Anathema Is Clean, Sober, and Ready to Go

[Anathema]

Slight irony alert due to joining a day late, but "Slight Irony Alert" might be the road sign for my life. Except actually I think my road sign is the fantastic one, below, which I spotted on a run some time ago. Anyway, many of my prior challenges fell apart due to my tendency toward overindulgence of the non-good kind. Me, booze, and goals don't seem to be a good mix. So, here's the goals for this Challenge.

 

Goal 1: Stay sober. I'm on Day 20 so far, goal is to keep the streak going. One day at a time and all that, but I'd really like to make this a thing.

 

Goal 2: 500 calorie per day deficit. I can do this. I've done it before, just need to stay mindful.

 

Goal 3: Something physical each day. One of those days can be my 10,000 steps but everything else needs to be either strength workout or proper cardio. I'd say a run, but have some minor foot pain, so if that gets worse (no frakking idea what I did to myself, maybe just being at a trade show last week and walking tons and tons on concrete floors in non-supportive shoes? Not heels cuz I'm not totally insane, but not properly cushioned either.)

 

Bonus goal: Work on eliminating simple carbs. Cut out sugar entirely, cut back on flour. Not gonna say eliminate it because I think that's setting too high a bar for me right now, but be mindful about minimizing.

 

Life goal: Minimize personal screen time at work. I tend to get into reading the news or checking Facebook at work, which is allowed, but then I spend too much time and end up having to work late to make up for it. I can have 5 minutes per hour, no more.

[Scatterbunn]

Welcome. Wishing you the best in your challenge. Congrats on your 20 days sober. Do you have a support group? AA or similar? 

Just keep going one day at a time and if you fail one day, don't complete a work out, eat "too many calories" just start again the next day. The hardest thing for me is not letting one bad day completely derail my progress.

[Koaladle]

Your goals look totally attainable. On days where you don't want to do the things, remind yourself that you ARE capable because you have done this before. <3 Sobriety is a beautiful thing! You're already at day 20 and that is fabulous! <3

[Koaladle]

Do you have a reward system in place to help motivate you on bad days?

[Anathema]

Ah, I should actually do my reward system again, thanks for reminding me! Before I gave myself $1 per day per goal, "paid" weekly (aka, put in my savings account), towards my tattoo fund. I'll do that again. It's definitely inspirational!

 

And as to program, I've done 12-step stuff before and I find it really tedious, though there are things I like about meetings (support, good strategies, etc.). I think I may do some meetings but not the full program, because it just doesn't do it for me. I do have really good sober support in my "real life" and I'm using that group of sober friends as my main sounding board right now.

[Anathema]

So, I started late but I'm going to count from Day One even though I didn't know I was on the Challenge yet!

 

Starting weight: 166.2 (slightly high because I forgot to weigh in til after tea and smoothie, but we'll just see how that goes. My OCD requires I document Day 1 even if it's not 100% correct.)

 

Day 1:

Sober: yes

Calorie deficit: no

Activity: yes (45 min run)

Carbs: no

Screen time: no

 

Total rewards: $2. Cumulative: $2

 

Day 2:

Sober: yes

Calorie deficit: 850 cals

Activity: yes (30 min run)

Carbs: yes

Screen time: I'm going to count it as a win because I was more mindful and largely stuck to plan, though slipped towards day's end. But much better due to mindfulness.

 

Total rewards: $5 • Cumulative: $7

 

[Koaladle]

I love your reward system!  Can't wait to see the end result.

[Anathema]

Ah, the Halloween candy at work got me! But not too badly . . . I resisted until those late-in-the-day doldrums. And I reckon it'll be gone today by that time, so I'm safe! Need to get some Stevia or such so that when I have that afternoon sweet craving I can have something sweet in my tea. That usually works but my work just has regular sugar. Note to self.

 

Day 3:

Sober: yes

Calorie deficit: 500 cals

Activity: Core workout at gym

Carbs: Fell face first into the candy bin!

