Less Alcohol - April 2019 - One Day at a Time

annshandle

Sounds like people are doing well! I had a moderately okay weekend -- 2 drinks on Friday, but more on Saturday, 3 on Sunday. Back to AF during the week. See you all in the May thread!

Mike_Check

Ok so I didn't really track every day but I can say that at least checking in with this group occasionally has been really beneficial to my health. Most days I went to bed pretty sober, although not so many were AF. But only having a few hungover days at work was a big change. See you all in May!

amybhunt1965

Hi, everybody. This is my first-ever post. I was drawn to this board because booze is one of my biggest downfalls. Or, as I like it say, it's not the one glass of wine. It's the cheeseburgers and more wine I inevitably have after the first glass of wine.

Anyway, just looking for some tips to cut waaaay back on my alcohol consumption as a way to stay on-track and get some of these pounds gone.

Also, what's your best "stressed at the end of a long day" tip for not drinking?

(Also, unrelated, what forums do you recommend for someone who's done MFP several times and does great for a few weeks but inevitably falls off the tracking wagon and goes back to old habits? I need to stay engaged this time, for real...)

MissMay

Nice to hear the end of the month success stories. yes each and everyone one is a success because your all being conscience drinkers.

Great to have you joining us @amybhunt965. My best end of the day stress inhibitor to have less alcohol is to recall the many times I regretted having that "one drink", that led into oh so many. No one I was around would tell me I drank to much....so I had to tell myself.

Orphia

Day 454 Alcohol-free.

amybhunt1965 wrote: »

Hi, everybody. This is my first-ever post. I was drawn to this board because booze is one of my biggest downfalls. Or, as I like it say, it's not the one glass of wine. It's the cheeseburgers and more wine I inevitably have after the first glass of wine.

Anyway, just looking for some tips to cut waaaay back on my alcohol consumption as a way to stay on-track and get some of these pounds gone.

Also, what's your best "stressed at the end of a long day" tip for not drinking?

(Also, unrelated, what forums do you recommend for someone who's done MFP several times and does great for a few weeks but inevitably falls off the tracking wagon and goes back to old habits? I need to stay engaged this time, for real...)

Read the Helpful Posts in the general section. Most "serial starters" tend to starve/binge in cycles. A more moderate and gentle approach is best. Fast weight loss is bad, and makes people increasingly overweight over time.

Read the OP in our Less Alcohol threads. So many tips from what everyone has learned. Dip into it whenever you need advice.

My best tip about not drinking when stressed is that drinking leads to more stress: you feel guilty for drinking, you get a buzz which wears off and/or leads to anxiety and aggressive/defensive behaviour; you feel bad in the morning and tired/stressed in the evening... Stress Drinking leads to more drinking.

Have a night off to do something kind, fresh, and beautiful for yourself. It's a reward, a treat, not a punishment.

AbandondedKSCharger

Hi @amybhunt1965 I am part of this thread and Ultimate Accountability Challenge (Group). It is a group that commits to 20 minutes of exercise, tracking your food and keeping within your calories. It has also helped me to be more accountable. A few of us here are in that group also.
I am not one for advise on how to reduce the alcohol yet...…..still working on it so much myself. I just bought two books to help me out. Quit Drinking and The Alcohol Experiment. Keep trying is so far my key!

AbandondedKSCharger

Mike_Check wrote: »

Ok so I didn't really track every day but I can say that at least checking in with this group occasionally has been really beneficial to my health. Most days I went to bed pretty sober, although not so many were AF. But only having a few hungover days at work was a big change. See you all in May!

That is the same success I feel I have had. I think I went two weeks at work without a hangover. But the last one...whewww, it was a doozie on the 26th from Thursday night. It was a great reminder of why the less alcohol nights are so important and reminded me that I really do want to quit drinking.

sunscoutie

Was AF yesterday as well as today. But....see this is what my mind got on earlier (and hasn't stopped)...

..."Since I didn't drink Sunday and Monday, I could have a couple drinks tonight as a reward."

Really?

I almost stopped at the liquor store on the way home, but I continued to tell myself how "unpresent" I would be tonight and how bad I might feel tomorrow. It worked....but I had to continually tell myself this until just now when I started typing this. I think I'll just go to bed now. haha.

I'm looking forward to May and cutting a few days out of the month (at least).

sunscoutie

Oh and I have a question for everyone. Has cutting alcohol helped lose weight? I've cut it out for a couple weeks here and there and never lose any weight.

Womona

sunscoutie wrote: »

Oh and I have a question for everyone. Has cutting alcohol helped lose weight? I've cut it out for a couple weeks here and there and never lose any weight.

I started to finally lose weight. Not only did I cut the calories from the drinks, I also cut the “drunk eating” that invariably went with having too much.

Also, my skin looks a lot better and I’m not bloated and tired looking! Win win!

dawnbgethealthy

I am going to continue with my goal of 4AF days per week.
Weight loss is my main motivator.

April 1 - AF
April 2 - AF
April 3 - AF
April 4 - 3 drinks
April 5 - AF - super glad to have this forum to check in to for accountability, it really does stop me some days when I have had crazy days at work and really feel like having drinks.
April 06 - 3 drinks, and up 1.6 pounds in one day from it. All the more reason for AF days : - )
April 07 - AF - planning AF for the next 3 days at least
April 08 - AF
April 09 - AF
April 10 - AF
April 11 - AF - planned night out for the 12th, jam session at a bar. I have sang without drinking before, but prefer to loosen up with a couple first...we'll see. I love being less bloated, especially in the face.
April 12 - 4 drinks - Didn't even go out to the jam in the neighbouring town. I had such a long busy workday and 9pm just seemed too late for me to start to gussie up and drive there. I probably wouldn't have had any drinks had I gone, because I was driving. I was just too tired lol. It actually was nice to relax, have a few drinks, watch hockey.
April 13 - AF
April 14 - 3 drinks - Sunday - going to make at least the next 3 days AF
April 15 - AF
April 16 - AF - home sick from work. A brandy or a glass of red wine might have been soothing, but I didn't.
April 17 - AF - after months of being on this thread I feel like it is finally becoming my new normal. As much as I have done many AF days each month, not a day went by that I didn't feel like having drinks - I just didn't. I truly feel like I am not craving it as much now.
April 18 - AF - Still not logging until the following day so far : - )
April 19 - 2 drinks hours ago. Actually logged on the current day for a change.
April 20 - AF - Still battling this terrible flu/cold thing and wine would have eased the coughing...but so will Neo Citran or something before bed. Alcohol probably doesn't help much with healing anyway.
April 21 - AF - It is nice to wake up without a bloated stomach and face.
April 22 - AF
April 23 - AF
April 24 - AF
April 25 - 2 drinks. When I first got started at drinking less, when the days came that I would have drinks I think that I was feeling deprived and drank more than usual. I don't feel that way anymore. 3 would be normal for me, but tonight (a few hours ago) I had 2 and was good with that. Progress.
April 26 - 3 drinks - broke the never drink 2 days in a row : - ( I know that I could so easily go back to drinks every day.
April 27 - 3 drinks. That was too easy. Of course my food discipline goes out the window too when I have drinks. I was on a pretty good roll this month before this. I will need to get a handle on it.
April 28 - AF
April 29 - AF
April 30 - AF - I feel like having drinks, but am not going to. See y'all on the May thread.



Monthly total: 21AF days out of 30 days.

AbandondedKSCharger

@dawnbgethealthy Your Monthly total is FANTASTIC!!!!