Less Alcohol ~ DECEMBER 2022 ~ One Day At A Time

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  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,951 Member
    I am Dawn, I live in SE BC Canada
    My primary motivation for drinking less is weight loss.
    I throw up if I have more than 3 drinks, so moderation on drink days is rarely an issue for me lol.
    My recurring goal is 16-20 AF days per month. I squeaked to 16 last month.

    I like to do this diary style to keep track.

    Friday December 09 - Drinks including a Rye Manhattan
    Saturday December 10 - Drinks including a Stinger with Rye instead of Cognac. Busy week with late nights ahead starting Tuesday, may try to stay AF until the weekend.
    Sunday December 11 - AF - I was really wanting a Stinger while I stood whisking a Roux from blonde to caramel to dark to put into my Jambalaya and Gumbo that I was making. Once I started stirring I couldn't stop to create a drink, otherwise I would have had a drink in one hand and whisk in the other. Busy week, maybe AF all week until the weekend.

    Rolling total - 6AF day out of 11 days
  • RockinRobyn672
    RockinRobyn672 Posts: 907 Member
    edited December 2022
    All - I found a great web site today that has excellent 30-minute chat sessions, with experts, regarding menopause, but don't stop reading if this doesn't apply to you. Regardless of the M word, the Christmas one works for anyone trying to lose weight. At the end of that video the speaker has a big list of NA drinks that I want to try. Here's the link: https://henpicked.net/menopause-hub/

    @joans1976 I'm sorry you're having to go through it early. The good news is less alcohol means less hot flashes! I'm also sorry that you've had a hard day but glad you shared it with us. May tomorrow be a better day for you! I wish there were something I could do to help. I'm sending my thoughts and heart your way.
  • Lilylady3k
    Lilylady3k Posts: 4,025 Member
    dawnbgethealthy wrote: »
    Sunday December 11 - AF - I was really wanting a Stinger while I stood whisking a Roux from blonde to caramel to dark to put into my Jambalaya and Gumbo that I was making. Once I started stirring I couldn't stop to create a drink, otherwise I would have had a drink in one hand and whisk in the other. Busy week, maybe AF all week until the weekend.

    @dawnbgethealthy - Roux can be tricky ... best done without a drink in hand. Smart move!
    Gosh "Stinger" ... I remember DH and I took off to New Orleans one time from college with an ice chest full of Stinger makings. It was a great trip and we had fun but I don't remember much except I love Stingers LOL
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,840 Member
    Oh @joans1976 I’m so sorry you’re getting the double whammy of bills and pain. Big Internet hug to you!!! You’ll be able to get through it- eat that elephant one bite at a time. Years ago I had a big balance on a surgery bill that I struggled to pay. My parents told me to show a “willingness and effort to pay”, and every month I sent them something like $5 or $10. I was never sent to collections because I showed a willingness and effort to pay. This went on for over a year, and when I finally got some money, I called the billing office, asked to see if we can settle for a lower amount. They were all too happy to settle and take
    the write off!!! You’re not powerless here. Most places will work with you.

    Also, check out Dave Ramsey’s podcast- lots of good info on tackling debt using a “debt snowball”- do minimums on all your debts, but concentrate on and put extra money toward the
    smallest bill first, then the next largest, and so on. You get a sense of accomplishment and find you can pay off debt faster.

    Are they going to put you on Lupron?
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,840 Member
    Lots of bready carbs today as PMS rages on, BUT, I was AF. I’m taking the win.

    Thanks for all the support! I appreciate it!!
  • SunnyDays930
    SunnyDays930 Posts: 1,606 Member
    @Womona I feel your menapause pain. Bready carbs are fine; I mentioned I bought a bread machine that my waistline doesn't need. We do what we need to do to feel better emotionally.
    Day 13. Almost halfway through the month.
  • joans1976
    joans1976 Posts: 2,201 Member
    Hello all! I’m Amanda, I’m from Michigan. I am a crazy cat lady and work for a veterinarian. This will be my sixth month with this group and it has helped me cut back on my drinking so much! I am not ready to say I am 100% sober but last month I had 30 days alcohol free 😃

