LESS Alcohol ~ MAY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time
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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!8 -
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 words7 -
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 (?)8 -
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.6
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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!5 -
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!
5 -
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.8 -
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
5 -
@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.6
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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.
5 -
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!
Sorry about the stress, but good for you for moderating! Well done!4 -
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
Awww, that hit me in the feels. This is really an amazing group.
Good luck with the rest of your move!
6 -
SunnyDays930 wrote: »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.
I hope it gets covered too. This is the new Viagra! Haha. Interesting how that is covered by insurance, but a weight loss drug/dopamine receptor drug is not for the long term. If you don’t mind my asking, how much is it if not covered by insurance? Is it “cut out my daily latte” or “mortgage the house” expensive?3 -
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 (?)
Oooh I hear you! We got my dad (legally blind) a flip phone with big numbers (marketed to seniors), put us all on speed dial, and he still somehow managed to turn off the ringer all the time and never got our calls. Not on purpose! It’s frustrating for sure. But worse is remembering the healthy young men they were, and then seeing struggle with mobility and disease. Breaks your heart. Hugs to you!6 -
globalhiker wrote: »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.
Depression is awful. Sorry to hear you haven’t been yourself lately. Glad you found ways to get through it- without alcohol!5 -
Hubby is home from his round the works business trip! So great to have him back. I wanted a glass of wine before dinner, but instead had a mocktail because I didn’t want to drink on an empty stomach. One glass with dinner was perfect.
I’m doing well on the weight loss front by making better choices about food, and so far so good. I’ve gained 4 pounds in 3 months, and need to rein it in- even my new larger pants are getting a little snug !😳5 -
Goals for MaySelf-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 ~
5/20 ~ 🍷🍷🍷 Made it 3 AF 💚💚💚in a row, then planned to drink yesterday. No plans to drink today through Thursday (we shall see how it goes). Feeling pretty positive for the week on deck.
The Month recap to stay accountable5/1 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.My 2023 Stats...
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!
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!
5/19 AF ~ Yippee 💚 Three day streak -Current Month
AF = 6
A = 14
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January
AF = 53%
A = 47%
February
AF = 29%
A = 71%
March
AF = 0%
A = 100%
April
AF = 14%
A = 86%
May
AF = 30%
A = 70%8 -
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.
Saturday May 20 - 2 drinks. I got lots of yard work before work and during my 2 hour break of my split shift. Planning to get almost all of the rest of my stuff planted today. I was going to wait until Wednesday to plant tomatoes and peppers because Tuesday overnight will be our last cold night until late fall. I am not sure that I can wait! My 36 pepper plants and 2 tomato plants have been fine on my covered porch so far, I am just itching to get them in the ground and I have a full day off to uncover their beds, turn them over, mix in my compost and stuff. Unsure if I will be AF today or not. I do have a piccolo of Prosecco in the fridge and all of the makings for a cool gin blender drinks. It is going to be a very hot day today. We'll see. I feel like I haven't had a complete day off in a few weeks. Yes, I still think about A all of the time unlike @lmlmrn. My AF days are the result only of willpower.
Rolling total - 12AF day out of 20 days.6 -
Greetings LA friends,
@globalhiker sounds like your intentions are paying off. You are inspiring. I wish I was a runner! I hear it is a great stress buster.
Took a 4 mile walk yesterday. Then, my DH brought home sushi and we watched a hysterical comedy while I packed for a trip. Had 2 glasses of Prosecco plus one last night. First time I went off my well charted weekly ‘plan’ for A. I absolutely made that choice in the moment. Surprisingly I slept through the night until 6:45.
Going out of town next week and planning ahead for fun, food, and sightseeing. Food and drink will be a bit challenging when traveling but I have a solid plan to enjoy and not to go overboard (keep to my plan).
This morning I read my past daily/weekly diary and can see how far I have come in realizing my initial WL and LA goals since January which includes having more energy.
Much appreciation to you for being a big part of my journey.
May stats:
A-7
AF - 13
May goal - minimum 22-23 AF days
5 -
@dawnbgethealthy 36 pepper plants! You have been on the go with lots of extra work and hope that’s been good for you.5
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