LESS Alcohol ~ MAY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

SunnyDays930 · May 2023

The Wegovy has only worked for me on hard liquor and red wine. In other words, I do not want it. Unfortunately, I am still desiring white. This is not compatible with my weight loss goals, which is why I am on that drug in the first place. I will revisit the Huberman Lab podcast and try to reinforce my desire to be as AF as possible. I AM eating more food with live cultures in them ( sauerkraut, yogurt, Kombucha drinks) since he mentioned how alcohol kills all the good stuff in your gut.

I enjoyed the wedding but did not keep my goal of being AF. I had 2 glasses of wine and the champagne toast. Still, I avoided the signature drinks which were Mojitos and some raspberry margarita concoction which judging by how some people were dancing, were potent.

GaryM_25 · May 2023

l've been so busy and have hardly posted.

Here's my update...

Over the last three weekends, I made three 16-hour round-trip drives. One, for my dad's 80th birthday, and the other two for enabling my stepmom to stay with us for the week, including attending my son's college graduation.

Now, this week, I'm out of town on business at another conference. I had a presentation today and I got good feedback on it. It felt too short for time but I think I did what I needed to do.

OK... On some goals...

Alcohol: I had a glass of wine with dinner last night. A colleague that I've worked with for five years and had never met face-to-face before offered to take me out to dinner at a beachfront restaurant. It was incredible food. I had a glass of wine. Yay! Over the fifty-eight, I've had a drink a total of three days. I guess that would be 95% alcohol free. This feels really, really good. I think I want to stick to this limited of use of alcohol until I get to and have managed myself at a target weight for a while (by fall???).

Diet: Good, all things considered. I haven't been on a scale for a week. Based upon calorie counting, I expect I've neither gained or lost weight for a couple weeks. That's perfectly OK.

Weights: Yup. Gettin'r in! The hotel here for this conference has a good gym. Getting three good weights sessions in a week.

Cardio: Yup, here too, but being on the road, I'm doing base mileage running outside rather than doing intervals on the treadmill in the gym. While not as good for the metabolism on this program I'm on, I'm really enjoying being able to run outside again. The last couple days I've run a couple four-milers, but on concrete sidewalk surfaces. I need to give my plantar fascias a break after this. It was an "indulgence" but being able to run some again outside feels really, really good. I miss being a runner and want to be able to run again day in and day out. I hate plantar fasciitis so much. I hate it.

Results: Happy enough here. While the scale is needing to be pragmatically stick for the time being, I'm celebrating other aspects. Today, I spoke on stage to an audience of a couple hundred people and roamed the stage for the presentation (vs. being stuck at the lectern). I feel comfortable in my own skin. A co-worker took some pics of the presentation and I look good enough to be comfortable enough. My belts are down two, almost three, notches. I want to knock off another fifteen pounds.

Looking ahead: I really would like to lose another five if not ten before vacation in July. I'd definitely settle for another five pounds lost by then.

joans1976 · May 2023

@GaryM_25 So glad to hear an update, I have been wondering how you are doing. Apparently driving. The onstage thing is a big NSV! Sorry about the plantar fascitis, what a pain. It sounds like you are keeping up with all the things though and it is inspiring!

@lmlmrn Living the hotel life is hard. Its fun for 2 nights but then...no. When my parents moved they had to stay in hotel for 2 weeks, with their yappy little dog. They had a little kitchenette situation but I ended up cooking things for them and taking it to them and they were so grateful for something that was homemade! I liked it because the hotel had a nice gym and no one was ever in there.

@ahoy_m8 I do have a note into my treatment team, we'll see what they say. I know I cant live my life like this, I fell asleep at my desk yesterday at 3:00 in the afternoon (I think) and I need to be a productive member of society past 3 pm.

@dawnbgethealthy Will you take the liquor rep job? Is it a liquor you like?

globalhiker · May 2023

Checking in -

What went well: I ran yesterday and got to 11:27mi. speed without even trying and in 83 degree weather. Made me happy. I also ate sauerkraut last night thanks to the advice here. Happy tummy. Sleeping GREAT with my new quieter A/C. Less noise makes all the difference.

What did not: Work is beyond insane and I consumed too much food and drink since Mother's Day started it off.

Next steps: Out the door I go for a long walk with bunnies out in the desert to just chill out before my planned AF day begins.

dawnbgethealthy · May 2023

@joans1976

Thanks for the interest in my job offer.
It is a temporary job, giving out saples in the liquor store. 3X4-hour shifts per week at $25 per hour.
I still have lots of other job applications out there.

dawnbgethealthy · May 2023

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 16AF days in April.

I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.

