Less Alcohol ~ OCTOBER 2021 ~ One Day At A Time 🍁

Lilylady3k

Enjoying the Smoky Mountains ... no AF days yet but nothing over the top either.

globalhiker

Glad you all are still here and doing it I just got home awhile ago.

Canyonlands was amazing and truly out of this world. Arches was fun too. Western Colorado had places that looked like a fantasy dream with horse lots with massive acreages and all that with really cheap land taxes but I can't sign up for having to drive an hour-plus just to buy food. Staying put, retiring and buying a Jeep and just hitting Canyonlands sounds better and maybe easier.

So, what did I drink the past week- most days I waited till dinner and kept my drinking time to 5-7pm. I overdid it once when me and my wine devil went to town on an entire bottle of an enjoyable 2017 Spanish Monastrell wine called Luzon but I paid the price the next day having Alka Seltzer for breakfast and suffering badly on a hike at 10,000 ft+ altitude and having a crap day.

October goal-I'll start Sunday 10/10-hit RESTART and begin my tapering journey towards Zero alcohol by mid-month. Not only do I have to do this - I want to

lmlmrn

@Lilylady3k those pictures are amazing! Now it is making me want to fly back out there and explore more!

Womona

MissMay wrote: »

@womona I have not heard this enthusiasm in your voice(post) ever, I don't think.
It's very Uplifting!
How is your Son doing during this challenge?

Really? Wow! That makes me happy to hear! My son is doing really well on the challenge. Already his pants are too big!

We did our last sail of the season yesterday, and it was wonderful. I just wish my husband was with his instead of being on a flight back from a business trip. I feel so accomplished- I trailered the boat home for the first time! I also replaced two trailer lights this season. Backing up still needs some work, but is vastly improved. I never thought I’d be able to do any of this.

So God Bless my husband, he had dinner waiting for us. We had asked for taco salad, but turns out we didn’t have taco seasoning, so he improvised and made a homemade Bolognese over GF pasta with bread! We didn’t have the heart to refuse the meal. He’s been away all week and forgot we aren’t eating pasta. That’s ok, my weight is up a little, but I can double down today!

Oh, and white wine spritzers! How did I not think of these! I had one last night- wine and seltzer, which turns out to be half a glass of wine. Taste and “feel” I of wine with half the alcohol!!! Where have you been all my life??? I had one with dinner. Slip up on the challenge but back on board today.

dawnbgethealthy

I am continuing with my usual goals, 16-20 AF days per month.
Diary style

Friday Oct 01 - Drinks
Saturday Oct 02 - AF - Planned drinks this week: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday (Thanksgiving weekend here)
Sunday Oct 03 - AF - Working 4 days of splits, so added incentive to not be feeling potentially yucky or not sharp from drinks
Monday Oct 04 - AF - Trading in my newest car, I had told the dealer what I wanted and to keep a look out for any trade-ins matching my criteria. He found me one today, I test drove it during my break and will go tomorrow during my break to do all of the paperwork. Honda Fit. Fit is right, fits perfectly with my lifestyle of carrying my x-country skis, snowshoes, skates etc. Very happy, but did not have a celebratory drink : - )
Tuesday Oct 05 - 2 drinks, not planned, but I don't regret it. I was too tired to have any willpower maybe.
Wednesday Oct 06 - 2 drinks - Designated drinks day. Having drinks yesterday apparently did not stop me. 3 drinks used to be my go to (more than that and i puke) but 2 seems to now bring me to that spot. I see some of you that can have just 1 drink. I think that I am of the mindset now that if I am going to have a drinks day that I want to feel the effect, that warm relaxed place. Heading into one of the Canadian eating (and drinking) holidays, Thanksgiving starting Friday. Plan to be AF tomorrow.
Thursday Oct 07 - AF - Going out to a (new) Jamaican restaurant with a friend who also loves Jamaican food. Hard to believe we got that in this little place! Their cocktail menu looks interesting. We may have drinks, but I am most interested to try their version of Jerk Chicken. Saturday begins days of turkey dinners and festivities.
Friday Oct 08 - Drinks and dinner out at a restaurant. The Jerk was good, but tasted nothing like we get it in Jamaica - even though the owners are Jamaican. Interesting cocktails, but very expensive. Drinks planned for Saturday.

Rolling total - 4AF day out of 8 days.

lmlmrn

So last night I tried a glass of 'almost zero' white wine. Interesting. It has .5% alcohol so it really just tasted like watered down wine. So I may turn the rest into a spritzer to give it a bit of body.

So then I went back to my ritual zero alcohol whiskey and added "bittermilk No 3. which is a smoked honey whiskey sour flavor. That is just what the drink needed. It gave it that touch of heat you get with a pepper without having a pepper. It is now my go too for sure

LazyBlondeChef

Just got home from our dinner out. I had a couple of glasses of wine. Otherwise I've been AF Mon-Fri. We're going out for brunch tomorrow so I'll likely have a mimosa or two.

