Less Alcohol - JANUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time
Replies
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AF yesterday as planned!8
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I'm not doing as well as I hoped, but I'm at least still trying.
My eating and exercising are still going well, but I am struggling to get in as many AF days as I would like.
I am so down some days, I hate the city I live in, I don't have a single friend here after 8 years
Our house is nice, the area is good, but I have never felt at home in this city.
We plan to sell the house move states eventually, but most likely it won't be until 2022 or '23 at the earliest.
I know I shouldn't use this as an excuse not to look after myself properly, but many days I just grab a glass of wine when I feel trapped here
I haven't had as many AF days as I hoped, BUT the days that I have had drinks I have drank much smaller amounts, so there's that.
Here is how it has looked since I found this thread: (this is much better than it was so I think this thread is helping me stay more motivated and accountable)
1/11 - 1 shot whisky
1/12 - AF
1/13 - AF
1/14 - AF
1/15 - 3 wine
1/16 - AF
1/17 - 1 wine
1/18 - 2 wine
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Everyone this week is inspiring me especially @brittgreenlikethecolor88 and also @lmlmrn accomplishing 10 AF days.
Holding steady at 6 AF/19 days.....sticking to a "drinking less than 2 mandate". Yesterday was 1.5 and today I went out and bought 2 "baby" LaMarca Prosecco.
At least it's 11% alcohol and I alternate it with fizzy water.
And, I am keeping up with my "no normal size bottle" purchase policy. Goal is to avoid all risky situations and the standard size wine bottle is one of them.
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globalhiker wrote: »Everyone this week is inspiring me especially @brittgreenlikethecolor88 and also @lmlmrn accomplishing 10 AF days.
Holding steady at 6 AF/19 days.....sticking to a "drinking less than 2 mandate". Yesterday was 1.5 and today I went out and bought 2 "baby" LaMarca Prosecco.
At least it's 11% alcohol and I alternate it with fizzy water.
And, I am keeping up with my "no normal size bottle" purchase policy. Goal is to avoid all risky situations and the standard size wine bottle is one of them.
I agree, buying the smaller bottles definitely helps! and alternating with water must be much better for our bodies.7 -
dawnbgethealthy wrote: »Amanda_Brit_Expat wrote: »@dawnbgethealthy Wow! Such amazing photos! May I ask where there are? Living in Texas it is always a treat for me to see snow and mountains. It looks very beautiful where you live!
I really loved Texas, it was my last big trip before Covid.
I am in South Eastern British Columbia, about 45 minutes from Montana, about 35 minutes to Idaho.
My best friend lives in Idaho, but I obviously can't spend any time there right now.
It looks so beautiful! I hope to be able to visit that area one day, when/if things get a little more back to normal in the future. Being from the UK I do find Texas weather difficult to handle, it is January and I am already dreading another summer here.7 -
LOOK 👀 at all the wonderful people we have in here putting in their accountability.
Every post is so inspiring.
I have such a funny confession. I blew off work today, yes, me! I know I am my own boss, yet I am always so predictable and scheduled.
But this morning I had such a fantastic workout and was in such a great mood that I did not want to be bummed by the people I was scheduled to be around this morning.
I was so glad I did. The day was awesome. And I followed @mainelylisa by being BOLD
😎😎😎14 -
LOOK 👀 at all the wonderful people we have in here putting in their accountability.
Every post is so inspiring.
I have such a funny confession. I blew off work today, yes, me! I know I am my own boss, yet I am always so predictable and scheduled.
But this morning I had such a fantastic workout and was in such a great mood that I did not want to be bummed by the people I was scheduled to be around this morning.
I was so glad I did. The day was awesome. And I followed @mainelylisa by being BOLD
😎😎😎
Way to go MissMay, one of the things so many of us do not do is take care of our own physical and mental health. Bravo
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2 glasses of wine with steak dinner. Wanted bourbon & 7up afterward but made hot tea instead.
