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!6 -
@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.
5 -
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
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