[bizi]

Originally Posted by Tryingtobehappy5

Great job staying sober bizi! And thats awesome that you are helping Karen out. I know helping someone else always makes me feel better and Im sure she appreciates you too.

I screwed up Wednesday and took a bunch of advil and had a few beer(all that was in the house)but I didnt go get whiskey even though I wanted to. Im not sure why my cravings had gotten worse again early last week and that mixed with anger and alcohol in the house pushed me over the line.

I havent drank since then despite some serious stress this weekend so I guess I still feel pretty good about how I have done.

I have used "HALT" and it has helped stop a craving.
1. Am I hungry? Eat!

2. Am I angry? Walk off steam, journal a letter etc.

3. Am I lonely? call a family member or friend.

4. Am I tired? Take a nap or hot bath, get a message.

bizi

[BeyondtheRainbow]

You are doing great Bizi.

[bizi]

Good morning!
I am down to 176.3 this morning.
Officially down 10.1 pounds since November 1st, almost 4 weeks. And that is after a thanksgiving feast!!!!!
I remain AF 25 days and counting, feeling quite strong in my resolve.
For dinner last night we had beef with indian lentils and red beans and tomato sauce. And a side of steamed veggies( broccoli, cauliflower, carrots). I only ate about half of the meat mixture.
I did not snack yesterday. So that was a win.
CVS drug store had a coupon for %30 off, so I went there and bought some wasabi almonds which I love to snack on. They are a good snack if I can refrain from eating a ton of them. If I am snacky now I try to just eat 6 of them for around 70 calories. That takes away the hunger/craving. Usually I try to drink a large glass of water to see if I was really thirsty instead of hungry, same signal. Have a great day!
bizi

[Nammu]

Congratulations

Go bizi go! Congratulations on the AF! (And the weight)

[~Christina]

Great job !!’

I have to get myself started , just been feeling down and insert comfort food .

Bad bad bad ...

Keep it up !

[bizi]

christina, go to the store and buy some precut veggies and salad items off the salad bar so there is no chopping involved. Makes it easier to get in veggies and less apt to over endulge.

Lunch was a big one. 6 oz of ground beef" salsbury steak"
chard mashed sweet potatoes andcauliflower.
I over did dinner tonight and snacked before. Ate an ounce of almonds, a slice of cheese, had dinner of talapia fish sauteed in coconut oil and butter with a side of cauliflower, 2 servings. Half an avocado.
lower carbs today but too much food.
bizi

[bizi]

Had 2 1/2 cups of coffee with cream.
lunch:
small amount of chicken, I took home most of it.
tabouli made with quinoa, parsley, lemon delicious!
smothered cabbage
swiss chard
Dinner:
slice of raw sharp cheddar cheese
6 almonds
half an avocado
pork chop sauteed in coconut oil
steamed broccoli and corn
then I was snacky and had 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.
I have been drinking tea and plain water since dinner
and chewing gum while I did billing and other paper work.
It feels good to be caught up. I still have some filing
and posting to do but that won't take up too much time.
We are planning to be away from home for 2 weeks
over christmas break and new years. My twin and I
usually celebrate our birthdays together(jan 1st) on new years eve.
Don't know what we will be doing this year.
I was the designated driver last year and it sucked.
Someone else can take a turn, or use uber better yet.
I am so heavy my pant scrubs cut at the waist.
sigh
Need to keep my eye on the end goal.
It is going to take time to lose this weight.

Still not drinking, day 27.
Have been toying with the idea that I would only
drink a few times per year. like vacations.
Still need to think about this.
Drinking has not been any fun for me lately.
I did not have control of it...maybe my meds
were out of whack because I was drinking so frequently.
I know that I like myself better sober. And I am losing weight!

Tomorrow is the christmas concert with the
ULL symphony and choral department.
We are bringing my friend Karen to the concert,
picking her up at 5;30 show begins at 6;30.
I will probably eat left overs(chicken from today and left over chili)
for dinner before I get her.
It should be a great concert!

Dinner on my own for thursday and then Friday the christmas party
at our friends house. William (the choral director) and molly
host this christmas party for the past few years.They serve delicious food,
we play white elephant game(steal presents from each other).
I won 2nd place for the ugly sweater contest 2 years in a row!
I will wear the same sweater this year too.

This party will challenge my being sober because there will be
many people there that I don't know, my social anxiety rears its ugly head.
But I plan on drinking hot tea again like last year.
It worked out fine and I will know some people there this year
so should be able to keep my "dry november" goal.

anyway, sorry this is so long....
thanks for reading and listening to me ramble.
bizi

[Nammu]

Mm I haven't had tabouli in so long. All of it sounds so good. Have a good nights rest.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

you are doing great Bizi.

One question: What is smothered cabbage smothered in? It sounds good.

[bizi]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

you are doing great Bizi.

One question: What is smothered cabbage smothered in? It sounds good.