New recipe ... it was tasty! Garlic Mushrooms Cauliflower Skillet
https://eatwell101.com/garlic-mushrooms-cauliflower-recipe7 -
Amanda_Brit_Expat wrote: »dawnbgethealthy wrote: »Amanda_Brit_Expat wrote: »@dawnbgethealthy Wow! Such amazing photos! May I ask where there are? Living in Texas it is always a treat for me to see snow and mountains. It looks very beautiful where you live!
It looks so beautiful! I hope to be able to visit that area one day, when/if things get a little more back to normal in the future. Being from the UK I do find Texas weather difficult to handle, it is January and I am already dreading another summer here.
Any and all of you are always welcome at mi (petite) casa5 -
Amanda_Brit_Expat wrote: »
I am so down some days, I hate the city I live in, I don't have a single friend here after 8 years
Our house is nice, the area is good, but I have never felt at home in this city.
We plan to sell the house move states eventually, but most likely it won't be until 2022 or '23 at the earliest.
Where are you geographically friend?
I think that through this pandemic and isolation that all of us on this thread have become closer, and it is a place where we all can come every day without judgement, and with plenty of love. (biggest thanks to our goddess @MissMay ) We are virtual for sure, but I believe that we are connected.
I was warned that coming to this town that people were clique-ey and unfriendly, but I moved here for the terrain and the weather that I love, not the socialization. I come from a big city, so for sure people in this town/little city don't really get me, but I am here for the trails and don't really give a *kitten*.
If you have one or two years to wait to get out of there ... that is a long time. Perhaps this is the perfect time to work on yourself and your goals and *kitten* them.
Big virtual hugs to you!!!6 -
I am Dawn, I live in SE BC
I will post with my usual diary style to keep track of my AF days.
Keeping to my usual goal of 16-20 AF days per month, which is manageable for me and doesn't put too much pressure on me.
Friday Jan 15 - Drinks. That was a no-no, 2 days in a row. Hoping that I got it out of my system.
Saturday Jan 16 - AF - Planning AF at least until Tuesday. I had a really great few days, pictures to follow.
Sunday Jan 17 - AF - Another great day out skating on a lake : - )
Monday Jan 18 - AF - I was too busy to even get out for a hike or a skate today : - (
Busy day tomorrow, so AF for me tonight.
Tuesday Jan 19 - Drinks. Stress induced which I have been pretty successful at avoiding drinking for. That was hours ago, and it really did take the "edge" off. Hating wasting a drinks day on alleviating stress, but I did. I am fine with it, but needing to change employment 100%. Working on that...
Rolling total 15AF days out of 19 days9 -
Hey guys... new here.
Beer lover... god a hazy unfiltered IPA just makes me happy... funny thing is I hate when I get drunk or start sounding or acting stupid. I hate the terrible sleep, I hate the extra calories, food choices and what it’s done to my weight
Gonna start with baby steps
Will try to limit to twice a week drinks only and two drink max.
I’ll really need help on the weekend
You guys have any drink tips as nice place holders?
I really like to sip on something when I cook dinner
Been trying lime seltzer
That kinda worked but meh...
Looking forward to healthier me
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teigansdad wrote: »Hey guys... new here.
Beer lover... god a hazy unfiltered IPA just makes me happy... funny thing is I hate when I get drunk or start sounding or acting stupid. I hate the terrible sleep, I hate the extra calories, food choices and what it’s done to my weight
Gonna start with baby steps
Will try to limit to twice a week drinks only and two drink max.
I’ll really need help on the weekend
You guys have any drink tips as nice place holders?
I really like to sip on something when I cook dinner
Been trying lime seltzer
That kinda worked but meh...
Looking forward to healthier me
Welcome @teigansdad. Never too late to get in here and start making better choices. Our title says it all "LESS" alcohol, which is different to every person.
Finding that perfect "place holder" while you cook will depend on what your tastes are. Have you tried any of the AF beers yet?
Heineken00 is really good and yesterday I tried the Run Wild IPA, which was ok.
Your goals seem very sensible. Good luck.7 -
Amanda_Brit_Expat wrote: »I am so down some days, I hate the city I live in, I don't have a single friend here after 8 years
Our house is nice, the area is good, but I have never felt at home in this city.
