Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

[NoSugar]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

New Day;1476588 wrote: Thanks Free......I just rejoined WW online last night.....so as well as giving up AL, I am going to be careful of what I'm consuming. When I did my previous 40 days, I didn't lose a pound! I was so discouraged.....had I lost some weight I think I may have continued with my AF days. I really didn't change what I was eating, so I can't explain why after not consuming all those empty AL calories, I didn't lose weight. I hope I can find the time to track what I'm eating and more importantly, make sure I'm eating correctly. I think portion control is the key for me.
Day 3 for me.

Hi, New Day

Please just don't let yourself get too hungry, ok?? It is hard to fix everything at once, and right now our most important job is to knock AL off our backs (and out of our minds!). So don't let the hunger that always accompanies calorie-restricting to derail you. There are plenty of satiating, tasty, sufficiently caloric, health-promoting foods that you can eat to avoid hunger, and its evil companion, a craving for AL, but right now, I think it is better to eat JUNK than to drink (and keep in mind that this is coming from an over-the-top nutrition nut who spends a great deal of her life helping people eat well for health).

Another risk of calorie restriction right now is the guilt that so many of us feel when we can no longer will ourselves not to eat (actually trying to stop a NORMAL biological drive!) and we end up gobbling something "bad". This can lead to those feelings of self-loathing and hopelessness that can trigger a WTF I'm a loser anyway I might as well drink event. And the cycle begins again.

I am all about eating a healthy diet and now that I've been AF long enough to think clearly, I'm -- I don't even know the emotion: embarrassed, mad, mystified, incredulous -- that I could have convinced/deluded myself that it was ok to continue drinking (or, honest feeling: impossible to stop drinking - I knew in my heart my drinking was NOT OK) while I went to great effort and expense to eat well and counseled others to do the same. Very hypocritical and at some level I knew it -- just refused to face it.

Anyway, I'm glad to be living a more consistent life now. And while I wish that for everyone, I really think that the early days of not drinking are not the best days for calorie-restricted dieting.

Just my 2 cents. NS

[Starfish1]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

Hi snowflake!! Congratulations on your thirty days!! You have a major award in the roll call thread!

[kuya]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

NoSugar;1476788 wrote: Hi, New Day

Please just don't let yourself get too hungry, ok?? It is hard to fix everything at once, and right now our most important job is to knock AL off our backs (and out of our minds!). So don't let the hunger that always accompanies calorie-restricting to derail you. There are plenty of satiating, tasty, sufficiently caloric, health-promoting foods that you can eat to avoid hunger, and its evil companion, a craving for AL, but right now, I think it is better to eat JUNK than to drink (and keep in mind that this is coming from an over-the-top nutrition nut who spends a great deal of her life helping people eat well for health).

Another risk of calorie restriction right now is the guilt that so many of us feel when we can no longer will ourselves not to eat (actually trying to stop a NORMAL biological drive!) and we end up gobbling something "bad". This can lead to those feelings of self-loathing and hopelessness that can trigger a WTF I'm a loser anyway I might as well drink event. And the cycle begins again.

I am all about eating a healthy diet and now that I've been AF long enough to think clearly, I'm -- I don't even know the emotion: embarrassed, mad, mystified, incredulous -- that I could have convinced/deluded myself that it was ok to continue drinking (or, honest feeling: impossible to stop drinking - I knew in my heart my drinking was NOT OK) while I went to great effort and expense to eat well and counseled others to do the same. Very hypocritical and at some level I knew it -- just refused to face it.

Anyway, I'm glad to be living a more consistent life now. And while I wish that for everyone, I really think that the early days of not drinking are not the best days for calorie-restricted dieting.

Just my 2 cents. NS

Firstly CONGRATULATIONS to Snowflake on 30 days AF :goodjob:


My weight has been a roller coaster all my life, obese child, anorexic teenager til early twenties then combined mild bulaemia ( vomited dinner every day). It is a common factor in developing alcohol dependence. One interesting feature of both is zinc deficiency, the other is that many women drink alcohol instead of eating. The brain then learns we will drink even if we won't eat......fast forward a decade and we become alcoholics.

When we quit our bodies have ruined metabolic pathways for processing food. We are constantly hungry and do not tend to lose weight at first, PARTICULARLY if we are still acting like anorexics. That puts our sobriety at risk through hunger, lack of nutrients and a sense of failure at sobriety AND weight loss.

It is shocking how many people are concerned with losing weight in early sobriety when escaping the clutches of alcohol should be paramount, but such is the social pressure to be acceptably 'slim'. Many of us have starved ourselves into alcoholism and wonder why we can't starve ourselves out of it !

When I quit this time I actually GAINED 2 or 3 kg from extra food and overwhelming fatigue, but I held on and ate LOTS of healthy food. I feared the lethargy would never end, even thought my sobriety had uncovered something more sinister like leukaemia. But I held on.

Suddenly, at four months sober, the fatigue lifted, the mood swings stopped and the weight started to drop. Since January I have dropped 12 kg with a little exercise and NO calorie watching. That is just over 1 kg per week.

I feel like I have turned off the fat storing switch CAUSED by restricted eating and my poor body now feels 'safe' to lose weight.

So my advice is eat well, eat heartily and be patient, and put the scales away.

Returning control of your body TO your body is the only way out of this failed mind control many of us have been exercising, often for decades.

