Less Alcohol ~ JANUARY 2022 ~ One Day At A Time
Replies
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Hello, everyone. I see I have a lot to catch up on here! Sorry I haven't been around. Work has been really crazy the last few weeks!
I haven't even attempted to go AF the last few weeks, but I have had surprisingly good success in "drinking less," which is, of course, my goal. I have not had a single night of "normal drinking" since the very beginning of the month. Nor have I felt at all deprived. I think becoming a more mindful drinker has made me more aware of everything from the taste to the effect to how I feel the next day. I was surprised to find that drinking out of a smaller glass really does make a difference. I knew that trick for food portions, but did not realize it would work for wine. Apparently, as long as I can have two glasses of wine, I don't really care how big they are!
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@Mouse_Potato your thinking is dead on. Any amount of drinking less is a success.
Your idea of smaller glass....BRILLIANT! Your brain still sees it as two, and that works.
I use that with our evening meals. I use lunch size plates for our last meal, only because I've noticed we both go for seconds because the plate appears empty. If I use the smaller plate with the same amount it looks over flowing.
The brain is an interesting thing.
Congrats on your LESS month.😁4 -
My wife joined me this year in a successful Dry January. So far so good! My body has become increasingly sensitive to alcohol lately, so omitting it has almost immediate benefits. And, yet, I still sometimes miss it. What's the deal with that?
My other goal starting Jan 1 is to drop 10 lbs, which I haven't been at all successful at yet. It's become a yearly thing with me. The last 2 Januarys have been a little bleak with the COVID waves hitting us. It's enough to drive someone to drink! Instead, I've been driven to snack. So, my head is clear, but my tummy is soft. I haven't given up yet and it may mean I stay mostly dry until I do.5 -
Welcome @Jthanmyfitnesspal.
Yup the struggles are real for sure. Congrats to you and your Mrs for doing a dry Jan thus far.
On top of that, throwing is losing weight, your going for It!
I've taking up more tummy snacking to this month. But I think it is more because I'm not really a cold weather gal any longer and when it gets cold and snowy in my neck of the woods I want to be indide and cozy,. The snacks help with that.
Not sure where your located weather wise but there is a theory that we ate supposed to hold ontoa few extra pounds in cooler winter climates.
Something to do with our caveman ancestors I believe. Anyway you are cutting alcohol calories and that is a plus.
We start a new thread every month, hope you'll join us more here as well as on the February thread that will be coming Monday.4 -
Jan 1-6 AF
Jan 7-9 Had wine
Jan 10- 12 AF
Jan 13-16 had wine
Jan 17 - 19 AF
Jan 20-22 had wine
Jan 23-26 AF
Jan 27 - wine night - 16 AF out of 272 -
I had to laugh @MissMay your quote "Not sure where your located weather wise but there is a theory that we ate supposed to hold on to a few extra pounds in cooler winter climates." I found those pounds! It was amazing!
I stepped on the scale and poof there they were. I was really not laughing.
But Mrs. Sock has been stepping out in some finery while the Mr. stays home and entertains the little one.
AF last night and tonight...
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@lmlmrn 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 that is awesome. She got herself some new contact lens and had a new hair do to!
Yes it is weight to get us thru the cold winter so we don't starve to death.
I've got it going on to, although I don't stress about like I would have in the past. Nice AF for you.
What I am stressing out about is this blizzard cyclone that is supposed to start tonight and dump up to 2 feet of snow on us, with Nor' Easter winds. NOT NOT NOT looking forward to the next few days.4 -
21 days AF/27 days. This month I worked too many hours which means I sat too many hours and I did not take any real breaks. That means I ate at my desk and likely didn't drink enough water. Many days I skipped my morning exercise because I had work deliverables early in the morning for demanding clients.
I ever skipped the news 2 days in a row! That's never happened.
I wake up surprised to see it's Friday and almost month-end. What happened?!! The speed of my life is going just way too fast for me. I need to slow down and say "no" - a lot. I really do. But this means some things will just fail and this is really incredibly hard for me to do.