We plan to sell the house move states eventually, but most likely it won't be until 2022 or '23 at the earliest.
@Amanda_Brit_Expat - I'm in Houston TX and when I was younger in high school I told myself I will never ever live in Houston (Louisiana girl here). But jobs happened and then after moving to different states DH and I landed in Houston of all places (point here I guess is never say never). After raising 3 kids and 30 years later we are still here and still wondering where next to go. More family moved here following us. Home and area area nice but I want to live on the water, I want cooler weather, I want hills. It seems like there is always something pulling our strings to stay. But one day I hope to find my happy place too. Guessing I shouldn't wait too much longer ... life is short. In the mean time I'm getting my health back and my capabilities (movement & flexibility) to enjoy the outdoors!
Good luck finding your HaPpY!
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@Amanda_Brit_Expat I’ve been in your situation before and feel your pain. I truly empathize with you. Have you tried picking up a new activity or joining a club? That’s what worked for me during my last move (that I didn’t want to make and was terribly homesick for my life and friends in WA).4
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Monday night I really, really wanted a drink due to a stressful day at work. It was overwhelming but made myself just go to bed and read (I got home at 8:30). Last night I was also craving a drink. Saw about half a glass left in the white wine in the fridge and was so tempted to kill it off, but didn’t. For what, to have a little more space in the fridge? To have the satisfaction of a fully empty bottle? Weird. Stress I can understand, but neatness as a reason to drink?????
Anyway, will powered my way through, along with my trusty Pelligrino and cranberry in a wine glass.6 -
Yeah another AF night so 11 out of 19 and plan to be 12 out of 20 by tomorrow morning.
Finding the substitute for evening has really been a challenge for me as well as some others here. I have been experimenting. I tried flavored carbonated water that was meh. Right now I am sipping on diet grapefruit and pink grapefruit soda BUT I put it in the same glass I would use for whiskey and water. It is doing ok, plus the snacking I need to reign in on while I am sipping the bubbly fun. Pretzels right now are my downfall.
Anyone have any ideas for those evening munchys? I am not much of a tea person or hot beverage in the evening.7 -
@lmlmrn when I was going to a dietitian she taught me the secret to dealing with evening munchies was to not have them in the first place. I thought, WHAT? how is that possible?
She said when I am cooking, microwave a bowl of broccoli florets or whatever favorite vegetable and snack on it. Then, at dinner make sure half the plate is vegetable or fiber based and there's some decent amount of protein there along with a healthy fat serving. She said then there is no way physiologically I could possibly get hungry for at least another 4-5 hour period.
She also taught me to front-load fiber-rich foods, meaning making sure to consume foods like salads, peas, beans, lentil soup, things like that early on in the day, so the "gut" fills up with fiber and it absorbs water, making one feel more full and blood sugar to remain more steady resulting in no/fewer cravings.
She was 1000% right. When I follow her rules, it always works.8 -
@teigansdad lots of us really enjoy drinking while cooking. Around that time of day also, it's tough because distractions are mostly gone, hunger and thirst levels are up, sugar levels are low, stress may be at it's highest, and many of us feel tired, so we are more prone to seek a quick fix remedy like wine or beer since it's so convenient.
Good news is that there are a lot of solutions to choose from and experiment which works best.
Some examples are:
Maybe pour the beer into the glass but put in the fridge and delay drinking it for half-hr.
Maybe drink a lower alcohol beer as your first one.
Maybe decide to just have half.
Or have an iced tea, like the stress relief kind.
Drink a warm beverage an hour before starting to cook.
Only put 2 beers in the fridge, those you plan to drink for the day, and when they're done, it's done. Keep the backup stock in a closet out of sight.
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@dawnbgethealthy - thank you for your kind words, they really made me feel better. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself yesterday. I live in San Antonio. The heat is too much for me even in months that seem ok for others, I spend 6 months of the year trying to avoid being outdoors as much as possible. Since March Hubs has been working from home and has been given the go-ahead to work remotely permanently so we are hoping to sell this house and move in 2022/23. The people here have a reputation of being polite and friendly, and they are, but I have just never been able to turn any acquaintances into real friendships. I think with my heavy Yorkshire accent and old-fashioned ways I am just too different. I don't know, I try not to dwell on it too much, but I have never had problems making friends until I moved here.
