Newbie with wide-open eyes!

[Diet Coke]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Sunday was no problem with AL.
Packed for the gym....plan to head there after work....Still tired, but better than this weekend. Needed to get up early (for me) on Monday....so I'm hoping that will help me fall asleep faster tonight. Once I wake up in the am, I'm feeling great!!

Happy Monday!!!

[Doggygirl]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Congrats FG and DC on your fabulous progress!

FreedGenie;967823 wrote: Day 7/30 (evening 7.20pm)
Well I am still not feeling great.. I feel like I've got a massive hangover! Can't think straight - feel a bit sick and irritable. I am sure it's just detoxing and hopefully, I will feel much better tomorrow. X

I had a muddled feeling for quite awhile after I stopped. So I think some of that is normal.

DC - love that you are planning to get some exercise during your "witching hours."

Together we can do this!

DG

[Diet Coke]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Tuesday 11am.
Monday was pretty good. Made it to the gym, had a good walk-jog for 40 minutes. Was helpful to be away from home right from work.
My long-term moderation goal is to be able to stop 1/week at our local mexican stop and have a glass of wine and a couple on the weekend. This will be my first week to get through w/o stopping after work, so I've got to keep myself busy. Tonight is a group weight work out.

Still REALLY tired in the am. It's really muggy here in the Pacific NW, so I woke up several times last night....I'm hoping my vitamins will kick in and make me feel better. I'm sure it takes 6 weeks to get the nutrients in our bodies....

FG--how are you feeling?

dc

[FreedGenie]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Day 9 21.30

Hi Guys
All is well here. I can definitely see quite a difference in my face now. I have colour in my cheeks and the bloat has gone. I have been eating a snickers every day and having some other sweet things during the day (a biscuit, hot chocolate etc.). That's not like me at all - I don't normally have a sweet tooth and am used to low carbing... Anyway, my weight has been stable (still kept the initial weight off) and I plan to - ta da da da - go to the gym in the morning. I had an operation a few months ago that stopped me exercising but I now have the certicate from the Consultant to say I can start again so plan to ease back in for a week or so and then concentrate on the eating side of things.

I have something niggling in the back of my mind... As you know, my parents are coming to stay and I have no desire to drink despite the fact that there will be several meals out etc. In fact, I am looking forward to seeing them (and them seeing me) in this new, healthier light. My initial plan was for 14 days AF and then to moderate. Then I changed it to 30. I now know that my SIL is coming to stay with us with her new BF. I hardly ever get to see her. She is not a big drinker. Maybe would have 1 or 2 glasses of wine with her meal and then would stop. I am thinking that it would be as good as time as ever to have my first mod day - to see how it goes. Thing is - it falls on day 27. Now I know it's only a number but I don't want to feel like I have failed in any way. I may decide not to drink of course (I have no desire right now) but what I don't want to do is to decide on the spot. I need to plan and make a decision about whether I reduce my AF period to 26 days. Hmmm. Just wanted to share with you and get your thoughts.

DC - good on you for going to the gym. Your aim for modding sounds good.
DG - thanks for popping by and checking up on me x

[FreedGenie]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Day 10 (A third of the way there already!) - 16.20

I am feeling great today. We got up early despite not having any commitments today. I went for the gym and felt elated! Even with a four month break (following an abdominal op), it was the easiest run I have done :-) I only drank half a litre of water during the run and that was enough (before I was gasping despite drinking a lot before the gym... probably the bottle of wine the night before.. hmmm...

I don't have the headache anymore and feel clear headed and positive. Yay!

[Diet Coke]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Wow! 10 days goes fast. Good job.

This is day 6. Went to the gym for a 5:45 weight/step class. My "saddle bag" area is quite sore. Those damn squats and lunges. Watched Biggest Loser with my tumbler of sprkling wild berry water and fresca.

Feeling better each day. Going back to the gym after work tonight.