Monday May 15 - AF - I was offered a temporary job until the end of August, 12 hours per week, 3-4 hour sessions as a product sampling agent in the liquor store respresenting a brand. Today after work I have an appointment with a bank to try to consolidate stuff. Easy to be AF last night knowing what I had on the docket for today, Tuesday. I may have drinks tonight. Hit my 10 : - )
Tuesday May 16 - 2 drinks - Not ideal. Yes, I had sort of planned to have drinks, but that was pre-stress, so I had them when I was stressed out, not during happiness or the feeling of accomplishment. My bank visit did not go well, my income is not high enough after having lost one of my jobs in order to get a consolidation loan.

Rolling total - 10AF day out of 16 days.

ahoy_m8 · May 2023

@dawnbgethealthy The stress is relatable. You have such a great outlook and charming personality, it feels like the right 2nd job for you is out there and the connection just hasn't been made. You really deserve a job where they truly appreciate all that you bring to the table. Things will fall into place around that.

DH announced at dinner last night that he is going to rework his relationship with alcohol because despite effort he has been unable to drop a few pounds (he's been traveling a lot, too, and that takes some elements out of one's control). He declined an invitation to a networking event last night because his willpower to resist felt weak and he preferred avoiding the temptation. LA to him means stopping at 2. He's less interested in the M-Th AF, but I did offer once the habit is established, it's a lot easier to abstain at events and no one cares at all what you're drinking. He acknowledged but I sensed he feels less committed on that front. I asked how I could support, and offered not "starting the weekend early" (which honestly is how he tempts me), and he said "yes but you never do that anyway." The irony! We have a case of wine club wine sitting by the front door, and I've been licking my chops wanting to break into it. I will not be tempting him "to start the weekend early" now. But I was thinking it!

I gave him huge props for even making the weight maintenance effort (statistically speaking, a wide majority of Americans are overweight or obese). Being a healthy weight cures several health issues for him, and I validated sometimes it seems like a lot of effort but it is always worth the effort. I'm hopeful if we both intend to stop at 2 on weekends, we both will be more likely to do so. It clearly would be better for both of us health-wise.

itladyee · May 2023

Goals for May

Self-care and positive vibes!
Zig-zag calorie count - Daily Average 1400
Success = No more than two glasses of wine per night.

Current Streak - AF = 0 ~

5/16 AF ~ Yippee 💚
5/16 A ~ I thought the mind game prediction would help. It didn't. I'm going to start wearing ear buds when I get home. It's now been a full week since my husband's surgery. I don't discount that he has pain but the yelling is driving me nuts. Each time he yells, and he yells a lot, I panic and think that he's fallen or something. Somehow, I'm thinking, when I'm at work and he's alone, he's not screaming bloody murder. #andthistooshallpass. I am going to focus on being AF tonight, screams or no screams. I want to balance this month out.

@joans1976 ~ I hope you are feeling better. Glad to hear you have contacted your treatment team to make them aware. Keep us posted.

@womona ~ Congrats to getting the boat out. You are going to have a wonderful boating summer!!

@lmlmrn ~ moving is very stressful. Be sure to take time to take care of you!

@dawnbgethealthy ~ Nicely done on 10 in a row!! Congrats on the temporary job ~ It sounds fun! Hopefully a permanent one will come along and get your income back to a point to quality for the consolidation loan. Wishing you the best!

@Michieb125 ~ thanks for reminding us about the podcast. I had slipped my mind🙂

@ahoy_m8 ~ your Mother's day weekend sounds delightful! 11 miles in one day! Nice! Its also wonderful that your DH is going to work on his relationship with alcohol. There's strength in numbers!

@Cwolfman13 ~ 30 days!! Awesome!!!! Congrats on your success!

@Sunnydays930 ~ Glad you had a good time at the wedding and your moderation is noteworthy!

@GaryM_25 ~

Over the last three weekends, I made three 16-hour round-trip drives.

I'm tired just reading that!! But, it sounds like you are balancing it all quite well!

@globalhiker ~ How long was your run? That speed is terrific.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

The Month recap to stay accountable

5/1 AF ~ Yipee! 💚 - Finished April with 3 days straight AF! I changed a lot of things in the past couple of weeks - I'm not sure which one is working or if it's the combination. I lost 9lbs in April. I can't tell you the last time that happened.

April 1 to April 15 - 3lbs, April 16 to April 30 - 6 lbs!!!

5/2 A ~ 🍷🍷🍷'eh. 1:1 for May but did string a few days in a row. I plan to be AF today and Thursday. Friday is Cinco de Mayo and my husband is already talking about Mexican so there might be a margarita or two.

