LESS Alcohol ~ MAY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time
Replies
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5/1-5/2-5/3 - AF
5/4-5/5-5/6- A
5/7- 5/8 - 5/9 -5/10- AF
5/11 - 5/12 - 5/13 - A
5/14 - 5/15 - 5/16 - AF
5/17- 5/18-5/19-5/20 - A - a lot of stress this week but kept it to 2 glasses each night which for me is good- happy I didn't go off the rails!
Sorry about the stress, but good for you for moderating! Well done!4 -
Wow I can not stress enough how this group has helped me take alcohol from the "first thing" I concentrate on my life to "back seat", not gone just not revolve my 'fun'.
This moving journey was scary. My focus was when, how, can I travel--drink--sleep--these past 7 weeks so far...the answer this thread!! I can't always be here but I catch up reading and put my hand on my hip and go?? wow we are an awesome group of people from all walks of life making this work for each of us. Despite the good bad and ugly we have united to become better US's. Is there a word to describe that? We are making plans to move.....so we fly back to WA at the first of next week then a 2 week or so of packing??? long story short we have to wait on Sister and BIL to arrive to drive U-Haul...So next check in a week or so...xxx you have all supported me so much...I have no appropriate words
Awww, that hit me in the feels. This is really an amazing group.
Good luck with the rest of your move!
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SunnyDays930 wrote: »Reading all these comments about how alcohol can keep us from our weight loss goals....it is so true. I have lost nearly 15 lbs not only because I am eating less but because I am drinking SO much less alcohol. Now as regular readers know, I am on Wegovy which I will not be able to afford to stay on indefinitely. BUT it really turns me off from most alcohol and the alcohol I still like, white wine or champagne, I want much much less of. For this reason alone, I feel like this product should be covered by insurance. I am hoping when I stop taking it, I will be out of the alcohol habit completely.
I hope it gets covered too. This is the new Viagra! Haha. Interesting how that is covered by insurance, but a weight loss drug/dopamine receptor drug is not for the long term. If you don’t mind my asking, how much is it if not covered by insurance? Is it “cut out my daily latte” or “mortgage the house” expensive?3 -
Greetings! I have been partaking in this LA thread since June of ‘22 and it has made such a huge difference in my life. I have met some very kind and smart people on here and hope to continue to be 99% AF.
Thinking of May goals overwhelms me, there’s so much to do, so I’m just going to keep it simple:
99% AF
Weight loss of 4-5 pounds
Get moving
5/1-5/19- 19 AF
I still am not feeling well but have remained AF. My stomach has been quite upset so A really isn’t an option. I see my doctor next week.
I saw my parents yesterday and my dad has changed over from an Android phone to an iPhone and it is really hard on him. I’m definitely not a tech expert but I’ve been using an iPhone forever so I was trying to help him. It’s not his fault but he can’t see or hear well and his fingers have neuropathy so he can’t type well. He has his passwords written down in 5 different places. I was sitting there and realized it’s too much for him and it made me sad. I just want to get him a flip phone and give him a hug and tell him everything is going to be okay. I was really sad and stressed out when I left their house and I thought “hoo boy if I drank alcohol, now would be a good time to pick some up.” Good for me for coping without alcohol in the end but also maybe not because my thoughts automatically turned to alcohol to “help” ease the negative feelings (?)
Oooh I hear you! We got my dad (legally blind) a flip phone with big numbers (marketed to seniors), put us all on speed dial, and he still somehow managed to turn off the ringer all the time and never got our calls. Not on purpose! It’s frustrating for sure. But worse is remembering the healthy young men they were, and then seeing struggle with mobility and disease. Breaks your heart. Hugs to you!6 -
globalhiker wrote: »I love this group and I do appreciate the honesty and the "lift" you all give me.
We all go through turbulent times and as much as we want to control life, it's got a wicked plan of it's own. Past few months I have not been the same, but have intentionally started running and pushing through my depression and am feeling better.
I am at point where it doesn't matter so much many calories or how many ounces of alcohol or how many steps I took or how many miles I ran, what matters first and foremost is myself and how good I feel. This is the foundation.
@dawnbgethealthy -sending good vibes your way! I see really good opportunities for you and I mean it.
Depression is awful. Sorry to hear you haven’t been yourself lately. Glad you found ways to get through it- without alcohol!5 -
Hubby is home from his round the works business trip! So great to have him back. I wanted a glass of wine before dinner, but instead had a mocktail because I didn’t want to drink on an empty stomach. One glass with dinner was perfect.
