Thanks for the reply. I have been reading your lj about your successes.
"Wine's not necessarily the enemy. Moderate amounts have shown numerous benefits, and the so called "french paradox" relies upon wine. In moderation it can be helpful. (I don't drink it, because I never quite got a handle on the moderation part.) Having said that, if you can manage to give up booze, at least temporarily, combined with exercise and proper caloric intake, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to stick to the fitness program that you set for yourself, and also it tends to clear up insomnia once you get past withdrawal. "
Yeah, well that's the thing. A bottle+ a day is not moderation. And this has become common recently.
The nice thing is that when I'm more active I actually want to drink less, so it works itself out for the most part. Tonight I worked out after work and since I've been home have had three glasses of wine (over about 3 hours) and that feels like plenty.
Already I'm sleeping better and more deeply, and don't seem to be craving wine so much or feeling I need it to sleep.
Thanks for the reply. I have been reading your lj about your successes.
You're welcome. And thanks to you as well.
The nice thing is that when I'm more active I actually want to drink less, so it works itself out for the most part. Tonight I worked out after work and since I've been home have had three glasses of wine (over about 3 hours) and that feels like plenty.
You'll notice that happening across the board (food, drink, whatever) the longer and more focused you are on being active.
The key thing at this point is to give yourself small victories and set yourself up for success, that way you can benefit from success breeding success. For example, for the next week, call sticking to only three glasses of wine a day a victory. Because compared to 1+ bottle a day, it is a victory.
Then, after you give yourself some credit, set your goal for the next week after that at 2 glasses of wine a day. However, there's no need to make it a punishment. At the point where you normally would have reached for that first glass, treat yourself to a glass of hot chocolate. Or a nice glass of tea. Or maybe look up the recipe for some home made ginger beer on the internet, spend a few days cooking it up, and then that way you'll not only have the satisfaction of creating something, but you'll also have the satisfaction of moving closer to your personal fitness goals. (I had homemade ginger beer once at a freemason bar in Amsterdam, it was pretty tasty, but that's another story.)
Then once you make it through that week, see if you can limit yourself to one glass a day, or perhaps two glasses every other day. At this point, you're now at moderation, so if you don't feel like reducing it any further, you don't have to. :-)
However, on the other side of the coin, if you set a goal, and have a set back, don't be overly hard on yourself. Rome wasn't built in a day. Fall off a mountain 9 times, climb a mountain 10 times, life begins now. (Ancient Chinese saying.)
Already I'm sleeping better and more deeply, and don't seem to be craving wine so much or feeling I need it to sleep.
That's good to hear. There's so many things in life that become much more manageable after a decent night's sleep. Just remember, if the alcohol is telling you that you need it to sleep, that's it's attempt to work it's way in to your life further than you want to let it. At that point it's just another chemical trying to convince you that you need it. Stick to your guns, and you'll get it back in to it's place.
"Wine's not necessarily the enemy. Moderate amounts have shown numerous benefits, and the so called "french paradox" relies upon wine. In moderation it can be helpful. (I don't drink it, because I never quite got a handle on the moderation part.) Having said that, if you can manage to give up booze, at least temporarily, combined with exercise and proper caloric intake, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to stick to the fitness program that you set for yourself, and also it tends to clear up insomnia once you get past withdrawal.
"
Yeah, well that's the thing. A bottle+ a day is not moderation. And this has become common recently.
The nice thing is that when I'm more active I actually want to drink less, so it works itself out for the most part. Tonight I worked out after work and since I've been home have had three glasses of wine (over about 3 hours) and that feels like plenty.
Already I'm sleeping better and more deeply, and don't seem to be craving wine so much or feeling I need it to sleep.
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You're welcome. And thanks to you as well.
The nice thing is that when I'm more active I actually want to drink less, so it works itself out for the most part. Tonight I worked out after work and since I've been home have had three glasses of wine (over about 3 hours) and that feels like plenty.
You'll notice that happening across the board (food, drink, whatever) the longer and more focused you are on being active.
The key thing at this point is to give yourself small victories and set yourself up for success, that way you can benefit from success breeding success. For example, for the next week, call sticking to only three glasses of wine a day a victory. Because compared to 1+ bottle a day, it is a victory.
Then, after you give yourself some credit, set your goal for the next week after that at 2 glasses of wine a day. However, there's no need to make it a punishment. At the point where you normally would have reached for that first glass, treat yourself to a glass of hot chocolate. Or a nice glass of tea. Or maybe look up the recipe for some home made ginger beer on the internet, spend a few days cooking it up, and then that way you'll not only have the satisfaction of creating something, but you'll also have the satisfaction of moving closer to your personal fitness goals. (I had homemade ginger beer once at a freemason bar in Amsterdam, it was pretty tasty, but that's another story.)
Then once you make it through that week, see if you can limit yourself to one glass a day, or perhaps two glasses every other day. At this point, you're now at moderation, so if you don't feel like reducing it any further, you don't have to. :-)
However, on the other side of the coin, if you set a goal, and have a set back, don't be overly hard on yourself. Rome wasn't built in a day. Fall off a mountain 9 times, climb a mountain 10 times, life begins now. (Ancient Chinese saying.)
Already I'm sleeping better and more deeply, and don't seem to be craving wine so much or feeling I need it to sleep.
That's good to hear. There's so many things in life that become much more manageable after a decent night's sleep. Just remember, if the alcohol is telling you that you need it to sleep, that's it's attempt to work it's way in to your life further than you want to let it. At that point it's just another chemical trying to convince you that you need it. Stick to your guns, and you'll get it back in to it's place.
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