@Lilylady3k That sounds so familiar! My husband is Texan and I always said I will never ever live in Texas. I can really identify with what you said, like you, we never made a conscious decision to come here, we were stationed here by the USAF. It was supposed to be for a couple of years as hubby was nearing retirement, but when he retired he was offered a job here that was too good to turn down. A blessing and a curse. I am grateful for all that we have, and try to remember how fortunate I am. I hear you on the weather, I want cooler weather too! and I want 4 seasons! I agree with using this time to get flexible and strong again, as I have gotten older my flexibility is slipping away, I am doing yoga (Yoga with Adrienne on youtube) and it is helping a lot.
@Womona Homesickness is really difficult to live with, it comes in waves but I truly think I could be happy somewhere else in the US without having to move back to the UK. There are so many things about living in America that are better than in England and I remind myself frequently to keep the rose-tinted glasses off when I look back. I have always wanted to visit WA I can understand why you miss it!
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I have noticed a few people mention that sleep improves with less alcohol and I just wanted to share how much better mine is looking since I cut down the amount I drink and started including more AF days. It is very motivating to see it like this:
(don't pay much attention to the start and end times, the sleep is monitored to include all the times I was waking up in the night and unable to go back to sleep, which is shown on a different screen. This just shows the totals after calculating how much sleep I got in total that night.)
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Yeah another AF night so 11 out of 19 and plan to be 12 out of 20 by tomorrow morning.
Finding the substitute for evening has really been a challenge for me as well as some others here. I have been experimenting. I tried flavored carbonated water that was meh. Right now I am sipping on diet grapefruit and pink grapefruit soda BUT I put it in the same glass I would use for whiskey and water. It is doing ok, plus the snacking I need to reign in on while I am sipping the bubbly fun. Pretzels right now are my downfall.
Anyone have any ideas for those evening munchys? I am not much of a tea person or hot beverage in the evening.
Evening munchies are my problem time too. I have started going to an aquafit class in the evenings that helps to cut down the amount of time I spend sat watching tv and wanting to snack, that is helping a lot. Maybe there is an evening activity you could do a couple of nights a week. I also find keeping my hands and brain busy make me forget about snacking, so I play video games more than watch tv lately. Others use knitting, sewing, and other craft type hobbies to keep the hands busy while watching tv.
I always make sure to keep some fruit in so that when I really want to snack they are my go-to - Grapes, blueberries, and pears are my favourites. I love the salty snacks, crisps are my nemesis!! and pretzels too.9 -
Another AF day yesterday
Adjusting my day count to monthly instead of weekly!
12 AF / 20 days
Goal- 20 AF/31 days.9 -
teigansdad wrote: »You guys have any drink tips as nice place holders?
My husband is a beer lover. He's doing Dry January to appease me but he enjoying his AF beers. Most big brewers / labels make them from Heineken & Becks to Coors Cutter & the new Bud Zero.
Another friend of mine started drinking them when she rejoined our social circle after joining AA & getting 6 months sober under her belt. She says it makes her feel included, like she's not missing out. Around her I refrain from alcohol; I just make myself the designated driver. That's a line I won't cross. If I'm driving I won't even have one. Then again I never mastered the art of one. Once I have a drink the inhibition I lose 1st is the ability to say no thanks to a 2nd drink. By then I'm over the legal limit.
I have been snacking to overcome my cravings. I really wonder if it's possible to diet & stop drinking simultaneously. I don't think I'm cut out for it. When I last tried to lose weight I would only allow myself to drink on weekends. If I cheated mid-week I'd console myself with a vodka & club (a drink I don't really like) or a vodka & a diet juice (5 cal in the juice, 100 in 1.5 oz of vodka) but I'd work it into my calories for the day which isn't easy on a 1200 cal diet. I would also push myself on the elliptical that day to earn extra calories. With Covid, no gym for me. It's too cold to work up a sweat outdoors for me in part because I hate going out & the house doesn't have space to work out so I'm not getting much exercise.