Lilylady3k

Started letting myself drink more than planned during this vacation the last two days. Went beyond my 3 drink limit. Though they are spaced out over lunch & dinner and did not leave a hangover ... I need to watch the total consumption ... especially since I'm off my "diet" these extra calories are not helpful to maintaining weight on vacation.

MissMay

Oh gee, read yesterday but forgot to post.

Welcome home @globalhiker. Your vacation description sounds beautiful.

Gourgous pics @Lilylady3k.

Smoked honey flavor? @ lmlmrn. That would be good in my LYRE'S dark kane spirit. Gotta love bitters!

@LazyBlondeChef your profile pic cracks me up every time I see it. Is that your pondering what to whip up in the kitchen? Nice job on AF m-f.

I too was AF Sunday-Friday this past week. I've picked Saturday's this month to be my allowed drink day with a limit of one or two only. Last night I picked to have two drinks while out during a four hour span. I could have gone for just one. THEN a person that never ever in the past nine years, offered to buy us each a drink. We looked at each other and of course nodded YES because we know that won't ever happen again. It was a pay it forward moment for this friend of ours. Wished he would have offered to buy our pizza(for the same amount of $$ as those drinks cost) instead.

OCTOBER'S ACCOUNTABILITY: day 9
2A (3 drinks total)
7AF

Womona

Back on track yesterday and today. My “cocktail” last night was club soda in a martini glass with a Luxardo cherry. Yum!

My weight is falling off me. I’ve been gaining and losing the same 6-7 pounds for two years. Nice to see it going down. Probably water weight but I don’t care! Just want my pants to fit (I have the middle aged mom pooch).

The trick is going to be how can I incorporate alcohol and bread products when this is all over and not gain the seven pounds again? That’s where “maintenance “ has fallen apart for me in the past. We shall see. I know it’s unrealistic to never eat bread or drink wine again. Any eating plan that prohibits certain foods for the rest of your life doesn’t work for many people. I can do anything for a few weeks, but the rest of my life? Ugh. I’m sure the “post detox” addresses this. But for now my sleep is fantastic with no alcohol, and my weight comes down when I get my carbs from veggies, so I’m very motivated!!

globalhiker

Here's some photos from Arches National Park - it was like being on another planet!

globalhiker

This is Fisher Towers in the Castle Valley area outside of Moab - hard to believe this exists on earth.

globalhiker

Canyonlands-Islands in the Sky district - better than the Grand Canyon we thought

dawnbgethealthy

@globalhiker

Wonderful photos!!
Our world is amazing.

dawnbgethealthy

I am continuing with my usual goals, 16-20 AF days per month.
Diary style

Saturday October 09 - 2 drinks in the afternoon and then went with AF options. Pumpkin Spice Bailey's concoctions. Very delicious and seasonal. Plan to be AF now until Wednesday or Thursday.

Rolling total - 4AF day out of 10 days.

globalhiker

Trip ended at Telluride, Co. which is tucked inside this mountain photo. We had gorgeous crisp fall weather and the fall foliage was outstanding.

dawnbgethealthy

Had the rest of a bottle of AF Rose that I had opened that wasn't too bad.

globalhiker

Today will be AF day 1 for me. After back-to-back weeks of nightly drinking, it's time to hit my no-wine-ing diet for a nice long stretch. I'd like to make it to Christmas with a day off a month. I'm joining @Womona and having club soda with cherry cocktails. Sounds like fun...

lmlmrn

@globalhiker the pictures are breathtaking! I have driven through the Grand Canyon area and you are right this area is much more majestic. We are looking for places to retire but it gets so hot there in the summer and DH does not tolerate the heat well.

So my question is to all on this thread. DH and I are looking at retirement options. I am open to suggestions but we know what we don't want.
The NO's are
1. Scorching heat in the summer that lasts more than 30 days (we can do anything for 30 days maybe)
2. Heavy snowfall in the winter. Some snow and ice is tolerated
The YES's are
1. Landscape has to have some green
2. Need some hills or mountains...someplace with a higher elevation not in a valley. DH is a ham radio operator and in a valley does not get reception.
3. Close to all the shopping conveyances but not in a city. Say drive times of 10-30 min to get to the things we enjoy.

I know these are tough LOL. AND Places that serve AF beverages at the bar LOL

is this list too much to ask for? @MissMay any more things you can think of?

MissMay

@lmlmrn I would add that you and your DH need to be following behind us in your RV as we travel in our RV to all the perfect places to experience throughout the changing seasons. 😂

My list is almost 100% to yours except I am avoiding snow, ice, Winter completely.

Guess that will be the month we go our seperate ways, then meet up the following month and continue our journey. Hahahaha

We can drive, paint and drink less. Life will be good.