LESS Alcohol ~ APRIL 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

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  • itladyee
    itladyee Posts: 5,330 Member
    Ready for April

    4/4/2023
    [Noted yesterday]I'm already claiming today as AF. Gotta get started and ignore the triggers.
    Yeah! That worked....:) AF! Mental mind games. It's funny. Once you put your mind to it, it's fairly easy. When your mind isn't committed, is easy to waiver. I came home and immediately poured my substitute wine (Ocean Spray 5 calorie juice) and proceeded to cook dinner. My husband came in and out of nowhere said, lets have a shot of Maker's Mark. I said no thank you, but go right ahead. He didn't. Then later on in the evening we were watching Jeopardy and the final Jeopardy question comes on and he says...if I get this right, you have to take a shot. It was like the devil incarnate! I said no!

    The Month recap to stay accountable
    4/1
    My plan starts/restarts tomorrow.... Mayo Clinic "diet" . Today wasn't so bad. Had 6 ounce filet and asparagus and two glasses of wine for dinner. I have only one bottle of wine left in my house and I don't plan to buy any more this month.....
    4/2/2023
    Well.... the day was actually going well. I had a couple of breakfast sausage for breakfast (not the best choice but I haven't been shopping yet). For lunch, cobb salad and for dinner Chicken with a southwest salad. All meals accompanied by water! I made it until 8:30pm when my husband came home from work. He cracked open a beer and started recapping his negative day... so two glasses appeared .... bottle is almost empty🙂
    4/3/2023
    I skipped breakfast, considering IF again. if only to kick start some action. Good for lunch (leftover Chicken and Salad) and dinner was an airfried pork chop and broccoli. Husband turned on the NCAA championship game and make Pomegranate Sours. I had one and a half (about 6 ounces).

    My 2023 Stats...
    AF = 1
    A = 3
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    January
    AF = 53%
    A = 47%
    February
    AF = 29%
    A = 71%
    March
    AF = 0%
    A = 100%
    April
    AF = 25%
    A = 75%

    @Missmay
    "SIGH" you should have seen his face when I turned it down . I told him he was going to have to drink this one tonight. And he did gladly. A save for me 💪
    Sounds like my evening! Kudos to you for staying strong!

    @GaryM_25
    That won't be too diet friendly of a day. I've got planned Classic Deviled Eggs, Mediterranean Kale Arugula Salad, Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Harissa, Garlic Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Lemon Pepper Asparagus, and for dessert, a colorful Baklava Cheesecake recipe that I'm going to try.

    What time is dinner? 🙂

    My plans sound similar.
    Kale Walnut Feta Salad
    Roasted Red Potatoes
    Lamb Chops
    Crab & Bacon Linguine (New recipe I'm trying)
    I didn't even consider dessert as I normally don't prepare....but I will add something.
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,891 Member
    @forestdweller1
    Oh, falafels!! Yummy. I haven't had those in awhile, but I love them. I have never made them from scratch, dried from a box or frozen over here. I grew up in Toronto where there are falafel places everywhere (and Roti shops).
    Hindu people do drink alcohol, beer and whiskey. The last time that I actually ate in the Spice Hut restaurant with a friend we brought Proscecco which went quite well with the food.

    @globalhiker
    Oh my gosh, I am very excited about your fall trip!! It will be here before you know it.
  • GaryM_25
    GaryM_25 Posts: 98 Member
    itladyee wrote: »
    ...hopefully not to challenging to find at my local grocery.

    And yes, same here, wine constituted my empty calories and I usually opted for the wine vs dessert.

    I ordered next-day Amazon yesterday.

    Indeed. I'd pick red wine as my empty calories. This is what I really, really am working to change.
  • GaryM_25
    GaryM_25 Posts: 98 Member
    @ahoy_m8 Yes, I am the primary holiday cook in the family. Weekdays and weekends, my stepdaughter and I do most of the cooking. My wife doesn't cook too much.

    @MissMay Thanks for the confidence boost. I used to bake a fair amount when I had young children in the house but not much at all the last handful of years. (Sigh, sigh, sigh... It so much has been alcohol as the source of empty calories for me...)
  • Michieb125
    Michieb125 Posts: 800 Member
    @MissMay way to run from the devil mango-Rita drink! How cool you were a baker! I love home baked everything.

    @GaryM_25 you are doing great with your challenge and your family will be spoiled with your beautiful holiday meal. I agree having a clear mind with LA is refreshing.

    @itladyee you won that Jeopardy game, way to go!

    @dawnbgethealthy I'm sure you knocked your job interview out of the park! Hoping they can make some changes to bring you on somehow.

    @lmlmrn sorry about the furniture that will not be going with you but a fresh new look is always something to look forward to.

    @globalhiker great job on AF! Gotta have our chocolate too.

    April accountability: total of 20-22 days AF this month
    AF - 3
    A - 1

    Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day
    Personal best - 1-2 glasses
    AF tonight but will log tomorrow morning.
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,775 Member
    edited April 2023
    joans1976 wrote: »
    @Womona I am right there with you sister. I start anti-estrogen therapy tomorrow and the side effects listed are horrifying. Weight gain is included. I have to take this to prevent cancer recurrence. Some women opt out of this treatment because the side effects are unbearable. I’m going to give it my all though! Fingers crossed for a smooth transition for you!

    How long is the anti- estrogen therapy for? Hopefully it’s just temporary. So does that mean you can’t also eat soy or any other phytoestrogen foods? In the name of remaining cancer free, it’s worth it.

