Less Alcohol - MARCH 2021

globalhiker · March 2021

Day 53 AF here. Survived a challenge day yesterday but coped the wrong way with a bad lunch of just tortilla chips and too many chocolates. My hunger and anger scale hit a level 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Pretty bad.

I had just left the foot doctor who told me I had to throw out ALL my shoes, I may eventually need foot surgery, and off to physical therapy I go. Of course the shoes she recommended cost in the $150 range. And I need ones for different activities. Feet change as we age. Crap! Crap...crap...crap...crap....

But I have to force myself to look at the bright side and lose those bad feelings that don't serve me.

At least I did not drink. Now my mall planned shopping event is going to be a really major event. I may find some good deals. The foot pain may go away. And I will be able to run and hike again. Today I will be good to myself and eat well. I have my indoor cycle I can play with.

I need to put on my rose colored glasses and create a good day for myself. And just chill out.

globalhiker · March 2021

Great pix @dawnbgethealthy .....what an inspiration you are! And I think I'll add that purple top to my mall shopping list. Good color

Lilylady3k · March 2021

dawnbgethealthy wrote: »

@Lilylady3k
What do you put into (or take out of) your skinny Margaritas to make them skinny? Do you take out the triple sec and agave syrup?
I have tried the pre-mixed Skinny brand Margaritas, they are pretty good, although up here we only drink those refreshing kind of drinks in the hot summer. Different in Texas : - )
When I was there in Texas I had them rimmed with the red spicy salt, sooo good! I forget what it is called.

I don't put salt on the rim but a red spicy salt option would be yummy!
Recipe my daughter & DILs shared with me

1 shot tequila
1/2 shot of Cointreau
3/4-1 shot lime juice or 1.5 limes
Small squirt of light agave nectar or liquid Stevia

About 200 calories and 10 net carbs when measuring a shot as 2oz. Less if you use the Stevia.

It's summer almost year around @ fishing camp 🎣 and when not hot it is really nice weather. Think Lower Laguna Madre around the South Padre Island in Texas. We keep the makings for skinny margaritas at the camp.

ducky133 · March 2021

@Womona great job on reaching goal! That must feel wonderful.

AR10at50 · March 2021

I always get on and read the posts here, but never have anything new to say. I have been doing @dawnbgethealthy ‘s thing where she tries to have 2 AF days in between a day with drinks and that has really helped me. It’s hard for me to think about going a whole week, but 2 days are doable.
Karen

Lilylady3k · March 2021

Lilylady3k wrote: »

dawnbgethealthy wrote: »

@Lilylady3k
What do you put into (or take out of) your skinny Margaritas to make them skinny? Do you take out the triple sec and agave syrup?
I have tried the pre-mixed Skinny brand Margaritas, they are pretty good, although up here we only drink those refreshing kind of drinks in the hot summer. Different in Texas : - )
When I was there in Texas I had them rimmed with the red spicy salt, sooo good! I forget what it is called.

I don't put salt on the rim but a red spicy salt option would be yummy!
Recipe my daughter & DILs shared with me
1 shot tequila

1/2 shot of Cointreau

3/4-1 shot lime juice or 1.5 limes

Small squirt of light agave nectar or liquid Stevia

About 200 calories and 10 net carbs when measuring a shot as 2oz. Less if you use the Stevia.

It's summer almost year around @ fishing camp 🎣 and when not hot it is really nice weather. Think Lower Laguna Madre around the South Padre Island in Texas. We keep the makings for skinny margaritas at the camp.

@dawnbgethealthy - You can also use orange juice instead of Cointreau. Less expensive $ & calories!

Peach1948 · March 2021

I can highly recommend doing The Alcohol Experiment (https://app.upliftgroups.com/c/thealcoholexperiment) that was mentioned as a helpful aid on the first page this month. It is helping me immensely!

chocolate_owl · March 2021

@dawnbgethealthy @Lilylady3k Oooooh we're talking about margaritas!!!

Husband and I got hooked on the Jose Cuervo zero calorie margarita mix a long time ago. This is definitely not for everyone because it's not very sweet. It uses sucralose as a sweetener (not everyone's favorite artificial sweetener), but there must not be very much. We'd do tequila, a tiny splash of triple sec, and the margarita mix. 1.5 oz of tequila + a bit of orange liqueur would total up to 110 calories per drink.

