Less Alcohol - SEPTEMBER 2020 - One Day at a Time
Replies
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@MissMay - Love your sign!
@clabrah1990 - Welcome. Totally understand the job stress and want to drink to relax. Now that I'm retired I really don't have that darn excuse any more. But I still find things to stress about LOL Good luck on your goals ... sounds like a great plan.
Sept accountability ~ 21
No Alcohol: 10 days
Alcohol: 11 days (22 drinks)
Goal: AF days 4 per week / 16 per month; limit 1-2 glasses per day
I need 6 more AF days out of 9 before the end of the month to make my goal ... here is the challenge. I need to figure out a plan to achieve it!5 -
clabrah1990 wrote: »Hi! After 3 years I'm getting back on the weight loss wagon. 3 years ago I took a promotion that was super stressful, and among other things one habit I picked up is having one drink, sometimes on a particularly bad day 2, every day after work (and more in weekends)
Which I'm pretty sure that alcohol consumption has been the majority of excess calories I've consumed and I'm close to my highest weight. So I'm starting back to healthy habits, cutting alcohol being my first step.
I just feel like posting here is a good way to stay accountable. My goal is to be AF on weekdays, and 1-2 drinks on weekend.
So far
Wed 9/16 -Sat 9/19 AF
Sun 9/20 2 drinks
Welcome @clabrah1990 excellent start on goals. If you haven't already check out page one of this thread. We have lots of great helpful information to get you started.3 -
Lilylady3k wrote: »
I need 6 more AF days out of 9 before the end of the month to make my goal ... here is the challenge. I need to figure out a plan to achieve it!
I say we do a 6 day challenge with you to help you meet your goal.
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Lilylady3k wrote: »
I need 6 more AF days out of 9 before the end of the month to make my goal ... here is the challenge. I need to figure out a plan to achieve it!
I say we do a 6 day challenge with you to help you meet your goal.
Thank you @MissMay! I have plans to have wine with my sister some time this week (Wed or Thurs) to repay the favor of dinner & wine ... she is a teacher heading back into the classroom this week (+ she fed us after a long day installing kitchen cabinets at my daughter's condo). Other than that I have no plan for alcohol which feels fabulous.4 -
I am Dawn. 60 years old, I live in SE BC
My goal has remained the same, one that I feel comfortable with: 16-20AF days each month.
Sunday September 20th - A few drinks, nothing crazy. I will get back to AF eventually. Not right now : - )
Monday September 21st - Ditto to yesterday, a few drinks watching the hockey game (I don't get that chanel at home) after a day of hiking. I got lost on a trail today for many hours, so burned a crapload of calories. It was really beautiful in there. I might go back there tomorrow and try it again...this time starting with the end of the lake trail and making sure to stay in sight of the lake. Once deep inside a mountain it is really hard to guess which direction you are heading without being able to see the tops of the landmark mountains. It was so nice out. Happy that the skies have cleared of smoke.
Rolling total 12AF days out of 21 days so far.6 -
This is Chinook Lake. A distinctive mountain in the centre, other distinctive mountains all around it (not visible from this angle) the lake trail looks fairly evident, but once in tall forests...yeah, seems ridiculous that I somehow got off of the trail and got lost in the wilderness. Lived to tell about it : - )
My face without a phone in front of it for @MissMay
Yes, I have eternally messy hair - it is what it is lol
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I started the weight loss journey on October 28.18, so almost 2 years to lose 50 pounds, and I still have more to lose, but pleased to hit my 50 pound loss number on my actual birthday : - ) Cutting down on alcohol has been key for me. Like I have said so many times, it is not just the actual calories from it (or the excess snacking that accompanies drinking), it is that the body stops burning fat immediately once alcohol is introduced so all of the working out and stuff from the day is wiped away.
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Yes @shorepine who knows when the borders will ever reopen, and you are correct that as much as we miss our friends and families in the States, we really don't want those borders open to the worst place on the planet for Covid.
I bet that you are hard pressed to find anywhere to ice skate around there. I love that you like to do it!
There are no frozen lakes anywhere near the coast, you would have to go inland quite far I think to find any. No outdoor ice skating in Vancouver or anywhere around the West there. People in Washington and Idaho get frozen lakes to skate on, but that is very East from where you are. Spokane has a nice outdoor ice skating spot called Riverfront park.
