The Giving Up/ Cutting Down alcohol support thread - number 13

graemecarter

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Well done, Ellsbell! Guess who totally forgot to put the scales in the bathroom when I went to bed last night! Ah well, 2nd January weigh-in it will be. Having done realistic calculations for myself (grams lost over AF days x 31) I reckon on 0.77kg (ie a couple of pounds a month) being pretty painless. And they do say the more slowly you lose it, the more likely it is to stay off.



Well done on your weightloss - I have every respect for you turning your life around, Maman, and you've been so helpful to me since I joined this thread. It takes a lot of self-discipline and determination to tackle both booze and diet at the same time.

I think we're lucky here at the Honey Bear House. OH and I had spent a few years tiding up our dietary habits but I honestly didn't know how far we'd travelled down the healthy eating road before I stopped drinking. I haven't changed anything other than cutting out the booze I am eating more sugary things - Twinks Hobnobs, malte$ers$ and the occasional binge on fruit juice (half a carton of guava juice last night) and I'm still losing weight. To be brutally honest with myself, that just goes to show how many empty calories I was quaffing in the G&Ts and red wine. I find it just incredibly useful to know that and anyone who wants to monitor their weight will find it a great way to start, I think, weighing themselves at the start of a change in habits.

I was always puzzled by dieting, to be honest. I realised after a while of monitoring my weight gain that I expected to go from piling it on gradually over the seven years after I stopped smoking fairly slowly to losing it quite rapidly. If I'd just stabilized it so that I knew how much I could eat without putting it on or losing it for, say, three months, I'd have known how to lose it much more clearly. Just a thought for anyone tackling new behaviours at this time of year.

Let me know if I sound preachy. I don't mean to; it's just I wish I'd known these things before. The slimming and dieting industry isn't really that helpful when it comes to practical ways of changing behaviours for keeps, in my opinion. They need to keep their customer base coming back for more.

Not preachy at all. Telling us your experience is NOT preachy. Telling us what to do IS preachy.
You're nowhere near that line so don't worry, and good luck for AFness (is that a word?) in 2015.

fakeplastictwee

Hi all. I'm also declaring early, 3/29 for me please. I'm already feeling much calmer inside. Can't remember the last time I had a totally sober Friday AND Saturday night!

graemecarter

Fruball wrote: »

Hello :hello:

Happy New Year to you all :j

Some of you may remember me from a while back... I had hypnotherapy to ditch the booze and it was hopeless. The hypno (which actually didn't put me under so wasn't hypno at all) had absolutely no effect whatsoever and my drinking has continued on the same, day on/day off pattern ever since with the odd few extra days thrown in.

Anyway, due to an enforced period of abstinence (I have flu so absolutely cannot face alcohol or cigs) I have decided (once again <sigh> ) that I have to nail this drinking issue!

I have literally been in bed for days but have made it downstairs to cook some dinner and am feeling very slightly better... of course, that flicks the switch in my brain which says "great, have some wine and cigs" so I am fighting that urge with every fibre of my being!

So, here I am, starting afresh for a new year and would like to challenge myself to SNC every single week and fewer drinking days in general.

2/23 please Shaggy

Good luck everybody

Hi Fruball - long time no hear.

Good luck on your resolutions. Fighting on 2 fronts (alcohol and nicotine) is going to be hard, but keep posting and staying strong. You cannot change the past, though you can definitely change your future.

Doshwaster

Not a good start to the year but determined to stop in tonight and have my first AF night of 2015 so I'm declaring 1/25

Tomorrow is going to be tough but once I get back to work on Monday I should be fine until Friday.

debjay

3/31 for tonight please. First AF weekend for ages :T

AlexLK

I remember I failed spectacularly last January. So far not managed an AF day this year either but I've had very little to drink these past two days and nothing so far today.

AlexLK

First AF day this month. So, 1 for me, please.


ETA: Got a new computer and don't seem to be able to swap from colour to colour, any ideas?

Blue_Violet

Hi I have been reading the posts on this challenge and signed up to MSE so I could take part. I had about 100 af days in 2014 i gave up for 20 days in January 6 weeks for lent and again when I was dieting in July and August. My problem is once I start drinking again I soon slip back into habit drinking a couple of wines or vodkas watching TV. Which isn't good for my health, purse or weight.

I hoped the support here on the forum would help me stay focussed and if I do have a drinking day go straight back to being af the next day. I have the added incentive of my first grandchild who was born in July and I intend doing everything possible to stay fit and healthy to see her grow up.

Sorry this is such a long post but I'm trying for 20 alcohol free days in January. Good luck to everyone with their challenges.

Honey_Bear

Lovely to see you posting again, Gien.

Hi Blue Violet! :wave: I love it when lurkers surface. Welcome to being an MSEr! I know that's not a dictionary word but if the meaning is clear that's all that matters.

Blue_Violet wrote: »

My problem is once I start drinking again I soon slip back into habit drinking a couple of wines or vodkas watching TV.

Sounds normal, to be honest. I hope you find the thread helpful - it's been an absolute life saver for me. Huge congratulations on your grandchild - what fabulous motivation!

3/31 please, Shaggy.

I've noticed over the past couple of weeks that my sense of smell has really come back. I had no idea what I was missing. I smoked for 30 years and I can't say the sense of smell came back when I stopped as everyone told me it would, but being AF for five months - wow!

gien

Morning all. Posting my first AF day yesterday, so out of the blocks at 1/25. I'm home alone at the moment (with just the cat to keep me company) so little temptation to drink.