5/3 AF ~ Yippee! 💚There's this window when I get home from work. About 30 minutes after my arrival for about an hour... If I get past that point, I'm usually ok. When there's nothing really stressing me, then it seems to be just habit for me.

5/4 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Today is Cinco De Mayo. Husband wants Mexican food and Margaritas. 😲😮🤭. I've already plugged planned food/drink into MFP and its going to be a tough one but I'm going to try to stay at my calorie budget. I have a salad planned for lunch which comes in at 300 calories. That leaves me plenty of room for a (one) margarita and a chicken taco meal. That leaves me with 45 calories to spare. Oops, forgot the chips and guacamole. 🤞🏽 I think I will go for an extra walk at lunch today!🙂

5/5 A ~🍸🍸🍸
5/6 A ~🍸🍸🍸
5/7 A ~ 🍷🍷
5/8 A ~🍷🍷 Need to get back on track today after a long, fun weekend full of drinks and food! Friday was Cinco de Mayo. Tried hard to make those calories fit within budget and have only 1 margarita #fail. Went to the Zoo on Saturday and walked around for 4 + hours with family (Grandson). It was a cool, wet and rainy day so the animals were VERY active. Usually they are just lying around asleep. After all that walking, we stopped at the Granite City Brewery. Had a burger to die for and a glass of wine. Came home to watch the Kentucky Derby and had a few cocktails. Sunday was back to a "normal" kind of day. Spent the morning cutting bushes and pulling weeds, then relaxed in the evening cooking on the grill (it was beautiful outside) and a couple glasses of wine. Today should be AF for sure and back on calorie budget! Update: Calories ok, but had wine.

5/9 A ~ 🍷🍷Long day yesterday. Husband had knee replacement surgery and I didn't plan very well for "me". Was hungry most of the day, only remedied by snacks. Couldn't bring outside food into the waiting room and they only had snacks and I didn't want to leave the area in case their were updates.

5/10 A ~🍷🍷 Another long day yesterday. The hospital is 1.5 hours away from home (he wanted a specific doctor) so another 3+ hours driving and they kept him another night. I did better with food choices but still over budget. The "all or none" in me is looking at a Sunday reset.

5/11 A ~🍷🍷🍷Yet another long day. So about 6 years ago, I use to commute to work 90 minutes each way, 5 days a week. After making a similar drive for three days in a row, I don't know how I managed. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do....
It was a stressful day. Husband was released🙂 but really not mobile at all. He "sort of" fell while getting into the car. I say "sort of" as the car broke his fall, he ended up sitting on the car floor. Someone eventually came out to help get him in the seat. We drove home. Took him over an hour to get from the car to inside the house. Once inside, he "thought" he was going to climb the 15 stairs to get to our bedroom. I said, nope, nadda, not going to happen. I said pick a couch or you can sleep in the recliner in the TV room and "maybe" we will try again tomorrow.
Then I cooked dinner and had wine!! Today I'm making him walk through the house every 60 to 90 minutes.

5/12 A ~🍷🍷🍷

5/13 A ~🍷🍷🍷

5/14 A ~🍷🍷🍷Mother's Day. I splurged with cheese and crackers and a chocolate flavored wine. Now it's time to get back on the plan - both for eating and drinking. I did make this instant pot pepper steak for dinner yesterday. It was actually pretty good and serving was under 350 calories, then add rice. I was going to serve over cauliflower rice, next time.

5/15 A ~ 🍷🍷🍷

My 2023 Stats...

Current Month
AF = 3
A = 12
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January
AF = 53%
A = 47%
February
AF = 29%
A = 71%
March
AF = 0%
A = 100%
April
AF = 14%
A = 86%
May
AF = 20%
A = 80%

RachelleNH · May 2023

I definitely need to follow this. I have been struggling to stop and last night I broke my 5 day streak and had 8 beers. Omg...and here I had walked 6 miles and I messed it all up. I woke up so mad at myself. I'm trying to lose 15 or 20 pounds by August, and I just went in reverse! LOL
So, why I think I do this-- I'm struggling with being a sudden empty nester and finding myself alone and stressed a lot. My significant other works all the time and it's taking a toll on me. Not trying to cry here, I just need to find my support system and this has a lot of helpful info! Thanks!

Michieb125 · May 2023

@RachelleNH welcome here! This group is full of supportive people who want to drink less alcohol whatever that means to you. I find a lot
of insightful and inspiring tips here. Being an empty nester can also be hard, especially at first.

Michieb125 · May 2023

Checking in……I am maintaining my weight loss and do best when I focus on mindful eating and planning ahead. Back on track since Mothers days shenanigans!