Portland has a good hockey team, so there are likely arenas somewhere around you? Do you take your kids ice skating?
I skate indoors at arenas quite a bit during the season (not sure if they will open this year), sometimes the lakes where I live don't freeze over.
Outdoor skating...you have me dreaming. There is a place in our Capital, Ottawa, called the Rideau Canal that some people actually use to skate to work!
There are like hot chocolate and Beaver Tail stands set up along the banks, so people leisure skate and stop along the way to have treats. (Beaver Tails are like big flat donuts that I think they put Maple Syrup on)
Some day I will do that. No travelling to the East at all right now, bad Covid over in that direction, very populated.
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And you @Doxmum do you skate?
I have skated quite a few times at the Whitefish MT arena. Once there is a vaccine I will get down there to do that again. Great fun. Joining me in lacing them up?
Hoping that your move is going well.
Yes, there are a few of those great old hotel/taverns like the Grand Union in Blairmore too, the towns are only like 3 minutes apart. Pretty cool that you know the area, and those old places are such a treasure.
This is the first that I have spent any significant amount of time here. I really love it...to visit. Minus 40 in the winters, glacier fed lakes that are too cold for swimming in the summer. Beautiful and sparsely populated. Fantastic hiking. Hardy people.
Nice that it is only a few hours away from me. I may get back to this area one day. Very grateful to have been able to do this. Awesome that you are familiar with where I am : - )
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September Week 1 = 7 Days AF
September Week 2 = 5 Days AF
September Week 3 = 3 Days AF
Monday 9/21 = Alcohol Free, Don't have any set plans to drink this week but will be happy with 5 days AF.
Tuesday 9/22
Wednesday 9/23
Thursday 9/24
Friday 9/25
Saturday 9/26
Sunday 9/274 -
Happy Belated Birthday Dawn! You look great and I hope you are having a wonderful time! The pictures are beautiful!!!3
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Perfect. Perspective is everything ... mud, weight loss, reasons behind our commitment to less alcohol!
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DH pulled out the bourbon & coke before dinner. I drank water and then made myself a nice cup of tea after dinner. I finally caught up my AF vs Alcohol days! Yeah! Need 5 AF Days out of the next 8 to make my 16 this month!
Sept accountability ~ 22
No Alcohol: 11 days
Alcohol: 11 days (22 drinks)
Goal: AF days 4 per week / 16 per month; limit 1-2 glasses per day
This week: 2 AF Days
On another note. I had really negative thoughts today about having lost 20 lbs and noticing clothes are loose but not eligible to be throw out yet. Threw me for a loop. Wanted to snack on everything in sight but finally after a couple of pieces of sugar free chocolate I wrote it down and then wrote down 3 positive thoughts to counter the negativity. I might need a mental break but I'm not taking it ... onward and downward. I do not want to give up again and start the viscous circle of relosing pounds I already lost again.
Oh ... and this was the main reason I did not pour my own drink tonight. Drinking days = extra calories that I did not have in my journal today.
Thanks for listening.9 -
You did very good @Lilylady3k ! ....upward we will all go if that is the path we plan...
Dropping a note to say I am packing for my Utah hiking trip and will be back online first week in October. I will likely not check in until then. Game plan is immerse myself in nature, wildlife, stars, wilderness, etc. and experience what an overnight low of 40 degrees feels like. Clean fresh air a plus.
See you all in the October thread, keep the spirit and strength going strong the rest of September ! I will behave myself as best as I can...:)
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Hi everyone a quick check in since I missed last night.
@dawnbgethealthy that is a fantastic photo of your happy smiling face. Messed hair means your having a good time!
@Lilylady3k great quote and so true. We are going our own direction even though it is on the same path to less alcohol. Another weight loss winner. Congrats.
@globalhiker have a wonderful relaxing time away in Utah.
@MTW70 way to go with your AF days.
@AR10at50 good to see you are still following with us.
ME:
22nd day of September~
19AF
3A ( 3 Drinks total)
Rolling through our last full week of September. I hope we get some Indian Summer here before the true Winter sets in. Seems early to have to pop the heat on in the mornings.
