Do you hear that? It's the sound of me breaking one of my habits. I drink every weekend without exception; sometimes just a little and sometimes way too much. Last weekend was the first weekend this year that I didn't drink. It was hard; much harder than it should have been. The habit was incredibly strong as it usually gave me a signal of the end of another stressful week. It became part of my weekly routine and with it came absolutely no chance of ever getting control of my weight as even the hardest work during the week was quickly erased by a few bad choices.
Usually by noon on Friday I'm already thinking about having a few stiff drinks. Today, not so much. In fact, the thought of drinking didn't even enter my mind until I got to the barbershop after work (it's not far from the liquor store), When I had that realization I felt a sense of accomplishment. It's only the second weekend but the habit is already starting to fade. I have no desire to drink tonight.
Even as I sit here typing and can hear all three of my daughters all fighting and yelling at each other while Mrs. FogDog is joining the fray as well (I think I'll just stay out of it), I'm sitting here calmly realizing that I don't need a drink to feel better, I need to keep breaking bad habits to feel better!
Today was good end to my week; I finished it off by sticking to my eating plan and getting my gallon of water in. Looking back it's been a pretty good week with only a few mishaps. I weigh-in tomorrow and to be honest I am fearing the scale a little. I earned about 1-2 pounds of weight loss but I'm fearful that I already saw this week's number in last week's 7 pounds. Oh well, the number will read what it reads. I also get to tally up my health rating points from the scoring system I created. Yes, I can see some of you rolling your eyes, but I'm an Engineer; we love to come up with clever ways to measure things that can't be measured easily. Thanks for all the support from the community, until then...
Stay Strong!
Showing posts with label alcohol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alcohol. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Day #69 - Crossroads
Yesterday I asked the question "Have I really changed toward healthy living or am I still making excuses"? 68 days ago I gave myself 3 goals to meet; Quit Smoking, Quit Drinking Alcohol, and Lose 100 Pounds. At Day 69 I have only succeeded at one of those goals.
After some soul searching today I think I've reached an answer to my question but it's not a simple yes or no. I HAVE changed, I've thought about healthy living every single day of this journey so far. I AM committed to becoming healthier, and I know this really isn't optional anymore; I NEED to change. However, I've also been making excuses lately. I've been riding the "Quit Smoking" train for all that it has been worth and I've used that as justification to keep drinking and to not eat healthy.
Even as I put forth effort to stop drinking, I started to use that as an excuse to eat poorly, and then when I started to eat better, I used that as an excuse to let go a little and drink one night.
So when I ask myself if I've changed, I know the answer is yes because I can see the excuses for what they are. I can look into the mirror and tell myself that this week was a wasted week; that I had a week of vacation away from the stress (my biggest excuse) and yet somehow I managed to eat poorly and drink alcohol (and as a result gain 1.5 pounds). I can tell myself that it was a wasted week but at the same time I can put it behind me and renew my commitment. I don't have to spend another week depressed about last week.
However, change is not enough, I need to add some resolve and I need to make a few adjustments
The first thing on my agenda is to view my progress based on all my goals. No more riding the "no smoking" train, if I'm not smoking, not drinking, and eating healthy, then I am being successful. Success in one does not give me justification to give in to temptation in another area.
Second, no more drinking on the weekends. I'm a recreational drinker, but I've noticed that the recreational drinking ends up hurting my resolve when it comes to eating healthy. The two are tied together; I cannot lose weight and be healthy if I continue to drink.
Lastly, I need to strive for more consistency. It's amazing how quickly I swing from one extreme to the other, one day I can be perfect and the next day I'm completely off the rails for the entire day. I need to work on keeping steady. It would be better if I was consistently doing and average job than to be constantly alternating between great and terrible.
So here I am at a crossroads. I can continue to make excuses or I can learn from my mistakes and push forward. The decision is an easy one to make; despite the ups and downs I have made progress and it would be a shame to stop here. Besides, I've said it a few times. Failure is no longer an option, I NEED to make these changes. Day #69 is in the books, on to Day #70
Stay Strong!
