Dry Another Day! February beckons. Dry January (and beyond?) Thread 2. All welcome.

[HPLikecraft]

Ah, there you are little dry pingywings. 🐧🐧🐧

Shiny new thread. I've swept the berg and we're good to go. Hop on.

@HPLikecraft

Ah, there you are little dry pingywings. 🐧🐧🐧

Shiny new thread. I've swept the berg and we're good to go. Hop on.

Hello you lovely lot. Last weekend and as someone said upthread I'm a bit nervous of my first drink.

I want to be able to regulate. The longest I have gone is 3 months and eventually I went back to drinking every night.

Perhaps I should stop and only drink on holiday or when out (which isn't very often)

I'm very undecided.

Yesterday I posted saying just Friday and Saturday nights but now I'm thinking maybe never at home.

I never thought I would be writing this.

Checking in for the end of day 28. Still AF. Can’t believe we are on the last weekend!! Well done to all, we are nearly there!!

Feeling a bit of a fraud as I did have a few days off as went away with work. But the strangest thing happened. I didn't really want to drink and just home tonight and hopped back on the wagon. This thread has helped me so much and I feel like me and DH have started to break the cycle.
We decided to keep going and I really think we will.

Checking in day 28/28.

Next month I’ll have to see. I’m not going to drink on 1 Feb, I want to keep going, I really don’t want to go back to drinking nearly every night.

Well I’m in bed. Stayed dry. Gave our friends who came for dinner a fright though when I said I wasn’t drinking!

I had a kombucha and then just water and a decaf tea.

I really thought I’d be more tempted but I just wasn’t.

Getting my first 7 day stretch on the Try Dry app was more important! Tonight is day 5.

Day 29!

I've lost 6lbs since Jan 1st!

Most pleased 😃

Hope everyone has a good Saturday.

Wow, well done @DavetheCat2001 6lbs is amazing. I haven't lost any weight as I've spent the whole of January stuffing my face. I decided to ignore the food and focus on the booze.

@blackteaplease thanks!

It's running again that has started to shift my blubber. I had got into a really bad routine of tough day at work = rewarding myself with sitting on the sofa all evening glugging wine and not really paying any attention to what I was eating.

I'm an incredibly lazy person by nature, and I find running incredibly hard.. but.. it's the only thing that shifts weight for me, and I feel better for it.

Well done @DavetheCat2001! I lost a pound or so the first week but had put it back on last time I weighed. Will weigh again on Monday to see. I’ve not been eating huge amounts more than normal. More sugar but way less alcohol and crisp calories so am hoping for a bit of a loss.

I’d love to be able to run but I’m too heavy. Hoping to lose weight to be able to do Couchto5K. Last time I tried I buggered up my knees.

@Peridot1 you need to take care of your joints.. maybe start with some fastish walking?

My OH has buggered up his knees from years of Morris Dancing believe it or not! He can't run anymore either.

Couch to 5k is a great way to get into running though.

My skin is awful however.. really nasty spots.. the kind I used to get as a 20-something! Not sure what that's about!

What's everyone up to today?

@Peridot1

Well done *@DavetheCat2001*! I lost a pound or so the first week but had put it back on last time I weighed. Will weigh again on Monday to see. I’ve not been eating huge amounts more than normal. More sugar but way less alcohol and crisp calories so am hoping for a bit of a loss.

I’d love to be able to run but I’m too heavy. Hoping to lose weight to be able to do Couchto5K. Last time I tried I buggered up my knees.

I can't run either, damaged cartilage in knee. Walking up hills burns about the same amount of calories as running on flat. Do you live near any hills?

My skin is awful however.. really nasty spots.. the kind I used to get as a 20-something! Not sure what that's about!

I've been going to the steam room for 5 minutes, twice a week. Seems to have done wonders for my skin.

@FanGirlX - thankfully I don’t live near any hills! I hate hills! . I’ll walk miles on the flat but add in a hill and I will hate it. I’m a bit asthmatic and really struggle on hills.

@DavetheCat2001 - I can well imagine Morris dancing might cause damage! I will start walking. I walk the dog a bit but not enough. Live near some lovely walks and getting out more walking is definitely part of my plan.

I’m planning a sort of year of health. Inspired by Rebel Wilson. My first challenge was dealing with alcohol. For February I’m adding in an hour’s walk every day and starting intermittent fasting.

I have a chequered history of diets and fitness plans and usually try to go all in. And fail miserably. So this year I’m just concentrating on health. Cutting down on alcohol as the amount I was drinking was damaging. Intermittent fasting for the health benefits. Walking because I need to do some for of weight bearing exercise and it’s good for my mental health. I’m planning on adding in other things month by month.