☕🌡🌬
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Are any of you readers? I found this book particularly insightful remembering my college days and then other times when I did not remember what happen after drinking 3 or more drinks. Not long ago (a week or so earlier) my husband & daughter said I was giggling and talking wildly ... I don't remember the end of the movie, I don't remember calling my daughter and talking for 30 min, I don't remember much. Seems that I'm still trying to learn this lesson!
"Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget"
by Sarah Hepola
Alcohol was "the gasoline of all adventure" for Sarah Hepola. She spent her evenings at cocktail parties and dark bars where she proudly stayed till last call. Drinking felt like freedom, part of her birthright as a strong, enlightened twenty-first-century woman.
But there was a price. She often blacked out, waking up with a blank space where four hours should have been. Mornings became detective work on her own life. What did I say last night? How did I meet that guy? She apologized for things she couldn't remember doing, as though she were cleaning up after an evil twin. Publicly, she covered her shame with self-deprecating jokes, and her career flourished, but as the blackouts accumulated, she could no longer avoid a sinking truth. The fuel she thought she needed was draining her spirit instead.
A memoir of unblinking honesty and poignant, laugh-out-loud humor, Blackout is the story of a woman stumbling into a new kind of adventure—the sober life she never wanted. Shining a light into her blackouts, she discovers the person she buried, as well as the confidence, intimacy, and creativity she once believed came only from a bottle. Her tale will resonate with anyone who has been forced to reinvent or struggled in the face of necessary change. It's about giving up the thing you cherish most—but getting yourself back in return. (credit: goodreads.com)8 -
I’m glad I found this group. Thank you for all you post @MissMay.
My goal is 4 days/week :AF, which would be good for me. 2 Drinks/day on weekends.
It’s so easy to have a drink while making dinner, another while doing the dishes and when done, make another to take into the sewing room. Part of the problem, is that it’s too hot to walk after dinner.
So far AF 3 days this week; I didn’t think I could do it.
9/12-Wow! Thus sucks!!! I told myself I would do AF on week days and of course the first weekend is a 3 day and I am absolutely stuck inside due to Smokey air.
9/18-I made it another 4 straight days AF this week. It feels so good and 90% of the days I drank were way in moderation. The air is getting better and I am going outside after dinner. I am so glad I found this group.
9/23Thanks @MissMay- I read the posts every day! I can’t believe how good it feels to wake up after a sober night. The days are now easier to go AF; I never would have thought this. I haven’t conquered it, but I know I can have an AF week when I try. I have some intense quilting projects that require a sober mind and that really helps. I don’t tell my husband (who drinks very little) what I’m doing, but he can tell and is very happy for me.
Rolling total 11 AF days out of 23 days total.6 -
Sept 1-7: 4 days AF, 3 drinks total
Sept 8-14: 5 days AF, 4 drinks total
Sept 15-21: 4 days AF, 10 drinks total
Sept 22: 3 wine
My anxiety has been through the roof, and I'm having trouble sleeping and eating. Even with those 3 glasses of wine, I barely made my calorie goal yesterday. Husband poured me the wine without me asking for it (I guess he thought it would help), and I'm not exactly great at communicating my needs when I'm functioning normally, much less right now, so I didn't tell him no. I need to get in 2 more AF days to meet my goal this month (drink limits have already been blown), but I'm not sure I'm gonna get there. Really hoping I can get my mental health in better shape on vacation and do a full reset when I'm back.
Sorry to be the downer in the group. It's good to see everyone else having successes and doing so well!6 -
Lilylady3k wrote: »Are any of you readers? I found this book particularly insightful remembering my college days and then other times when I did not remember what happen after drinking 3 or more drinks. Not long ago (a week or so earlier) my husband & daughter said I was giggling and talking wildly ... I don't remember the end of the movie, I don't remember calling my daughter and talking for 30 min, I don't remember much. Seems that I'm still trying to learn this lesson!
"Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget"
by Sarah Hepola
)[/i]
Oh My Lilylady... this is me, or old me "I hope". I have also had long conversations, that apparently I sounded coherent, and I didn't remember having the conversation, much less the words. Crazy what our mind on alcohol can do. I am going to look into ordering this book, sounds like a good read.5 -
chocolate_owl wrote: »
My anxiety has been through the roof, and I'm having trouble sleeping and eating.
