kittybenn Member

@dbanks80 - that's exactly what I'm beginning to wonder about. What happens Feb. 1? The question for me now is not whether I'll make it through Jan., because I'm positive I will. The question is what comes next? I definitely do not want to go back to drinking as much as I was, but I do want to continue to drink wine…

@MaryBethHempel my husband loves craft beer as well. It totally doesn't bother me that he drinks them in front of me bc I'm such a wine person. Beer holds no allure for me, and I'm very thankful for that!

Speaking of kettles, I would love to recommend this one, a Cuisinart with multiple temps. That allows you to heat water to the right temp for green tea, black tea, pour over coffee or just a straight boil. It's changed my life and also made it easier for me to develop a tea habit. Also named best electric kettle by…

I like cashews (1/2 oz is about 80 cals), Pop Secret popcorn (100 cal per package), thin pretzels (Trader Joe's, Aldi, etc. all have versions of these), hummus - those are my go-tos.

@JulieAL1969 you're inspiring me - I may have to see if I can go two months right along with you! Just threw another $25 into the emergency fund I'm trying to grow after not drinking last week. I feel kind of rewarded when I do that. I'm also getting very used to having more to eat because I'm not drinking calories. It may…

@JulieAL1969 - Way to go. I know exactly what you mean about 13 days feeling like 30. I think we all have those patterns that have burrowed way down into brains that tell us "I always have a glass of wine when I X" (go out on Saturday night, sit down to watch TV, hang out at a bar with friends, whatever). And those…

Day 13 begins - so great to see the amazing success here and to feel like I have compatriots in the struggle. Last night we went to a big pig roast our friends have every January. I remember so many of these pig roasts for all the wine I drank and how crappy I felt the next morning. Still I remembered enjoying myself and…

I've been putting the money I save into our emergency fund. One of our resolutions was to get that baby beefed up this year, so this is really helping. Very satisfying to pitch the money in there!

Day 12 begins. So far, so good. I feel like I'm out of the habit now and don't really think about wine much at this point. I get the Dry January app messages every day. Today they had a link to the World Cancer Research Fund, which had an interesting factsheet, called A Closer Look at Alcohol. It talks about alcohol's…

We went out last weekend, and I really felt that I needed to have a serious plan in place ahead of time and that winging it wasn't going to end well. I had to imagine myself out with friends and how I was going to manage it, right down to the particular drinks I was going to have. It was an outdoor beach bar, so easy…

That is so true. You really feel proud of yourself when your head hits that pillow. Day 11 - onward!

Day 10. I know this isn't everybody's experience, but it feels pretty easy in week two. I'm pretty much out of the habit of the 6 p.m. glass (or two or three) of wine. I'm eating too much chocolate, though, LOL. If I could only get ALL the vices under control at one time!

This is brilliant. You really have to think of it that way: Do you really WANT to start from the beginning or get a grip before more damage is done?

@donimfpdonimfp One other thing about the sleeping. I have an app called Insight Timer, and it's a lifesaver when I can't sleep. I just put my phone under my pillow, plug the headphones in and pick a meditation. You can look for them by issue, such as sleep problems. Just about any will work. I can almost guarantee you…

@donimfpdonimfp Ha ha, good point. I had cut down to the point where I was usually measuring out half a cup of wine per night, in two, 1/4 cup increments. But the problem is that I would lose my mind and drink a ton, usually on social occasions. On New Year's Eve, I'm sure I drank a bottle of wine and probably some…

@kcn2bluesky definitely noticing it's easier to keep calories under control since I'm not spending them on wine. I can actually say that I'm not hungry over the past couple of days, probably because I'm eating enough. This is helping a lot. Plus I've lost a couple of pounds in the past week, which is pretty motivating.

Oh, I am definitely doing this. I think by day 7 (tomorrow), I'll have saved at least $20 in wine.

I can definitely relate to this, bc I've been stuck many times right about where you were and then given up. About a year and a half ago I vowed to never stick my head in the sand again and ignore my weight or what I was eating. Even when I went months of staying the same and even regaining a bit, I checked in here and…

@kcn2bluesky those are some fantastic goals. I'm a wine drinker too, but today is day 5 of Dry January, and I'm totally fine. I find I DO need to find something to sub in, and, because it's been so cold, I've been on an herbal tea kick. Diet gingerale is another one that's not sugary sweet and seems like a decent…

As Friday happy hour looms I would love good ideas for what to order at a bar that's at least semi-interesting, while being alcohol free and semi-low cal. My go to is usually diet Coke or club soda and lime, but getting a little tired of them. I'm not a beer drinker, but a big wine drinker. Not very familiar with mixed…

I can so relate to substituting wine for tea! I really thought I didn't like tea, but when it's cold outside and you're looking for something else to drink at night it's not bad. I've found some great Celestial Seasonings varieties and Bigelow has an assorted herbal box that I'm working through. One of them, Pomegranate…

I'm in. Drank way too much New Year's Eve, felt awful New Year's Day and told myself that was it. I'm having a dry January. I'd already stopped drinking my beloved wine two nights a week, usually Monday and Tuesday. What helps me is diet ginger ale, club soda and lime, and experimenting with new teas. My tough time is…

Every time I think about meal replacement shakes I think about how much tastier a smoothie I can make for the same cals would be, and that's including protein powder. Realize pulling together a smoothie is more work than the replacement shakes, though.

I also am trying to get a grip on this, and it would probably be better if I cut it out altogether, but I kinda love my nightly wine. What I'm doing lately, and this seems to work, it to have two glasses, each with 1/4 cup of wine, very carefully measured out. I find winging the measuring doesn't work. This makes me feel…

I feel so bad for you. It IS scary. My doctor told me I had pre-diabetes a year and a half ago. I was so depressed and terrified. But you know what? It shocked me into doing something - immediately. Flash forward to today and I'm down 70 lbs and feel great. You'll figure the exchange thing out, with the help with people…

Nuts of any kind - I usually have with me a small amount of cashews and/or Emerald varieties. They come in single packages, like cocoa roast and have 100 cals.

Not to be too pollyann-ish about it, but you lost all that weight once so you can definitely do it again. I'm sure you're discouraged, but giving up just can't be an option. Try to imagine what would happen if you did? Waking up a year from now having gained - what? - 50 lbs? 100 lbs? I think if you just start with…

Blown away - thanx for inspiration!

What a great feeling! Congrats on all your success. Once you've come this far you are definitely going all the way.

One of my favorite sayings is this: "A year from now you will wish you had started today." What if you were only 20 pounds less next year than you are today? That would be good, right. Don't wake up a year from now and realize you've gained another 50. I agree with the poster who said new behaviors take weeks to become…