Who's with me?
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Welcome to our new members! And well done to all those managing to cut back - or to cut it out! It's amazing how we can manage it when we finally decide to, isn't it. I'm coming up to 6 months completely alcohol free after years of resisting the fact that I needed to. My philosophy was that I know I 'should' give up (or cut back, but I knew that wouldn't be an option for me), but I enjoy my wine and I just don't want to do without.
It's pretty much second nature to me now, except for the odd occasion when I wistfully watch other people sipping their wine and I can just taste it trickling down my throat.............
And boy, has it made the weight loss so much easier - unbelievably so! I couldn't have lost what I have and still been drinking.
So, I'm almost halfway to goal and halfway to the alcohol-free year I committed to, and I've decided that I'm fine to keep going until I reach my final goal. Which means I'll probably be going until around March/April next year.
But the scary part for me is what happens then. I really don't want to be wine-free for the rest of my life - I enjoy it too much - but I don't want to end up back where I was, so I think I'm heading for an even bigger challenge when I do hit goal than I had in giving up!
Good luck to you all. Hang in there - it is worth it and it does get easier!
Christine0 -
Okay, this is the place I need to be! I have wanted to stop drinking wine for sooo long now. So I am finally going to really make the effort. I started eating better about a year ago, all super foods. I do GREAT all day, then in the evenings I love that wine and the bad snacks and the whole day is blown. It is so frustrating. So I am going to put my all into and I am glad I found this group! You guys are my inspiration
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where did you all go?!?! Opal how you doing with the no drinking?
How is everyone, how you all doing?
I no longer drink during the week!!! AND..... it's Friday night and I have not had a drink for a week!
C'mon guys, let me know how you all are!:drinker:0 -
This is my sixth day with no alcohol, and I feel great. For me, it's not as much about the weight loss (although that's definitely a factor,) but more about the dependency. I used to turn to pure exercise to treat stress, but at the end of last school year, I turned to red wine.
I have no intention of giving it up forever, but I really want to save the money, the calories, and my brain cells. After just a week, I feel like I'm thinking clearer, and I lost a pound!0 -
I'm still here - still alcohol free and still logging daily and losing weight steadily. It's just coming up to 8 months (this week) since my last glass ( well actually many glasses) of wine on New Year's Day, and I genuinely don't miss it. I have the occasional twinge if I'm with others who are drinking, but that's about it. However, I don't know if that's because I've never said the abstinence was forever. If I thought I'd never have another glass of wine I don't know if I'd find it quite so easy. As it is, I expect to hit my goal weight around Feb next year, so that's going to be crunch time for me!
Helenoftroy - it sounds as though you've got it sorted. Do you find it easy keeping to weekends? That seems to be the obvious way to go when I'm ready to start again.
Welcome to sheen8r and kath2bfit. Good luck on your journey. As you can see, it is possible!0 -
I am so glad I found this group. This is my 3rd time using MFP. I am a healthy eater and am pretty active but I drink way too much wine. I didn't want to admit that was the problem because I felt like it meant I was an alcoholic. Maybe I am but the point is I want to stop the cycle before it gets worse. I am the type that likes to drink a bottle a night. It wasn't always that way. I was a 1 or 2 glass of wine each night and more on the weekends kind of girl. Then...I don't know. It just has gotten out of control. In order to be healthier and save money I know I need to cut way way back. I started yesterday. I only had 1 glass of wine. Now tonight I have book club (we joke and call it a wine club that reads books. See where part of my problem is?) I am hoping to stick to 2 glasses tonight and then my plan is to not have any during the week. I have some major habits to break but I am hopeful I can find other things to keep me busy.
It has taken a lot of courage for me to post on here. I really appreciate all of your post. Each one of you is going through the same thing and dealing with it a different way. I hope I have a sucess story to tell in 90 days :happy:0 -
I'll be honest, it's hard some nights. It's the idea that I drink wine to relax and in the evening I love a glass of wine but I am losing weight by not drinking and it's become a bit of a competition with myself, some type of control that I know I have with wine.
I also don't want to admit it was a problem but I'm not sure how I would feel if someone told me I couldn't drink ever again.
Glad to hear how well you are doing Opal. That is fabulous how long you have gone!