I’m doing well on the weight loss front by making better choices about food, and so far so good. I’ve gained 4 pounds in 3 months, and need to rein it in- even my new larger pants are getting a little snug !😳5 -
Goals for MaySelf-care and positive vibes!
Zig-zag calorie count - Daily Average 1400
Success = No more than two glasses of wine per night.
Current Streak - AF = 0 ~
5/20 ~ 🍷🍷🍷 Made it 3 AF 💚💚💚in a row, then planned to drink yesterday. No plans to drink today through Thursday (we shall see how it goes). Feeling pretty positive for the week on deck.
The Month recap to stay accountable5/1 AF ~ Yipee! 💚 - Finished April with 3 days straight AF! I changed a lot of things in the past couple of weeks - I'm not sure which one is working or if it's the combination. I lost 9lbs in April. I can't tell you the last time that happened.My 2023 Stats...
April 1 to April 15 - 3lbs, April 16 to April 30 - 6 lbs!!!
5/2 A ~ 🍷🍷🍷'eh. 1:1 for May but did string a few days in a row. I plan to be AF today and Thursday. Friday is Cinco de Mayo and my husband is already talking about Mexican so there might be a margarita or two.
5/3 AF ~ Yippee! 💚There's this window when I get home from work. About 30 minutes after my arrival for about an hour... If I get past that point, I'm usually ok. When there's nothing really stressing me, then it seems to be just habit for me.
5/4 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Today is Cinco De Mayo. Husband wants Mexican food and Margaritas. 😲😮🤭. I've already plugged planned food/drink into MFP and its going to be a tough one but I'm going to try to stay at my calorie budget. I have a salad planned for lunch which comes in at 300 calories. That leaves me plenty of room for a (one) margarita and a chicken taco meal. That leaves me with 45 calories to spare. Oops, forgot the chips and guacamole. 🤞🏽 I think I will go for an extra walk at lunch today!🙂
5/5 A ~🍸🍸🍸
5/6 A ~🍸🍸🍸
5/7 A ~ 🍷🍷
5/8 A ~🍷🍷 Need to get back on track today after a long, fun weekend full of drinks and food! Friday was Cinco de Mayo. Tried hard to make those calories fit within budget and have only 1 margarita #fail. Went to the Zoo on Saturday and walked around for 4 + hours with family (Grandson). It was a cool, wet and rainy day so the animals were VERY active. Usually they are just lying around asleep. After all that walking, we stopped at the Granite City Brewery. Had a burger to die for and a glass of wine. Came home to watch the Kentucky Derby and had a few cocktails. Sunday was back to a "normal" kind of day. Spent the morning cutting bushes and pulling weeds, then relaxed in the evening cooking on the grill (it was beautiful outside) and a couple glasses of wine. Today should be AF for sure and back on calorie budget! Update: Calories ok, but had wine.
5/9 A ~ 🍷🍷Long day yesterday. Husband had knee replacement surgery and I didn't plan very well for "me". Was hungry most of the day, only remedied by snacks. Couldn't bring outside food into the waiting room and they only had snacks and I didn't want to leave the area in case their were updates.
5/10 A ~🍷🍷 Another long day yesterday. The hospital is 1.5 hours away from home (he wanted a specific doctor) so another 3+ hours driving and they kept him another night. I did better with food choices but still over budget. The "all or none" in me is looking at a Sunday reset.
5/11 A ~🍷🍷🍷Yet another long day. So about 6 years ago, I use to commute to work 90 minutes each way, 5 days a week. After making a similar drive for three days in a row, I don't know how I managed. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do....
It was a stressful day. Husband was released🙂 but really not mobile at all. He "sort of" fell while getting into the car. I say "sort of" as the car broke his fall, he ended up sitting on the car floor. Someone eventually came out to help get him in the seat. We drove home. Took him over an hour to get from the car to inside the house. Once inside, he "thought" he was going to climb the 15 stairs to get to our bedroom. I said, nope, nadda, not going to happen. I said pick a couch or you can sleep in the recliner in the TV room and "maybe" we will try again tomorrow.
Then I cooked dinner and had wine!! Today I'm making him walk through the house every 60 to 90 minutes.
5/12 A ~🍷🍷🍷
5/13 A ~🍷🍷🍷
5/14 A ~🍷🍷🍷Mother's Day. I splurged with cheese and crackers and a chocolate flavored wine. Now it's time to get back on the plan - both for eating and drinking. I did make this instant pot pepper steak for dinner yesterday. It was actually pretty good and serving was under 350 calories, then add rice. I was going to serve over cauliflower rice, next time.