AF planned all week until Friday.
A - 5
AF - 11
May goal - 22-23 AF days
Limit to 2 glasses

tmbg1 · May 2023

5/1-5/2-5/3 - AF
5/4-5/5-5/6- A
5/7- 5/8 - 5/9 -5/10- AF
5/11 - 5/12 - 5/13 - A
5/14 - 5/15 - 5/16 - AF
5/17 - A

GaryM_25 · May 2023

Last night, I flew home from the conference. It's been a few years since it's happened, but I got upgraded to first class! Now... that's a big trigger for me.

While I cleaned up on the small steak and Asian salad, I skipped the bread, the dessert, and the typical two or three glasses of wine. I'll call that a non-scale victory.

This morning, I got on the scale. I expected it to be up two or three pounds, including the water retention from the travel.

It was down a pound!!! Today, I'm at twenty pounds lost. I'm at the weight I was at about seven years ago. Plus, since I'm hitting the weights pretty hard, the composition of the weight is better too. A slightly-muscular 188 lbs. looks quite different from a getting-a-gut 208 lbs. I'll call this a scale victory.

Looking ahead... 178 lbs. would be great and I don't see much reason to try to go below 173 lbs.

dawnbgethealthy · May 2023

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 16AF days in April.

I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.

Wednesday May 17 - AF - Willpower won out yay! This morning as I write this is is so smoky with particulate matter looking like silt/fine snow. I have all of my plants on my covered front porch that really need to get into the ground. I put a few in after work today, but I fear that some of those will not do very well, especially the petunias who don't like smoke. I am anxious to get my peppers and tomatoes planted. The weather is very warm, but I don't feel like it is safe for my plants with all of the particulate matter. Smoke is blowing up from the States, over from Alberta, and who knows where else. This town is safe because of the prescribed burn a few weeks ago creating a fire break. Normally we don't see fires until August. I had good plans to cut the grass and do some planting this morning before work, but guess that I will stay inside.

Rolling total - 11AF day out of 17 days.

itladyee · May 2023

Goals for May

Self-care and positive vibes!
Zig-zag calorie count - Daily Average 1400
Success = No more than two glasses of wine per night.

Current Streak - AF = 1 ~
5/17 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Success! Yesterday was good. Within calorie range, still a little short on water, but no alcohol! But, although a great day all around, the scale didn't show it and in fact, showed a gain. That was a little frustrating this morning ..... Gotta turn this ship around!!

So what did I do..went to Amazon and bought a new scale! (I did but not solely for that reason). I found one that tracks more metrics and I also bought a digital tape measure (I love gadgets). Keeping the focus!

@RachelleNH ~ Hang in there and we are all here to support you. Do you have any hobbies that you can fill your time with? In particular, things that you can't do while drinking (that helps me🙂 ) I'm an empty nester too, and that part I'm ok with but I still like to spend more time with my son and his family (3 year old grandson) but they always seems so busy and to see them...I seem to have to be the one to make the effort. But I digress. Let us know how we can help you.

@GaryM_25 ~ Kudos for sure. Getting a 1st class upgrade is always exciting! Passing on the wine is surely a NSV!! Good for you. Congrats on your successes!

The Month recap to stay accountable

5/1 AF ~ Yipee! 💚 - Finished April with 3 days straight AF! I changed a lot of things in the past couple of weeks - I'm not sure which one is working or if it's the combination. I lost 9lbs in April. I can't tell you the last time that happened.

April 1 to April 15 - 3lbs, April 16 to April 30 - 6 lbs!!!

5/2 A ~ 🍷🍷🍷'eh. 1:1 for May but did string a few days in a row. I plan to be AF today and Thursday. Friday is Cinco de Mayo and my husband is already talking about Mexican so there might be a margarita or two.

5/3 AF ~ Yippee! 💚There's this window when I get home from work. About 30 minutes after my arrival for about an hour... If I get past that point, I'm usually ok. When there's nothing really stressing me, then it seems to be just habit for me.

5/4 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Today is Cinco De Mayo. Husband wants Mexican food and Margaritas. 😲😮🤭. I've already plugged planned food/drink into MFP and its going to be a tough one but I'm going to try to stay at my calorie budget. I have a salad planned for lunch which comes in at 300 calories. That leaves me plenty of room for a (one) margarita and a chicken taco meal. That leaves me with 45 calories to spare. Oops, forgot the chips and guacamole. 🤞🏽 I think I will go for an extra walk at lunch today!🙂

5/5 A ~🍸🍸🍸
5/6 A ~🍸🍸🍸
5/7 A ~ 🍷🍷
5/8 A ~🍷🍷 Need to get back on track today after a long, fun weekend full of drinks and food! Friday was Cinco de Mayo. Tried hard to make those calories fit within budget and have only 1 margarita #fail. Went to the Zoo on Saturday and walked around for 4 + hours with family (Grandson). It was a cool, wet and rainy day so the animals were VERY active. Usually they are just lying around asleep. After all that walking, we stopped at the Granite City Brewery. Had a burger to die for and a glass of wine. Came home to watch the Kentucky Derby and had a few cocktails. Sunday was back to a "normal" kind of day. Spent the morning cutting bushes and pulling weeds, then relaxed in the evening cooking on the grill (it was beautiful outside) and a couple glasses of wine. Today should be AF for sure and back on calorie budget! Update: Calories ok, but had wine.

