LESS Alcohol ~ APRIL 2023 ~ One Day at A Time
Replies
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I am Dawn, I live in South Eastern British Columbia.
I joined this thread in November of 2018, a daily drinker at the time
My primary goal with drinking less is weight loss.
My usual goal is 16-20 AF days for the month,
I had 17AF days in March.
I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.
Thursday April 06 - AF - Planned drinks on the weekend
Friday April 07 - Drinks including Prosecco in the afternoon. It has been far too windy here as of late even though it is sunny and blue. Still spooked from my blowing soil eye injury last summer. I really want to get out, get my potato garden uncovered, tilled, and planted. It normally takes me about a week shovel by shovel. Kind of inspired by @Womona getting out and doing hers. Maybe the wind will die down later today. Handling a 25'X12' cover to get up on the clothesline is difficult in the wind. My pea garden still has some thick ice on it, so hopefully that will be gone by next weekend. Normally it all begins the 3rd week of April, so I should try some patience lol.
Saturday April 08 - Drinks, the rest of the small bottle of prosecco and 2 more drinks later. I got 3 potato rows uncovered, turned over, tilled, dug, and planted : - )
Rolling total: 4AF days out of 7 days.8 -
@itladyee I got the cheesecake made last night. It cracked some coming out of the oven so I googled how to fix that. The cheesecake in the fridge.
@joans1976 You are so right that phyllo isn't the easiest to work with.
Today, before getting out of bed, I've was reading some content online on the benefits, over time and specifically week by week, of stopping drinking.
While I've got a rosé and Gewurtztraminer in the fridge chilling for Easter dinner, I'm personally not yet planning on having any. I simply feel so much better right now than I did, especially in recent months.
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Overall, a positive week. Spent most of it on a vacation with kids/grandkids at Massanutten VA. We rented a beautiful large house, and just hung out, ate, and played lots of games. My goal was to not drink during this vacation and accomplished it. We do these vacations a lot and usually I drink daily during them and excessively. It felt nice to not drink on this vacation. I have not told my wife I am trying to cut down or quit, but she noticed I didn't order beers when we ate out at restaurants-pubs. She certainly prefers when I don't drink.
Spring is arriving this week finally in Maryland. Monday will be in the 60s, and then we bounce into the 70s for the rest of the week. I have three-day weekend coming up and will use it to weed/clean up my gardens, mulch, plant flowers, and do the first lawn cut. Again, the goal will be not to drink. I could easily drink 8-12 beers a day when all day gardening in the past. Bought a battery powered mower, and excited to not have to mess with a gas can/oil. All my gardening tools/chainsaw/clippers/weed whackers are all now battery and it makes things so much easier.8 -
Today was nice. It's Easter Sunday and we went to my parents' house for lunch. Over the last few years, my parents have stopped having any alcohol in their house. They just don't have a taste for it anymore now that they're older. Anyway, the celebrations went from having wine on the table and now just Perrier or La Croix. It's actually refreshing (no pun intended) to not be faced with the choice of drinking or not drinking. So, today I'll be AF and happy about it.7
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@GaryM_25
@joans1976
Well, I made the cheesecake....it's still chillin' in the fridge at this point.
Working with Phyllo was definitely an experience. I don't think it really needed 5 hours to defrost. At any rate, I got up this morning at 5:30 and took the phyllo and cream cheese out of the refrigerator. I napped for another 30 minutes then came down to the kitchen to start. I read the instructions again and realized I didn't have the dried rose petals so it won't be as pretty.
Made the filling.... all good....but almost forgot the yogurt!
Nut chopping - walnuts, easy, pistachios...not so much. Kept flying all over the kitchen
. Then the dough... You were supposed to use 10 sheets.... 2 sheets, then butter, then nuts, then repeat. I lost count somewhere but I think I finished with 10.😉
I poured the filling and then put the entire pan on a thin cookie sheet and into the oven. The recipe said it would take 75 minutes...set the timer for 60 minutes to check. Finally at 75 minutes it was "done" and I proceeded to make the "syrup". I don't think I ever got the consistency that it described....
When I took it out of the oven, I realized I should have practiced with the spring pan. After about 5 tries, I got it out of the pan but broke the crust a bit. I also think I left too much of the phyllo on as it was difficult to cover it all.
But....here she is....report back on taste in a bit.
Before cooking.. I should have cut more off for the crust
After
It was fun making it~8 -
Oh, yum!! I can make it prettier next time! Very good!
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Wow, that looks super-delicious!
