Less alcohol- February 2018- one day at a time

Will_Run_for_Food wrote: »

I'm in again! After not losing any of my holiday weight last month, I need to take this more seriously. Snacking more than I knew I should was a factor, but so was the drinking, even though I tried cutting down. But I didn't try hard enough.

So goal is to stick to one night during the week, and then only one or two drinks, and then maybe Fridays and Saturdays depending on what's going on.

Here are some tips that I know have worked for me in the past that have helped me avoid drinking:

- Play an evening sport with a rec league (but skip the beers after!)
- Commit to working out first thing in the morning both to yourself and to someone else (e.g. a workout buddy or fitness class instructor)
- Give yourself some errands to do in the evening
- Whatever you do, just stay out of the kitchen (except to make meals)
- Avoid routes to work or home that have beer or liquor stores on them (this is a big one for me as there is a liquor store right by my bus stop on the way home from work)
- Tell your significant other you are trying to cut down (or eliminate) and ask for their support
- Promise yourself you won't drink the night before a big meeting, presentation or other important event where you need to be on your game
- Consider taking a supplement like Kudzu (personally I have found this to help but it might have been placebo - either way!)
- Write down your feelings in a diary (if you struggled that day, how great you felt that morning because you didn't drink the night before, etc.). This helps identify your triggers and figure out ways to cope
- Visualize your success
- Keep coming back to forums like this