Less Alcohol - APRIL 2021 - One Day At A Time
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Very happy hearing from you, @chocolate_owl. Good job on that closet! Sometimes I wonder if our closets are a proxy for our psyches. It feels good to shed what is no longer useful, even more with emotional baggage or old coping mechanisms than with old stuff. Less clutter allows us see more clearly more quickly.
Not sure how much the clutter in my closet aligns with the clutter in my life, but it sure does give me a peaceful feeling knowing that that area is in order now!@chocolate_owl glad you checked in and are doing better. Nice job in the big closet purge! Isn’t that the best feeling?
Yes! It really is. It's so refreshing in there now instead of being dark and messy. I feel motivated to dress a little nicer now!
Hope you were able to reset last night. I finally had an AF night after over a week of drinking nightly, and it really is a good feeling.globalhiker wrote: »Doesn't it feel great after you have organized something in your house? To me, feels like a weight off my shoulder. I have one closet in one room containing all the size 2-8 clothes, then I use only 1/8th of our main closet for my current size 10 "fat" clothes. LOL. I have very few because I refuse to buy more large clothes.
Oh gosh this so much. And I don't think I realized the mental burden it's been, like those size 2s represent my "good" self and those size 10s represent my "bad" self, so the clothes that ACTUALLY FIT ME RIGHT NOW get relegated to this tiny area, while stuff I haven't been able to wear in SEVEN FRIKKIN YEARS is taking up most of the space. And what does fit me is mostly baggy t-shirts and bargain-bin items because "I don't want to buy anything too nice, I won't be this size very long." I actually am losing weight now so I'm still hanging on to it, but if I fall off the wagon again and am still a size 8-10 in 6 months, all those smaller sizes are going and I'm buying myself nice stuff that fits. I am not somehow lesser because I am bigger, but my closet isn't exactly telling that story.
Bonus: the cat likes the reorganized closet too. He's claimed my ballet flats as his new bed.
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@chocolate_owl CUTE kitty! of course the closet looks great too
AF tonight and last night after my weekend mini vacay. with a few drinks Sat and Sun.
I was finally able to schedule my 2nd covid shot, I am not looking forward to it.
Some of you were talking about hanging onto those 'skinny clothes' and how you did not like your 'fat clothes'. I have in my past kept clothes for years always hoping I could fit back into them, but like chocolate_owl, I let them go about 4 years ago. It was scary but then somehow it made a mental shift in me that 'when' I got to 'the size' I would enjoy wearing the new clothes I would pick. It motivated me more to be a better me and stop really worrying about 'the size'. It was learning to like me at MY size, which ever one it was.4 -
1 glass of wine with dinner. At least I'm not drinking half or the whole bottle these days!
@chocolate_owl - closet reorg ... I love it and hate it too. A couple of years ago I put all my smaller clothes upstairs in another closet. Now that I've lost 40 lbs many of them fit but they are not my lifestyle now ... so tossing and working on my new personal style while I still try to lose the rest of this darn weight! Lots to go but the new dresses and shirts were really inspiring as I slipped on old pants that I had to wear belts with to hold them up
I hope that you find joy when looking at your clean closet. Love the kitty!3 -
Hi : - )
I joined this thread November 2018. I was a daily drinker at that point.
I am drinking less chiefly to lose weight.
My goals now are the same as they have been since January 2020, kind of my sweet spot.
16-20 AF days per month
NO drinking 2 days in a row
Keep 2 AF days in between drinks days.
3 is my max or I throw up.
Here goes my diary style:
Wow 6 AF days in a row, a new record for me.
Friday April 16th - Drinks. I finished work at 12:30 today and have tomorrow off. Beautiful weather here, 21C (googling) 70F. I played in my yard for 3 1/2 hours then went for my wonderful pedicure. I had the bottom of a bottle of Strawberry Margarita in the fridge for about 4 years, I put a fancy glass in the freezer and when I came back from my pedicure poured it and went into the sun. About 1/2 of a drink, delicious. Scheduled cheat day, Ribs, which I only have once per month now, and a couple of more drinks in the offing. It has been a hectic week, and I felt so wonderful today going into my first full day off in 2 weeks tomorrow. I work Sunday morning at the restaurant. Good night to have drinks for me. No regrets. Feeling relaxed and happy.
Saturday April 17th - AF and I will be until Thursday since I am opening the restaurant each day until then (on top of my other jobs) and will be alone for my 4 hour shifts. I need to not feel any after effects of alcohol for that. Today was my first full day off in 2 weeks, so great. Played more in the yard, it was 72 degrees. I am going to try to find an hour each day to start turning my potato garden over one shovelful at a time so that I can get it planted.