P.S.- Happy PI Day!
After some soul searching today I think I've reached an answer to my question but it's not a simple yes or no. I HAVE changed, I've thought about healthy living every single day of this journey so far. I AM committed to becoming healthier, and I know this really isn't optional anymore; I NEED to change. However, I've also been making excuses lately. I've been riding the "Quit Smoking" train for all that it has been worth and I've used that as justification to keep drinking and to not eat healthy.
Even as I put forth effort to stop drinking, I started to use that as an excuse to eat poorly, and then when I started to eat better, I used that as an excuse to let go a little and drink one night.
So when I ask myself if I've changed, I know the answer is yes because I can see the excuses for what they are. I can look into the mirror and tell myself that this week was a wasted week; that I had a week of vacation away from the stress (my biggest excuse) and yet somehow I managed to eat poorly and drink alcohol (and as a result gain 1.5 pounds). I can tell myself that it was a wasted week but at the same time I can put it behind me and renew my commitment. I don't have to spend another week depressed about last week.
However, change is not enough, I need to add some resolve and I need to make a few adjustments
The first thing on my agenda is to view my progress based on all my goals. No more riding the "no smoking" train, if I'm not smoking, not drinking, and eating healthy, then I am being successful. Success in one does not give me justification to give in to temptation in another area.
Second, no more drinking on the weekends. I'm a recreational drinker, but I've noticed that the recreational drinking ends up hurting my resolve when it comes to eating healthy. The two are tied together; I cannot lose weight and be healthy if I continue to drink.
Lastly, I need to strive for more consistency. It's amazing how quickly I swing from one extreme to the other, one day I can be perfect and the next day I'm completely off the rails for the entire day. I need to work on keeping steady. It would be better if I was consistently doing and average job than to be constantly alternating between great and terrible.
So here I am at a crossroads. I can continue to make excuses or I can learn from my mistakes and push forward. The decision is an easy one to make; despite the ups and downs I have made progress and it would be a shame to stop here. Besides, I've said it a few times. Failure is no longer an option, I NEED to make these changes. Day #69 is in the books, on to Day #70
Stay Strong!
P.S.- Happy PI Day!
Friday, March 6, 2015
Day #61 - Looking Back
Today I start a weeklong vacation! I'm not going anywhere, the kids have school, but I'm going to start remodeling my master bathroom and bedroom. The in-laws are coming to visit this weekend so I won't really get started until Monday, but then I'll be ripping out the old blue shower and toilet along with the 80's style baby blue floor tiles. I'll take pictures along the way to show my progress; next week I should be getting plenty of exercise.
Looking back, this has been a pretty good week. Not great, not bad, just good. Originally I thought I would only weigh once a month, but I'm already curious so don't be surprised if I post my weight tomorrow. Anyway, this week was all about getting back in the habit of eating healthy. All week long I brought my lunch to work except for today, and when I went out today I ordered a salad. As for water, I did really well at the start of the week, but trailed off a little in the last 2 days. It wasn't for a lack of trying, I've noticed the more busy I get at work, the less water I drink and getting ready for vacation kept me hopping for the last 2 days. Other than some chips and a little alcohol (yeah I know) last night, I was healthy all week long.
If I do stand on the scale tomorrow I'm pretty confident I'll see a loss. Day #61 in the books, on to day #62
Stay Strong!
Looking back, this has been a pretty good week. Not great, not bad, just good. Originally I thought I would only weigh once a month, but I'm already curious so don't be surprised if I post my weight tomorrow. Anyway, this week was all about getting back in the habit of eating healthy. All week long I brought my lunch to work except for today, and when I went out today I ordered a salad. As for water, I did really well at the start of the week, but trailed off a little in the last 2 days. It wasn't for a lack of trying, I've noticed the more busy I get at work, the less water I drink and getting ready for vacation kept me hopping for the last 2 days. Other than some chips and a little alcohol (yeah I know) last night, I was healthy all week long.
If I do stand on the scale tomorrow I'm pretty confident I'll see a loss. Day #61 in the books, on to day #62
Stay Strong!
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