Less Alcohol- April 2018- One Day at a Time

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  • runtodayamyrun
    runtodayamyrun Posts: 59 Member
    I am like @lporter229 , I don't get to check this thread on the weekends, it's murder to do through my phone. Something I did notice over this weekend is how strong the smell of alcohol is when you're not drinking it. It makes me shudder to think of all the times I had a drink or so and didn't want anyone to know. But now thinking about it, how could they not smell it? I wasn't drinking a beer, it was Rum you and can't mask that.

    @rachelcalsbeek, Yes you are so right. But it's the opposite with my husband and I. My husband at first took note and slowed down as well. But it didn't last long, because he isn't as committed about it. And the times I feel myself slipping into I want a drink is when he has is out and it is staring me in the face. So great job supporting your husband by in turn helping yourself!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited April 2018
    <removed>
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Hi,

    Going to try this again...

    I am new to this service and this is my first real post. This thread caught my eye for reasons that are probably obvious. I started my alcohol reduction program in mid February and for the most part I am doing okay. It is part of an overall weight loss program. I have endured enough diet failures in my time to know if I turn my back completely on all the elements that got me into this situation I will eventually go nutso and fully revert. With that in mind I have designed my own diet that makes allowances for things like pasta and alcohol. Currently I am trying to limit myself to every other Sunday for drinking.

    I don't know about others but I am the king of the "one more night can't hurt" rationalization. Since last night was my regularly scheduled allowance now the trick is to get the genie back in the bottle again.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,381 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Hi,

    Going to try this again...

    I am new to this service and this is my first real post. This thread caught my eye for reasons that are probably obvious. I started my alcohol reduction program in mid February and for the most part I am doing okay. It is part of an overall weight loss program. I have endured enough diet failures in my time to know if I turn my back completely on all the elements that got me into this situation I will eventually go nutso and fully revert. With that in mind I have designed my own diet that makes allowances for things like pasta and alcohol. Currently I am trying to limit myself to every other Sunday for drinking.

    I don't know about others but I am the king of the "one more night can't hurt" rationalization. Since last night was my regularly scheduled allowance now the trick is to get the genie back in the bottle again.

    Welcome to our thread. I've done some research on this and you are spot on. The body goes to work on alcohol first, so the food digestion is a secondary concern, hence more weight gain and fatter around the middle look. Wishing you luck! Anything is possible; you have a great plan in place that you started almost eight weeks ago. Bravo!
  • erikNJ
    erikNJ Posts: 1,009 Member
    Haha, I have to laugh at all the Mad Men comments. That show goes way further than drinking, smoking and womanizing :D
    That is really only the very beginning. The show really goes into the how the cultural changes of the late 60s affected that old business style. And they really get into Don Draper’s alcoholism as a focus point. Got to stick it out and see how it progresses.
  • salleewins
    salleewins Posts: 2,308 Member
    @jecky74 sounds great! I need some ice. Beats chocolate kisses and the calories.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    lporter229 wrote: »
    Wow! It appears I missed a lot this weekend. I usually take a break from the MFP forums on the weekends. Catching up with this thread on Mondays seems to be the real challenge here!

    @Orphia- Welcome! I am glad to see you here. And what I mean by that is I am glad to know that I am not the only one in the endurance running community that questions my relationship with alcohol, and more importantly, that I always appreciate your wisdom and perspective. I liked your statement " I am not an alcoholic. I am whatever I want to be". That is exactly how I feel. Alcohol does not have control over my life because I will not allow it to. These last few months for me have been largely about that. I have been doing a lot of inward reflecting on the things in my life that I can improve to make a healthier and happier "Tomorrow Me". The journey has made me realize a lot about myself and the world around me.

    I am currently through my first week of zero alcohol. It hasn't been particularly hard because I am still looking at it as something positive that I am doing for myself. I feel good. Saturday was another one of those eye opening experiences. As I mentioned earlier, I think, we attended a 25th wedding anniversary party for our good friends. Most of the people in attendance are heavy drinkers and the booze was very freely flowing at the open bar.

    At first, things were a bit awkward for me. Everybody was drinking and having a good time, I felt like I was somehow standing outside of the celebration. I was drinking club soda with a lime. I eventually found myself hanging out with the bar tender, who was pregnant and resisting all of the offers for shots. I helped her out when she needed a break to eat or go to the bathroom. I realized that it was mostly the same people coming up to the bar over and over for drinks. It was actually kind of fun playing bar tender and socializing. I could see myself doing this at future events when I did not want to drink.

    By the middle of the evening, most of the non-drinkers or light drinkers had left and the crowd was starting to get really drunk. It was at this point that I realized that I was glad I was not drinking. Although they appeared to be having fun, most of the people were slurring their words, stumbling around, some even falling down trying to dance, and acting generally obnoxious. Included in this crowd was my husband and our good friend, who I would be driving home. I was very ready to leave, but trying to get drunk people together to leave a party is like trying to heard cats. By the time we left, I was pretty much out of patience with the whole scene. I was ready to go to bed and wake up feeling good and ready to meet some friends at 8AM for a 16 mile run. It definitely made me realize why the people that don't drink heavily usually leave these kinds of parties early.