I was doing OK until that bag of Cheetos came in the house. Damn those tasty little buggers are fattening: 22 = 150 calories & unlike other snacks I was unable to limit myself to a "serving." I can actually eat 1 serving of potato chips which is about 12.
Still AF 19/20 we drank on New Years day but haven't since. Wondering how long after 1/31 we can resist going to the liquor store.
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Met a wine buddy but we drank hot tea as we chatted this afternoon! Then for book club over zoom I had water by my side. Racking up an AF day.
Jan accountability: 6/20 days AF
Alcohol: 14 days (23.5 drinks)
Goal: Limit 1-2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month
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10 -
globalhiker wrote: »@lmlmrn when I was going to a dietitian she taught me the secret to dealing with evening munchies was to not have them in the first place. I thought, WHAT? how is that possible?
She said when I am cooking, microwave a bowl of broccoli florets or whatever favorite vegetable and snack on it. Then, at dinner make sure half the plate is vegetable or fiber based and there's some decent amount of protein there along with a healthy fat serving. She said then there is no way physiologically I could possibly get hungry for at least another 4-5 hour period.
She also taught me to front-load fiber-rich foods, meaning making sure to consume foods like salads, peas, beans, lentil soup, things like that early on in the day, so the "gut" fills up with fiber and it absorbs water, making one feel more full and blood sugar to remain more steady resulting in no/fewer cravings.
She was 1000% right. When I follow her rules, it always works.
This sounds like a great place to start! Thank you so much8 -
@Womona
Were you on the Cranberry Coast in WA?
I just saw an episode on HGTV of that area and I knew that you lived over there somewhere.2 -
I am Dawn, I live in SE BC
I will post with my usual diary style to keep track of my AF days.
Keeping to my usual goal of 16-20 AF days per month, which is manageable for me and doesn't put too much pressure on me.
Friday Jan 15 - Drinks. That was a no-no, 2 days in a row. Hoping that I got it out of my system.
Saturday Jan 16 - AF - Planning AF at least until Tuesday. I had a really great few days, pictures to follow.
Sunday Jan 17 - AF - Another great day out skating on a lake : - )
Monday Jan 18 - AF - I was too busy to even get out for a hike or a skate today : - (
Busy day tomorrow, so AF for me tonight.
Tuesday Jan 19 - Drinks. Stress induced which I have been pretty successful at avoiding drinking for. That was hours ago, and it really did take the "edge" off. Hating wasting a drinks day on alleviating stress, but I did. I am fine with it, but needing to change employment 100%. Working on that...
Wednesday Jan 20 - AF - Managed to get out for a little hike and a little skate after work today. After getting in from the out of doors I really really wanted a Peppermint Schnapps in Cocoa, but I had drinks only yesterday, so talked myself out of it. Hit my 16 today : - )
Rolling total 16AF days out of 20 days7 -
Last year in January we had a weekend away with friends. It was stressful leading up to meeting with them. They are heavy drinkers in my opinion(even though I heard the wife claim one time "Oh we dont drink much")
*Arrived in town to meet them at 3:00pm, they were out bar hopping already.
*Finally met up at hotel in their room, they already had a full bar set up on the desk.
*They needed to pre load before we went out for dinner(I was keeping count of her drinks by now)
*This is how the evening went- walk around town, stop in bar, one or two drinks leave, repeat..
*Made it to dinner, more drinks.
*Back to hotel, their room, more drinks.
I had taken kombucha and there was a free coffee service counter in hotel lobby so I only ended up having my one glass of prosseco all day/night. Woke up the next morning and worked out in the hotel fitness center. By then my husband and the other couple were awake(kinda). Breakfast consisted of me trying to talk about our evening before and I noticed their brains had a lot of voided areas.
It reminded me of why I am on this journey. I was like that and at times worse in the past.
The couple contacted us just recently this month to say too bad with this pandemic we can not get together. I took a big sigh of relief and was thankful not to be going on another one of those trips.
Need more like minded people to hang with...that "get me".
LESS is MORE😊👍
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