Sunday April 18th - AF - It was sunny and blue when I went to work, raining when I came out, and then by the time that I got home...snowing!! A glass of Brandy would have been nice looking out the window at it, but I didn't.
Monday April 19th - AF - I would normally be AF on a Monday since Tuesday is always a very busy day for me, plus I have to add the restaurant shift to that, so it will be a juggle. Planning a very early night to bed.
Tuesday April 20th - AF - I didn't want to be, but planning drinks for Thursday night or Friday (dependent if I can squeeze all of my jobs in by Thursday eve). I can wait until Thursday or Friday. Leaving my other jobs to go and open the restaurant for 4 hours and then go back to those jobs has been a bit challenging. I will figure it out and get used to it.
Rolling total: 15 AF days out of 20 days5 -
Hi how is everyone doing? My resistance needs to come back.it was lost in February and March.6
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My reset is working! AF Monday and Tuesday, and last night I slept like a baby! Down almost two pounds as well.
Today is opening day for my 9 hole golf league, and everyone is going to order wine with their lunch. I need to stick to iced tea because I have a ton of stuff to do before I go to work at 4:00.
Hubby cooked delicious dinner last night, and it felt a little weird for us to forego the wine. I’m soooo used to having that glass of wine with a nice dinner. But glad we didn’t.6 -
ODE to all my lost posts on myfitnesspal.
No time to write again
Another AF( original creator @whitpauly )
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Sweet picture of your cat @chocolate_owl !
We are finally getting irrigation put in for landscaping and it’s nice to work in the yard after dinner.
AF-12 days
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I finally landed a consulting job I think will be good for me. I thought long and hard between transitioning into my "retirement part time fun job" vs re-entry into the professional world, and I think I have quite a few more solid years in me.
I think I've gotten a burst of energy since I've been mostly AF the past few months. Plus being vaccinated and all, I lost the fear of getting on a plane and stuff.
Facing the unknown can be scary and risky but it can be exhilarating and fun and challenging. One chooses how to look at it.
I've been practicing losing the fear, the doubt, the worry, the negativity and it seems this change in thinking helped bring the right job to me.
That said, as I get ready to go away this weekend to the mountains I will keep this thought in mind and use it to stick to my less drinking plan.
AF yesterday and same deal for today.7 -
@dawnbgethealthy I am amazed how you can balance all of the different jobs - you must be a great multitasker. @globalhiker congrats on the new job! It sounds like you are in a really good place. Good job on the reset @Womona, hi to @AR10at50 and @MissMay, and @CMB44512 and everyone else.6
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I'm just now seeing this thread and find it interesting. I was just telling my boyfriend the other day that I believe one of the reasons I've had issues with weight gain this past year is that I have increased my alcohol intake and that we needed to start cutting back. Not certain he agreed with the WE part LOL. I use to drink something every day. Usually a light beer or two in the evenings and then wine once a week. Wine usually ended up being a bottle. So about a month ago, after having issues buttoning a pair of pants around my chubby belly, I decided to start cutting back. I go AF for almost 2 weeks. Every other weekend I allow myself drinks. Unfortunately I still tend to overdo it on those Friday and Saturdays, so I am working at limiting them on those days as well. Please tell me it gets easier with time. I do so love a good bottle of wine and cocktails.
AF for three days. Plan to remain AF till the last day of April. Attending a wedding and planning to be diligent with my new plan.9 -
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@globalhiker - A consulting job is a great alternative! Congrats on finding something that will help span the next upcoming years.5
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HAPPY ME, I found my mysterious missing post from this morning~
Good morning Less Alcohol group-
@chocolate_owl it is so good to have you with us again and feeling more upbeat. Your project in the closet was a great way to redirect emotion. And you kitty is giving his/her approval of the new space.
Weird thing happened yesterday.
We went out to eat, only to arrive at the place to find it closed due to kitchen equipment issues. On the way to find another dinner place, my husband suggested somewhere we haad not been for almost two years. I got very excited to know we were going there. My mind began to race and a flood of drink emtions ran in my head.
I got giddy, thinking I will order a fancy alcohol drink. The only problem was deciding which one. We sat down and I was bouncing between 4 different alcoholic drinks to have. The bartender came over took my husband's drink order turned to me and asked what I would like and I froze! I remembered in a split second that this was the week for my second covid vaccine and I wanted to keep my system alcohol free, I told him I would have the Running Wild non alcoholic IPA.