    Another thing that I have realized by not drinking is that it does have an overall impact on my body and my performance. Last month I got an activity tracker when I upgraded my GPS running watch. I have never before tracked my resting heart rate and sleep activity. Prior to going completely alcohol free, I had noticed that on nights that I drank alcohol, my average HR was a few beats higher than on days that I didn't. I also noticed that my percentage of time in "deep sleep" was a lot less. This is a part of what motivated me to go alcohol free for a while. I was really interested to see how it would affect how I felt and functioned over all. This week, my resting heart rate (which is calculated from an algorithm that uses your average nightly HR) has dropped by 7 BMP. I also noticed that my HR while running is noticeably lower than in previous weeks for similar runs. While I don't necessarily feel like my running performance has improved, I do feel like I have been able to recover faster and stronger form my long runs. Additionally, my sleep has improved and I am feeling more alert and energized during the day. Of course, none of this is surprising, but It is motivating to me to see it in the cold, hard numbers.

    @lporter229 Have a big hug, endurance sport sister! Great post, and well done this week and especially at the party.

    Yes, you're right, my HR was high all evening when I drank, too. Now it's only really high for a minute or so when I have a coffee (running excepted).

    Likewise, I'm also needing less sleep and feeling more energised.


    I should add that part of my story is that my husband gave up alcohol over 2 years ago. He's been a great example for me. He did it while he was taking Zyban to quit vaping. He found that the Zyban made him not want to drink. He never expected me to give up drinking too. He let me deal with it in my own way.
  • missanne11
    missanne11 Posts: 79 Member
    Alzzi76 wrote: »
    crazykatlady820 wrote: »
    My favorite group of folks on MFP! Hey, guys! I’m 170 days sober here. Some days are harder than others, but my goal is to abstain completely as my drinking was quite problematic and life has been so amazing (Though not necessarily easy.) the past 170 days. I have no intention of ever drinking again. Here is my latest progress pic comparison. I’m 57 pounds down and that is something I just couldn’t do when I was drinking because I would binge drink several nights a week and binge drinking always led to crazy binge eating. And the hangovers meant I never had energy to do much of anything. v1kx62kkdykv.jpeg

    A BIG Hug to u,.. u r sooo awesome. .. just look at u!!
    U must feel a lot better. .. u look it!! :)<3

    I have to say u have freshly inspired me.. reminding me of my past and to how much better life is for my body.
    Its far from perfect but least not at goal weight yet so i still have a way to go but ive come quite a way, more mentally than physically.

    This feed and all the members has been like, God sent for me.. you'll find it friendly and helpful too.

    Lots of love to u and wish u the very best!!..

    Wow you look amazing. Your skin looks so bright. Wonderful job. I've just decided yesterday to quit drinking. Day 2 for me. I'm so determined and I know I have to do this. Wish me luck!
  • missanne11
    missanne11 Posts: 79 Member
    Hi guys I've been off this for a few weeks. I'm back with a vengeance. Can't handle drinking anymore. Easter I was drinking before dinner and had my daughter and family over. I imbibed too much and i called my daughter a week later Saturday. Drinking again which she could telll. She wasn't happy with me and basically said I need to stop. My husband been saying that for awhile but hearing that from her was my wake up call. I'm inspired by you all. Wish me luck
  • Cleosweetie
    Cleosweetie Posts: 71 Member
    edited April 2018
    erikNJ wrote: »
    Haha, I have to laugh at all the Mad Men comments. That show goes way further than drinking, smoking and womanizing :D
    That is really only the very beginning. The show really goes into the how the cultural changes of the late 60s affected that old business style. And they really get into Don Draper’s alcoholism as a focus point. Got to stick it out and see how it progresses.

    @eriknj: lol. So many die hard fans have *begged* me to continue watching, citing these same reasons. I think four episodes is a reasonable chance, though! I've had people give up my favorite shows after 20 minutes, refusing to watch any further. The final nail in the coffin was when he missed his son's birthday party to go sit at the train tracks. I appreciate watching flawed, complex, and nuanced characters, but there has to be some redeeming quality. Missing your son's bday (just because that's what men often did in those days)-- that was the bridge too far for me. :(
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,381 Member
    erikNJ wrote: »
    Haha, I have to laugh at all the Mad Men comments. That show goes way further than drinking, smoking and womanizing :D
    That is really only the very beginning. The show really goes into the how the cultural changes of the late 60s affected that old business style. And they really get into Don Draper’s alcoholism as a focus point. Got to stick it out and see how it progresses.