Stuff like this is what makes me "not care" and drink wine at night and just eat whatever regardless of calories. It's important for me to get better structure into my day so my stress is manageable and the work pace is in line with how I want to work - because my daytime will dictate how well I can manage myself in the evenings.
I definitely need to find my life balance and get my mental house in order!
Enjoy the weekend (football!!)4 -
@tmbg1
Switching to just having a less January , other than going full blown dry January looks like it is working for you.
👍😁
When I first started to cut back or drink less it was difficult, I'm not go to fool anyone on that. I tried to just quit, and would get as far as declaring no more drinking early that morning, to getting out of work that same day and thinking oh well just one, which was never the case.
Getting on this thread I saw everyone had their own situation an their own way of drinking less. So I decided since I am a numbers girl, to apply math to my less drinking journey. I would have drinks, then my first AF day I marked it down. Now the plan was that I would have drinks x number of day(s) BUT when I was ready for another AF I would have to tack on another AF in a row (2AF), then the next time 3AF and so on. It litterly took months to accomplish a full 7 AF in a row, it was a battle, but such an accomplishment in my head....slow and steady.
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@globalhiker I've had this in my arsenal of quotes for my own sanity. So today it's for you.
Your post offered some great points.
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2
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My usual goal, 16-20 AF days per month.
My schedule pretty much dictates my AF days.
I will be AF on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for the next few months.
Diary style is how I keep track
Sunday Jan 23rd - AF - Skating in the morning before work : - )
Monday Jan 24th - AF - I have a very light day tomorrow, so considered having a drink, but my tummy will be much leaner in the morning if I don't. Counted my "lunges" while skating. 70 per minute and I skated for 60 minutes. 4200 lunges?
Tuesday Jan 25th - AF - Skating tomorrow, and I am having a very busy work week, so AF. I might have drinks tomorrow.
Wednesday Jan 26th - 2 drinks. I always had 3 drinks on drinks days, but now 2 is my sweet spot. Planned drinks for Friday and Saturday with a friend who is moving far away.
Thursday Jan 27 - AF - Happily hit my 16. No plans to be AF over the next couple of days. Planning AF for Sunday.
Rolling total: 16AF days out of 27 days.3 -
dawnbgethealthy wrote: »
Well it has helped my poached egg process, You poke a push pin in the large end of a fresh egg to make a tiny hole(this releases the air inside the egg) . Then submerge the egg for 10 seconds in simmering water (I add white vinegar to the water 2 TBS)
Take egg and crack back into the same simmering water bath and poach for 4 minutes. Remove, place poached egg in ice water for a few seconds, drain and place on your choice of base (English muffin, biscuit, hash brown) for the benedict. I add either shaved cooked ham, pulled pork, turkey bacon, etc. Top with hollandaise and swiss cheese.
I also add a dollop of creamy guacamole to my hollandaise after it is all made.
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11 AF
4 "less"
13 drinking
That's today's update. Second half of the month not quite as good as first, but it's not too bad (unlike covid home schooling!!)7 -
AF this evening even though while I was cooking dinner DH ran out and bought 6 bottles of wine. I'm going to make 12 AF days this month!
January accountability: 11/28 days AF
Alcohol: 17 days (35 drinks)
Goal: Limit 1-2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month. Aim to drink no more than 2 nights in a row.5 -
dawnbgethealthy wrote: »
Well it has helped my poached egg process, You poke a push pin in the large end of a fresh egg to make a tiny hole(this releases the air inside the egg) . Then submerge the egg for 10 seconds in simmering water (I add white vinegar to the water 2 TBS)
Take egg and crack back into the same simmering water bath and poach for 4 minutes. Remove, place poached egg in ice water for a few seconds, drain and place on your choice of base (English muffin, biscuit, hash brown) for the benedict. I add either shaved cooked ham, pulled pork, turkey bacon, etc. Top with hollandaise and swiss cheese.
I also add a dollop of creamy guacamole to my hollandaise after it is all made.
I love poached eggs, and have not tried this method but you can bet I will in the morning!3 -
@lmlmrn 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 that is awesome. She got herself some new contact lens and had a new hair do to!
Yes it is weight to get us thru the cold winter so we don't starve to death.
I've got it going on to, although I don't stress about like I would have in the past. Nice AF for you.