Thankful the devil slid off my shoulder.
"Another AF" ( original saying by @whitpauly)
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Welcome back, @CMB44512...this whole gang has been on a major roll...and we even have another fellow @dethstar77 who recently joined us. Many of us have gotten our Covid shots so we have been focused on party planning and going places and eating out....for some reason our thread always gravitates to food.
Hello and welcome @langstontl ! I agree this is a good group, smart and talented people making great things happen, on a mission to have a happier life.
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langstontl wrote: »I'm just now seeing this thread and find it interesting. I was just telling my boyfriend the other day that I believe one of the reasons I've had issues with weight gain this past year is that I have increased my alcohol intake and that we needed to start cutting back. Not certain he agreed with the WE part LOL. I use to drink something every day. Usually a light beer or two in the evenings and then wine once a week. Wine usually ended up being a bottle. So about a month ago, after having issues buttoning a pair of pants around my chubby belly, I decided to start cutting back. I go AF for almost 2 weeks. Every other weekend I allow myself drinks. Unfortunately I still tend to overdo it on those Friday and Saturdays, so I am working at limiting them on those days as well. Please tell me it gets easier with time. I do so love a good bottle of wine and cocktails.
AF for three days. Plan to remain AF till the last day of April. Attending a wedding and planning to be diligent with my new plan.
@langstontl It definitely gets easier. I hang around friends who drink all the time, so the first week was tough. Especially as I nearly drank every single day of 2020 to Feb 2021. But like I said in an earlier post keep communication open and true friends will support your decision. Hang in there. I am mostly AF nowadays and no longer am tempted like I was in the first couple of weeks. If you want to motivation or support feel free to ping me..6 -
April 1-4, 3 AF day 1 A,- 3 spirits
April 5-11 7 days AF
April 12-18 5 days AF, 2 days A- 3 wine, 4 spirits
April 19-25
...April 19 AF
...April 20 AF
...April 21 AF
April 26-30
I am a bit frustrated with my weight, the last two days I have seen a gain of 3lbs. I know it is water retention since I have stayed within my calorie budget and have not had alcohol since this weekend. and what I did drink this weekend I don't feel was excessive (?) But I am looking for any suggestions on low sodium snacks for evening when I sip on my diet tonic water and bitters
@MissMay congrats on your choice of beverages, I am not sure I would have that will power
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@dethstar77 thank you!4
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Hi : - )
I joined this thread November 2018. I was a daily drinker at that point.
I am drinking less chiefly to lose weight.
My goals now are the same as they have been since January 2020, kind of my sweet spot.
16-20 AF days per month
NO drinking 2 days in a row
Keep 2 AF days in between drinks days.
3 is my max or I throw up.
Here goes my diary style:
Wow 6 AF days in a row, a new record for me.
Friday April 16th - Drinks. I finished work at 12:30 today and have tomorrow off. Beautiful weather here, 21C (googling) 70F. I played in my yard for 3 1/2 hours then went for my wonderful pedicure. I had the bottom of a bottle of Strawberry Margarita in the fridge for about 4 years, I put a fancy glass in the freezer and when I came back from my pedicure poured it and went into the sun. About 1/2 of a drink, delicious. Scheduled cheat day, Ribs, which I only have once per month now, and a couple of more drinks in the offing. It has been a hectic week, and I felt so wonderful today going into my first full day off in 2 weeks tomorrow. I work Sunday morning at the restaurant. Good night to have drinks for me. No regrets. Feeling relaxed and happy.
Saturday April 17th - AF and I will be until Thursday since I am opening the restaurant each day until then (on top of my other jobs) and will be alone for my 4 hour shifts. I need to not feel any after effects of alcohol for that. Today was my first full day off in 2 weeks, so great. Played more in the yard, it was 72 degrees. I am going to try to find an hour each day to start turning my potato garden over one shovelful at a time so that I can get it planted.
Sunday April 18th - AF - It was sunny and blue when I went to work, raining when I came out, and then by the time that I got home...snowing!! A glass of Brandy would have been nice looking out the window at it, but I didn't.
Monday April 19th - AF - I would normally be AF on a Monday since Tuesday is always a very busy day for me, plus I have to add the restaurant shift to that, so it will be a juggle. Planning a very early night to bed.
