
    February 2 - AF
    February 3 - 3 drinks - Superbowl was boring this year. I have to rack up some AF days!
    February 4 - AF
    February 5 - AF
    February 6 - AF
    February 7 - 3 drinks
    February 8 - AF, but was planning on some champagne in the bubble bath. I had such a nice dinner that I didn't have any calories left for champagne - heavy whipping cream chicken pesto with linguine. Lots of calories, but all within my range for the day.
    February 9 - AF
    February 10 - 3 drinks
    February 11
    February 12
    February 13
    February 14
    February 15
    February 16
    February 17
    February 18
    February 19
    February 20
    February 21
    February 22
    February 23
    February 24
    February 25
    February 26
    February 27
    February 28

    Running tab: 6 AF days out of 10 days - need at least 10 more AF days to hit my goal for the month.
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,937 Member
    Goal: 4AF days per week. It is a short month.

    February 1 - 3 drinks
    February 2 - AF
    February 3 - 3 drinks - Superbowl was boring this year. I have to rack up some AF days!
    February 4 - AF
    February 5 - AF
    February 6 - AF
    February 7 - 3 drinks
    February 8 - AF, but was planning on some champagne in the bubble bath. I had such a nice dinner that I didn't have any calories left for champagne - heavy whipping cream chicken pesto with linguine. Lots of calories, but all within my range for the day.
    February 9 - AF
    February 10 - 3 drinks
    February 11 - AF
    February 12
    February 13
    February 14
    February 15
    February 16
    February 17
    February 18
    February 19
    February 20
    February 21
    February 22
    February 23
    February 24
    February 25
    February 26
    February 27
    February 28

    Running tab: 7 AF days out of 11 days - need at least 9 more AF days to hit my goal for the month.
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,937 Member
    Womona wrote: »
    You guys are making great progress with reducing alcohol. So proud of you!

    I think i need a thread about not porking out at restaurant dinners! 2 glasses of wine on Saturday night (everyone was having WAY more, but I just couldn’t do it). But the onslaught of food... is it possible to have a food hangover?

    One glass at dinner last night to celebrate my son’s 20th birthday, and although I wanted a second glass tonight, I want a non- puffy face for tomorrow’s audition more! Proud of myself.

    Keep up the good insights, everyone! This thread is so inspiring.

    Ah yes, the puffy face thing, and bloated everywhere. Definitely best not to drink the day before anything important, or where there will be photos : - )

    Good luck on the audition!
  • AbandondedKSCharger
    AbandondedKSCharger Posts: 562 Member
    @wamona I think your doing awesome! You showed restraint
  • beebva4
    beebva4 Posts: 130 Member
    edited February 2019
    I haven't posted in here yet but do follow it. I want to make my goal for this month to be 4 days AF of the week and save the weekend. Unfortunately tonight I had two drinks and I'm honestly disappointed in myself. I decided to do 4 days AF and 2 free days so this will just be one of those two, but still wish I had decided to pass simply because I had so many extra cals. I just know it is of no benefit to me and if anything holds me back from the maximum progress :/
    This is a newer lifestyle for me, tracking food and working out daily, so it feels like such a big deal. I have been super strict with myself lately, days I dont run I feel are wasted. If I have a drink it feels like a huge deal. Anyone else experience this in their weightloss journey?
  • buckscomom
    buckscomom Posts: 6 Member
    How much is too much? I'm going by the official "7 drinks a week" for women, keeping it to the weekends. Sleep is better when no alcohol, and realizing that helps me limit/slow the wine even when I am drinking. But it's a tough one - the culture is set up for having fun while drinking :/ Esp. since my husband likes to have company. Trying to get him to limit as well, and he has cut back (just a bit). Definitely helping me lose the last few pounds I want to - within 2-3 pounds of goal!
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,791 Member
    Welcome to @buckscomom and @beebva4 nice to have you both.
    Yes @beebva4 it is a lot of work. Yet it is a conscious effort to be aware of unconscious bad habits we let ourselves fall into. It will get easier. Don't get discouraged.
    @buckscomom yes 7 standard size drinks is the recommended limit per week for women. With a limit of no more than 2 on any given day. You are so right about society being told they can not have fun without drinking. Although we most certainly can and do.

  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,791 Member
    @mainelylisa .....excellent read Ms. Hemmingway! Good luck on your new blog. 😁
  • Lilylady3k
    Lilylady3k Posts: 4,025 Member
    February accountability ~11 days so far
    No Alcohol: 9 days
    Alcohol: 2 days (4 drinks)
    Goal: AF days 4 per week / 16 per month
    You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. - John C. Maxwell

    Including the last few days of January to monitor my weekly goal which I surpassed!
    Jan 28 - AF
    Jan 29 - AF ! Yeah me! Dining Out group.
    Jan 30 - AF Office celebration mexican restaurant without margaritas
    Jan 31 - Planned 2 but kept to 1 glass wine! Celebrating retirement from company after 30 years
    Feb 1 - AF
    Feb 2 - AF Brunch without mimosas
    Feb 3 - AF

    Hit my target of 4 AF days per week again! This is getting easier. It is all about balancing my life choices.
    Feb 4 - AF
    Feb 5 - AF - I wanted a bottle of wine but we didn’t buy it.
    Feb 6 - AF - DH wanted a bottle of wine but we passed.
    Feb 7 - Bunco: 2 glasses wine (planned for 1 but poured myself a 2nd out of habit)
    Feb 8 - 2 glasses wine
    Feb 9 - AF
    Feb 10 - AF

    Feb 11 - AF
    Feb 12 -
    Feb 13 -
    Feb 14 -
    Feb 15 - At Our Fishing Camp for next 3 days. One of my favorite times is sitting outside in the evenings for drinks with family & neighbors looking out over the water. Need to determine how to hold my consumption to 1 or 2. Great time to practice before summer.
    Feb 16 -
    Feb 17 -
  • mainelylisa
    mainelylisa Posts: 375 Member
    Lilylady3k wrote: »
    February accountability ~11 days so far
    No Alcohol: 9 days
    Alcohol: 2 days (4 drinks)
    Goal: AF days 4 per week / 16 per month

    Feb 15 - At Our Fishing Camp for next 3 days. One of my favorite times is sitting outside in the evenings for drinks with family & neighbors looking out over the water. Need to determine how to hold my consumption to 1 or 2. Great time to practice before summer.