What I am stressing out about is this blizzard cyclone that is supposed to start tonight and dump up to 2 feet of snow on us, with Nor' Easter winds. NOT NOT NOT looking forward to the next few days.
How are you holding up???? I get jumpy with 12" of snow. Do you get a lot of black ice too? I think I asked you that once but old age memory is getting to me3 -
Posting for accountability. My AF streak ended at 33rd consecutive days. I'm disappointed that I let my husband's mental health issues get the best of me last night and drank 2 cocktails. On the bright side I did not follow that up with alcohol again tonight so 34 of the last 35 days have been AF.
12/25 - 12/31 AF
1/1 - 1/26 AF
1/27 - 2 drinks
1/28 - AF8 -
@GiveHerGrace wow 33 straight AF days is outstanding to me....
@MissMay thank you for the quote, I love it! And so true as well.
Good luck to everyone getting hit with blizzards and all. It's super-windy where I am at.
Time for a relaxing morning and an egg breakfast....
22 AF/28 days.3 -
GiveHerGrace wrote: »Posting for accountability. My AF streak ended at 33rd consecutive days. I'm disappointed that I let my husband's mental health issues get the best of me last night and drank 2 cocktails. On the bright side I did not follow that up with alcohol again tonight so 34 of the last 35 days have been AF.
12/25 - 12/31 AF
1/1 - 1/26 AF
1/27 - 2 drinks
1/28 - AF
Don't be disappointed.
This is an AMAZING learning opportunity for you to explore why you drank, what you thought drinking would do for you, and to honestly assess if it gave you the benefits that you expected.
If yes, were they worth the downsides?
If no, what do you think *would* actually give you the benefits you were hoping for instead?
Basically, what unmet need were you trying to meet with alcohol? Is there a more effective way to meet those needs?
What resources do you need to feel more resilient in dealing with these struggles?
What role do you *want* alcohol to play with respect to these struggles?6 -
Good Q's @Xellercin. About feeling disappointed, @GiveHerGrace , I had the same reaction, namely you have an amazing streak going. And now you have an opportunity to sit with the drinking situation kind of in isolation to observe and to understand what mechanisms, beliefs and attitudes were in play. And how well they served you.
Several years ago I had a several week AF streak going and at a dinner with DH I got angry with him. I don't remember exactly why, and that isn't the important part of the story, but I think it was in the zip code of his dismissive attitude towards a heavy load I was shouldering alone at that time. (Anger is a secondary emotion, always arising from a primary emotion relating to hurt we feel too vulnerable to express, and in this case for me it would have been feeling belittled or devalued on top of stress.) Honestly, I was probably hungry to start with because I do recall waiting forever to be seated. When the waiter finally came to get a drink order, I just gave in and ordered my favorite chardonnay. I drank it fast and had another. It wasn't a big fight or anything and I felt tons better after eating, but when I reflected on this, I was horrified at my reaction -- that I didn't have the presence or strength to express the primary emotion so instead resorted to anger and that I soothed the anger with wine. Right there I committed to myself I do not want to be an angry drunk. The "angry drunk" image is so powerful and repulsive to me that ever since I avoid alcohol when emotional discord is afoot.
tl;dr: it was a very valuable learning experience that stayed with me.
Diff topic - accountability- Had tons of fun with DH and DD last night. We had dinner outside and it was a little nippy but best under the pandemic circumstances. Then went to Hadestown which probably isn't best under pandemic circumstances but everyone was masked. The musical was great. We each had 2 drinks with dinner.5 -
My usual goal, 16-20 AF days per month.
My schedule pretty much dictates my AF days.
I will be AF on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for the next few months.
Diary style is how I keep track
Sunday Jan 23rd - AF - Skating in the morning before work : - )
Monday Jan 24th - AF - I have a very light day tomorrow, so considered having a drink, but my tummy will be much leaner in the morning if I don't. Counted my "lunges" while skating. 70 per minute and I skated for 60 minutes. 4200 lunges?
Tuesday Jan 25th - AF - Skating tomorrow, and I am having a very busy work week, so AF. I might have drinks tomorrow.