Tuesday April 20th - AF - I didn't want to be, but planning drinks for Thursday night or Friday (dependent if I can squeeze all of my jobs in by Thursday eve). I can wait until Thursday or Friday. Leaving my other jobs to go and open the restaurant for 4 hours and then go back to those jobs has been a bit challenging. I will figure it out and get used to it.
Wednesday April 21 - AF - I have been going at a breakneck pace this week, trying very hard to get all of my jobs done so that I can have 2 days off in a row minus Friday morning dedicated to paperwork. Planned drinks tomorrow (if I get it all done) and probably Friday too with my friend out on her deck. I also hope to get my potato garden planted during my day and a half off - it snowed, so when it melted it was too wet to till. Got to 5AF days in a row and my 16AF days : - )
Rolling total: 16 AF days out of 21 days5 -
@AR10at50 are you the one who makes their own kombucha at home?
Congratulations @globalhiker on the boost of energy and the new consulting position. Very exciting for you.(yes we always do seem to end up talking about food)
Welcome @langstontl good to have you joining us to drink less. Oh yes these spouses that is not fond of the WE phrase. There are more than a handful of participants on here that have had great success with their spouses supporting and joining them in not only cutting back, but also having long A.F. streaks.
@ducky133 is your profile picture of a Maine coon cat ?? His ears look very fuzzy which coon cats have
Hang in there @lmlmrn. Water weight can be from so many things. Keep flushing your system with lots of plain water. Low sodium snacks...hmmmmm mini pretzels without salt are my go to.
@CMB44512 everyone has a little stumble now and then. Your always welcome to jump in for accountability.
I hope the reason we have not heard from @mainelylisa is because she is having to much fun with hers Son's whille visiting.
Me-> AF last night
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My son & his wife dropped in (they live 50 miles away but still in Houston ... it's a big city) 1 glass of wine at Grimaldi's pizza for an unexpected dinner. DD facetimed us and looks like they are really enjoying their honeymoon in Oregon.6
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It seems the drinking less journey is a sequence of stages.. Anyone can design their own way to best suit them and they can make it as easy or difficult as they choose. Yes, you pick! It doesn't have to be that hard at all.
After trying some different approaches, I found the path that worked for me:
Stage 1: Tapering...a gradual reduction in daily consumption. I did this for a few months actually because I wasn't ready to give it all up yet, but I knew eventually I wanted to and jumping into full-on AF days would be less of a shock on my system and "easier". It helped. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 hardest, this was a 2. Pretty easy.
Stage 2: Going AF for multiple weeks straight. For me, this was WAY easier than starting with alternating AF days. Days 1 and 2 were OK, days 3 and 4 I just felt yukky (insomnia, bad dreams, fatigue, irritable)...manageable. I just "prepped" for it: had alternate snacks and drinks avail, kept away from anything stressful, watched a lot of movies on the couch. Kept acetaminophen on hand....and stress gummies....and chocolate. Then after days 6-7 or so, I felt energized and happy and the rest of the month was "easy" except for lingering insomnia which stayed with me through month 2, nothing terrible...and I loved the fact that the 5pm "cravings" went away! And ZERO temptations when out shopping. Thoughts to buy wine just stopped coming my way. This is what I wanted. How easy was it all? With days 3-4 aside, I'd say it was a 4, medium-easy.
Stage 3: Month 3 brought on occasional bouts of irritability and moodiness and I read this is common. We're talking it lasts a few minutes in most cases.I learned to experience my natural emotions and deal with them without drowning them. I practiced distraction, exercise, replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. And I focused on re-introducing rewards and new activities to replace drinking time. On the difficulty scale, I'd say overall the month was a 0.5, super-easy EXCEPT for those irritability moments which felt like a 9....but again, those were just minutes in time and they went away quick.
Stage 4: Re-introducing alcohol during occasional social events and holidays and time away. I am working on this aspect and figuring out how to best manage this.
The first holiday did not go down well. I thought I could just take a "day off" and drinking like I used to. No way. My tolerance is reset to zero and I experienced a 2 day hangover like never before and that was with 10% lower alcohol wine too.
I have a different body now so just learning to keep it happy is what I need to do
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It seems so many of us experience this unexpected weight gain and it seems to be almost expected in females....besides the obvious causes (hormones, salt, too many carbs), I am finding out that the herbicides and chemicals in our food supply cause gut bacteria imbalance (alcohol does this too).....this then results in inflammation which show up as bloating.....if you google "glyphosate" as one example you will see what I mean.
My scale can sway by 8 lbs within days so I had to do something.