[free at last]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

Thanks, No Sugar and Kuya, for the eating advice. I know that when I eat three good meals and exercise, I have fewer cravings. The trouble with my travel schedule is getting in the three good meals. But, for now, I am letting myself eat whatever I want -- my goal is to not drink today.

Speaking of which, time for dinner!

[kuya]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

free at last;1476833 wrote: Thanks, No Sugar and Kuya, for the eating advice. I know that when I eat three good meals and exercise, I have fewer cravings. The trouble with my travel schedule is getting in the three good meals. But, for now, I am letting myself eat whatever I want -- my goal is to not drink today.

Speaking of which, time for dinner!

The irony of all this information is that for over a hundred years the Salvation Army 'saved' alcoholics by feeding them three square meals a day.

Now we have the science and think we have 'new' knowledge ! :H:H

Humans are very good at reinventing the wheel !

[New Day]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

No Sugar and Kuya .... Thank you for your heartfelt responses to my saying I had rejoined WW. Kuya, I have NEVER given up food for AL .... in fact, I know I ate more when I was drinking! I would even have a peanut butter sandwich before I went to bed after drinking all evening .... even after I had had a full dinner earlier! Because I'm home during the day, every day ... food is far to accessible! I can feel my blood sugar drop if I don't have "something" every 3 hours. I usually try and make that inbetween meal snack something healthy like an apple and cheese, or almonds, but sometimes (too often I guess), I'll make a half sandwich to tide me over.

With WW, it will be back to the apple and a piece of low-fat cheese, or a small handful of almonds, or a hard-boiled egg.

NO WORRIES about this gal starving herself! .... I laughed to myself when I read your concern..... If you only could see how I eat throughout the day!

The daily cravings for AL having quieted for the most part. Not even having to throw back some L-Glut very often anymore. So, things are looking much better, and I'm feeling much better .....other than the continued trouble of getting to sleep.

Thank you all for your support ..... it is what has helped me so much.

[Byrdlady]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

Snowflake, wanted to wish you congratulations on your milestone! So happy for you!! Wishing you continued success!! xo, Byrdie

[Snowflake]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

Thank you all so very much

Dear Starfish1, Kuya and Byrdlady:thanks:

Thank you all so very much, you have taken the time out of your extremely busy schedules to follow my progress and have flown over especially to me to show your acknowledgement of my 30 days AF ? I really don?t know how you keep track of everyone, but I?m really overwhelmed by emotions right now, so I?m popping straight over to the Roll Call Thread/NN to see what awaits me - I?m ever so excited ? thank you so much once again ? You don?t know how much this means to me!

With Much Love Snow X
AF Day 31

[Snowflake]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

Thanks Free

Thanks so much Free for your congratulations on my 30 Days ? they are much appreciated!

Great that you are working out at the gym ? and even if you could only manage 30 mins on the treadmill ? it?s still better than nothing and as you stated ? it gets you out of your old pattern

All the best of good wishes for today ? I?ll catch up with you on your other thread(s) Not sure where to get you nowadays

Love Snow X
AF Day 31

[free at last]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

Hey Snowflake,
I'll continue to check in on this thread, since it was the one that got me motivated to try again to rid myself of the chains that bind me. So pleased with your progress. You inspire us all. Now back to work for me.

[Snowflake]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

DAY 32 - AF

OK, thanks Free - As long as I can follow you and look after you, if need be - My Buddy!

Things all fine my side - still getting over the excitement of receiving my "HAT" - seriously - it's a big event - wait until it's your turn - you will know what I mean ? congratulations and celebrations all round!

So ODAT and before you know it - yourself and all of the 311 thread will be celebrating your HATS also

A wonderful thing about not drinking is getting such a good night?s sleep, instead of a "Passing Out, hot, sticky, panicky, crashing on the sofa until all hours?, I really look forward to getting to bed and getting a good night's sleep now - it's amazing!

Speak tomorrow and best wishes to all for a great AF Day today

Love Snowflake X
AF Day 32

[New Day]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

I have been going to bed MUCH earlier than I ever did .....look forward to it and love to read for a bit before turning out the lights. Instead of staying up to drink alone after hubby went to bed.

I now head upstairs as early as 8:30 sometimes!.....and lights out at 9:30 or 10:00!

Had a doctor appt today and because of a blurred vision episode I had while driving a month or so ago, I now have to have an MRI to see if it was a stroke warning sign, a TIA. Hope not, but that's what my Mom and grandmother died of.

Better to know I guess.

Another reason to take better care of our health!

[free at last]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

Hi Snowflake and other readers,
A quick note to offer encouragement to Snowflake -- this is probably day 33. Hope all is well. Cheers.

[New Day]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

Hi Snowflake and Free and all others......just checking in and hope everyone is doing well! A full day babysitting Grandson today, and I think he's coming down with something. Very clingy this morning and a bit of a runny nose.

If he doesn't seem too bad this afternoon, I may take him to the mall to get fitted for his first real pair of shoes. He's just about ready to walk. I hope he doesn't take his first steps while I'm away on holidays the first 2 weeks of April......but the timing seems as if he might just do that.

Have a wonderful day all!

[Snowflake]

Company needed for Day 1 - Please and Thanks

Day 33

Quick mail - off to snuggle up in bed with a good book All well here, had a few things to celebrate today and really felt like champagne - but..... passed by the market twice and managed not to give in to the voice..... and I celebrated with lemon water instead - so I am more than happy with myself.

Hope your little one is well New Day and that all is well with you Free.

Thinking of you all.

Have a lovely AF W/E

Snowflake
AF Day 33