Wednesday Jan 26th - 2 drinks. I always had 3 drinks on drinks days, but now 2 is my sweet spot. Planned drinks for Friday and Saturday with a friend who is moving far away.
Thursday Jan 27 - AF - Happily hit my 16. No plans to be AF over the next couple of days. Planning AF for Sunday.
Friday Jan 28 - Drinks with my bestie who is about to be moving far away soon. I was crying before the Prosecco, and probably crying harder after. Getting together with her Saturday as well, and we will be having drinks again.
Rolling total: 16AF days out of 28 days.4 -
@Mouse_Potato your thinking is dead on. Any amount of drinking less is a success.
Your idea of smaller glass....BRILLIANT! Your brain still sees it as two, and that works.
I use that with our evening meals. I use lunch size plates for our last meal, only because I've noticed we both go for seconds because the plate appears empty. If I use the smaller plate with the same amount it looks over flowing.
The brain is an interesting thing.
Congrats on your LESS month.😁
Thanks! One of my takeaways from doing TAE experience was realizing that less than 10% of heavy drinkers are physically dependent on alcohol. For the rest of us it's mostly psychological. I am a big fan of tricking my lizard brain in to doing what I want it to do.
Examples:
"You don't have to finish your workout. Just start it and then you can quit if you like after the first set."
(I never quit once I've gotten started.)
"Of course we can go to <fast food place>. You just need to eat this salad first."
(The craving is gone by the time I finish eating.)
So, I decided to apply that to drinking. On the nights I drink, I use smaller glasses. In addition to tricking my brain into thinking I'm having my "normal" amount, it also gives me a pause if I think I want more. Like, "Really? You want to drink a THIRD glass? Isn't that excessive?"
On the nights I don't drink I have a special scented candle I burn. I *never* burn it on nights I drink, so I've got it pretty strongly associated with all things AF. As soon as I smell that candle, I start craving Sparkling Ice or AF wine and I don't want alcohol.6 -
In my ole drinking daze, with this hurricane blizzard weather happening as it is right now I would be a mess.
It is below zero, add on the viscous wind chill factor 😨. I suppose the good thing is it is a dry snow blizzard, I did as much prep as humanly possible yesterday to ready for this, generator fueled, back up camp stove ready, fresh batteries in flash lights...well you know the whole drill I am sure.
I am ok during the day with this, it is at night when it is dark and it's blowing a gale out there that freaks me out.
On the bright side still AF. even attended a comedy show early last evening at a taveren and remained AF. Laughed my darn ars off, which was much needed.
Will check in after the cyclone bomb is gone tomorrow.
Do you see my large two story garage through all that? Yeah, me neither, hope it is still standing.9 -
OMG I am so worried about all you on the East Coast!.....I get freaked out with dense fog warning along with stagnant air warning blah blah.
Dry snow is much better but still.....guess if we move that way we better plan on a generator?3 -
Posting for accountability. 34 of the last 36 days have been AF.
12/25 - 12/31 AF
1/1 - 1/26 AF
1/27 - 2 drinks
1/28 - 1/29 AF
Thank you to everyone for sharing your thoughts and suggestions regarding breaking my 33 day AF streak. I appreciate it and hope to learn from it.
Thinking of all of you on the East Coast dealing with the bomb cyclone. I just spent a week back in South Dakota and the bitter cold was bad enough. I can't imagine all of that snow on top of it. Back to my happy place just a few miles from @GlobalHiker now.
Have a happy Sunday.4 -
Jan 1-6 AF
Jan 7-9 Had wine
Jan 10- 12 AF
Jan 13-16 had wine
Jan 17 - 19 AF
Jan 20-22 had wine
Jan 23-26 AF
Jan 27 - 29 wine nights
Jan 30 - AF - 17 AF out of 30- Goal is AF tomorrow to make 18 out of 30 AF2 -
Checking in real quick
When life gives you a bomb cyclone make the best of it.
AF 29/29
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One more day left for this month. Check in and let us know how you were at keeping or tweaking your less drinking goals to make it through January.
Here is the link to follow us to February 2022:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10855225/less-alcohol-february-2022-one-day-at-a-time/p1?new=1 😍2
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