We are off to check out a garden buildings showroom today as we are putting one in which will be a gym. We have a treadmill, cross trainer and rowing machine. And DS has weights. So I will have no excuses!

I've been using Liz Earles hot cloth cleanser, my MiL got mr for Xmas.

I think my skin doesn't like it though. Shame as it smells lovely.

Ooh home gym sounds fab!

I'm 3.5lbs down. Although I lost 2lbs in the first week (I think possibly water retention). The half a lb per week I've lost since then is from making healthier choices the morning after I've been drinking. If I'm a bit hungover I'll have a sausage sandwich, probably a bag of crisps later. If I'm not hungover, I'm happy with a yogurt and an apple.

I’m planning a sort of year of health.

I like this idea. Maybe a collection of small changes that I can stick to.

I haven't lost any weight as I've spent the whole of January stuffing my face
Same here. I’m ending the month 4lbs up but as dry as the Sahara.

Hello day 29/29.

I’m going to work on the diet in February.
And moderation. That’s my aim.
I want to enjoy a couple of glasses and then be able to stop.
Like a normal person.

In January I had zero cigarettes. I only ever smoke when I’m drinking. I’d like to never buy another packet. I hate it more then drinking as it’s even more antisocial. If I can avoid getting drunk I think I can avoid smoking too.

Big ambitions for Feb!

Slinking back onto the 'berg after falling off last night. I won't go into details but suffice to say I have a headache, regrets & low mood.

It has reminded me that I need to be in for the long haul. Shove me in the middle of the huddle penguins

Day 27 for me today. Although I did have a brief slip up last weekend.

Plan is dry until 12th Feb (have a big event) and then want to try until Easter or even early May.

Main positives I've had so far:

• lost 6.5 lbs (I'm very fat so have stones and stones to lose)
• despite having a slip up I've carried on. Usually starting late and or slipping up means I'd have given up by now.
• feeling generally calmer, anxiety levels down

I am suffering very, very badly with my arthritis at the moment and it's been a real challenge to not reach for the wine (doesn't help with my illness but I'm very guilty of using wine to self medicate my misery and chronic pain is a misery!)

I suppose this should also be a positive. Even in a very negative and painful period of my life, I'm not reaching for the bottle.

Am awaiting my rheumatologist to arrange to see me. Fingers crossed will be soon.

We’re nearly there! I haven’t found it too difficult and I’ve made more of the afternoons when I would normally have a nap. I wish restricting the sweet stuff was as easy. Got a boozy works do on Wednesday which I’m looking forward to. Also bought some posh wine but I’m starting to think I’d be better limiting alcohol to social events, ie. Not just in the house at weekends because it’s the weekend.

Yes I’m very excited about the home gym @DavetheCat2001.

I had the same mindset regarding food this month @CovidForChristmas. Deal with the alcohol first and food in February.

Welcome back into the huddle @Cherrymix. Todays a new day.

Great result n the weight loss @Crunchymum. I too have stones to lose. And back and joint pain because of it.

I’m also proud of sticking with it even after slip ups. I’d usually have used it as an excuse to give up completely. So yes take it as a positive. It’s so easy to self medicate with wine.

I’m hoping to stay dry until 17 Feb. Meeting a friend in London for theatre matinee and then dinner.

@Winnerwinnerveggiedinner - I’m hoping to do similar. Only drink on social occasions and maybe one night at home at the weekend. Not F/S/S and then end up drinking on Thursday too as it’s almost the weekend. And Wednesday as it’s mid week. And Monday because Mondays are crap. And Tuesday because we drank every other day!

Concur with everyone wanting to learn to moderate!

I just have no off switch. I can't open a bottle and just have one or two glasses. I can't leave an open bottle in the fridge!

I've always said to OH that we'd be crap at having a wine cellar as it would always be bloody empty! 😳

@Peridot1 you just described our house. Thursday because it's nearly Friday, Friday because it's Friday and so on 😂
Feeling way stronger than I was at the start. Put 4lb on from eating mind you !!

@Peridot1 - totally recognise those weekends that morph into the whole week. Home gym sounds great.

Special well done to @Crunchymum for weight loss and getting back on the berg despite slip ups. Its so so easy to get into all or nothing thinking and I think being in a group like this really helps to counteract that.

Today has been a bit of a write off - alcohol makes me feel so blimmin' miserable the next day. DH has binned DJ now and has bought wine which is in fridge. I'm not going to drink it - need to find something else to look forward to this evening.