Sorry to be the downer in the group. It's good to see everyone else having successes and doing so well!
Dear chocolate_owl... I am sorry that you are struggling with such anxiety, and have trouble voicing your desires. This is a great place to share, and hopefully relieve yourself of some of your anxiety. Even if we don't have the answers, just putting it in writing will help to unburden you some. Although I don't check -in often, this group has been a fantastic help to my mental state at times, just leaving it out there when you don't feel you can open up to anyone else. Take good care of yourself, and I know you can get another 2 AF days in! I am rooting for you!
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@chulton2020 Welcome! I'm not pushing for a sober October but still hanging on by a thread trying to keep my 4 AF days per week. No judgment here ... the group is great! And we'll cheer you on.4
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I am Dawn. 60 years old, I live in SE BC
My goal has remained the same, one that I feel comfortable with: 16-20AF days each month.
Wednesday September 23rd - AF - Determined to get 3 more AF days this month. The NHL play-offs went to the National Network for the remaining few games, so I get the channel at home, where I now am back to. A Caesar and a Beer would be really good to have with the game, but I need to catch up on a couple of AF days first. Maybe for Friday night's game I will have a couple. I am still off on holidays until next Tuesday : - )
Thursday September 24th - AF - Last night was my first AF in awhile, and the scale was up 3 pounds this morning! Almost made me want to have drinks tonight because I am drinking less to lose weight. Talked myself out of drinks. Anyway, I need at least a couple more AF days for the month.
Friday September 25 - AF - The hockey game went into overtime (Tampa won the game) so it might have been good that I was AF or I might have had extra drinks for the duration. I need at least one more AF day. Very important hockey game on tonight, might have drinks.
Saturday September 26th - Drinks. I had to switch over to water since the game went to Overtime again. Not interested in puking tonight lol.
Rolling total 15AF days out of 26 days so far.3 -
I’m glad I found this group. Thank you for all you post @MissMay.
My goal is 4 days/week :AF, which would be good for me. 2 Drinks/day on weekends.
It’s so easy to have a drink while making dinner, another while doing the dishes and when done, make another to take into the sewing room. Part of the problem, is that it’s too hot to walk after dinner.
So far AF 3 days this week; I didn’t think I could do it.
9/12-Wow! Thus sucks!!! I told myself I would do AF on week days and of course the first weekend is a 3 day and I am absolutely stuck inside due to Smokey air.
9/18-I made it another 4 straight days AF this week. It feels so good and 90% of the days I drank were way in moderation. The air is getting better and I am going outside after dinner. I am so glad I found this group.
9/23Thanks @MissMay- I read the posts every day! I can’t believe how good it feels to wake up after a sober night. The days are now easier to go AF; I never would have thought this. I haven’t conquered it, but I know I can have an AF week when I try. I have some intense quilting projects that require a sober mind and that really helps. I don’t tell my husband (who drinks very little) what I’m doing, but he can tell and is very happy for me.
9/27-After seeing @dawnbgethealthy ’s pepper, I made hummus and bought peppers. The peppers were refreshing to scoop with instead of crackers.
Rolling total 11 AF days out of 27days total.7 -
DH usually likes a bottle of red wine with a nice steak dinner. Well to be honest I do too! But he had enough wine last night that this evening was not a challenge. AF again this evening ... 2 nights in a row. Need 2 AF Days out of the next 3 to make my 16 this month!
Sept accountability ~ 27
No Alcohol: 14 days
Alcohol: 13 days (28 drinks)
Goal: AF days 4 per week / 16 per month; limit 1-2 glasses per day
This week: 5 AF Days5 -
Welcome @chulton2020 to our thread. I am not sure who will be doing a sober October on here this year. You can promote it and see who chimes in. We are all kinda doing our own path to drinking less. I had a sober August, first time ever since I have been on here.
It is always great to have another person joining us for support.......... giving and taking.6 -
Looking at end of the year goal for my self already.
Last year I ended with 57 standard drinks
2018 was 172 standard drinks
This year I would like to fall in at 100 standard drinks or less.
WHY DO I COUNT?
Because I know how quickly not keeping track has pulled me down a dark road in the past.
Last few days coming up. Let's nail 'em.