Over here, I did did not make dessert but we BBQ'd and it was awesome. I had no carbs but the kiddos brought wine and I had what they all left behind (planned holiday). I still counted points and now my points are all gone, so if I get hungry soon, so sad, too bad for me. I have to live by my life rules or I am just cheating myself.
I do need to get real with myself and stop cheating myself. Every day I declined an opportunity to eat right or exercise or not drink or drink much less, I cheated myself.
Today I did run 40 min and I did skip the carbs so hope that helps me somewhat. Exercise makes me feel so wonderful and balanced. I know it's what my body needs and craves. If I don't feed it good outdoor exercise, it wants "the bad stuff".
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4/1 - A
4/2- AF
4/3 - AF
4/4 - AF
4/5 - AF
4/6 - 4/7 - 4/8 - A
4/9 - AF6 -
@itladyee Awesome. You're right that recipe was a bit of an adventure. I didn't even bother counting phyllo dough sheets. A lot of my sheets had broken so I arranged based upon desired thickness. It was my first time ever to make cheesecake.
I did 150% of the recipe for filling a 9-inch spring pan and for having some left to make a gluten-free version in a ramekin for my daughter. For that one, rather than phyllo dough I used GF graham cracker crust as well as GF flour for thickening the cheesecake itself.
Everyone liked the whole meal and especially the cheesecake. Personally, I had about two days' worth of calories today. Back to the grind tomorrow...
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Just have to comment to @GaryM_25 and @itladyee WOW!! Those are beautiful cheesecakes! You two could be bakers! They look so professional and sound delicious.
I made a slightly untraditional Easter supper for my family - lobster pot pie and spanakopita (spinach,chard,kale with feta and lemon zest) pie, plus roasted asparagus with basil and toasted pine nuts and a tossed green salad. Rhubarb crisp for dessert. We had some NA sparkling wine and I mixed some “dirty lemon tonics” which give a hint of the taste of dirty martini memories to those who like that kind of thing. They are made with preserved lemons muddled with a fresh lemon slice, some habanero bitters (probably could sub a slice of fresh hot pepper like jalapeno) for a little heat/kick, I used a bit of fake gin for additional aromatics but you can also get juniper bitters, and topped with tonic. Garnish with good quality olives like castelvetranos and some preserved lemon rind and a thin wheel of fresh lemon and its adult beverage like … briny a bit bitter and lots of aromatics. Not sweet at all.7 -
Happy Easter a day late!
@MissMay thats pretty scary. Anyone that high is very unpredictable. Good for you for getting help to your car, and stopping at only one drink!
Saturday I weeded while hubby and son laid mulch. After a trip to the garden center, we met at this dive bar in town. It’s the perfect place to go after a day of hard work, cleaning out the garage, etc. also know as the biker bar. I had one beer. My son was talking to the couple next to us, who has a son interested in joining the military, but the mom is understandably concerned about her kid getting shot at. My son gave her a lot of good, rational info, advised which military jobs are more prone to action than others, etc. The mom felt a lot better after talking with him. I’m so proud of my son! Go National Guard!
It was soooooo nice having a casual Easter, not going anywhere but church. I did miss DS2, he stayed at school for Easter. I miss him, but he graduates in 2 weeks so I’ll see him soon. I had mimosas in the morning, a nice nap, but then two glasses of wine with dinner. So, more than I planned, but I feel good today and slept well.
Hope everyone has an amazing day!8 -
Firstly, welcome to the recent newcomers! I hope you will find these LA threads useful. I'm still mostly just lurking, but I'm finding everyones shared experiences alone, very helpful, and plan to officially make a post each week.
April: 6 AF, 3 A so far
01/04, S - A
02/04, S - AF
03/04, M - AF
04/04, T - AF
05/04, W - AF
06/04, T - A
07/04, F - AF
08/04, S - A
09/04, S - AF
The mini goal of only 1 A day per week, sadly wasn't fulfilled this week as it turned into 2 A days. We had some nicer weather and that was enough of a trigger. Will keep trying to make it only 1 A day per week, with the bigger goal being to also lower the amount consumed on those A days.
Thanks for everyone's posts and for these threads
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Hello LA community! I am Amanda, I’m from Michigan and excited for Spring to get here! This thread is my favorite bunch of people! I have been practicing LA since June ‘22.
My April goals are to be 99-100% AF,
continue healing from my cancer diagnosis and all the baggage from that and to work on my weight.