5/9 A ~ 🍷🍷Long day yesterday. Husband had knee replacement surgery and I didn't plan very well for "me". Was hungry most of the day, only remedied by snacks. Couldn't bring outside food into the waiting room and they only had snacks and I didn't want to leave the area in case their were updates.

5/10 A ~🍷🍷 Another long day yesterday. The hospital is 1.5 hours away from home (he wanted a specific doctor) so another 3+ hours driving and they kept him another night. I did better with food choices but still over budget. The "all or none" in me is looking at a Sunday reset.

5/11 A ~🍷🍷🍷Yet another long day. So about 6 years ago, I use to commute to work 90 minutes each way, 5 days a week. After making a similar drive for three days in a row, I don't know how I managed. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do....
It was a stressful day. Husband was released🙂 but really not mobile at all. He "sort of" fell while getting into the car. I say "sort of" as the car broke his fall, he ended up sitting on the car floor. Someone eventually came out to help get him in the seat. We drove home. Took him over an hour to get from the car to inside the house. Once inside, he "thought" he was going to climb the 15 stairs to get to our bedroom. I said, nope, nadda, not going to happen. I said pick a couch or you can sleep in the recliner in the TV room and "maybe" we will try again tomorrow.
Then I cooked dinner and had wine!! Today I'm making him walk through the house every 60 to 90 minutes.

5/12 A ~🍷🍷🍷

5/13 A ~🍷🍷🍷

5/14 A ~🍷🍷🍷Mother's Day. I splurged with cheese and crackers and a chocolate flavored wine. Now it's time to get back on the plan - both for eating and drinking. I did make this instant pot pepper steak for dinner yesterday. It was actually pretty good and serving was under 350 calories, then add rice. I was going to serve over cauliflower rice, next time.

5/15 A ~ 🍷🍷🍷

5/16 AF ~ Yippee 💚
5/16 A ~ I thought the mind game prediction would help. It didn't. I'm going to start wearing ear buds when I get home. It's now been a full week since my husband's surgery. I don't discount that he has pain but the yelling is driving me nuts. Each time he yells, and he yells a lot, I panic and think that he's fallen or something. Somehow, I'm thinking, when I'm at work and he's alone, he's not screaming bloody murder. #andthistooshallpass. I am going to focus on being AF tonight, screams or no screams. I want to balance this month out.

My 2023 Stats...

Current Month
AF = 4
A = 13
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January
AF = 53%
A = 47%
February
AF = 29%
A = 71%
March
AF = 0%
A = 100%
April
AF = 14%
A = 86%
May
AF = 24%
A = 76%

Michieb125 · May 2023

Greetings,

I am feeling more energized with LA and getting mostly good sleep - a big motivator for me. AF until Saturday now.

A-5
AF - 12
May goal - minimum 22-23 AF days

_mytime_ · May 2023

Really wanting to cut alcohol out of my life and always found it really difficult, hoping to find like minded people

dawnbgethealthy · May 2023

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 16AF days in April.

I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.

Wednesday May 17 - AF - Willpower won out yay! This morning as I write this is is so smoky with particulate matter looking like silt/fine snow. I have all of my plants on my covered front porch that really need to get into the ground. I put a few in after work today, but I fear that some of those will not do very well, especially the petunias who don't like smoke. I am anxious to get my peppers and tomatoes planted. The weather is very warm, but I don't feel like it is safe for my plants with all of the particulate matter. Smoke is blowing up from the States, over from Alberta, and who knows where else. This town is safe because of the prescribed burn a few weeks ago creating a fire break. Normally we don't see fires until August. I had good plans to cut the grass and do some planting this morning before work, but guess that I will stay inside.
Thursday May 18 - 2 drinks. Air quality advisory still when I got off of work at 3pm. I resisted drinks for about an hour. I suppose that I could have cleaned something inside of my house because the air was too thick to do anything outside at all. Anyway, I had a couple of drinks and was asleep by 8pm and up just before 4am. The sky is lightening up here at 5:45am and it still looks smoky. I am working a split shift Saturday at the restaurant, so will be AF tonight.