    I just wonder, what to women with a family history of estrogen receptor cancer or blood clots do if they are in the throes of peri-menopause? If HRT is not an Option, what’s a girl to do???
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,775 Member
    edited April 2023
    @forestdweller1 we moms never stop worrying. So sorry to hear about SIL#2, that’s rough. I hope he can get his meds, and that they work.

    Tell ED to lock up her silver! Sounds like the evil stepsister is bad news.
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,775 Member
    GaryM_25 wrote: »
    I'm convinced alcohol was a major contributor to weight. Starting from my highest weight ever, the scale told me I lost seven pounds my first week as a result of healthy eating, intense workouts, and no alcohol.

    Wow, that’s amazing!!!! So simple, yet so challenging!!! You are a rock star!
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,775 Member
    edited April 2023
    Just caught up on everyone’s posts!

    @lmlmrn I’m so excited for you! What an adventure. Safe travels when you (hopefully) get to leave today!

    2 AF days so far this week…. But I’m slowly easing into it by having a sip or two of whatever my husband and is drinking. I had a dinner to go to Tuesday night and had two huge glasses of wine. I should have just stuck to one. Planned glass tonight but that will be it.

    For those who celebrate, I hope you have a joyous Passover!

    As for Easter, this is the first time in about 30 years we are NOT either hosting or attending a huge extended family gathering. DS#2 isn’t even coming home for Easter, so me, Hubby and DS#1 are just having bagels and lox after church, and will cook a normal dinner. With (planned) Mimosas. Nothing special or fancy. It’s kind of nice not having the pressure to be somewhere or get the meal prepared or the house in order. Certainly nice to not have to fight traffic!

    Spring has sprung in the Philly suburbs, it’s so beautiful. I need to get outside to hike and bike again. I’ve recommitting to going to the gym 3 times a week for strength. Whether I want to or not!

    Now that USTA spring season is upon us, I’m on two teams so hopefully will get court time on at least one of them a week. Plus my weekly drill. Oh and I signed up for a weekly in-house tennis league that starts in May and lasts 7 weeks. So I’ll have plenty of exercise.

    As for logging, I’m on and off with it. I usually eat the same thing all the time, and get lazy with logging after lunch. It’s the meals out and parties with heavy appetizers that I tend to not log. But, dammit, it works when I stay on top of it!

    Looking back at my weight, it’s been creeping up and up for the last 3 years, but only a little. I wonder how much of that is peri menopause, and how much is muscle mass. All I know is that the only time I met my weight goal, I had Covid and could only eat about 3 calories per day. So clearly my weight goal needs to be bumped up a little. So instead of a goal of 128 (up from 125) I’m going to set it to 130. I’m 137 now. Fingers crossed.

    Hope everyone has a great day. Know that I’m rooting for you all with your goals, and your struggles. Love this group!!!
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,891 Member
    Womona wrote: »
    joans1976 wrote: »
    @Womona I am right there with you sister. I start anti-estrogen therapy tomorrow and the side effects listed are horrifying. Weight gain is included. I have to take this to prevent cancer recurrence. Some women opt out of this treatment because the side effects are unbearable. I’m going to give it my all though! Fingers crossed for a smooth transition for you!

    How long is the anti- estrogen therapy for? Hopefully it’s just temporary. So does that mean you can’t also eat soy or any other phytoestrogen foods? In the name of remaining cancer free, it’s worth it.

    I just wonder, what to women with a family history of estrogen receptor cancer or blood clots do if they are in the throes of peri-menopause? If HRT is not an Option, what’s a girl to do???

    I opted out of HRT (afraid of breast cancer and the other side effects), but really felt like I couldn't function with the perio/meno. Especially being a people facing worker with soaking wet hair and clothes and a red face every couple of minutes.
    I went into the local health food store just a mess.
    What I eventually ended up with was Estroven, and I stayed on it for 2 years, no longer noticing much more than 2 or 3 flashes per day, night sweats were gone.
    However, the proprietor gave me many choices, having come out the other end of it herself. Some were even guaranteed or money back. They are all a mixture of natural herbs, so they take 5-7 days to take effect unlike chemicals.

    As for weight gain, you really are not that far off from where you want to be.
    I gained a great deal of weight during the whole perio/meno long phase of life, as did many of my friends. It does seem to fall off afterward with a bit of work. LA helped immensely, but also hormones normalizing.

    So fun that you are gearing up for your tennis season : - )


  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,891 Member
    @ahoy_m8

    Resurrection cocktail? Do tell! What is in that?
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,891 Member
    I am Dawn, I live in South Eastern British Columbia.
    I joined this thread in November of 2018, a daily drinker at the time
    My primary goal with drinking less is weight loss.

    My usual goal is 16-20 AF days for the month,
    I had 17AF days in March.

    I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.

    Tuesday April 4th - 2 drinks between 3:30 and 4:30 after my interview. The shifts that they are looking to cover are basically the same as I already work at Spice Hut, so I don't think that it will work out for me. I need a second job, not to replace the job that I already have. We'll see, they are going to talk about it and get back to me. Planned AF until Friday.
    Wednesday April 5th - AF - Picked up a couple of extra shifts for Wednesday and Thursday dinners, so was home later than usual. Knowing that I have the same schedule for Thursday made it easy to stay AF Wednesday night. Lots of garden centre (temporary) jobs posted, but they pay very little and take place at the same time that I already work where I make tips which really raise my hourly wage. Still looking. Like @joans1976 I am on my own with all of the expenses of home ownership, so I really can't work a minimum wage job without going into deep debt while working 40 hours per week. It hasn't been a week yet since Foster Grant ended. I will find something for sure.

    Rolling total: 3AF days out of 5 days.

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