We must have been the only people drinking it, because now we can't find it. We've resorted to buying the On The House Light margarita mix that our local Kroger carries, which is 10 calories for 4 oz. It's a lot sweeter. We usually skip the triple sec here, just tequila and the mix. IDK why, I think it's just laziness on our part. Once again, about 110 calories per drink.

If I'm in a restaurant, getting a nice margarita made by a bartender who has all the fancy ingredients stocked, I usually go for Lilylady3K's recipe, but with no sweetener, and definitely the spicy salt around the rim.

When my dad is making margaritas, each one is 2 shots tequila, 2 shots cointreau, 2 shots lime juice, and hope you can crawl into bed before you hit the floor. Don't make my dad's recipe.

lmlmrn · March 2021

Hello to everyone today!
Hot toddy again last night x2. I did not take any medication now for 36 hours and I seem to be doing fair. I tossed all the whiskey out so I am not tempted by hot toddy excuse. 3 nights in a row is way way too much. Today's goal. by some vicks vapor rub for under my nose LOL.

We are having an old friend come by next Tuesday. this is someone that we use to go out and have drinks with on a regular basis. I have not seen her since covid shut everything down. She wanted to go to a restaurant but we are not ready to venture there yet. So she is coming to our house and I am cooking. My fear is she will bring her beer and is expecting us to drink with her. In my head I can hear myself saying no thank you and sticking to my lemon water and/or tea. Hope we still have things in common other than alcohol.

Speaking of skinny drinks......btw congrats to @Womona on reaching your weight goal, does anyone have a skinny alcohol free bloody mary recipe? I love using spicy v8 but beyond that I am at a loss

chocolate_owl · March 2021

@Womona Congratulations on reaching goal weight!!

@globalhiker Did the podiatrist say what's causing your pain?? Throwing out everything and starting over seems extreme, but I get it if it's necessary. Start with the items that should be big-ticket anyway, like your main pair of walking shoes. And a second opinion never hurts just to make sure you've got the right diagnosis and you're doing PT for the right thing. My back pain actually started manifesting in my foot - most people complain about numbness, but mine feels like I'm walking over rocks barefoot. It's all from pinched nerves.

@AR10at50 Sounds like you have a good strategy in place, and it's working for you. How are you feeling?

@lmlmrn You might seriously consider asking your GP about a corticosteroid pack, if you don't have any conditions that would keep you from taking them. Good luck with your friend - it might be helpful to have something structured to do, like a game, as an alternative to drinking being the entertainment?

Lilylady3k · March 2021

Last minute change in plans after arriving home. Dinner at my sister's home. Pretty sure that was 4 glasses of white wine.

dawnbgethealthy · March 2021

@Womona
Congrats on reaching your goal weight!!!

dawnbgethealthy · March 2021

@lmlmrn
I hope everything goes well with your visiting friend.
I know that I had to distance myself from the drinking crowd when I decided to cut back.
I have one friend in my "bubble" that drinks wine every day. Some days it is a trigger for me.
I get what you are wondering, if you will have anything in common besides drinking.
The world indeed becomes small if it revolves around drinks.

So many ways to make a Bloody Mary, or in this case a Virgin Bloody Mary.
Up here we drink Bloody Caesars (clamato instead of tomato) so you would be hard pressed to find anyone that has heard of a Bloody Mary believe it or not. I like them better because Clamato is so thin compared to Tomato Juice.

Typical would be Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt and pepper, rimmed with celery salt or coarse salt.
I like to put horseradish in mine. It might look kind of gross, but it is so yummy.
There is also a version that uses a beef bouillon cube which is interesting but a bit salty.
A splash of pickle juice makes it interesting.

dawnbgethealthy · March 2021

@globalhiker
I must have missed that you were having a problem with your foot.
I had to go to Vionic (Orthaheel) shoes many years ago because I work on my feet all day and my feet were done. For sure not cheap. My feet are most comfortable in supportive hockey skates, but I obviously can't wear those around all day : - P

I agree that it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion before investing lots of money and (gasp) having to throw out all of your shoes.
You are such an active person, this so sucks that you are having foot problems : - (

dawnbgethealthy · March 2021

Happy March!
In like a lamb.

I am continuing with my goals that I have mostly been following for a year:

16-20 AF days per month
Don't drink 2 days in a row
Try to keep 2 AF days in between drinks days

I choose the diary style so that I check in every day, keep myself accountable, and can see at a glance where I am at.

