LESS Alcohol ~ APRIL 2024 ~ One Day at A Time
Replies
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Hello all
I know I would check in on an ill-regular basis hehe. I do read all your posts and they are really motivating for me.
April 1....two beers something about the 1st day of the month.
But staying pretty dry since then. This eve I did have a small glass of wine while waiting for dinner then I was done with it. The fact that I can walk away after a small glass and not have the craving to continue is amazing for me.
The 'ole timers' here know I was not only a daily drinker...started on wine years ago and graduated to vodka in the tune of 4-6 heavy.....heavy pours per night. 95% of the time I never remembered my bed time routine and to bed. I just know I would get up the next morning (no hangover) go to gym (5am) work full time, home by 5:30-6pm cook dinner and start drinking as much as possible until 10 pm when I would go to bed...rinse and repeat. For a few decades.
Now I have a few glasses during the week and my once a week 2 beer lunch. I love the mental shift of not craving, but still wanting? does this make sense?
Anyway I just wanted to let everyone know this group is awesome, and if you check in every day, once a week, once a month or just a lurker the support is so honest and heartfelt.
Thank you11 -
AF - 5
A - 0
Big night, but no drinks.6 -
1 - LA
4 - AF
Friday night with herbal tea and RuPaul5 -
LOVE LOVE LOVE all the wonderful posts, and open honesty on your daily accountability.
I am S T R E T C H I N G out my time at my present job. UGH!!!! Thanks @forestdweller1 for thinking of me during my gnarring struggle at this work place. I need to hang in there until at least April 25. Then I will be giving my notice.
All this mega stress and NOT ONE DRINK. YAY ME!!!
A-0
AF-59 -
LOVE LOVE LOVE all the wonderful posts, and open honesty on your daily accountability.
I am S T R E T C H I N G out my time at my present job. UGH!!!! Thanks @forestdweller1 for thinking of me during my gnarring struggle at this work place. I need to hang in there until at least April 25. Then I will be giving my notice.
All this mega stress and NOT ONE DRINK. YAY ME!!!
A-0
AF-5
I felt so much better after I quit my job. It was super stressful… not the work itself or the people out in the field I worked with, but the 3 catty b***ches that made up “my team” stressed me out constantly. When I gave my notice, I was so excited! When I finally turned in my computer, it felt like the best day of my life. Not to mention the “need to drink” was no longer as strong. Soooooo much relief!
Last Friday, I received a text from my former boss asking me a question. (I told him he could call me if he really needed to, but the “cats” were blocked.) He followed up his text with “When are you coming back?” I’ve also gotten phone calls and texts from my former program managers in the field complaining about the “cats” not being able to keep up. As much as I hate it for the field and am not surprised by this, there is a little part of me that feels vindicated knowing I did my job so well that I am truly missed! I was ALMOST indispensable. 😉8 -
April:
AF - 1
A - 4
No after dinner snacking Challenge:
SF - 4
S - 1
I haven't started off this month very well in the AF department
. But at least I haven't been snacking at night along with the wine. 3 -
@NonnieDoiron so totally agree with you on benefits of leaving a bad job (gave me an opportunity to step into a better job with cool friendly humans - they do exist!). Bad jobs can drive a person to drink and keep drinking literally. Been there!
@lmlmrn you have come such a really long way! Wow. It's good to look back and see how far you've come.
Been sick here with a cold+allergies+cold sweats and hot flashes acting up. If I had bourbon in the house, I'd be having it for breakfast: day dreaming of a couple of shots with my coffee, just to feel better, but I don't. When I feel like this, the most important thing I can do is NOT drive out for Saturday shopping while I feel like trash and very susceptible to grabbing alcoholic liquid remedies when I am in this mood. Plus, my local store now has $1-$3 mini bottles of a variety of liquors, placed right in front of the self checkout. It's in your face right next to the gum and candies so while you wait in line impatiently, it's right there. So not right (or fair)!
7 -
Lost 40# twice -- 12 & 8 years ago -- by eliminating beer & sodas from my diet. Don't drink sodas at all anymore but still drink beer with a meal when I eat out which is only occasionlly.
My weight has dropped to as low as 150 in the past (which was too light for me) and stabilized at 160 (which is a better weight for me).