    You're doing amazing! Brunch without Mimosas is HUGE. Let us know some of your outside strategies, as we're all heading into summer...it's coming...eventually, right? I've got to figure out how to enjoy outdoor things without alcohol (I've come to accept my "hold" button often--ok, usually-- doesn't work). I'm supposed to go ice fishing soon--eeek! Have you done that? I've heard you freeze and stare into a hole waiting for a fish. No wonder people drink. I just can't see me taking my teapot into a fishing hut. Or can I??? Let me see if there's a Youtube channel called Tea on Ice.
  • mabelsdaddy
    mabelsdaddy Posts: 117 Member
    MonkeyMel21 wrote: »
    I'm kind of in a weird feeling spot right now. I have made great progress with reaching my weight loss goal since Jan 1st, but the further along I go now, the more I find myself wanting to drink again more often. I didn't plan on drinking anything last night but the urge overwhelmed me and I had the two beers we had in the fridge. Same for last Saturday, I had a great work out and had two drinks worth of rum sitting on top of the fridge so I went ahead and finished it off. Neither times did I become drunk like I would have at any point last year but instead of feeling like it was because I am able to have just two drinks and stop, I think it was more to do with the fact that I just didn't have anymore left in the house. I have been having really great work outs and am within a pound or two of my goal weight and I still have this feeling of alcohol derailing my efforts looming over me. I think I need to make a more clear plan of when and how much I can drink, especially as I go in to maintenance. I really want to continue my awesome workouts (specifically with regards to hangovers) and not gain all the weight back immediately.

    I've gone to the liquor store twice now since Feb 1st and bought those little half pints of rum (I used to get a big bottle every 7-10 days), and drinking half at a time, about enough for two drinks and logging it in my food diary. I think I'll continue just buying that little bottle for a while when i'm in the mood for a drink so I don't have all the temptation of being able to have however much I "want" (or think I want), and just be able to enjoy a nice buzz without it going all downhill as the evening progresses.

    Again, I'm thankful to have this thread to be able to write this all down and know that there are others in the same boat.

    Hey, this is good! I bought with the same urgency, and had 2 beers left in my fridge last night and wanted them gone, so i drank them but had no desire for another, which is a good feeling. Thank you for sharing!
  • AbandondedKSCharger
    AbandondedKSCharger Posts: 562 Member
    mainelylisa wrote: »
    I had quite a weekend. It inspired me to write my first blog post here on MFP. It's long, so just want to share a part of it here in case it provides inspiration to someone who has been struggling a long time with alcohol and weight and wonders if there's hope, or for someone who may feel like they need to take a long break, but wonders how they will have fun.
    ~
    Fourth,I spent 6 hours in a bar not drinking. I was hosting a Meetup to have dinner and then listen to a wonderful Blues band at a swanky bowling alley that evening. It's an interesting twist to hear a strike in between every song.

    The night started out with some anxiety. First, I’m not a great passenger sober. I have an imaginary brake pedal and use it often. Cindy was holding her phone, even as I offered to hold it or pull up directions on my phone. Additionally two women I’d not met before were driving an hour or more for this event. To an extent, as a host, I feel responsible for everyone having a good time. Oh, and I forgot that I had collected money for the tickets. I’m probably the least organized Meetup organizer in existence. I once showed up to Trivia night and was cursing my team for not showing, when I checked for messages and noticed the date was 7 days into the future. Um, Howie, you can release this booth now--there’s been a little snafu. (But my heart is in the right place. I love to bring people together.)

    Back to the bar. I had a salad and a St. Paulie N.A. for dinner, followed by a club soda/cranberry juice, a mocktail built around bitters, and another NA beer near the end of the night. Midway into the night I did something I hadn’t done in 15 years. I danced sober. It was 80% fun and 20% self-conscious. I felt 5% sexy. I suppose, if I were to lose this wine weight, I might get my Sexy back. There were 2 women dancing beside us dancing like spazzes. Apparently, they had taken the slogan, “Dance like no one’s watching” to heart. I asked Cindy, “Do I dance THAT bad when I’m drinking?” She said, “Yep,” and roared a laugh as I shot her the finger. When we danced a little later and one of those women was doing a dance roll (like, literally throwing herself onto the floor and rolling). At that point, I was having 90% fun (because 10% of that was at her expense).

    Everyone had a great time. I was present enough to try to pair up people with similar interests, so they could jump into a conversation on a shared interest like hiking. I know this because I remember. Cindy dropped me off and got home safely, which was a relief because she’d had a few. My feet were tired from dancing. And braking. I came home to dog poop and pee (bladders and colons are old--I can relate). I cleaned it up. I watched 2 shows, drank some tea, and went to bed at 2 to experience glorious sleep and vivid dreams.

    I loved reading this!
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