5/15 A ~ 🍷🍷🍷
5/16 AF ~ Yippee 💚
5/16 A ~ I thought the mind game prediction would help. It didn't. I'm going to start wearing ear buds when I get home. It's now been a full week since my husband's surgery. I don't discount that he has pain but the yelling is driving me nuts. Each time he yells, and he yells a lot, I panic and think that he's fallen or something. Somehow, I'm thinking, when I'm at work and he's alone, he's not screaming bloody murder. #andthistooshallpass. I am going to focus on being AF tonight, screams or no screams. I want to balance this month out.
5/17 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Success! Yesterday was good. Within calorie range, still a little short on water, but no alcohol! But, although a great day all around, the scale didn't show it and in fact, showed a gain. That was a little frustrating this morning ..... Gotta turn this ship around!!
So what did I do..went to Amazon and bought a new scale! (I did but not solely for that reason). I found one that tracks more metrics and I also bought a digital tape measure (I love gadgets). Keeping the focus!
5/18 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Happy with AF day but still frustrated with the scale. It was another good day. Got my water in (65oz), went for an additional 40 minute walk at lunch (16,653 steps for the day). Slightly over on calorie count but it was my low calorie day. Target 1050 - came in at 1326 (still good as far as I'm concerned). I am going to start tracking measurements so see if there's any changes elsewhere to help boost my morale!
5/19 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Three day streak -Current Month
AF = 6
A = 14
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January
AF = 53%
A = 47%
February
AF = 29%
A = 71%
March
AF = 0%
A = 100%
April
AF = 14%
A = 86%
May
AF = 30%
A = 70%8 -
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 16AF days in April.
I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.
Saturday May 20 - 2 drinks. I got lots of yard work before work and during my 2 hour break of my split shift. Planning to get almost all of the rest of my stuff planted today. I was going to wait until Wednesday to plant tomatoes and peppers because Tuesday overnight will be our last cold night until late fall. I am not sure that I can wait! My 36 pepper plants and 2 tomato plants have been fine on my covered porch so far, I am just itching to get them in the ground and I have a full day off to uncover their beds, turn them over, mix in my compost and stuff. Unsure if I will be AF today or not. I do have a piccolo of Prosecco in the fridge and all of the makings for a cool gin blender drinks. It is going to be a very hot day today. We'll see. I feel like I haven't had a complete day off in a few weeks. Yes, I still think about A all of the time unlike @lmlmrn. My AF days are the result only of willpower.
Rolling total - 12AF day out of 20 days.6 -
Greetings LA friends,
@globalhiker sounds like your intentions are paying off. You are inspiring. I wish I was a runner! I hear it is a great stress buster.
Took a 4 mile walk yesterday. Then, my DH brought home sushi and we watched a hysterical comedy while I packed for a trip. Had 2 glasses of Prosecco plus one last night. First time I went off my well charted weekly ‘plan’ for A. I absolutely made that choice in the moment. Surprisingly I slept through the night until 6:45.
Going out of town next week and planning ahead for fun, food, and sightseeing. Food and drink will be a bit challenging when traveling but I have a solid plan to enjoy and not to go overboard (keep to my plan).
This morning I read my past daily/weekly diary and can see how far I have come in realizing my initial WL and LA goals since January which includes having more energy.
Much appreciation to you for being a big part of my journey.
May stats:
A-7
AF - 13
May goal - minimum 22-23 AF days
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@dawnbgethealthy 36 pepper plants! You have been on the go with lots of extra work and hope that’s been good for you.5
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Nothing like being sick most of April and May to help you reach your AF goal earlier than usual!
@MissMay and all ... went back and read the May entries. Ya'll have been busy!
Insomnia from my current meds and remembering I had not posted in a long while had me logging in to catch up! Sorry I've not been keeping up but I'm focused on chasing a chronic cough (non smoker) that they believe might be tied all the way back to April 2022 covid when I thought I just had a headache to when it really kicked in in Nov/Dec when I was exposed again to covid and put me on my bottom when something kicked in even though I tested negative. Then a slight lull but my recovery time from exercising and my walking routine went down the tubes. By March I had a severe sinus infection. By April I was desperate ... chronic dry cough was getting much worse, fatigue, and no sleep for 4 nights in a row coughing, etc. Xray of lungs was clear. Lots of docs and follow ups. But to top it off I ended up with a bad case of pink eye that took the eye doc 2 different tries to find a med to clear it up. Then my doc put me on antibiotics to rid my body of whatever was going on along with a prescription cough pill, Flonase & all day allergy. Finished that and then 4 days of a stomach bug. My immune system is shot! Annual physical was clear last week ... well blood work, regular blood pressure, etc showed no signs of a problem.