Where realistic, I am working on swapping out some foods for organic, eating less of so-called inflammatory foods, taking quality fish oil and 15 billion+ count probiotics (my dr recommended), drinking purchased water only from house filter or glass bottle (no plastic) and wow, my tummy bloating is gone. And I do consume what I consider a very high-salt diet, so didn't give up the salt but I concluded my weight gains were a result of inflammation.
Interesting stuff.6 -
@MissMay yes, a Maine Coon. His name was Simcha and we lost him in 2018 from cancer. We have 2 new Maine Coon kittens, actually almost cats because they are 10 months old, but the breed grows slowly. One day I will update my pix! @globalhiker thanks for taking the time to detail your journey. It really is helpful information.5
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@MissMay Thank you for the welcome. Yes, my guy does not like the WE phrase, but he is very supportive and says he will help me in any way. Our problem is we love to cook and loves to drink wine while we do. I have the hardest time turning that wine down! But that is my goal and I believe I can do it5
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Was AF Monday and Tuesday. Had a single glass of wine last night, late enough in the evening to not sit around craving a second glass, but early enough that I didn't sleep poorly or wake up in the middle of the night. I know these things - I know to not drink right before bed, I know keeping it to a single glass helps so much with getting a good night's rest - but I ignore them far too often. It was nice to wake up feeling rested today.
@Lilylady3k Fashion waits for no one! It must feel triumphant to fit into some of your smaller clothes, but that's the curse of hanging onto older items - the styles change, our lives change. I already donated the college party dresses I was hanging on to for mystery reasons. I'm never wearing anything that short again lol.
@CMB44512 Good to see you back here! You're not alone in the ups and downs. I haven't exactly been having flawless months, but at least checking in here keeps me at least walking alongside the wagon instead of letting it roll off into the distance without me.
@globalhiker Congrats on the consulting job!
@langstontl Welcome! Quite a few of us have SOs who we wished liked the WE phrase a little more. I have finally trained mine to always ask before pouring me something, but he has no interest in cutting back right now. It can be a challenge. Hopefully your SO will be willing to join you on your journey.
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@chocolate_owl I believe he will be on board soon. He is forming a bit of a belly pooch as well and not happy about it. I believe he will put the two together quickly. I need to train him as well to ask before pouring, because if he sees an empty glass, it must be refilled. And I can't let it go to waste LOL
Today will be 5 days AF. 7 more to go before I will allow myself to indulge a little. Just a little3 -
@globalhiker thank you for your research findings and your stages. They make sense.
I am posting for my own accountability. I am also using the app 'dry days' which I love so far. I like looking at the 'calendar' to see a visual of the days I have had alcohol and the dry days. It is really making an impact for me.
April 1-4, ....3 AF day 1 A,- 3 spirits
April 5-11... 7 days AF
April 12-18 ...5 days AF, 2 days A- 3 wine, 4 spirits
April 19-25
...April 19 AF
...April 20 AF
...April 21 AF
...April 22 AF
...April 23
...April 24
...April 25
April 26-304 -
Hi : - )
I joined this thread November 2018. I was a daily drinker at that point.
I am drinking less chiefly to lose weight.
My goals now are the same as they have been since January 2020, kind of my sweet spot.
16-20 AF days per month
NO drinking 2 days in a row
Keep 2 AF days in between drinks days.
3 is my max or I throw up.
Here goes my diary style:
Wednesday April 21 - AF - I have been going at a breakneck pace this week, trying very hard to get all of my jobs done so that I can have 2 days off in a row minus Friday morning dedicated to paperwork. Planned drinks tomorrow (if I get it all done) and probably Friday too with my friend out on her deck. I also hope to get my potato garden planted during my day and a half off - it snowed, so when it melted it was too wet to till. Got to 5AF days in a row and my 16AF days : - )
Thursday April 22 - 2 1/2 drinks. So lovely, feeling more relaxed than I have been all week. I am still not used to my new schedule. Other than 4 hours of (paid) paperwork tomorrow morning, I will be on days off until Sunday morning. Planning on drinks tomorrow evening with a friend. My goal/rule for myself is changing since my new extra job. Very crappy weather here, the idea that I would have a day and a half off to get my potato garden tilled for planting is out the window...rain turned to snow today. I will take the opportunity tomorrow to blast some classical music throughout my house, grind myself some delicious coffee and putter around. Any excuse to be outside I normally take, but this is not the weather for me. I don't plan on getting dressed at all tomorrow, pj's it shall be : - )
Rolling total: 16 AF days out of 22 days3
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