LESS Alcohol ~ June 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

itladyee · June 12

I was impressed that a Seagram's Escape was only 3% alcohol, then I scanned it into my app….and the calories, Yikes. So not worth it!!! DH decided he wants to do a 7 day health challenge starting 6/16 (we are going to a baseball game on Father's day) which includes no red meat (I can do for 7 days) and no alcohol among some other things. I'm on board as often he is my trigger!

@globalhiker ~ Sorry yesterday was not pleasant for you or your DH, but kudos for not giving in and hitting that 10 month mark! I hope the PT is beneficial and he does not have to endure surgery. I continue to push the exercise lever… I was doing something daily but at the end of May (5/29) I decided to bring back my goal of walking a 5k-a-day of intentional exercise. ~3 miles per day, 5 or 6 days a week. In 15 days, 10 days have been +3 miles. 3 of the 5 remaining were 1 to 2 miles.

@Womona ~ I do the same when out to dinner. A cocktail = appetizer, Wine = Dinner. Stopping at two is is good and thank goodness we don't go to dinner every night!! 😎

@Michieb125 ~ glad you had a great time with your sister. I miss time with my sister so enjoy the special times together.

June Stats > 6.11
A=9
AF=2

globalhiker · June 13

@LittleSurferGirl7 looks like you did follow through with a habit change by delaying drinking in the morning and not having it in the house then, hey that is a win - even if it's a mini-goal it is a habit change. Similar to the popular intermittent fasting where people shrink their eating window, shrinking the drinking window means fewer hours drinking and more time the body has to repair from the damage the day before. It's just one way to look at it. And you're stepping in the right direction.

Thanks everyone for your supportive words.

Today I am personally working on my eating mismanagement. Last night I was mentally worn out so drove out for chinese take-out, for a very carby large super-sized portion of rice noodles indeed. Day before I went Miss Piggy on having second and third servings of chocolate chips and two yasso frozen yogurt (ice cream really) maybe to get my sugar high on? Then last night I am wide-eye awake at 1 a.m. and yup still awake. All this is coinciding with the weather hitting over the 100s and even though I am inside in A/C, somehow that makes me just want to eat carbs and sugar. I have not upped my protein, in fact, ate way less of it so maybe my system is begging for protein and looks like my brain is translating that incorrectly into wanting sugar. One day, maybe today, I will figure this out!

SparkSpringtime69 · June 13

June:

AF=5
A=7

LittleSurferGirl7 · June 13

@globalhiker That's a great analogy with my shrinking drinking window and intermittent fasting. It is a small win. I've been feeling much better since I quit the morning drinking. I was drinking when I woke up and then getting another fifth at 9 am and saving some for the morning. I was basically drinking a fifth (750 ml) a day and now I'm drinking a pint (375 ml) a day. I'm getting very close to quitting, but I don't want to announce when…Stay tuned!

I used to be an ice cream addict. I'm not talking about a single or double cone. I was filling a bowl with probably close to a pint of Vanilla Bean ice cream. Then I would add a little chocolate syrup, some pineapple topping, Reddi-Whip, and finely diced walnuts. Many times I would have two servings.

Then I had surgery and was on tube feeding for a couple of days. All I could eat were ice chips and sugar-free popsicles. One day, a few of the nurses were standing outside my hospital room. I said, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a popsicle today!" Needless to say, I became addicted to the popsicles. Later I discovered the yogurt bars (yes, they are basically ice cream), but they are SOOO good. But I could never eat just one. I started eating three at a time. So I stopped buying them. I'm not sure what happened, but I somehow lost my desire for sweets.

I've heard that people can become addicted to sugar just like alcohol or heroin. My husband is horrible with sweets and salty. He isn't into ice cream. He likes donuts (bear claws in particular), cookies, Pop-Tarts, muffins, Payday bars, etc. Right now, we have partial bags of Lay's potato chips, Fritos, tortilla chips, Hot & Spicy chicharrones, and frosted animal cookies. I stay out of it most of the time. Except, if I'm hungry, I sometimes get into the Lay's with onion dip or tortilla chips and salsa. It makes it a bit difficult to stick to a healthy diet. Fortunately, I don't crave those things. So I can usually walk right by them.

sagosto2 · June 13

sagosto2 · June 13

Yay! So glad I found this group! I've been carrying around extra weight for years. I knew it was alcohol. Finally being honest and tracking my food and drinks in MFP proved that to me. I over eat and I over drink! Drinking too much is what got me here. The only problem, it takes work to quit. So I decided to cut back on alcohol and I joined the Reframe app. It's helped me a lot, but I really needed to work the food and the alcohol together because honestly, for me, they are riding along the same circuit in my brain. So day after day, I continue to add a drink, take away a snack, remove the drink and add the snack back in. 😂 It's a dance I do. Most days, I'm so freaking hungry the snack wins and that's a good thing! 😜 Thanks for this community. Amazing!!

itladyee · June 13

@sagosto2 ~ Welcome, and you are sooooo right, that do-si-do between a snack and a drink….and tracking really does prove the point. Now to get our heads in the game!

tmbg1 · June 13

6 AF

1 LA

6 A

nbruns83 · June 13

@itladyee, I'm so pleased to find you and this discussion. Like any dietary changes, I find that giving up or cutting back on alcohol is a slow process for me. I decided to do "Dry January" in 2022, and it seemed so hard. I marked off each day on a paper calendar, and even tried rewarding myself with $8.00 a day(a bottom-shelf price for wine back then). I told myself I'd be free to spend the cash frivolously. That worked for a couple of weeks.🙄

This past January, I did it with much less struggle. I made all 31 days (even my birthday) alcohol free. I'm so proud of myself. We all need to pat ourselves on the back even for the little steps.