So now with a pulmonologist: Breathing test which was interesting. Lungs clear, air flow good, no sign of asthma.
Before my follow up in one month I have
- CT scan of chest & neck without contrast
- Blood work for allergies & immune system
- Five meds for 2 weeks (steroid, stronger antibiotic, anti-fungal, cough med, and inhaler).
If they don't find anything then they are sending me for an upper GI and a cardiologist. The chronic dry cough is driving me and everyone around me crazy.
May accountability: 12 days AF
Alcohol: 9 = days (15 drinks)
Days over 2 glasses: 0
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days this month.
5/1 - 2 wine
5/2 - AF
5/3 - 1 beer
5/4 - AF
5/5 - AF
5/6 - AF
5/7 - AF
5/8 - AF
5/9 - 2 wine
5/10 - 2 wine
5/11 - AF
5/12 - 2 margarita on rocks - DIL graduation celebration
5/13 - 1 hard lemonade - Mother's Day weekend with the kids & grandkids in Austin
5/14 - 2 wine
5/15 - AF
5/16 - AF
5/17 - AF
5/18 - AF
5/19 - 1 wine
5/20 - 2 wine - wine, cheese & crackers for dinner
5/21 - AF6 -
@Lilylady3k !!!! Hello! We’ve missed you! Thank you for updating us. I am so very sorry to hear how sick you have been. Doctor’s appointments and medications and different diagnostics can be so exhausting. I really hope you get the cough figured out soon. Looks like you’re doing great sticking to your 2 glasses of A too 😃5
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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 16AF days in April.
I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.
Sunday May 21 - 3 drinks total. I had a Manhattan at 4pm and then went back into the yard for a couple of hours. I had 2 drinks around 8pm. Lots done in the yard, lots and lots still left to do. It rained overnight, so I was very happy to see that early this morning. The hose does not do the same job as a good rain : - )
Rolling total - 12AF day out of 21 days.5 -
@Lilylady3k glad you’re here! Your ongoing respiratory situation sounds extremely challenging. I also had a serious sinus infection and pink eye between February - March and was prescribed all those drugs. I added in a homeopathic regimen of twice daily throat coat tea and respiratory drops along with all the other immune system building supplements to support the body. I am sure you are over it, and hope for resolve very soon!
Doing okay this month, but I am a bit worried I might (not sure yet) fall short of my AF goal by a day. I didn’t look ahead and account for Memorial Day weekend with friends and family!
My stats for May:
A-7
AF - 14
May goal - 22-23 AF days6 -
Yesterday, I was hustling doing chores. While changing the oil on the Harley, I managed to drop a small plastic tube into the engine's oil reservoir and can't get it fished it.
I drank last night. A lot.8 -
@dawnbgethealthy Smoke from the fires made the weather news in Dallas. Somehow air currents managed to carry smoke down here, although it was just a haze. Hope the air clears up by you!3
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@Womona It can range wildly. I pay 500 a month but I've seen it for as low as 25 if you have some insanely awesome insurance, to 1600.2
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5/1-5/2-5/3 - AF
5/4-5/5-5/6- A
5/7- 5/8 - 5/9 -5/10- AF
5/11 - 5/12 - 5/13 - A
5/14 - 5/15 - 5/16 - AF
5/17- 5/18-5/19-5/20 - A
5/21 - 5/22 - AF3 -
@Lilylady3k ugh the endless dry cough! Sorry to hear your lungs are so twitchy lately. I hope you get relief soon. You’ve had a rough spring with all the infections and medications. May your immune system rebuild quickly, and may that dang cough go away!
@GaryM_25 I feel your frustration! I hope you can either fish it out or get a new oil reservoir quickly. As for the drinking, hey it’s one day, we’ve all been there. Today is a new day and you can get right back to your plan- despite what I’m sure is a nasty hangover!3 -
One glass of wine at book club last night. That’s it, nothing exciting to report! Hope everyone has a great day.5
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SunnyDays930 wrote: »@Womona It can range wildly. I pay 500 a month but I've seen it for as low as 25 if you have some insanely awesome insurance, to 1600.
Wow! Holy cow that is a lot! The only people I know (through my work in a chiro office) that have amazing insurance coverage are teachers and tradesmen. Everyone else is just ok to pitiful.2 -
May accountability: 12 days AF
Alcohol: 10 days (16 drinks)
Days over 2 glasses: 0
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days this month.
