LESS Alcohol ~ FEBRUARY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

siberiantarragon · February 2023

Update: the Heady Topper on Friday was just as good as the ones I had in Vermont in July. So I guess it stays good for a while if you keep it cold. However I got overly drunk from it and slightly dissociated and I ended up napping for three hours which was not in the plan. Plus it's 320 calories a can which totally screwed up my food plans for the evening. So next time I have one of those I will split it with my husband or someone else.

I brought homemade guacamole and homemade mojitos to the Super Bowl party on Sunday, both of which were a hit. People also brought lots of delicious unhealthy food and drinks. I didn't really get drunk, probably because I didn't make the mojitos that strong and I ate so much greasy food along with it. Most everyone else got pretty drunk and rowdy though lol. However I did definitely overdo it on junk food and have been overall in recent weeks. I went way over the daily calories. So this week I'm going on a clean(er) eating plan to clear up my acne and see if it has any effect on my mental health and PCOS.

RubyRed427 · February 2023

As of 2/13
5 days AF
8 days A

My goal this month is 14 days AF so I have to step up my game.

RockinRobyn672 · February 2023

@dawnbgethealthy I found a Dance Marshall video that steps you through 5 basic moves. I found it very helpful. I still laugh at myself trying to move like Caleb, but this helped me get closer. haha!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iNFmTmMmwg

MissMay · February 2023

Vegas trip day 4

Alcohol drinks 3 total
2 drinks one day
1 drink another day

Found Heinekin00 right across the road at a fun pub (which is hard to do so I hear from the locals) It is much cooler here than I had anticipated. So much for that luggage full of sandals and shorts and things like that.

Can't complain at all about the Superbowl event yesterday. I have been to pro-football games before in Boston at Gillette Stadium to see the Patriots play. Yesterday to me, was soooooo much better.

The heated conference ballrooms had huge round tables that seated 8 to 10 people. Black linen table covers. Huge (and I mean huge!) game screens all over the rooms. The food was banquet style as you wanted to purchase it with pre purchased food/beverage tickets. The food turnover happened quickly so that it was continuously fresh replacing the empty banquet containers. I bought the pulled pork gourmet sandwich which was one of the best pulled pork I have ever had for ONLY $6.00.

The restrooms were down the nice warm corridor not to far from the conference rooms. Each event room had its own bar setup. Both sets of football fans in the rooms and mixed fans at our table. Thankful that everyone around us stayed in control even though they were drinking, even after Philly lost those fans kept it together.

At a pro football game, it is much different. If the weather sucks (to hot or to cold) my time at the game would suck as well. I will continue to celebrate in this manner indoor tail gate with heat.

Tonight I may have another A drink. Definitely not Tuesday or night as we fly out of Las Vegas extremely early Wednesday morning.

Love catching up and hearing everyone's journeys so far this month.

OHhhhhh and the puppy pics......love them, "M".
What a wonderful dog-daddy you are. I used to take all my previous 3 dogs to a doggie chiropractor. It helped immensely with their health

Womona · February 2023

dawnbgethealthy wrote: »

@Womona

I remember that last couple of years of peri. For sure not pleasant. Hugs.

Awww, thanks!!!! I appreciate it.

Womona · February 2023

To everyone resetting their eating and drinking plans to get back on track, I’m right there with ya! Amazing how logging food makes choices so much easier. I get away from logging and suddenly my weight is back up. I would like to have had a glass of wine tonight, but I want a flat stomach more, so it was an easy decision to pass it by.

Sherbog · February 2023

5th day alcohol free. My goal is 30 days alcohol free then if I have my calorie count in control I will drink but only if I add those calories to my food intake count. So I allow myself 1450 calories per day. I would have to subtract alcohol calories from that number. Even then I would only allow myself one day a week.

Thinking about how usually this time of the evening when I am starting a movie I mix a whisky sour...NOT tonight.

globalhiker · February 2023

It's great to read posts about those of you starting an AF stretch. It is such a good feeling when you get through that first week or even first few days.

I've been focusing on "replacing" my not-so-perfect" behaviors with those that are healthier. The idea is to fill up my time with other stuff that will just crowd out all the down-time I had that I filled up with mindless drinking and eating.

I feel like I should be reporting everything I did - or did not do perfectly, but instead I am working on not doing that. Instead I am going to keep focusing on the positive things I can do - getting to bed earlier, making time for myself, exercise at least an hour daily, and not allowing myself anything unhealthy until I have eaten my quality calories from whole foods.

