LESS Alcohol ~ APRIL 2023 ~ One Day at A Time
Replies
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@dawnbgethealthy Yay on the new job and the "lots of screens"!
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It's great to see everyone's stories including both challenges and progress.
Today is the last day at the conference. Between workouts and walking around the conference, I've put five to six miles a day on my feet. The plantar fasciitis in my left foot is "mild." I'm glad it's only that. I'm rolling my arch on a knobby ball as I type this. I think I'll be able to recover well enough next week.
Today now marks twenty-five days without alcohol. I've been googling health benefits at different time duration milestones going alcohol free. I'm feeling so much better. At the end of the day at the conference yesterday, some of my colleagues and I went by a booth where they were offering free alcohol. I got in line and gave mine to a co-worker. He told me he recently did three months of "clean living." One thing I read this morning is that, according to one study, a month without alcohol has lingering benefits in decision-making strength about alcohol for the next six months.
Workouts have been good enough. I've gotten in 10,000 to 12,000 steps per day at the conference plus the planned alternating cardio interval and strength training.
As for diet, I've been about where I want to be calorie-wise, maybe some over the target but the composition has been quite hard. Lots of fats and way too much sodium.
If the scale stays even or hasn't gone up too much, I'll be happy with the week's business trip.
I'm hoping to go hiking at home over the weekend. I'm in gardening zone "5b" so most of you all are quite ahead of me. I could get out some lettuce, kale, and spinach this weekend too, but that's about it until Mother's Day which is what I think of as when to transplant outside in the garden. This year again, we signed up for the local CSA for our summer's supply of veggies so the fresh greens and tomatoes are the main things that are awesome coming from the backyard.
At twenty-five days into this program, I'm about a quarter of the way from its start until a planned anniversary trip to the Dominican Republic for a few days in July with my wonderful wife.11 -
Good morning y'all!
Went out last night & had a few drinks. Woke up this morning with a headache. Not a hangover, it was gone quickly. But just a lack of sleep, out too late, kind of headache. I don't miss those at all.
I'm hanging out with a friend of mine tonight. We went a little hard with drinking last time & both agreed we can't do that again. It's nice having someone in the same boat, who is trying to watch their alcohol consumption as well. It's even more helpful in the fact he's doing a lower gluten diet to see if that will help with some of his issues so both of us watching what we're eating (in different ways) and cutting back on alcohol has made hanging out great.6 -
@GaryM_25
Well, I had no idea what gardening zone I was in until you mentioned it and I had to Google.
It says 5a, but that is a weather station up on a hill/mountain, I am downtown, in the valley.
I went down a bit of a rabbit hole : - )
My garden in my backyard gets sun from morning to night. I might be in 5b
We locals watch Baker Mountain (not a very tall mountain) and when the snow is off of it we plant our tomatoes and peppers. I can see it very clearly from my house.
My spinach is already up btw.
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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.
Tuesday April 18 - AF - First day at the new job. Perfect that the NHL playoffs have started and I am working evenings in a sports bar with lots of screens : - ) A bit of a learning curve starting a new job, but I am confident that I will get my bearings. I think that this new job is going to make it easier for me to be AF on weekdays because those are long days working the 2 jobs. Planned A Friday and or Saturday.
Wednesday April 19 - AF - Planning to reach AF day 10 tonight, Thursday. Getting this second job will help keep me on track with AF days. Losing my Foster Grant job left me with no real reason to stay fresh. I have some catching up to do for this month, but feel like going forward I will be into a good routine. Soooo many hockey games each day in this the first round of the playoffs. So great to be working in a sports bar where I can see all of them at once : - )
Rolling total: 9AF days out of 19 days.4 -
Goal: AF - Sunday-Thursday.
Max of 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 ✅
Apr 10 - MON: AF ✅
Apr 11 - TUES: AF ✅
Apr 12 - WED: AF ✅
Apr 13 - THUR: AF ✅
Apr 14 - FRI: 1 Drink ✅
Apr 15 - SAT: 3 Drinks ✅
Apr 16 - SUN: AF ✅
Apr 17 - MON: AF ✅
Apr 18 - TUES: AF ✅
Apr 19 - WED: AF ✅6 -
@dawnbgethealthy Nice. I think I can usually see snow on the mountains in the distance until mid-July!3
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I am doing LA for increased weight loss and improved health, mental clarity, and more energy.
@ahoy_m8 sorry to hear you had some down days recently. Yes, it’s important to recognize where that’s coming from to get through. And you did great with your interactions with people around drink choices!
@RockinRobyn672 - your pizza and IPA yesterday sound tasty. And way to go you held off the late night temptations, so not easy.