Started drinking wine (instead of beer/soda) at home in the past couple of years & my weight started creeping up again from160 to 175.
I had been consuming about 500-600 cals/day in alcohol; mostly wine but some hard liquor (mostly scotch & bourbon) too. Just went "dry" on 4/2 to get back to 160.
I've done this before and don't think I'll have ny problem staying AF at home and will even try to cut back on the beer when I eat out.
Been AF since 4/2 and have already lost 3# in just 4 days. Don't think this rate of decline is sustainable in the long term & expect it to taper off shortly.
The goal is to reach 160 within 12-16 weeks based on a 1800-2000 cal/day diet (AF) which I believe is achievable. We'll see . . .
Will report back here every Sat thru the end April report on my progress.
PS: Just realized that I posted all of this hstory in the March 2024 thread already. Sorry for the redundancy. Won't repeat it again, if/when a May thread is created.
6 -
I'm still proving to myself that I can no longer handle booze.
I did a (previously) common Friday night: a pint of double IPA (8% ABV) with dinner and a serving of Irish whiskey on the rocks later (watching the Women BB game, yeah!). Yes, I felt terrible all night and had to take tums and pepto. I just can't handle it anymore!7 -
Very sorry to hear a few of you are sick, that is always so frustrating, and hope you feel better soon!
@lmlmrn your LA journey is incredible and I’m really happy you shared it! You have come so far 💝
A little about me…..I used to be a daily wine drinker of anywhere from 2-5 glasses a day during my many years of working in management (solving problems with people and processes on a daily basis). Grateful all that is behind me and I really can’t imagine keeping up those stats anymore… not to mention the calories!
It’s a shame that some jobs are so stressful and can lead to excessive drinking as coping mechanisms, yet I needed the income and benefits to care for my family. One regret is that is wish I walked away sooner and maybe enjoyed a different employer before my choice to retire early. But retirement at 57 turned out to be a good thing!
The wine habit continued after retirement and honestly, I got tired of it. I felt I was just going through the regular motions of purchasing, drinking it and repeating, while seeing lots of empty wine bottles in the recycle bin each week. This was a bad habit I developed over the years and it didn’t bring the pleasure or relief any longer. I started lurking here over a year ago, and learned I didn’t have to give up good wine, and Less was an option. I made significant changes with the help of this thread and wonderful support I found here. I appreciate learning from both the old timers and new comers! I love checking in here on most days to hear how you are doing. May you find your best resolve today!7 -
I_am_motivated wrote: »I'm so frustrated being sick. I will be missing the Mule Day Parade tomorrow.
Good news- 65 days alcohol free.
I've gotten several colds this year and felt pretty crummy off and on. Now, my dentist tells me I have two infected teeth that have to come out. I wonder if that's been part of the problem. (This was part of my excuse for boozing last night, not helpful!)
In any case, good health is the greatest blessing of all and I hope you regain yours quickly!4 -
NonnieDoiron wrote: »Still don’t have any wine in the house, so won’t be drinking tonight either.
This is a good strategy: Keep it out of the house. I poured out the rest of the bottles I bought for the holiday parties.5 -
Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »I_am_motivated wrote: »I'm so frustrated being sick. I will be missing the Mule Day Parade tomorrow.
Good news- 65 days alcohol free.
I've gotten several colds this year and felt pretty crummy off and on. Now, my dentist tells me I have two infected teeth that have to come out. I wonder if that's been part of the problem. (This was part of my excuse for boozing last night, not helpful!)
In any case, good health is the greatest blessing of all and I hope you regain yours quickly!
Thank you. I'm at the tail end of it now. Just some lingering sniffles. Energy still a tad low, but will be ready to crush it at the gym on Monday.
Sorry to hear about your teeth. I bet once those teeth are out you're gonna feel so much better. Your body has been fighting that infection which weakens your system. I hope you are able to get that taken care of soon.3 -
Today actually marks 5 years sober for me. One of the best things I ever did.14
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Sorry to hear some of you are sick, I hope you all feel better soon.
@Jthanmyfitnesspal toothaches are the worst. I hope the infection clears up for you.