Have a good day.
d

[Doggygirl]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

FG and DC, congrats to you both on your AF days! I encourage you to really consider how good being hangover free feels, and how it affects your daily activities. AL is such a cunning and baffling one - calling us back to the bottle despite the fact that we feel so much better AF. Remember how good this feels!!!

DG

[Diet Coke]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Last night I went to my Mexican restaurant. Had 2 glasses of wine. They weren't that exciting. (yippee). We usually eat out a couple times a week (low-key, like appetizers, or Mexican, etc....which means a couple glasses of wine when we eat). It's been a week and I didn't want to eat at home. So this was a choice, not a slip....it was interesting that it didn't seem like a big deal....which means progress for me!

So, tonight to the gym. My legs are sore from my class on Tuesday...so I need to loosen them up!

Have a good day.
So it's not 6 days of AF, but definitely going to be easier to be a sipper...but I know I need to do several more days of AF...

D

[fluff]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Hi Diet- Did you ever try eating out and just having ice-tea? It's actually enjoyable, too- sounds stupid-but it also makes you feel you have power to control yourself- it makes you feel powerful over your addiction-You have the power-just keep saying that....

[Diet Coke]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Fluff...oh yes, actually I have Diet Coke or water, but, I wanted to have a glass of wine last night. I did feel I had the power. Last weekend I probably couldn't have done that. This weekend, who knows? I just have to be aware of it.....and it's still early enough in my transformation to not put myself in those situations. One day at a time....

[FreedGenie]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Hi DC, well done for stopping at two glasses. Have you been craving it today of will you continue AF for a while? Good job with all the gym workouts - those squats are
a killer on the legs/bum!

[FreedGenie]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Day 11

Am in bed but just wanted to check in and say all going well here. The parents arrived safely and seemed very surprised that I am going AF for a month but think breaking unhealthy habits is good.
I've discovered a non al cocktail that I love! Equal amount of tonic water mixed with bitter lemon. So refreshing and really hits the spot.
No temptation to drink.
Off to the gym for another run tomorrow :-)

[Diet Coke]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

FG...no cravings. We did go have appetizers on Thursday, I had 2 glasses of wine. So, 2 days in a row.

It's now Friday night at 10, and no AL today.

I haven't been to the gym since Tuesday, so I need to keep to my plan of gym instead of wine. I must have over done it because my legs are sore still today. So I used that as an excuse to not go to the gym and opened an opportunity for AL. Not punishing myself, filing it as a place to improve.

I stopped at 2 which is very cool.

Have a good noght
D...

[FreedGenie]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Day 13

All OK here. Busy, busy. I won't lie, I have been tempted to have a glass of wine with my parents BUT I haven't. So still on track. My husband said 'are you sure I can't tempt you with a glass of wine?'.. I was tempted but said no. I felt I could use it to try and chill out a bit - I feel a bit tense and wound up - but that is exactly what I want to get away from - using it to chill, confidence etc. etc. Anyway, I'll check in again soon.

Well done DC - that is fantastic that you followed your 2 drinks with 2 days AL. Shows it can be done!! It's all a matter of discipline.

[Doggygirl]

Newbie with wide-open eyes!

Hi FG and DC! Congrats to you both on your progress.

For me, AL was a HUGE liar. My addicted mind would think stuff like "I want a glass of wine to relax..." "I want a glass of wine to socialize more comfortably..." etc. Here's my reality check:

1. When did I EVER have ONE glass of anything alcholic? (Answer: NEVER)
2. Did "a" glass of wine ever relax me? Well, no. The first glass of wine kicked off the craving for more glasses of wine. So in the end, I would ended up being MORE stressed and LESS comfortable socially because I would be fighting for control of something I cannot control. Unless I was with my other friends who drank alcoholically, in which case I comfortably just got smashed. But that's not "a" drink to relax either....

Don't know if either of you would benefit from that sort of reality check...it helped me.

DG