It's really, really hard to not count and report....but I want to train myself to stop that and focus on behavior change. Success for me now means getting to a point where I don't need to be counting anything.

mfowler883 · February 2023

I get that. I've been trying to get there myself, starting with food. I know now, after months of logging everything, where the unhealthy stuff lies and what the better options are. Now it's a matter of turning it from "I have to log this to stay on track" to just doing what I know is healthy. Drinking should eventually be the same way.

We took Har in to have him checked out, he's got a little cough thing going on that is most likely allergies since his lungs sound clear. We wanted to stay on top of it since he's always been prone to upper respiratory things. He needed his glands expressed, too. While we were there, we went over B's x-rays and talked about the current state of things. They said hey, bring him by and we'll do a big steroid injection. I know there are risks and problems that come with steroids but I'm also aware of the edge they can give you in a situation like this. We'll see if that helps.

-m

joans1976 · February 2023

Hey everyone, I’m Amanda. I live in Michigan and it is freezing and gray here but at least it’s staying light out past 5 pm now. ☀️
I joined this lovely thread in the summer of 2022 and it has made a huge difference in my life! I’ve gone from being 25% AF to 98% AF.

The people here are kind and real and smart and fun! Welcome to all newcomers!

2/1-2/7: 6 out of 7 AF

2/8: AF
Not a lot to report here. Definitely feeling my seasonal affective disorder but not drinking, that won’t help. Very tired all the time.

2/9: AF
TGIF! 6 hours of work today then loads of self care for the weekend.

2/10: AF
You would think I had multiple drinks last night with the headache I woke up with but no! Just a crazy headache.

I made a comfort stone yesterday in art therapy and it was such an excellent shot of dopamine, I am going out today to buy more materials to make more.

I hope everyone has an excellent weekend!

2/11: AF
After obsessing on some numbers this morning, I have come up with:
I have only had 4 A days out of the past 164, or 97.6% AF
As I write this, I’m not sure if this is a big deal or not. It is no longer a hard, daily thing to not drink. I feel like I have bigger obstacles to overcome.
Like my obsessive thinking lol

2/12: AF
I had the Sunday scaries last night because today is Monday, which means work. I can do it though, I have much bigger fish to fry than a psychotic boss!

2/13: AF
Work is getting very….suspicious. I’m concerned for the security of my position. Although it would be like getting set free, I don’t currently have another job lined up and I start radiation for cancer in 2 days. 😤
You know what though? *kitten* ‘em!
11 days AF

joans1976 · February 2023

@Womona @globalhiker @RockinRobyn672 You all have mentioned logging or not logging. I stopped logging and tracking 8 days ago-although I’m still weighing myself. I was entering every gram and liquid oz of anything I took in. I was also tracking my macros and tracking my sodium and fiber intake on paper. I have been doing that since March 28, 2022. Every day. I lost 45 pounds between March and the end of October. Great right? Then I got diagnosed with the C word and I continued to track religiously until last Monday and have stayed the same weight but eaten the same number of calories. For 3 damn months. The tracking was driving me crazy. I had to give myself a break. It’s not going well, my weight is up but not by much.

What is scary was how hard it was to NOT weigh my food and enter it into MFP, it had become so routine. I was getting concerned it was turning into an OCD thing instead of a tool to help me lose weight. I’m not sure where to go from here 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Womona Due to my breast cancer being hormone fueled, I will be forced into chemical menopause either by taking injections to shut my ovaries down or having surgery and having them removed in April. I will also take an estrogen blocker for 10 years. I’m 46. Can I come find you when I’m 56 and we can commiserate?

@RockinRobyn672 I am so grateful you appreciate my comfort stone. I will gladly make you or anyone else one and mail it to you!

@mfowler883 We have a doggy rehab facility up here by us called ARF! (Animal Rehab Facility-very clever) that is very helpful. It takes 2 months to get an appointment though. I wish the very best for Bentley! Ode to the steroid!

Womona · February 2023

@globalhiker and @joans1976 I can see why you are making yourself NOT log everything, it’s honestly very tiresome. I can’t believe you both did it for so long and so consistently ! It must feel weird to stop. But yeah, if it’s not serving you, you’re smart to recognize that. Want to count something? Take up knitting and count stitches!

Womona · February 2023

@joans1976 hoo boy, that’s tough. The good news is that Cobra exists, even though it’s expensive. Worth it though, as a stop gap measure. Also, I believe that the one year wait for insurance to pay for pre-existing conditions is a thing of the past now. So, at your shiny new job with a normal boss, you should be ok.