My DH also requested pizza last night after a long day of hard labor in the yard. I indulged with a piece and a half and decided to have some red wine with it. Tracked and counted.
AF - 13
A - 6
Goals - 20-22 AF days total
Limit - no more than 2 glasses on A day5 -
SunnyDays930 wrote: »Lately more AF than A days so that is a huge plus. My Dr told me Wegovy, which I started March 30, is a huge alcohol deterrent and she was not kidding. It also seems to be building up in my system making me less hungry as well as alcohol averse. We went out to lunch the other day and I ordered a cabernet, more out of habit than anything else, and I could not even finish half of it. It made me nauseous. Unfortunately my insurance offers me a mere pittance but I can get it for less through my dr.s office so I plan on staying on it at least another 6 weeks. I am hoping that my new AF habits will be ingrained by that point and I can just stay AF once I go off it.
I really appreciate you mentioning this because I am intrigued about how this works. I am one of those people interested in solutions and it's great to hear you had a beneficial outcome for sure.5 -
dawnbgethealthy wrote: »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.
Tuesday April 18 - AF - First day at the new job. Perfect that the NHL playoffs have started and I am working evenings in a sports bar with lots of screens : - ) A bit of a learning curve starting a new job, but I am confident that I will get my bearings. I think that this new job is going to make it easier for me to be AF on weekdays because those are long days working the 2 jobs. Planned A Friday and or Saturday.
Wednesday April 19 - AF - Planning to reach AF day 10 tonight, Thursday. Getting this second job will help keep me on track with AF days. Losing my Foster Grant job left me with no real reason to stay fresh. I have some catching up to do for this month, but feel like going forward I will be into a good routine. Soooo many hockey games each day in this the first round of the playoffs. So great to be working in a sports bar where I can see all of them at once : - )
Rolling total: 9AF days out of 19 days.
@dawnbgethealthy you inspire me when I see you happy - glad things are working out. AF 10 is outstanding! And sometimes we need to lose a job to get a better one and I wish you all the best! You inspire me to "go forward" and not look back.
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Took my 4th dose of Wegovy this morning. I can still drink a little white wine but anything else makes me totally nauseated. This is a good thing for me as my aim is to quit drinking completely. Again, it was prescribed for weight loss and it IS working for that, albeit slower than I had hoped. I have lost 4 lbs since March 31 so nearly 3 weeks. But my clothes do feel a little looser and my blood pressure was 110 over 80 yesterday so those are both positive things. I will continue to take it for another month while I try to instill healthier eating habits; less sweets, less meat, more greens...you know the drill. I don't want to stay on it forever; it is way too expensive, but just trying to jump start the weight loss and AF lifestyle.8
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dawnbgethealthy wrote: »
Tuesday April 18 - AF - First day at the new job. Perfect that the NHL playoffs have started and I am working evenings in a sports bar with lots of screens : - ) A bit of a learning curve starting a new job, but I am confident that I will get my bearings. I think that this new job is going to make it easier for me to be AF on weekdays because those are long days working the 2 jobs. Planned A Friday and or Saturday.
Wednesday April 19 - AF - Planning to reach AF day 10 tonight, Thursday. Getting this second job will help keep me on track with AF days. Losing my Foster Grant job left me with no real reason to stay fresh. I have some catching up to do for this month, but feel like going forward I will be into a good routine. Soooo many hockey games each day in this the first round of the playoffs. So great to be working in a sports bar where I can see all of them at once : - )
Super congrats on scoring another job Dawn. I remember once or twice you commented while being on your vacations that you were thrilled because you could soak in the tub while watching the hockey games!
Sports bars have come a long way and we always try to make it a point to frequent them. For me not for the drinks, for the sporting atmosphere and the quick connection with people about games, teams, history, etc.
I know all to well being past 60 years old the thoughts of finding a new job and its future. Go for it, have fun.
Oh and yes my gardening jobs did keep me in wicked great shape. But now I beach walk. Not as easy as it sounds. Walking through 6" deep pure white ground quartz is a workout. Kinda like walking through 6" heavy snow with out the cold. I should have kept my snowshoes, they would have looked cool using them to beach walk 🤣
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All kinds of accountability to list for me
L.S. is going good this week. I have found some substitute sweetness to add to some foods. Going for low simple carbs since carbs turn to sugar and sugar wrecks so many functions in the body. So then there is this STRESS HORMONE called cortisol that keeps our weight loss goals from being achieved when it gets to high( this one contributes to the bloated belly). I just read that drinking black tea helps block this from getting to those high levels.