Rolling total - 11AF day out of 18 days.

itladyee · May 2023

Goals for May

Self-care and positive vibes!
Zig-zag calorie count - Daily Average 1400
Success = No more than two glasses of wine per night.

Current Streak - AF = 2 ~

5/18 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Happy with AF day but still frustrated with the scale. It was another good day. Got my water in (65oz), went for an additional 40 minute walk at lunch (16,653 steps for the day). Slightly over on calorie count but it was my low calorie day. Target 1050 - came in at 1326 (still good as far as I'm concerned). I am going to start tracking measurements so see if there's any changes elsewhere to help boost my morale!

@_mytime_ ~ Welcome. We are here to support you in whatever you chose as your goals. Many here have significantly cut back their consumption of alcohol and many have decided what "moderation" should look like for them. Everyone's journey is personal and we are here to support you!

The Month recap to stay accountable

5/1 AF ~ Yipee! 💚 - Finished April with 3 days straight AF! I changed a lot of things in the past couple of weeks - I'm not sure which one is working or if it's the combination. I lost 9lbs in April. I can't tell you the last time that happened.

April 1 to April 15 - 3lbs, April 16 to April 30 - 6 lbs!!!

5/2 A ~ 🍷🍷🍷'eh. 1:1 for May but did string a few days in a row. I plan to be AF today and Thursday. Friday is Cinco de Mayo and my husband is already talking about Mexican so there might be a margarita or two.

5/3 AF ~ Yippee! 💚There's this window when I get home from work. About 30 minutes after my arrival for about an hour... If I get past that point, I'm usually ok. When there's nothing really stressing me, then it seems to be just habit for me.

5/4 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Today is Cinco De Mayo. Husband wants Mexican food and Margaritas. 😲😮🤭. I've already plugged planned food/drink into MFP and its going to be a tough one but I'm going to try to stay at my calorie budget. I have a salad planned for lunch which comes in at 300 calories. That leaves me plenty of room for a (one) margarita and a chicken taco meal. That leaves me with 45 calories to spare. Oops, forgot the chips and guacamole. 🤞🏽 I think I will go for an extra walk at lunch today!🙂

5/5 A ~🍸🍸🍸
5/6 A ~🍸🍸🍸
5/7 A ~ 🍷🍷
5/8 A ~🍷🍷 Need to get back on track today after a long, fun weekend full of drinks and food! Friday was Cinco de Mayo. Tried hard to make those calories fit within budget and have only 1 margarita #fail. Went to the Zoo on Saturday and walked around for 4 + hours with family (Grandson). It was a cool, wet and rainy day so the animals were VERY active. Usually they are just lying around asleep. After all that walking, we stopped at the Granite City Brewery. Had a burger to die for and a glass of wine. Came home to watch the Kentucky Derby and had a few cocktails. Sunday was back to a "normal" kind of day. Spent the morning cutting bushes and pulling weeds, then relaxed in the evening cooking on the grill (it was beautiful outside) and a couple glasses of wine. Today should be AF for sure and back on calorie budget! Update: Calories ok, but had wine.

5/9 A ~ 🍷🍷Long day yesterday. Husband had knee replacement surgery and I didn't plan very well for "me". Was hungry most of the day, only remedied by snacks. Couldn't bring outside food into the waiting room and they only had snacks and I didn't want to leave the area in case their were updates.

5/10 A ~🍷🍷 Another long day yesterday. The hospital is 1.5 hours away from home (he wanted a specific doctor) so another 3+ hours driving and they kept him another night. I did better with food choices but still over budget. The "all or none" in me is looking at a Sunday reset.

5/11 A ~🍷🍷🍷Yet another long day. So about 6 years ago, I use to commute to work 90 minutes each way, 5 days a week. After making a similar drive for three days in a row, I don't know how I managed. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do....
It was a stressful day. Husband was released🙂 but really not mobile at all. He "sort of" fell while getting into the car. I say "sort of" as the car broke his fall, he ended up sitting on the car floor. Someone eventually came out to help get him in the seat. We drove home. Took him over an hour to get from the car to inside the house. Once inside, he "thought" he was going to climb the 15 stairs to get to our bedroom. I said, nope, nadda, not going to happen. I said pick a couch or you can sleep in the recliner in the TV room and "maybe" we will try again tomorrow.
Then I cooked dinner and had wine!! Today I'm making him walk through the house every 60 to 90 minutes.

