3 weeks without alcohol

@chefdarnell I've used the same "excuse" when going out with friends as I did on my work trip. "I'm not going to drink for a while because I'm working on getting back into hockey shape." Nobody asked questions about my drinking, they were all more interested in what I was doing to get back. Maybe say something like that and use your reason for not drinking. Try to direct the conversation more towards the reason rather than about just not drinking, if they ask...if they don't ask after you tell them you aren't drinking, then move on to the next topic and have fun.

Well...I have passed the 60 day mark without a drink. I've had plenty of opportunities and been in plenty of situations where I could have had a drink, but I didn't. Still loving the difference it has made for me in so many ways. I hope everyone is doing well.

Great job everyone. It is cool to see so many of you with similar goals and some that have done a great job for a really long time.
@cmorris30316 That is a great goal. And great job on the weight loss so far. Once you hit that goal, you can obviously re-evaluate and go from there. Keep it up!
@hockeysniper8 I hear you. Most of my friends have been pretty good about not pushing drinks my way. They're probably excited that they now have a guaranteed DD. Hahaha.
@mjwarbeck I completely agree. For me, it made sense to stop drinking as opposed to cutting back. But a big part of my reason for stopping wasn't for the calories in calories out benefits. I was drinking too much too often, and once I'd have a drink, drinks 2, 3, 4 etc would come. I felt like I had a drinking problem and I want to set a better example for my kids. If/when I decide to drink again, it'll be when I know I can keep it to the one drink. But the longer I go without a drink, the easier it is not to have one. Regarding the CICO thing, since I didn't always stop at 1 drink, that did impact my nutrition and what I could eat if I wanted to meet a calorie goal. I found myself not eating as much during the day "in case" I was going to have 2 or 3 drinks at night, saving those calories, then I found myself saying "Well, I have these calories saved up, might as well drink them." It was a cycle that was getting worse and worse.

calmandpeaceful wrote: »

Burger2066 wrote: »

Great job everyone. It is cool to see so many of you with similar goals and some that have done a great job for a really long time.
@cmorris30316 That is a great goal. And great job on the weight loss so far. Once you hit that goal, you can obviously re-evaluate and go from there. Keep it up!
@hockeysniper8 I hear you. Most of my friends have been pretty good about not pushing drinks my way. They're probably excited that they now have a guaranteed DD. Hahaha.
@mjwarbeck I completely agree. For me, it made sense to stop drinking as opposed to cutting back. But a big part of my reason for stopping wasn't for the calories in calories out benefits. I was drinking too much too often, and once I'd have a drink, drinks 2, 3, 4 etc would come. I felt like I had a drinking problem and I want to set a better example for my kids. If/when I decide to drink again, it'll be when I know I can keep it to the one drink. But the longer I go without a drink, the easier it is not to have one. Regarding the CICO thing, since I didn't always stop at 1 drink, that did impact my nutrition and what I could eat if I wanted to meet a calorie goal. I found myself not eating as much during the day "in case" I was going to have 2 or 3 drinks at night, saving those calories, then I found myself saying "Well, I have these calories saved up, might as well drink them." It was a cycle that was getting worse and worse.

Burger - this sounds like me. So how did you get through the first week? I agree with what everyone said - but for me, wine at night is a treat. I have a boring job and 4 teenaged daughters - many, many blessings - but those two get on my nerves. What actual steps did you take to remove alcohol from your life? I need to re-adjust my life/brain. My nutrition and exercise are good - but it's the wine that adds calories, is obviously unhealthy because I am not a moderate drinker (well, most times) and, I eat more late at night. I think if I can get a few good weeks under my belt of not drinking - or modifying greatly - then I will be in a good rhythm.

Thanks

The first week was tough, I'm not going to lie. I had a bottle of Jack and a bottle of vodka in the house. I put post it notes on them that simple said "Think". I also put a counter timer on my phone, so when I unlock my phone, that is the first thing I see. Those two things helped me a lot, but it wasn't easy. I also carried around my shaker bottle and drank water non-stop (which I usually do anyway), but I made it a point to have an extra 2 bottles worth each night (that's an extra 40oz of water) so it helped me feel full and not thirsty. I would also recommend putting the bottles in a place where you wouldn't regularly see them, so that you have to intentionally go for them...put notes along the way that you will see, read, and stop yourself. I hope some of that helps and I hope you can reach your goals! It isn't easy, but so far, it has been worth it.