4/1: 1A
4/2-4/7: AF
4/8: AF
I’ve lost a couple of pounds so today is starting off well. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and weather cooperates. Please take pictures of the tiramisu cheesecake so I can live vicariously through MFP with what I could be eating! 🐰
4/9: AF
Yesterday I struggled with wanting a drink. I spent 7 hours at my parents house and as much as I love them, that is 4 hours too long. They had wine but I had to drive home (didn’t want to be stuck there) and I wanted to drink enough to make myself blissfully unaware so I just abstained. I was too tired to drink anything when I got home.
It’s Monday again, a full work week ahead. How to crush 55 hours of work into 40?10 -
Those cheesecakes look FABULOUS! Mouth watering! I love how phyllo dough bakes but dealing with it can be a nightmare! I commend you both!7
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Goal: AF - Sunday-Thursday.
Less than 3 drinks per day on Friday & Saturday.
Apr 3 - MON: AF ✅
Apr 4 - TUES: AF ✅
Apr 5 - WED: AF ✅
Apr 6 - THUR: AF ✅ 🎉
Apr 7 - FRI: 5 Drinks ❌
Apr 8 - SAT: 3 drinks ✅
Apr 9 - SUN: AF ✅6 -
Hi All! Since joining this group Nov '22 I no longer drink on a daily basis. I'm drinking less for weight loss and overall health. Since I haven't lost weight, I'm changing my goal to 2 A-days weekly with a 2-drink-any-day limit. I usually post mornings.
Sun 4/9: Drinks (3) - I've had a great few days off. We explored Richmond and saw Hamilton, which was great. I have not been AF and also have not stuck to my goal of two drinks any day. My win is that I stopped at three on those A days. Of course my weight is up.
The good news is that DH has decided to go AF and do intermittent fasting for the next two weeks starting today, which makes me very happy. Of course, I'm going to join him. I'm "loosely" logging my food for now outside of MFP.
Rolling Total: 4 AF Days out of 97 -
Happy Easter everyone! Easter is a holiday about rebirth, which seems to me to have a bearing on this thread! Spring has come!
I got to have my two beersss on Saturday at a lovely dinner out. I allowed myself a few sips of cognac before bed (<1 shot). That didn't add much to the evening and gave me a headache in the middle of the night, d'oh! It also broke my two drink limit (which I picked for a reason). I'll do better next time!
Best resolve to everyone!7 -
Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »Just have to comment to @GaryM_25 and @itladyee WOW!! Those are beautiful cheesecakes! You two could be bakers! They look so professional and sound delicious.
I made a slightly untraditional Easter supper for my family - lobster pot pie and spanakopita (spinach,chard,kale with feta and lemon zest) pie, plus roasted asparagus with basil and toasted pine nuts and a tossed green salad.
@sinisterbarbie1 ~ Thank you! The lobster Pot Pie and Spanakopita sound awesome as well. Would you mind sharing the recipes?
I actually googled Spanakopita and found a recipe. I'm going to try my hand at it since I'm now an expert at working with Phyllo
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I am Dawn, I live in South Eastern British Columbia.
I joined this thread in November of 2018, a daily drinker at the time
My primary goal with drinking less is weight loss.
My usual goal is 16-20 AF days for the month,
I had 17AF days in March.
I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.
Sunday April 10 - AF - Working long hours to get the garden started is a real trigger for me, which I need to avoid since there is like a month and a half of it to go until everything can be planted. Potatoes are in, pea garden has begun. Rain is forecasted for the next couple of days, so I wanted to get stuff planted on non-work days so as not to limit myself for time.
The rest of the potatoes into their dug furrows:
The first bit (1/5th) of the snap pea garden cleaned out, turned over, and planted:
Lily of the Valley coming up : - )
Bearded irises have been coming up for around a month, Tulips should be coming up soon!
Rolling total: 5AF days out of 9 days.5 -
Monday 4/10
I am doing LA for weight loss, more energy, clarity of mind and greater well-being.
Love all the pics of the beautiful cheesecakes @itladyee and @GaryM_25 and descriptions of the lovely menus everyone made and enjoyed yesterday. We did super simple as we arrived on the coast late yesterday afternoon. I did manage to prep grilled asparagus and maple glazed carrots before leaving home to reheat and serve with ham, prepared scalloped potatoes but nothing like homemade ;(.
@Sinisterbarbie1 homemade delicious lobster pot pie and spanakopita - wow!
@joans1976 Nice going on the weight loss, never easy!
@dawnbgethealthy i can’t wait to see your garden this year.