Friday March 19 - Drinks.
Saturday March 20 - AF - because I had drinks last night.
Sunday March 21 - AF - Planned AF for Monday also.
Monday March 22 - AF - because early morning and a long day tomorrow. I might have a few drinks Tuesday night.
Tuesday March 23 - Drinks - 2, because I didn't want to hurl. Ready to catch that 16th AF day.
Wednesday March 24 - AF - Always hard to be AF the day after drinks. Had to use some willpower.
Day 3 of 6 days of ice skating today : - ) This will be the last of the season, so very grateful that the Kinnette Club stepped up and booked the ice for free public skating once a day.
Thursday March 25 - AF - Had a really great skate today in between jobs. A drink would have been nice tonight, but I wanted to get my 2 AF days in. I will be having a few drinks with my friend to celebrate her birthday this weekend. I definitely am aiming for the 20AF days for the month.

Rolling total: 17AF days out of 25 days.

vvlucky · March 2021

Hi, Well I have not posted daily, as you wisely suggested, because I'm not cutting down yet. I'm in therapy for PTSD, and just cannot seem to get this under control yet. I will continue to try. I know the health risks as well as how hard it is to lose weight drinking wine every night. I was able to get the vaccine - second dose next week. This will alleviate some of my anxiety, as well as spring weather which is on its way. I'm hoping that the long winter and family stress will be reduced, and I am better able to manage or even eliminate this habit. For now I am really trying to address my painful issues, and lift the burden from my heart. I hope you are doing well with this.

vvlucky · March 2021

However - I have read so many of your posts for inspiration. Right now, if I can get two days AF it will be a victory. I'll post. So grateful for this thread. I love the honesty - and I love all your successes. Truly inspiring!

globalhiker · March 2021

Happy Friday! A Margarita sounds lovely right now

Still AF, but not grouchy today....directly correlated to the fact I slept well

.

Hi @ vvlucky, have you tried hypnotherapy for PTSD as an adjunct to your other treatment solutions? I read it can help. I have a certificate in clinical hypnotherapy, basically did the course years ago at a health professions school, for my own curiosity and remedy my own post-divorce traumas, and found it beneficial for many things. But it's a self-practice that needs to be done nightly so takes discipline. Helped me believe I owned the key to my solutions. Good luck to you....

@dawnbgethealthy and @chocolate_owl well xray shows osteoarthritis and two little bone spurs at the toe joint. The osteoarthritis is progressive and cause is genetic plus aging as I didn't inflict direct trauma to it. This coupled with shoes not offering firmer support in the forefoot made it worse. Doc said all those mega-cushy comfort shoes popular now are really very bad for me. This all helped form a bunion so now one foot is wider than the other.

Interesting though - this foot mess started when I stopped drinking and started "sugaring".....I wouldn't discount the fact that bad diet/high sugar diet had something to do with this all....really....

Vionic brand shoes are on my list and some look cute...!

vvlucky · March 2021

Hi @globalhiker. Thanks for your response. Right now I'm doing EMDR, but will look into hypnotherapy. I'd done that years ago with a practitioner for another big issue. The therapist I'm using is new to me - and very good. She understands. (We have a child who is emotionally disturbed - now young adult. Enough said.) I'm going to really try for 2 AF days. I think that is something I can manage right now.

As for your shoes - I love vionics - and you can get them on sale from 6pm.com, sometimes nordstromrack has them, as does dsw - for less than retail. They do have big arch - if that's what you need. I just bought Dankso sandals for the summer and am hoping they will do the trick for me. Good luck. Footwear is so important.

AR10at50 · March 2021

@globalhiker - figuring out what works for your feet may take a while. There are “running stores” that will x-ray your foot and the computer tells them which shoe to put you in. I go there and take my custom orthotics and buy running shoes for walking. My foot doctor just showed me a slimline arch support that I can get to wear in dress shoes; not high heels, just nicer shoes. I have bunions and my orthotics have a bunion pad they made for support. Don’t throw all of your shoes out; my MIL had bunion surgery and can now wear all of her cute shoes! Anyway, this all takes time and you may want another opinion.

@vvlucky -This is a great place to be; the support is wonderful. The 2 day AF works well for me because I know I can make it one night and tell myself that I can drink tomorrow....but then, I know I can make it two days. I get projects that take a sober mind and watch my sugar and caffeine intake (keeps me awake) I go to bed early with a sleeping pill and some natural relaxers. The main thing, for me, is winding down towards bedtime, relaxing, but not from alcohol. Good luck, just the fact that you want to cut down, is a step in the right direction.

Less Alcohol - MARCH 2021

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