5/22 - 1 shot bourbon & full can Diet Coke (did not finish sipping over 3 hrs)
@Michieb125 @Womona @joans1976 - Thanks for the shout outs welcoming me back and empathizing with my current health situation.3 -
@dawnbgethealthy Smoke from the fires made the weather news in Dallas. Somehow air currents managed to carry smoke down here, although it was just a haze. Hope the air clears up by you!
Thank you. It lasted 48 hours. Normally (there seems to be very little normal in the weather anymore) this doesn't happen until August.
My petunias sure didn't like it.
We were not on fire here, but smoke travelled from Idaho, from Alberta, Central Western BC, and who knows where else. Crazy that the smoke went all of the way to Dallas!! Alberta has 91 active fires, 25 of them out of control. Fires in Saskatchewan are affecting North Dakota, and there are some burning around New Jersey.
We have had rain and cooler weather here starting yesterday, which has helped some communities to be able to go back home after evacuation.
I remember seeing the wildfires in California and in Mesquite last year.
That all sounds so doom and gloom, I didn't mean it to be. It is the new reality of life and affects so many communities. My heart goes out to all of those affected. So scary.6 -
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 16AF days in April.
I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.
Sunday May 21 - 3 drinks total. I had a Manhattan at 4pm and then went back into the yard for a couple of hours. I had 2 drinks around 8pm. Lots done in the yard, lots and lots still left to do. It rained overnight, so I was very happy to see that early this morning. The hose does not do the same job as a good rain : - )
Monday May 22 - AF - I went to work for a 4 hour shift and ended up working 9 hours straight through without a break (someone was sick). I had to use willpower to not come home after that and relax with a cocktail.
Rolling total - 13AF day out of 22 days.4 -
5/1-5/2-5/3 - AF
5/4-5/5-5/6- A
5/7- 5/8 - 5/9 -5/10- AF
5/11 - 5/12 - 5/13 - A
5/14 - 5/15 - 5/16 - AF
5/17- 5/18-5/19-5/20 - A
5/21 - 5/22- 5/23- AF5 -
@Lilylady3k, OMG so glad to hear from you and hope you are on the mend! You sound overdue for a nice vacation, curative for healing and preventing illness. At least that is what my grandparents used to tell me.
I am running again and been focusing on my "stress relief" goal of 20 min in the hot tub 3x a week. I do that before work and it's great. Ditched the fasting and eating 4x a day, just small meals with lots of nutrients. Feeling way, way better. Quality of my sleep better too.
More planned relaxation, more stress-relief, definitely more vacation-if you are type A+ like me or a workaholic, this plan sure does helps a ton to stay AF.
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May accountability: 12 days AF
Alcohol: 11 days (17 drinks)
Days over 2 glasses: 0
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days this month.
5/23 - 1 wine - DH & I ran into town for DD & grandkid while her husband was out of town. Wonderful little "craft kitchen" restaurant d'Alba Garden Oaks with fun outdoor seating.
https://dalbahtx.com
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globalhiker wrote: »@Lilylady3k, OMG so glad to hear from you and hope you are on the mend! You sound overdue for a nice vacation, curative for healing and preventing illness. At least that is what my grandparents used to tell me.
I am running again and been focusing on my "stress relief" goal of 20 min in the hot tub 3x a week. I do that before work and it's great. Ditched the fasting and eating 4x a day, just small meals with lots of nutrients. Feeling way, way better. Quality of my sleep better too.
More planned relaxation, more stress-relief, definitely more vacation-if you are type A+ like me or a workaholic, this plan sure does helps a ton to stay AF.
@globalhiker -I love your plan to address stress. Wonderful to hear that you are back to running, sleeping and found a food plan that works.
Hopefully all the meds the Pulmonologist has me on for 16 days will knock back what has been happening in my life with this chronic cough and fatigue. But the side effects of insomnia and restlessness need to taper off! Now to stay healthy on this cruise LOL and not come back with something else wrong. If we are healthy upon returning ... I'm going to use your line "vacation, curative for healing and preventing illness" with DH to schedule another vacation.
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Hi All - Just checking in quickly. I haven't been able to keep up with the thread lately. Hope everyone is doing well. This month has been somewhat challenging for me but I can and plan to meet my 16 AF day goal for the month.
Rolling Total: 10 AF Days out of 236 -
Glad to see you back, @Lilylady3k. Hope the meds do the job!4
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