Well done to everyone else for joining this group and getting a tackle on any wine/alcohol dependency.0 -
I am back after a little "hiatus". My mother was diagnosed with cancer in April of this year and by June she was gone. Needless to say I have been "anesthetizing" for a little while. And to top it off I turned 40 in may! Luckily I signed up to run a marathon this fall so I have been getting off the couch but it is time to get it all back on track . My first step is going to be saving the vino for special occasions and not a bottle every night. At my fitness level there is no reason other than the alcohol that I shouldn't be loosing weight. I am ready to get my head back in the game and I have really enjoyed this group! Glad to see you are still here!0
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I'll give this a go. Like many here the 'nightly glass +' has become a ritual and it would be good to cut it out. Also in the coming months there will be several nights when work will involve being in bars all night, and if I stand there supping I'll be getting loads inside me. And I don't want to be 'that guy' who always has a glass in his hand. I've loved alcohol in all its myriad forms for decades so it is a bit of a change of gear but at the end of the day it's just a substance.0
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Hi everyone! It's coming up to 9 months without booze for me (and for Opal24 as we started at the same time). Unlike Opal, however, who is a good girl, I am naughty and have actually been missing it more and more as time has passed! I went through a phase of not minding being in pubs and not drinking, but somehow, now that the summer is over and autumn is approaching, I hate it and can't do it anymore! I think this is mainly because autumn is so full of events that would normally involve booze (my birthday, Halloween, quite a handful of family birthdays), and of course there is the dreaded Christmas not long after that! Also, I am running a half marathon tomorrow and there will be a massive temptation to have a celebratory glass after that (my husband will certainly have one - or several). But I am determined to make it to the 365 days (or 366, as this is a leap year!).
I can't deny that the physical effects have been good (weight loss, better skin, dramatically reduced hay fever this summer), but in my mind I am not enjoying it! I actually can't wait until I can have a drink again, although I am also deathly scared about having one glass and not being able to stop!
Hope everyone else is doing ok - I do find it motivating to read other people's stories.
V xxx0 -
Well guys how you all doing? Esp Vacherin and Opal!!! Coming up to your year, only 5 weeks ish to go! I'm back to trying not to drink during the week, got into some bad habits and put on 10lbs! God I hate my dependency!
Help!0 -
Hi - good to hear from you. I'm still here, still dry, but counting down now.......... 34 1/2 days to go :-) And like Vacherin I'm finding that the closer I get to the end the more I miss it. I'm really not looking forward to the next month of Christmas social activities, but I'm absolutely determined to get through them - just sheer bloody-mindedness really. Still nervous about how I'll go once the 365 days are up, but I still haven't reached goal, so any wine I do have is going to have to fit into my calorie count. I'm hoping that will help me to ease back in slowly and get used to it being just an occasional treat. No, I'll amend that and say that i KNOW it will help me ease back!!! I'm sorry you're still finding it hard - I wish I could help, but the only thing that got me through once I'd made the decision was finding a replacement activity for when I did drink - which is hard if you drink in a social situation, but easy if you drink alone at home the way I did. Good luck with the cutting back!!0
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how you doing opal24? two more nights? I often wonder how you are doing. I'm cutting right down in the new year, to once per week. On a Saturday I think.
WHO'S WITH ME?!?!?
:drinker: :happy:0 -
Have stuck it out to the bitter end, I'm proud to say! So tonight's the last night (New Year's Eve here in NZ). Unfortunately, no one in the house is going to be awake at midnight and they don't drink anyway........... hoping I can find someone to break the drought with me tomorrow evening!!0
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oh my goodness!!!!!
WELL DONE YOU!!!!! That is phenomenal! Absolutely fantastic!
Let us know what it's like, how it tastes etc. How much weight have you lost through it etc.
:drinker: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:0 -
started this last fall- been a reg wine drinker for about 5 years. Goodness what an easy habit to fall into!!
pretty sure that habit is responsible for most of the45 lbs or so I am trying to lose!
Didnt have a drink of anything from Sept 1- Oct 2. Then had a bit for a birthday ( I had decided special occasions only)
Then off for a week, then my birthday, then some stress wine..... well before i knew it the battle was on again!
Xmas and new Years are now over and I am determined to go back to "special occasions only" now.
So my goal today is not a drop till Valentines day.
And FYI, I lost 5 lbs that month, slept like a baby and my complexion was awesome!!!0 -
I'm in too!! This is so daunting, but it must be done...my beloved drinks are holding me back from my fitness goals - and its time I switch priorities! So glad to have found this one!0
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last night was good
Day 2 today...
Slept so well again, I do believe that is the most noticable (first) benefit of not drinking!
How is everyone else doing??0 -
day two done!0
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Hi, mee too...I like my wine far toooo much, trying to re-train myself to being a "normal"drinker for health, money, social as well as weight loss. However, along with changing my diet, I want it to be sustainable and long term...no more "binging" on wine cuz I have had a bad shift or its "my weekend off" . Thankful to have found this group 0