HI sweetie,
smothered cabbage is cooked way down, It is no longer green it turns to a dull yellowish color. I really don't think there is any other ingredient....smothered in other dishes might include onions, peppers, mushrooms etc.
This is strictly cabbage.

bizi

[bizi]

Originally Posted by Nammu

Mm I haven't had tabouli in so long. All of it sounds so good. Have a good nights rest.

This is my favorite salad.
Instead of bulgar wheat our cooks use quinoa instead making it gluten free.
I love it when they use a lot of parsley and lemon and a bit of olive oil and some bits of tomato, cucumber. It is wonderful!
bizi
You should come here to visit and I will treat you to some!

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Ok. Here we call that just boiled cabbage. Much less interesting sounding . Stll tastes good though.

[Guiness187055]

Cabbage with white beans is pretty good too. Cooked in olive oil with salt and pepper

[BeyondtheRainbow]

We make cabbage steak. Heat olive oil, put a slice on cabbage in it, salt and pepper liberally and fry until browned. It's yummy. We need to make it soon now that I thought of it.

[bizi]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

We make cabbage steak. Heat olive oil, put a slice on cabbage in it, salt and pepper liberally and fry until browned. It's yummy. We need to make it soon now that I thought of it.

That sounds good!
bizi

[bizi]

[bizi]

The christmas concert was just fair.
I literally slept thru the first half nodding awake it was embarressing. Karen teased me about it a bit too much after word. I did not like that. Even jeff said something about her teasing me. She said I even snored....
oh well the second half was better. But the over all concert was boring.
Even the traditional christmas carols medley at the end lacked life.
Oh well they can't all be great!
Jeff has a gig this evening so another dinner alone tonight.
I will have left overs again...I have some chicken and beef and lentils to eat.
There is nothing thawed so I don't know what we will do if he does make it home briefly, maybe go to the express pizza place a few blocks from us where we can get a great thinned crust pizza in no time flat!
I will just eat the toppings and fore go the crust, that worked fine last time.
175.5 This morning, the least I have weighed in months. So happy to be losing weight....still can't tell when I look in the mirror. I still look very pregnant. That is 11 pounds in 4 weeks time.

Today is the 29th day AF.
I feel strong in my resolve about not drinking.
Being on 2 anti psychotics at the same time is finally letting me sleep.
Being on meds for decades has contributed my memory issues.
I used to be able to math in my head...now I can't...I have to use the calculator for all simple calculations.

sigh
It is warming up today some rain in the forecast. Some wind which I don't like but I will take the warmer weather.
Thinking about Kay this morning and how her surgery went. I think she said it would be a long surgery like 6 hours, maybe I am wrong about that.
I hope you all have a fine thursday.
bizi

[bizi]

Thanks for the hugs yall!

today marks a month of Alcohol free living.
have lost about 10 pounds so that is progress.
Would never been able to lose weight because of the fattening beers that I drink, and because I am a binge drinker so there is that.
Tackling addictions is hard work...2 of 3 at the same time. My internet addiction is in full swing though...need to reel that in too.
sigh
We have the christmas party to go to, there will be lots of food and alcohol there, I will bring sodas and hot tea to drink. I hope to be controlled on my eating. Maybe eat something here so that way I am not starving by the time we eat around 7pm. Need to come up with a gag gift for the gift exchange(white elephant)...steal gifts, it is fun!

have a great weekend!
Have to work in the morning
There is a play that I want to see....modern Shakespeare, mcbeth.

bizi

Congratulations on your month! Wow, 10 lbs -- sure gives that AF lifestyle serious proof. How positively reinforcing that is!

I have often heard of people eating before a party to limit their appetite for party foods. Very much like not going to the grocery store hungry(!) (That'll get me every time.) Sounds like a solid idea.

[Wild Coyote]

CONGRATULATIONS, BIZI!

[Nammu]

Congratulations!!!!!

[Victoria'smom]

That's great. I eat before parties too.

[bizi]

Thank you all for your support!
It means a lot to me.
bizi

[bizi]

The christmas party was a success.
I drank chocolate flavored water all night.
The food was not as good as last year: cabbage rolls tasted funny. and white beans with smoked sausage which I did not eat because I am on a diet. I also did not eat the short bread cookies and I ate some salad. Before, I ate at home because I did not know what they were going to serve. I ate some chicken and ground beef with a few lentils.
So between eating and drinking I am full. I really did not want a drink, just dealt with my awkwardness and social anxiety issues by holding a cup with a tea bag hanging off the edge.That cup of tea got me thru the evening.
There was a white elephant christmas game where people can steal your gift. It was fun!
My poor hubby still has a head ache for the past 3 days which I did not know about. It is worse tonight...I think it is a migraine, is light sensitive. I gave him 4 advil. WE kind of left the party earlier than normal to take home jeffs friend Sarah. He came right home and went to bed. I am glad it is the weekend..for him to recover.
I work out of town tomorrow morning to see 3 residents at a retirement/assisted living facility. I go there once a month. I will check out a chatroom to see if there are still chatters there. They have been having friday nights chats which have been nice/fun.
I have to leave the house by 8:15am, so will set my alarm for 7:30.
bizi