5/12 A ~🍷🍷🍷

5/13 A ~🍷🍷🍷

5/14 A ~🍷🍷🍷Mother's Day. I splurged with cheese and crackers and a chocolate flavored wine. Now it's time to get back on the plan - both for eating and drinking. I did make this instant pot pepper steak for dinner yesterday. It was actually pretty good and serving was under 350 calories, then add rice. I was going to serve over cauliflower rice, next time.

5/15 A ~ 🍷🍷🍷

5/16 AF ~ Yippee 💚
5/16 A ~ I thought the mind game prediction would help. It didn't. I'm going to start wearing ear buds when I get home. It's now been a full week since my husband's surgery. I don't discount that he has pain but the yelling is driving me nuts. Each time he yells, and he yells a lot, I panic and think that he's fallen or something. Somehow, I'm thinking, when I'm at work and he's alone, he's not screaming bloody murder. #andthistooshallpass. I am going to focus on being AF tonight, screams or no screams. I want to balance this month out.

5/17 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Success! Yesterday was good. Within calorie range, still a little short on water, but no alcohol! But, although a great day all around, the scale didn't show it and in fact, showed a gain. That was a little frustrating this morning ..... Gotta turn this ship around!!

So what did I do..went to Amazon and bought a new scale! (I did but not solely for that reason). I found one that tracks more metrics and I also bought a digital tape measure (I love gadgets). Keeping the focus!

My 2023 Stats...

Current Month
AF = 5
A = 13
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January
AF = 53%
A = 47%
February
AF = 29%
A = 71%
March
AF = 0%
A = 100%
April
AF = 14%
A = 86%
May
AF = 28%
A = 72%

Womona · May 2023

_mytime_ wrote: »

Really wanting to cut alcohol out of my life and always found it really difficult, hoping to find like minded people

Welcome! Yes it is not easy, but this is a solid group of people. Glad to have you here!

Womona · May 2023

I took myself out for a quick dinner- glass of wine and some Ahi tuna poke. Yum!

My less alcohol has been having only one glass per night, which is a big improvement over how I was in the past. However, I really should drop down to one glass on each weekend night, and be AF during the week. I was able to do that a few months ago, but have gotten away from it- and it shows in my waistline! My weight is going up and up.

I get a little anxious thinking of not having my daily glass of wine- despite that awesome podcast! I always want to reward a hard day of work or celebrate a good
meal. But I also know that after a few uncomfortable days I’ll be totally fine without it. I guess I can’t deal with any discomfort right now with long days at work and peri menopause!

On a good note, I won every tennis match I played this week! Woo hoo!!!!!

Hope everyone is able to stick to their plan as the weekend is upon us!

lmlmrn · May 2023

Wow I can not stress enough how this group has helped me take alcohol from the "first thing" I concentrate on my life to "back seat", not gone just not revolve my 'fun'.

This moving journey was scary. My focus was when, how, can I travel--drink--sleep--these past 7 weeks so far...the answer this thread!! I can't always be here but I catch up reading and put my hand on my hip and go?? wow we are an awesome group of people from all walks of life making this work for each of us. Despite the good bad and ugly we have united to become better US's. Is there a word to describe that? We are making plans to move.....so we fly back to WA at the first of next week then a 2 week or so of packing??? long story short we have to wait on Sister and BIL to arrive to drive U-Haul...So next check in a week or so...xxx you have all supported me so much...I have no appropriate words

joans1976 · May 2023

Greetings! I have been partaking in this LA thread since June of ‘22 and it has made such a huge difference in my life. I have met some very kind and smart people on here and hope to continue to be 99% AF.

Thinking of May goals overwhelms me, there’s so much to do, so I’m just going to keep it simple:
99% AF
Weight loss of 4-5 pounds
Get moving

5/1-5/19- 19 AF

I still am not feeling well but have remained AF. My stomach has been quite upset so A really isn’t an option. I see my doctor next week.
I saw my parents yesterday and my dad has changed over from an Android phone to an iPhone and it is really hard on him. I’m definitely not a tech expert but I’ve been using an iPhone forever so I was trying to help him. It’s not his fault but he can’t see or hear well and his fingers have neuropathy so he can’t type well. He has his passwords written down in 5 different places. I was sitting there and realized it’s too much for him and it made me sad. I just want to get him a flip phone and give him a hug and tell him everything is going to be okay. I was really sad and stressed out when I left their house and I thought “hoo boy if I drank alcohol, now would be a good time to pick some up.” Good for me for coping without alcohol in the end but also maybe not because my thoughts automatically turned to alcohol to “help” ease the negative feelings (?)