    I loved Mad Men. I watched it to the end. Don Draper is someone who is so flawed, yet never really learns from his mistakes. I thought the whole show was brilliant- Roger Sterling was my fave.
  • SunnyDays930
    SunnyDays930 Posts: 1,574 Member
    The actor that plays Don Draper (dreamy Jon Hamm) ended up in rehab after the show. Life imitating art perhaps? I'm still eating Easter candy like there is no tomorrow but I am GOING to get through April AF come Hell or high water. @ Julie I love the alcohol mastery guy's podcast(Kevin O'Hara) but he always sounds like he is out of breath. Like he is taping his podcasts while on the treadmill or something.
  • goingtobefit2015
    goingtobefit2015 Posts: 408 Member
    I've eliminated all alcohol since March 1st and eating a WFPB diet style and have lost 14lbs so far!! IT IS THE FOOD AND IT WORKS
  • SanDiegofitmom
    SanDiegofitmom Posts: 303 Member
    Cleosweetie wrote: »
    erikNJ wrote: »
    Haha, I have to laugh at all the Mad Men comments. That show goes way further than drinking, smoking and womanizing :D
    That is really only the very beginning. The show really goes into the how the cultural changes of the late 60s affected that old business style. And they really get into Don Draper’s alcoholism as a focus point. Got to stick it out and see how it progresses.

    @eriknj: lol. So many die hard fans have *begged* me to continue watching, citing these same reasons. I think four episodes is a reasonable chance, though! I've had people give up my favorite shows after 20 minutes, refusing to watch any further. The final nail in the coffin was when he missed his son's birthday party to go sit at the train tracks. I appreciate watching flawed, complex, and nuanced characters, but there has to be some redeeming quality. Missing your son's bday (just because that's what men often did in those days)-- that was the bridge too far for me. :(

    Even though I know Mad Men, and other heavy shows like Narcos are totally well written etc, they make me depressed! My hubby loves them but I just don’t feel like being brought down.
  • SanDiegofitmom
    SanDiegofitmom Posts: 303 Member
    goingtobefit2015 wrote: »
    I've eliminated all alcohol since March 1st and eating a WFPB diet style and have lost 14lbs so far!! IT IS THE FOOD AND IT WORKS

    What is WFPB?
  • AlainaKayy
    AlainaKayy Posts: 206 Member
    4rtistry wrote: »

    The great dilemma.

    I'm in, starting this month. I don't expect life to get any less stressful, but I figure the least I can do is choose to respond to stress in a way that's healthy and doesn't actively impede my other goals.

    Loved the picture you posted and it is completely true. Good luck to you!
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  • SpanishFusion
    SpanishFusion Posts: 261 Member
    edited April 2018
    I have a love/hate relationship with Mad Men. I rented Season 1 on Netflix but decided that I would just watch the rest as they come on cable. It is so well written and at times extremely funny, but I am constantly saying, "oooh that makes me so mad" whenever one of the guys pop off a sexist remark or something is completely male chauvinistic. My husband says, "Don't watch it if you don't like it." But I'm boarder line hooked. There is also something extremely appealing and yet equally creepy about Don Draper. I never thought about it until now, but I think it's the alcohol. I think he's creepy when drunk. Just like I thought Robert Downey Jr was creepy in Short Cuts (I had to go look up the name of the movie - haha). After that I couldn't stand him. He is just now getting back into my good graces with the Iron Man movies, coincidentally he is sober now. It has also taken me years to somewhat like Nicholas Cage after watching him play an extreme alcoholic. That move made me sick to my stomach.
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    edited April 2018
    OMG, @JenT304, you and I are having the same problem. Today I'm trying to increase protein bc I'm feeling hungry - a lot. Just had some Fage, which has a ton of protein, and some cashews. Hope that does the job for awhile. I put my little sweets (couple of chocolate kisses, few gummies and my beloved TJ mini peanut butter cup) in a little dish and said to myself, THAT IS IT. No mas. When those are gone, you're done. Fingers Xd.
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    @SanDiegofitmom - we tried Narcos, we really did. Just couldn't do it, for the same reasons you cite.
  • SunnyDays930
    SunnyDays930 Posts: 1,574 Member
    @kittybenn the struggle is real.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,381 Member
    JenT304 wrote: »
    The actor that plays Don Draper (dreamy Jon Hamm) ended up in rehab after the show. Life imitating art perhaps? I'm still eating Easter candy like there is no tomorrow but I am GOING to get through April AF come Hell or high water. @ Julie I love the alcohol mastery guy's podcast(Kevin O'Hara) but he always sounds like he is out of breath. Like he is taping his podcasts while on the treadmill or something.

    He is out of breath (Kevin O'Hara); most of his videos and I assume podcasts are done when he is hiking. Must be his thing. Get two things done at once.
    Yes, John Hamm is one handsome man! Didn't know he went to rehab.

    Off topic, there is a good series on Amazon called "Catastrophe"; it's about a newly married couple (in their lates 30s) navigating life. But in the show, the husband is portrayed as a recovering alcoholic. As the seasons progress, his addiction is starting to rear it's ugly head in their lives. Don't want to reveal too much. I recommend it; it's quirky, humorous and serious, too.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    SanDiegofitmom wrote: »

    What is WFPB?

    Whole Food Plant Based. It is a good way to detox your system because in addition to meat you stay away from processed foods. For me it is not sustainable but in my six week diet rotation I do have a week that is WFPB + some fish. The first time through gave me days of near euphoria.

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