Ah, chemical menopause. Hold on to your hat! Yes I’m up for some menopausal commiserating in person!
Big hug!

joans1976 · February 2023

@Womona Thank you! We'll see. Im trying to take things on day at a time but then my sneaky anxiety says "wait! You need to worry about this and this and this and..."
I will likely go back to logging and tracking. Im still about 60 pounds overweight and it was so nice to lose that 45, I felt so much better in the mornings. Im sure stopping drinking helped with that too. I swear the last time I drank which was like Feb 2 or something, I had 2 drinks and I was hung over for 4 days. Old and a lightweight!

dawnbgethealthy · February 2023

@RockinRobyn672
That was fun seeing the steps broken down like that! Ball change - such a hip hop move. You will be tearing up the dance floor (even if that is just yhour den) : - )

Logging vs. no logging discussion: It is such a personal choice.
For me, I lost a bunch of weight, figured that I knew how much I was consuming after a couple of years of logging, so I stopped. I put on 50 pounds over that following year. I haven't quite gotten rid of that 50 (quick to put on but oh so slow to get rid of) so I plan to log the rest of my life. Everything is in MFP, good or bad foods, so I log my day in pretty much no time, often pre-logging sometimes days in advance with meal planning.
I can totally see how to some it feels burdensome. It is not for everybody.

@MissMay
That sounds like such a perfect way to see the big game!! Really great that you had a chance to get away and will have warm Florida to return to : - )

dawnbgethealthy · February 2023

I am in.

I am Dawn, I live in SE BC Canada
My ongoing goal remains, 16-20 AF days per month.
I had 17AF days for January (a long month)

I do this diary style to keep track, and I post the next morning

Monday Feb 13 - AF - I will be working an extra shift for Valentine's Day at the restaurant, may or may not have drinks when I get home.

Rolling total: 8AF days out of 13 days. 50% AF won't cut it to reach my goal in 28 days (reminder to self)

RockinRobyn672 · February 2023

Hi - Robyn here in SE Virginia. My goal is 16+ AF days per month. I had 18 AF days last month. I'm drinking less for health and weight loss. I post the next morning.

2/13: AF - Since I had them in the fridge, it was easy to drink NA IPAs (two) last night instead of the A versions with our takeout pizza. I had a bit of an epiphany after catching a slight glimpse of frustration in DH's face when we were discussing dinner (it was his night for being in charge of that). I realized that I've become obsessive, overbearing and controlling regarding our dinner plans, even when it's DH's turn. I'm stopping that immediately! Constantly talking about, planning around and obsessing over Robyn's food intake is making Robyn a not-so-fun companion.

Rolling Total: 7 AF Days out of 13

ahoy_m8 · February 2023

Love the vacation and pet photos! And @siberiantarragon omg the paintball exploding bread... who does that? @joans1976 understanding that the job is toxic, still, firing someone as they start cancer treatment is pretty low. (One of the many ways tying healthcare to employment doesn't work for so, so many people in this country, but I digress). I really hope something great lands in your lap soon.

I'm in @Stockholm_Andy 's boat wrt not sticking to plan. Actually I believe my misstep was not having a plan for the weekend at all. 8 drinks, all of them over the weekend. Nothing bad happened and I didn't feel bad or sleep badly or anything, it just adds up fast. Cooked at home Fri & Sat. Visited my parents and took them Valentines Sunday. The interns felt their superbowl party was a success. 18-20 kids from 4-5 universities at 3 different firms -- a fantastic mixture and they all had fun.

On the positive side, I did better with ST last week and after all the tortilla chips (boy, oh boy, do we have a lot of chips left over) I ate close to maintenance calories last week. I've been in a slim deficit all year, some weeks only a couple hundred calories for the whole week, and I've creeped down 1.5-2 lbs this year. So that puts me back at the lower end of my maintenance range. I totally identify with your experience, @Womona. When I don't track, my weight creeps up. When I track, things are a lot more likely to stay on track. Not every minute of every day, but on average, and that is good enough. Logging calories is the easiest way I've found yet to maintain weight. If I found something easier, I'd do that instead.

lmlmrn · February 2023

So a quick fly by....
Puppy pictures so so so cute

AF for the superbowl...odd I know
A yesterday a beer with lunch

today planned AF

Now off to painting.....btw @RockinRobyn672 thanks for the dance instructions from fitness marshall

RockinRobyn672 · February 2023

@MissMay Your Las Vegas activities sound fun! Great place to watch the Super Bowl!

LESS Alcohol ~ FEBRUARY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

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