    12/1-12/7: 7 out of 7 AF

    12/8:AF
    The pain is no joke today, yesterday was my first day back at home and I may have done too much. They only give a 2 day supply of narcotic pain meds, otherwise it’s Tylenol and Ibuprofen. I guess it’s Netflix and chill today for me!
    12/9: AF
    Pain is still here. I wonder if I did too much? I feel like all I did was sit around. I had a friend come visit me, we used to go to the bar together 3 nights a week and get hammered. We talked about all the stupid things we did under the influence and wonder how we made it out unscathed. Neither of us drink anymore. And we both realized last night we are fine with it!
    12/10: AF
    Healing, healing, healing. Yesterday was rough.
    12/11: AF
    12/12: AF
    I’m getting impatient waiting for results. When I got diagnosed they should have also said “having cancer is also a big waiting game.” Whatever, I think I will go for a walk today even though it is 30 F and grey. I’m a little paranoid to go the stores right now with all the junk going around.
    Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!
  • joans1976
    joans1976 Posts: 2,201 Member
    @Lilylady3k Ugh I’m so sorry to hear the plague rages on! Good for you for doing the responsible thing and canceling outings even though you test negative!

    @Womona I haven’t gotten to the hormone replacement therapy part yet but I think it will be Tamoxifen. Thank you for the podcast tip!

    Thank you everyone for your well wishes!
  • RockinRobyn672
    RockinRobyn672 Posts: 907 Member
    lmlmrn wrote: »
    I did smoke some swiss cheese this am and tasted it....ok I am not going to lie it was good. Last night I smoked a tulip glass and drank some diet tonic water with bitters. What a difference.was it you @MissMay that says the glass makes the drink???? So true true true

    @lmlmrn I would have eaten all the cheese (LOL) and the smoked diet tonic water with bitters sounds good! Maybe this is a new line of drinks you an make and sell. :wink:
  • RockinRobyn672
    RockinRobyn672 Posts: 907 Member
    This group really helps me hold myself accountable, plus everyone is absolutely great. My monthly goal is 16-19 AF days (3A days max weekly) for weight loss and overall health. I post in the mornings about the previous day.

    12/12: Drinks (2.5) - I didn't have dinner planned so hubby picked up take-out sushi, clear soup, and edamame (all delicious) along with a bottle of white wine. I had two glasses plus split an after-dinner beer with him. I had a small headache this morning, which I count as a good sign because my tolerance is down. So this is my day one of three A-days for the week.

    Rolling Total: 6 AF Days out of 12
  • mfowler883
    mfowler883 Posts: 226 Member
    Feeling good this morning. Slept pretty well, if short. Tuesday is my Monday and we had early clients so I stayed up late, checked call logs, emails, voicemails, etc . Up early and handled all the things, including my normal breakfast - Sara Lee 45 calorie toast, a slice of Canadian bacon, 4 tbs of egg whites and a sprinkle of fat-free cheese with a splash of Valentina, washed down with black coffee. These days it's probably about 3 parts decaff to 1 part regular, I just don't find that I need the caffeine but I do need the ritual of holding a warm mug and sipping on coffee after I eat. It's funny how much the ritual is a part of things. It's the same with smoking, whenever I've quit in the past it was harder to deal with missing the ritual than the nicotine. Sunday, drinking NA Stellas seemed to scratch the itch and I didn't think much about the alcohol part of the equation.

    Didn't get in a proper workout on Sunday or Monday, call it recovery. Today I should be able to get back at it. I haven't gained as much as I feared, but it's creeping up. Wondering if maybe a couple of high carb days will help reset things and get me moving again. Eating more has become a challenge, since I've gotten used to portion control and not grazing. I used to do carb cycling, with moderate success. The next time around, I was doing keto and applied the same principles, did a high carb weekend every few weeks and then back into keto and it worked pretty well for four or five months.

    I don't have any alcohol in the house, and expect to be AF.

    -m
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,951 Member
    @Womona

    Yikes, menopause is a *kitten*.
    I am really glad to have all of that behind me.
    I really didn't begin to lose weight until all of that hormonal fluctuation was over.
    Last night before bed I ran down a rabbit hole of foods/beverages that increase Estrogen. I feel like when into the (20 years?) of meno that we don't want more Estrogen? Chocolate is very high on the list, as well as some other common things that I wouldn't have known about. Dried apricots are number 1 on the list.
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,951 Member
    I am Dawn, I live in SE BC Canada
    My primary motivation for drinking less is weight loss.
    I throw up if I have more than 3 drinks, so moderation on drink days is rarely an issue for me lol.
    My recurring goal is 16-20 AF days per month. I squeaked to 16 last month.