Next, alcohol accountability.....all I can say is I had fun Tuesday night because I had Wednesday off. These "ole folks" rocked a beach bar until 12:30AM. No regrets. Being able to let my hair down every now and again with some real drinks, but then be able to pull it back to being AF has for the past 5 years been my goal. That is why this is LESS ALCOHOL.
@joans1976 I think I may have in the past seen a thread on here for L.S. I am not doing any specific plan for cutting back. Just taking sunken knowledge I once had on the subject and re-hydrating it. I know these things, but after years, little by little I have slipped up from keeping good habits in this subject.
On a strange note related to the stress hormone. Sort of the opposite happened 8 months ago when we sold our home, packed up and moved 1600 miles through 11 states. Sure there was tons of stress for a multitude of reasons, yet I lost nearly 8 pounds. Bodies are so mysterious in the ways they work.
Happy Friday.
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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.
Thu 4/20: Drinks (2.5): Well, we went out again to the same brewery as last night because the networking event was on the 20th and not the 19th. However, once there we figured out that we were going to the wrong brewery all along! It was too late to make it to the event so we stayed there and repeated the pizza/beer for the second night in a row. Afterwards, we drove to the beach and got in a good walk on the boardwalk. We picked up a drink on the way back to the car. It was at DH's suggestion, but why did I do that?. I did not need or really want that extra drink. At home I also fell into my old habit of late night snacking. You win some, you lose some!
We're heading out today to spend the weekend with our eldest and "DIL" in the Baltimore area. Can't wait!!!
Rolling Total: 13 AF Days out of 205 -
Goal: AF - Sunday-Thursday.
Max of 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 ✅
Apr 10 - MON: AF ✅
Apr 11 - TUES: AF ✅
Apr 12 - WED: AF ✅
Apr 13 - THUR: AF ✅
Apr 14 - FRI: 1 Drink ✅
Apr 15 - SAT: 3 Drinks ✅
Apr 16 - SUN: AF ✅
Apr 17 - MON: AF ✅
Apr 18 - TUES: AF ✅
Apr 19 - WED: AF ✅
Apr 20 - THUR: AF ✅6 -
Happy Friday, LA friends. A realization dawned on me this morning, and in kind of a perverse way, it felt like a win. My new year's goal was to tread a little lighter on weight maintenance. I have maintained for 30+ years, but often it feels like more effort than it should be. Always worth the effort, but still. I wondered if I could have the same result with fewer mental cycles.
I stepped on the scale this morning and it surprised me that I'm towards the upper end of my 5-lb maintenance range. I have HS reunions this weekend (local school 6th-9th grades) and next (boarding school 10th-12th). In past years I would have made an effort to be at the bottom end of my weight range and cared about it. I honestly didn't think about it until stepping on the scale this morning and honestly do not care. 5lb is not a noticeable difference to others (although it is to me). So even though my weight is up, I'll take it as a W for releasing some energy around it.
Reunion party tonight and I'm thinking about being AF. It felt so good to stay out later than planned Monday and being totally unburdened by thoughts about drinking and driving. And maybe I will feel more present to old friends. Neighbors coming for cocktails Saturday so that will be an A day. AF so far this week.6 -
I stepped on the scale this morning and it surprised me that I'm towards the upper end of my 5-lb maintenance range. I have HS reunions this weekend (local school 6th-9th grades) and next (boarding school 10th-12th). In past years I would have made an effort to be at the bottom end of my weight range and cared about it. I honestly didn't think about it until stepping on the scale this morning and honestly do not care. 5lb is not a noticeable difference to others (although it is to me). So even though my weight is up, I'll take it as a W for releasing some energy around it.
Love this story much.
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@MissMay
I now have a mental picture of you walking through sand with snowshoes : - )1 -
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 20 - AF - Really felt like having drinks, but I have another long day ahead on Friday. Glad to hit my 10, getting to 16 might be right down to the wire this month. Completely off of work on Saturday, planning on kicking back and maybe getting the carrots planted (if it doesn't snow lol). Likely going to have drinks tonight, Friday.
Rolling total: 10AF days out of 20 days.2 -
Having lunch with DIL and her sister today whom I know pretty well. They are both into a super healthy lifestyle and rock climb, strength train etc. so don’t expect any A for any of us. I would rather plan some wine for tomorrow evening after a trip to Home Depot for my greenhouse storm door and a day of working in the yard planting summer vegetable packs.
@dawnbgethealthy it is already in the high 70’s here, hope it doesn’t snow so you can get your carrots done. I would like to hear later how you prep and store veggies for the seasons ahead.
AF - 14
A - 6
Goals - 20-22 AF days total
Limit - no more than 2 glasses on A day3
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