@nighthawk584 CONGRATULATIONS on 5 years!!6 -
AF - 6
A - 0
@Jthanmyfitnesspal thanks. I didn’t really plan it, but I just haven’t been buying it. I go to the grocery store with a list, and because I hate shopping and I coupon I only shop for what is on my list. I go fast, and I don’t deviate from my list… EVER! Which means if wine is not on my list, I end up walking past the wine section and don’t even consider it.
And now I’m so tired in the evenings because of how busy my days have been, I don’t bother to drive the 2 miles to the store that carries my favorite wine. Of course, I walk almost 4 miles a day in 1 hour… maybe if I walked to the store and back, I could earn my wine calories once in a while.5 -
@NonnieDoiron : Most MA grocery stores don't sell liquor. You can avoid the ones that do pretty easily. I know that that deviates from the rest of the entire world!
Anyway, it sounds like it doesn't bother you. I'm sort of in the middle: sometimes I get tempted by the booze at the store and sometimes not.5 -
7 -
5 - AF
1 - LA
Was really craving on a drive home last night but decided not to and I'm so glad because I don't feel sick this morning.7 -
Just caught up with all the posts! I’m so inspired by you all.
I was not AF during the week last week, except for Monday. However, I didn’t do more than one glass of wine. I’m really struggling with being AF during the work week. This weekend I kept it to two per day, but my goal was one. Still not horrible, but also not reaching my goals.
As for going no sugar…. Ooof. Carb city here. The other night I came home from work and asked my husband to cook anything but pasta. So, he made chicken friend rice 🙄. Last night we went to a restaurant, and had delicious whipped ricotta on even more delicious bread. Yum, but way over my macros. The only good thing is I’ve been great with exercising this week.
Today we travel to see the eclipse. It had better not rain!!!!7 -
April:
AF - 2
A - 4
No after dinner snacking Challenge:
SF - 4
S - 23 -
AF = 6
A = 1
Went to the casino. Blah. Today's a new day
Hope everyone starts feeling better for the upcoming week!5 -
Hello LA friends:
DH and I will be heading out to camp in our 2020 travel trailer in a few days, and I can’t wait to leave town for a nearby lake. The water levels are full again! Also will take long walks and ride bikes in the sunshine.
In the past several years I have imbibed every day on a camp trip, I.e. mimosas and white wine. Will be scaling back this time, and this year. Energy levels are way better with less alcohol!
Last night, I actually drove to my store at 6:00 pm to pick up a bottle of Kendall Jackson low calorie Chardonnay (85 calories and 9% alcohol). Had a good sized glass of this and then a La Crema. Stayed at personal limit.
Planning for two AF days in a row before we leave!
Current:
AF - 3
A - 3
Goals:
AF days - 18-20
A days 10-12
5 -
6 - AF
1 - LA
Feeling great but I'm still eating too many sweets - hats off to those of you cutting back on sugar also!!5 -
AF - 7
A - 0
Tomorrow is weigh-in for the challenge group I’m in, and I’m nervous I didn’t lose and worse yet… I gained. I have been logging everything, and I can’t see why I wouldn’t lose weight… but I’m nervous all the same.5 -
@NonnieDoiron I always feel nervous the night before a weigh-in. I just remind myself that, if the weight didn't move or went up, and I did good work staying in my calorie range, there are a number of other things that could have caused it. Try to get a good night's sleep, and see what happens in the AM.4
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Kept to my AF plan tonight!
Hope everyone has a good start to their week!
AF - 4
A - 3
Goals:
AF days - 18-20
A days 10-125 -
SparkSpringtime69 wrote: »@NonnieDoiron I always feel nervous the night before a weigh-in. I just remind myself that, if the weight didn't move or went up, and I did good work staying in my calorie range, there are a number of other things that could have caused it. Try to get a good night's sleep, and see what happens in the AM.
Thanks. I apparently blew it last week. I am up 2.6 lbs from the last weigh-in. 🙁 We ate at a few locally owned restaurants that don’t have nutritional menus, so I must not have logged those calories correctly. I didn’t even drink though.
I’ll just have to work twice as hard this week to lose weight. No exceptions this week… no eating out and stick to the calorie count.5 -
Morning mt LA friends.
A - 5
AF - 24
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