    I like to do this diary style to keep track.

    Friday December 09 - Drinks including a Rye Manhattan
    Saturday December 10 - Drinks including a Stinger with Rye instead of Cognac (so technically a Prince). Busy week with late nights ahead starting Tuesday, may try to stay AF until the weekend.
    Sunday December 11 - AF - I was really wanting a Stinger while I stood whisking a Roux from blonde to caramel to dark to put into my Jambalaya and Gumbo that I was making. Once I started stirring I couldn't stop to create a drink, otherwise I would have had a drink in one hand and whisk in the other. Busy week, maybe AF all week until the weekend.
    Monday December 12 - AF - Setting my mind to being AF during this week. Saying to myself that I can have drinks come the weekend for some reason makes it easier for me to have AF days


    Rolling total - 7AF day out of 12 days
  • RockinRobyn672
    RockinRobyn672 Posts: 907 Member
    @dawnbgethealthy - In a previous month you provided a tip that has been so helpful to me and your comments today reminded me. Instead of AF days, if I turn it around and say to myself that I can have 3A days a week, this works for me. That's the trick I picked up from you. Thanks for that!
  • RockinRobyn672
    RockinRobyn672 Posts: 907 Member
    @mfowler883 I know what you mean about rituals. I like my coffee in the mornings as well. I have decaf on hand but haven't been very good at switching over to decaf after my morning cup. My other ritual is sipping on that glass of wine while cooking. I've switched it out to the NA beers or my virgin Cape Cod and so far it's working.
  • RockinRobyn672
    RockinRobyn672 Posts: 907 Member
    lmlmrn wrote: »
    Today is another day, I have on this journey stopped beating myself up for setbacks, keep looking forward you can't change the past.

    @lmlmrn - I love the "not beating myself up over setbacks, and to keep looking forward" post. I 100% agree with that. Thanks for the reminder. Also, I'm glad they're working on a memorial for your DH's dad. It does help with closure and it's an opportunity to celebrate his life. I'm hoping all the family drama will be kept at a minimum. I'm glad you have the visit from your daughter and family to look forward to. I

    For Christmas, my immediate family is meeting up in Wrightsville Beach. We'll be hanging out with our two grown sons, a daughter-in-law (who's like a daughter) and a new girlfriend that I haven't met. I can't wait to see my boys, which also doesn't happen often enough since we're all in different states.
  • mfowler883
    mfowler883 Posts: 226 Member
    RockinRobyn672 wrote: »
    @mfowler883 I know what you mean about rituals. I like my coffee in the mornings as well. I have decaf on hand but haven't been very good at switching over to decaf after my morning cup. My other ritual is sipping on that glass of wine while cooking. I've switched it out to the NA beers or my virgin Cape Cod and so far it's working.

    My mornings are absolute chaos, so I've been using instant just because it's quicker, easier and less mess to deal with. I started mixing a little decaf in with the regular, and stepping myself down gradually. Caffeine is a real bear to kick all at once. I haven't been big on drinking soda in years, so that hasn't been a struggle but I've known some people that would start getting snarky without their Cokes or Dr. Peppers...

    The part that did suck, I won't lie, is ditching sugar and cream in my coffee. Every now and then I'll treat myself to a cup the way I like it, it's not too bad but on a day-to-day, I'd rather reserve those calories for something else. (Okay I'll say it. Beer.)

    It is still really weird talking about these things, but I'm glad y'all are here.

    -m
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,840 Member
    joans1976 wrote: »
    I’m getting impatient waiting for results. When I got diagnosed they should have also said “having cancer is also a big waiting game.” Whatever, I think I will go for a walk today even though it is 30 F and grey. I’m a little paranoid to go the stores right now with all the junk going around.
    Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!

    Kinda like being in the Army. “Hurry up and Wait.” Hope you’re in less pain today! Good for you for taking a walk to shake off the impatience. No one would blame you for masking up again!

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