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I am Dawn. 60 years old, I live in SE BC
My goal has remained the same, one that I feel comfortable with: 16-20AF days each month.
Wednesday September 23rd - AF - Determined to get 3 more AF days this month. The NHL play-offs went to the National Network for the remaining few games, so I get the channel at home, where I now am back to. A Caesar and a Beer would be really good to have with the game, but I need to catch up on a couple of AF days first. Maybe for Friday night's game I will have a couple. I am still off on holidays until next Tuesday : - )
Thursday September 24th - AF - Last night was my first AF in awhile, and the scale was up 3 pounds this morning! Almost made me want to have drinks tonight because I am drinking less to lose weight. Talked myself out of drinks. Anyway, I need at least a couple more AF days for the month.
Friday September 25 - AF - The hockey game went into overtime (Tampa won the game) so it might have been good that I was AF or I might have had extra drinks for the duration. I need at least one more AF day. Very important hockey game on Saturday night, might have drinks.
Saturday September 26th - Drinks. I had to switch over to water since the game went to Overtime again. Not interested in puking tonight lol.
Sunday September 27 - AF - Hit my 16. I may or may not have drinks while watching the hockey game tomorrow night. Great series!
Rolling total 16AF days out of 27 days so far.5 -
Hello everyone! Checking in after a weekend.
Welcome @chulton2020, glad to have you join us. I've never had a sober month, ever, well at least in my adult life. Maybe it would be good for me. I can already think of excuses why I shouldn't do that. But we will be here cheering you on! Isn't it annoying how some men just think about losing weight and then lose it?
@looneycatblue I am sorry to hear of your illness, but good job ignoring the thought of having alcohol when you felt better. Hope you are fully recovered now.
@MissMay thanks for the inspiration as always. You are doing an incredible job at moderating!
@Lilylady3k I am also of the mindset that good steak cuts deserve excellent red wine. In fact, there a few better culinary combinations in this world, if you ask me.
I had an enjoyable weekend! Friday night I made myself a lemon drop while chatting with my father and husband. I enjoyed it immensely. And the best part? I only had one, i savored it, and I didn't make another one.
Saturday we hit the road and went up to a campground to celebrate my friends sons birthday. There was some good adult social time around the fire, and I had opened a bottle of wine. I was the only wine drinker, everyone else was having beer and whiskey. I drank 3 glasses of wine over the course of the evening, but I did not finish off the bottle. I usually would have. Also, the 3 glasses were probably over the course of 5 hours. Happy hour on. I slept great last night and felt good today. Today, I am Alcohol Free.
Sept 1: bottle of wine
Sept 2: AF
Sept 3: 3 drinks
Sept 4: AF
Sept 5: AF
Sept 6: 4 drinks
Sept 7: AF
Sept 8: bottle of wine
Sept 9: AF
Sept 10: 5 drinks
Sept 11: 2 drinks
Sept 12: 3 drinks
Sept 13: 6 drinks
Sept 14: AF
Sept 15: AF
Sept 16: AF
Sept 17: AF
Sept 18: AF
Sept 19: 2 drinks
Sept 20: AF
Sept 21: AF
Sept 22: 2 drinks
Sept 23: 1 drink
Sept 24: AF
Sept 25: 1 drink
Sept 26: 3 drinks
Sept 27: AF
So far in Sept: 14/27 days AF6 -
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1-2 Sep: I don't remember because I didn't start tracking until the 9th, so am making it a "yes"
3 Sep: AF
4-5 Sep: red wine (one bottle total)
6-13 Sep: AF
14 Sep: Pinot Grigio
15-19 Sep: AF
20 Sep: one pale ale from a friend’s brewery
21-25 Sep: AF
26 Sep: 2-3 glasses of pinot grigio
27 Sep: AF
@MissMay I completely agree and relate with "why you count." Although I have not counted everything, I see how not knowing keeps the reality from setting in.
This week, I planned one day for some wine, and I really didn't even enjoy it. AND sleep was weird. Guess I am making better progress than I thought, and noticing a true trend with alcohol and sleep. I have kept up with the elliptical machine, counting calories and drinking water and am down at least three pounds in the last two weeks. It is a much better feeling!
20/27 days AF, aiming for none the rest of this month and only four days (planned) in October!
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