TheSunAndTheRainfall Member

"None is easier than 1" is exactly how it is for me too, @Trish1c - the days I've caved and had more than I intended have been the times there's been alcohol in the house. My self-discipline is like steel until I have a small drink, which just seems to melt it with ease. 20 days AF, which is what I was aiming for this…

That *is* a great quote! Very indicative of the relationship we can find ourselves accidentally having with alcohol. It makes a great servant but is a poor master. 11 days AF here so far, I'll be well pleased if I can bank a nice solid 20 by the end of the month.

37 calories?! :open_mouth: Got to give these a go

Almost gave in last night, which would have been OK, I've barely had any since Jan 1st, but it's *nice* to have that feeling that you've overcome a craving. Plus, this place feels like a club, so thinking of everyone here, perhaps a continent away, all cutting down at the same time, spurred me on. I think it's important to…

Went a full 7 days AF, went to the cupboard for a drink afterwards and realised that I didn't have anything in, so it became 8 days by accident...! Broke it last night, though strangely I didn't *feel* like a binge or anything, I just fixed myself a martini and called it a night :neutral: I wonder if anyone else has…

3 Days AF here too. This morning I felt noticibly well rested, like I'd slept better, so I took advantage of the melted snow and went for a walk through the nearby woods to blow the cobwebs out from between my ears. I've spent the day feeling very light and fresh, which is something I could definitely get used to! I may…

Checking in, Happy New Year everyone! 😊 Rather like @mainelylisa I only had a few glasses of champagne last night and I've spent the day feeling sluggish, I'm looking forward to waking up with a little more energy tomorrow and over the next few days. I think these things have a cumulative effect; less alcohol leads to more…

Superb thread with great resources, MissMay. I've done this here before, and I found that occasionally logging in just to post how I'd been doing was a great help in terms of accountability. It slowly crept up again this year, but I've had great success before. Alcohol is one of the biggest hindrances to me hitting my goal…

26 days AF out of 31... some kind of record for me. I have felt SO much better this month, more than I expected. Reading all your stories, all tackling the challenge in different ways, but recognising similar situations too, has been very helpful, as has occasionally checking in. Well done all :smile:

Proving that you can do it makes it that little bit easier to do it again when you feel like it. Well done to you both!

24 days AF now. I've had a drink only when I really made a conscious decision to have one, not when I craved one or felt I should have one out of habit, or in a certain situation, which are all different. I've noticed that even after having just one drink, my appetite is huge the next day. Going AF has really curbed this.…

It's just coming up to 10:30pm here. Saturday night, but we've stayed in. My calories have been great, completely on course this month. Making up my mind to cut alcohol down has been a big part of that, clearly. In fact, I'm still completely AF for this month so far. I'm basically sat here trying to convince myself that…

Times like these are, I think, so important to remember. When you resolve to have less or no alcohol, you come to these moments, and you convince yourself that you're giving in tonight. 'Hey, you had a good run.' But then, when you put your foot down and say 'No!' it gives you an example to look back on. Next time you feel…

Oh, I hear you there. One glass of red wine and it feels like I start to medically (and I mean *medically*) need chocolate, stat.

Last night was the toughest yet (out for a birthday bash in a brand new bar) but I stuck to my tonic water like a limpet. Although I was aiming for a full month AF, I kinda thought, in my heart of hearts, that I'd slip up at some point, probably early on, and last night seemed like the time. But once I'd got through the…

Four days in, AF so far. I've found that cravings come and go, and it's a matter of keep your head down and your self discipline up. But tonight... Saturday... going out with friends for a birthday... to check out a brand new bar... this is the acid test. If I can stick to my tonic and lime, I think I'll have cracked it.

Those kinds of 'associations' (i.e. I always drink with this thing) are some of the hardest things to tough out, so very well done!

I can absolutely identify with this. When you think about going without, you imagine it as a whole night of craving. When it happens, though, and you focus on how much time it lasts for, you realise that cravings are just short, sharp bursts, and the key (for me anyway) is a few minutes of distraction. End of Day 2 here,…

I'm in for this too. After making major changes to my diet and health over the last three years, alcohol is the final hangover (ha) from my unhealthy, miserable past that's survived. I've cut down quite a bit, but I'm aiming for a full October AF. Posting here occasionally and checking in with other people who are talking…

Let's do this!

Anchovies are ridiculously low calorie for the flavour they bring, and are exceptionally high in sodium.

I've been taking ice-cold showers to start the day for years, and I still find the first minute an endurance test! But after that I settle into it, and it somehow makes me feel full of energy after I get out. It also seems to clear my head. Keeps me on my toes. I save the warm showers for just before bed.

I have oats with either peanut butter or chocolate protein powder, about an hour before I go to the gym. Sometimes a banana right before, too. I personally can't work out on an empty tank.

If I went low-carb, I would really, really struggle to eat at a deficit, because I'd be eating every protein and fat source in the entire kitchen and not feel sated. Common wisdom has it that fats and proteins are best for satiety, but YMMV, and it's not so in my case. Gimme my oatmeal in the morning and I'm fine for…

Sure, it's one of the best and great for satiety, as it's got a decent amount of protein. I like it with apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon and then dipped in. It's good with some sliced banana on top too. A small pot with an apple is around 140 calories - and surprisingly filling.

Just don't smash a bottle of the stuff on the kitchen floor. Despite vigorous scrubbing, the smell was there for DAYS....

I get most of my vegetables in stir-frys. A little oil, garlic, ginger, five spice, soy sauce or chilli and pretty much all vegetables are rendered delicious: broccoli, bell peppers, pak choi, cabbage, kale, aubergine.... just chuck in some lean protein and bulk it up even further with some beansprouts and water chestnuts…

A sliced apple, dipped in a hearty dollop of low fat Greek yoghurt, with some cinnamon sprinkled over. Sweet, satisfyingly crunchy, creamy and not much more than 100 calories. Filling, too.

I can only offer my own, very recent experience of this as an example. I was losing steadily until I was only 10-15lbs away from my goal, at which point it seemed to stall. I made sure my logging was accurate, I kept working out, I told myself it would come off if I just had patience... Well, I lost my patience, and fell…

All those interlinked problems are things I can definitely identify with. Before, I was thin (actually downright skinny) but illness, followed by those problems you described, made my body change drastically. I started here because I wanted to get back to how I was, but reading other people's stories and progress on here,…