I must confess that I've allowed myself to eat ice cream more than I used to, so I can't say that it's been a strategy for weight loss. But as they say, progress, not perfection.

I'm sorry that I'm not up to speed on everyone's name and situation, but I think you're all winners just for being here and making any effort.

AF - 11 days
LA - 2 days

Michieb125 · June 14

A big Welcome @nbruns83! Happy you found this group of supportive people who share the same goals as you! Striving for less alcohol, one day at a time. IMOO cutting back on alcohol (wine for me) is a journey not a destination. And, everyone has different goals. Some people are completely AF; others like myself don’t want to completely eliminate it, rather, have taken mindful approach to imbibing less overall. Your stats look great by the way! Looking forward to getting to know you.

There are also some great resources posted at the beginning of thread.

LittleSurferGirl7 · June 14

Welcome @sagosto2 and @nbruns83!

LittleSurferGirl7 · June 14

As some of you know, I stopped drinking in the morning back on June 10th. By not drinking in the AM, I have cut back from a fifth (750 ml) of whiskey to a pint (375 ml) a day.

What is interesting is…from past experience, I knew I would lose weight when I quit drinking. But, by drinking 375 ml less whiskey a day, I've already started to notice my weight dropping. I have lost 2.4 lbs in four days. I guess when you think about it…375 ml of whiskey is over 800 calories. So, even though I haven't quit, cutting out that many calories a day has really helped. It's pretty exciting!

Michieb125 · June 14

AF last night and out the door early for a Yoga Flow class and a short muscle workout on the circuit machines afterwards.

I had my annual physical this week and am pleased that all bloodwork came back normal. The exception was expected….elevated cholesterol (190) compared to my last reading in Feb. 2024. I have been traveling a lot more over the past year and an half and have enjoyed all the different food experiences. The doctor suggested that I enjoy them every other day on my next trip! I thought that was hysterical. I do love my internist though.

But seriously, I’ve decided to make a consorted effort on getting my numbers back down. Moderation and balance are a must for me!

Tonight is some planned wine - 2 glasses max with a grilled steak and roasted vegetables. Tomorrow another AF.
Have a wonderful LA weekend everyone!

globalhiker · June 14

Welcome newcomers! You're in good company.

@Michieb125 good job on the blood work. We control those numbers more than we know.

@LittleSurferGirl7 that's pretty awesome, and 2.4 lbs in 4 days!! You're headed in the right direction.

Today, another day of drinking something better. Just came back from a party at a restaurant and it was a packed and popular place known for designer cocktails and bourbon collections. The thought of wine didn't even come to me once. And I showed up fasted from the night before (made it to 19 hrs.) and did 2 gym classes prior and even an hr. walk earlier on. I picked the most keto-like option (eggs, cheese and salad) and skipped dessert. I better lose weight today.

Strangely today I wasn't starving at all. And I left half my food, got full really fast. Maybe next Sat. I will try for a full 24 hr fast. Like from Friday 5pm to Sat 5pm and see what happens. I can't manage it on workdays or on running days, but on weekends if I am active and busy, I think I can do it.

itladyee · June 14

@nbruns83 ~ Welcome and glad you joined us on this journey and like @Michieb125 said, it definitely is.

For me, it’s a mindset and right now, my mind is not in the right frame…. Wine is a guilty pleasure, and I shouldn’t say guilty, because I don’t feel guilty, but it is a treat at the end of a long day. The positive side for me, a couple of years ago, that treat was a bottle or more of wine and now I’ve reduced it to 2 sometimes 3 glasses and I do actually get some AF days under my belt. I am anxious to start the 7 day (hopefully leads to more) challenge with my husband.

My first attempt at dry January was 2023 and it was just over 50%. I did well in 2024 coming in close to 90% and lost 8lbs….this year was closer to 50%. A work in progress.

You ARE doing quite well for June. Keep it up!

@LittleSurferGirl7
Congrats on the weight loss. It does make a difference!

@Michieb125
Great job on your blood work. That has to make you feel good….all this effort is not in vain!

@globalhiker I've been working on IF as well and doing well. I stop at 8:30ish in the evening and go until at least 12:30pm…. I often go longer maybe to 1:30 and don’t feel the hunger either. I still want to aim for one day at 20 hours. I think I can do it relatively easily….

I’m ticking off tomorrow as a A day and then our challenge starts on the 16.

June Stats > 6.15
A=13
AF=2

LESS Alcohol ~ June 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

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