SunnyDays930 · May 2023

Reading all these comments about how alcohol can keep us from our weight loss goals....it is so true. I have lost nearly 15 lbs not only because I am eating less but because I am drinking SO much less alcohol. Now as regular readers know, I am on Wegovy which I will not be able to afford to stay on indefinitely. BUT it really turns me off from most alcohol and the alcohol I still like, white wine or champagne, I want much much less of. For this reason alone, I feel like this product should be covered by insurance. I am hoping when I stop taking it, I will be out of the alcohol habit completely.

tmbg1 · May 2023

5/1-5/2-5/3 - AF
5/4-5/5-5/6- A
5/7- 5/8 - 5/9 -5/10- AF
5/11 - 5/12 - 5/13 - A
5/14 - 5/15 - 5/16 - AF
5/17- 5/18-5/19-5/20 - A - a lot of stress this week but kept it to 2 glasses each night which for me is good- happy I didn't go off the rails!

ahoy_m8 · May 2023

Welcome to the new folks dropping in. I hope you find something encouraging or helpful, here. Like @womona said, everyone's definition of what constitutes "less" is different, but everyone is working on changing. (Congrats on tennis W's!)

@SunnyDays930 Good job! DH and I were discussing an article last night indicating Wigovy disrupts the dopamine pathway for all kinds of addictions -- gambling, porn, heroin. I listened to a podcast interview of an obesity doctor a while back, and she said Wigovy is a lifetime drug and she wishes it were more widely available, for a lifetime. Like BP medication. Does insurance typically cover it only for a limited time?

@joans1976 Your description of the helping-parent-stress resonates. Good on you for your thought process self awareness. FWIW, I still have the stress-alcohol thought pattern, too. Went to dinner with 2 friends Thursday. We all were AF, but one friend was deeply upset and crying over a family drama (and probably cascading misunderstandings, but I don't know the actors involved.) It was essentially a 2.5 hour therapy session and I was utterly exhausted and emotionally frazzled when I got home. If it had not been so close to 10pm, I would have been more tempted to open something. But my mind went there, so I feel ya' on that.

@GaryM_25 It's been a million years since I've been upgraded, too, and 1st class wine used to be a drinking trigger for me as well. My NY hotel had a free wine cocktail hour, and I felt that reflex to take advantage of it. When I reflect on that, it's just so lame. That night was dinner with the roommates & moms, and if I was going to stick to 1 or 2 drinks, I wanted to have it with them, not alone in my hotel.

M-Th AF
F 2 wine, but watching the Great British Baking Show makes me want sweet snacks like a fiend!

dawnbgethealthy · May 2023

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 16AF days in April.

I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.

Friday May 19 - AF - I cut 2 parts of the grass in the morning before work, planted a couple of things, then cut the rest of the grass after getting home from work. Did I feel like drinks after that? You bet. Accomplishing hard work outside usually makes me want to have drinks. I have a split shift today, Saturday at the restaurant, so it was easy to stay AF since it will be a long day for me and I don't want to feel tired or anything.
My "reward" for finishing the grass in 30c heat was an ICE cherry lemonade blended with ice. This flavour does not lend itself to any sort of alcohol, so it didn't trigger me to want the "real" thing. 5 calories worth.

Rolling total - 12AF day out of 19 days.

Michieb125 · May 2023

Interesting comments about awareness around dealing with stressful situations and the desire to reach for alcohol. I can relate as well, mostly with family situations which I imagine is very common (and stressful jobs). I now prefer to have an occasional glass for celebrations or relaxing with a show and have been able to abstain so far when a difficult situation arises. And, there always seems to be many, it’s called life! For me, life has been so much better living with LA even when those emotional days come, then go.

I love what @lmlmrn said about how our thinking shifts from A being a focus to taking the back seat. Newer and better habits are taking priority!

Tracking my 2 glasses of planned wine last night.
May stats:
A-6
AF - 13
May goal - minimum 22-23 AF days

SunnyDays930 · May 2023

@ahoy_m8 I cannot afford to stay on Wegovy forever but my dr told me she has had success weaning people off it. For example instead of a once a week injection, she gets the patients to go to 10 days. I simply cannot take it forever. the discounted rate is 500.00 a month but some people are spending 1500 a month. This is just unsustainable unless you are wealthy.

globalhiker · May 2023

I love this group and I do appreciate the honesty and the "lift" you all give me.

We all go through turbulent times and as much as we want to control life, it's got a wicked plan of it's own. Past few months I have not been the same, but have intentionally started running and pushing through my depression and am feeling better.

I am at point where it doesn't matter so much many calories or how many ounces of alcohol or how many steps I took or how many miles I ran, what matters first and foremost is myself and how good I feel. This is the foundation.

@dawnbgethealthy -sending good vibes your way! I see really good opportunities for you and I mean it.

LESS Alcohol ~ MAY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

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