@globalhiker great thoughts on cheating ourselves, good reminder I make the choices either way,
I made a conscious choice to have 2 small prosecos and 1 large red wine last night.
This is definitely LA for me as in the past when on vacation it was daily and unlimited wine. AF tonight. I have some stressors back at home and today will take long walks on the bluffs of the ocean and drink my teas and spritzers instead.
April accountability: total of 20-22 days AF this month
AF - 6
A - 3
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day (5-6 oz. portion)
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We had my daughter, son in law, their 3 little children and my sister and her husband for Easter. I had 2 bottles of wine out and 6 beers. The 3 guys had the 6 beers and the wine was left unopened. I was shocked. We had the usual; ham, mac and cheese, corny casserole, asparagus and my daughter made a beautiful cake. It was lovely. I am on wegovy for my weight and I think I mentioned here it also curbs my desire to drink and so that's a bonus.
Those cheesecake pictures are amazing! Yum!7 -
4/1 - A
4/2- AF
4/3 - AF
4/4 - AF
4/5 - AF
4/6 - 4/7 - 4/8 - A
4/9 - AF
4/10 - AF5 -
brittgreenlikethecolor88 wrote: »Goal: AF - Sunday-Thursday.
Less than 3 drinks per day on Friday & Saturday.
Apr 3 - MON: AF ✅
Apr 4 - TUES: AF ✅
Apr 5 - WED: AF ✅
Apr 6 - THUR: AF ✅ 🎉
Apr 7 - FRI: 5 Drinks ❌
Apr 8 - SAT: 3 drinks ✅
Apr 9 - SUN: AF ✅
Wow, you are really on a roll! I like the colors and the visuals too!5 -
I wish I had drinks in the house but no, so I had my husband's 4 leftover BBQ spare ribs tonight and that hit the spot. Even under my WW points for the day, so great!
Tomorrow is a run day and I get up at 5am. Putting myself to bed early.
Rant alert: Menopause hot flashes are finally here and each week it seems to intensify. I get up every 2 hours now in a burning sweat, then chills. Same deal happens throughout the workday. I drove out midday and bought Amberen at the pharmacy. It's supposedly non-hormonal and I can't do HRT. Went to two doctors and they tell me to exercise and stay cool and eat healthy and just deal with it. Nice for them to say, both are about 20 years younger than me.
I'll get thru this.
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@globalhiker You are heard on the hot flashes. I get mine more during the day though. Driving around with the window down in 32 degree weather like a lunatic. When I get one at night it doesn’t wake me up until I am in a cold sweat and I am shivering. How many years of this?
I recently bought 100% cotton sheets and a cooling mattress pad and just don’t use a blanket on top. It seems to help. (Or it’s all in my head.)6 -
Hi All! Since joining this group Nov '22 I no longer drink on a daily basis. I'm drinking less for weight loss and overall health. Since I haven't lost weight, I'm changing my goal to 2 A-days weekly with a 2-drink-any-day limit. I usually post mornings.
Mon 4/10: AF (0) - I spent time relaxing and reading on my last day off. Both of us drank NA beer with dinner.
Heigh ho! Heigh ho! It's off to work I go!
Rolling Total: 5 AF Days out of 106 -
globalhiker wrote: »I wish I had drinks in the house but no, so I had my husband's 4 leftover BBQ spare ribs tonight and that hit the spot. Even under my WW points for the day, so great!
Tomorrow is a run day and I get up at 5am. Putting myself to bed early.
Rant alert: Menopause hot flashes are finally here and each week it seems to intensify. I get up every 2 hours now in a burning sweat, then chills. Same deal happens throughout the workday. I drove out midday and bought Amberen at the pharmacy. It's supposedly non-hormonal and I can't do HRT. Went to two doctors and they tell me to exercise and stay cool and eat healthy and just deal with it. Nice for them to say, both are about 20 years younger than me.
I'll get thru this.
Ugh those hot flashes sound miserable. Here’s to thoughts of igloos, icy cold lemonade and air conditioning blasted on high!!4 -
I abandoned my plan of being AF last night, had one glass of wine after a long day of work, with dinner. At least I didn’t go for that extra half glass, so I’ll take that win. Today I have two tennis drills and my first match tomorrow morning, so I really should avoid alcohol tonight! Great reason to stay in my weekday AF plan!5
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@globalhiker, @joans1976 The big M was miserable for me. Also for me it lasted a long time. I still have night sweats sometimes when/if I drink red wine.4
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