Screen time: Another day that was largely good but got a little sketchy towards the end. Pay better attention. But giving it to myself as a win, because this is a process.

 

Total rewards: $4 • Cumulative: $11

[Koaladle]

That slow and steady progress is always a win. <3 You're doing great!

[Scatterbunn]

You're not the only one with a diet fail yesterday. Mine was due to a long re-orientation meeting where the sack lunch provided was a massive sugar bomb. Tried to be good, but hunger got to me and thus started the Blood sugar roller coaster. But today is a new day!!

[Koaladle]

18 hours ago, Scatterbunn said:

sack lunch provided was a massive sugar bomb

Life happens. 

[Anathema]

Weds, Nov 2, Day 4:

Sober: yes

Calorie deficit: 300 cals

Activity: Dancing

Carbs: Less candy, but still some

Screen time: Okay, need to get better.

 

Total rewards: $2 • Cumulative: $13

 

Thurs, Nov 3, Day 5:

Sober: yes

Calorie deficit: 250 cals

Activity: none

Carbs: Naan with lunch

Screen time: Okay, need to get better. Today, I institute more rigorous discipline.

 

Total rewards: $1 • Cumulative: $14

[Koaladle]

We're only a few days in, so there is plenty of time to get to your lifestyle goals. That being said, try to pick one and knock it out for the next week. Take on one at a time and add another when a goal feels routine.

[Anathema]

Hooo boy. So, major dental issues + post-election depression + best friend having major surgery and my needing to be there for him and his family led to . . . just losing the plot. I actually kept up with a number of my goals, but just haven't been tracking.

 

The dental stuff (long story, basically major bridgework failed, waiting to see if I'm a bone graft candidate) means that I'm on mushy food only for the foreseeable future. I can almost recast that as a mindfulness practice (only small bites of things, chosen carefully), except for the first few days when I was already depressed and feeling self pity, and hey, Ben & Jerry's works for people who can't chew! Past that now, focussing on soup, applesauce, yogurt, etc. Hopefully I'll see the dental surgeon next week and get some sort of temporary situation while they figure out if they can do bone graft. If not, I'll have to (whaaaah!) have some kind of removeable plate, because they won't do the bridge again. My reconstructive dentist assures me it's nothing like the old days of grandma's dentures in a cup by the bed. Still, hopefully not.

 

What I am proud of myself for is coming back here. My first thought was jeebus, I've lost half the Challenge's time to all this stuff, just vanish into the woodwork and come back for the next one. But nope, don't want to lose accountability. So here I am, accounted for. And tracking properly tomorrow and through the end of the Challenge, just for the discipline of the thing.

 

Also . . . it'll be hard to overdo it on Thanksgiving if I can't eat! I mean, I can have mashed potatoes and yams, and pick the filling out of a slice of pie. Maybe stuffing if it's soft enough. I know that's skipping the healthiest part, aka ol' Tom turkey, but still. I reckon I just won't have the appetite to load up on carbs.

[noxiousGnome]

Could throw the turkey in a blender and grab a straw? Also, HI good to see ya still around,sucks about everything though -hugs-

[Anathema_Respawn]

Only reason I'm not more cranky about the food thing is that one of my best friends, by some strange coincidence, has even worse dental woes than me. I actually referred him to my reconstructive surgeon (every kid should have one!), and she recently told me that we're the two most complex cases she's maybe ever seen. He just had major bone surgery, jaws are wired shut, and he literally can only eat things that have been blended to total liquid, put in a giant turkey baster-like syringe thing, and carefully squirted between his teeth. So whinging about not being able to have my turkey seems a little insensitive! Like I said to him, not like it's a contest but if it was, man would he be winning! Also, he's not allowed to do anything more than the most gentle exercise, since elevating his heartrate or blood pressure would be dangerous. This is a guy who spends hours at the gym and can bench-press me. (Okay, we've never tried that, but my weight, anyway). So, perspective!

 

And hey, turkey freezes up nice!