The healthy habits thread

[robin3mj]

Another solid weekend here. It was my wife’s birthday so I cooked nice meals both days and paired it with HopLark or seltzer. Soccer and bikes largely a washout so I hopped on the Peloton yesterday for the first half of a soccer game.

Hosting a few families of kids’ school friends and making them pizza next weekend and will put some HopLark and a few NA beers in the cooler.

[robin3mj]

Checking in. Still doing good. Had a few beers this weekend, but being good about Sun-Thu at minimum. I'm traveling for work pretty much every week and have operationalized no booze while on the road, despite steakhouse dinners, team events, etc. Most of my co-workers are on board but one or two still giving me a hard time which can be annoying.

[TonyP]

Checking in. Still doing good. Had a few beers this weekend, but being good about Sun-Thu at minimum. I'm traveling for work pretty much every week and have operationalized no booze while on the road, despite steakhouse dinners, team events, etc. Most of my co-workers are on board but one or two still giving me a hard time which can be annoying.

Yeah, when I quit drinking not only did I get a hard time from some about it, but also lost a number of what I thought were good friends.

[bigbill]

Yeah, when I quit drinking not only did I get a hard time from some about it, but also lost a number of what I thought were good friends.

I experienced this as well. I didn't quit drinking; I would just limit myself to a beer with the meal while traveling. My companions would want to hang out in a sports bar and drink pitchers of beer until the late hours. I was in the Navy for 27 years; I did the stupid stuff and worked it out of my system long ago. I was excluded from some trips because I just wanted to head back to the hotel after dinner. On one trip, there was a sports bar next to the hotel parking lot. I was just as happy at the nearby Waffle House.

[RichTheRoadie]

Late to the party (I visit the OT section even less since it got moved 'below the scroll'), but found this thread today so I'll add my tuppence - and apologies, I haven't read all of it thoroughly.

Garro's advice is spot-on. Nothing more than that to add, aside from to seek out some non-alcoholic stuff besides just beer if you can. We're lucky in Oz in that non-alc beverages are 'on trend' and available all over the place - wines, mocktails, beers, spirits... you can literally replicate almost any alcoholic drink, and the 0% stuff is often barely distinguishable from the real McCoy*.

I'm a wine drinker, but when I'm on a boys night and I'm done with beer I move to a drink called 'Dark & Stormy' (spiced rum, dry ginger beer/ale & lime, plus bitters depending on the education of the bar staff). The non-alc version of this that I buy is *lovely*, so much so that I now have regular stock on-hand to replace the 'glass of wine whilst cooking' (I do most of the midweek cooking here). It gives me that having-a-glass-of-something-that's-not-just-water-or-a-boring-soft-drink feel without the unnecessary alcohol.

As for why I drink, I think it's always been a confidence thing for me. I'm quite shy and have to force myself to socialise - alcohol always made that easier. Except these days I find I don't need it anywhere near as much (a mental health episode earlier this year plus working through that has made me change my mindset on a number of things, and now I realise I'm much stronger on this than I ever thought I was).

The nights where I do drink to excess are still good fun (usually), but now I wonder why I bothered - they most likely would have been no less good without the alcohol; and I definitely don't need the hangover too.


*Red wine aside. Dear god they need to work on the 0% red wine...

[monadnocky]

Apropos this conversation, can anyone recommend a decent (but not too pricey!!) at home BP cuff? My cheap-ass "Omron" is so ludicrously unreliable it's a joke.

[bigbill]

Apropos this conversation, can anyone recommend a decent (but not too pricey!!) at home BP cuff? My cheap-ass "Omron" is so ludicrously unreliable it's a joke.

I have a cuff I bought at Target. It's an Up & Up brand unit that fits in a small bag. I've done two-week monitoring, and my data aligns with what I see at the doctor's office.

[ldamelio]

Yeah, when I quit drinking not only did I get a hard time from some about it, but also lost a number of what I thought were good friends.

Yep, my wife and I drink moderately (probably 3 - 4 drinks/week each on average, all good quality stuff that we savor). We had what we thought were some close (almost family) friends over about 20+ years who hit it harder on a regular basis. Neighbors moved in who could keep up with them, and we introduced them to broaden our circle of friends as we always do. Both couples dropped us like a hot potato. It really upset my wife for a while, as she was close to the woman. It's a couple of years down the road, and I refer to them as the "Cool Kids Drinking Club". Looking at them now (their lives overall, social and political views, etc.), we wonder WTF we ever saw there.

Tony, those people were never your friends. Same for Robin's co-workers. Looking back at my experience, I think that a lot of people who pressure on you to drink are uncomfortable with their own alcohol dependence. They are looking for affirmation of their normality by trying to draw you in.

[SlowPokePete]

I think that a lot of people who pressure on you to drink are uncomfortable with their own alcohol dependence. They are looking for affirmation of their normality by trying to draw you in.

I would say this is 100% true.

SPP

[TonyP]

Yep, my wife and I drink moderately (probably 3 - 4 drinks/week each on average, all good quality stuff that we savor). We had what we thought were some close (almost family) friends over about 20+ years who hit it harder on a regular basis. Neighbors moved in who could keep up with them, and we introduced them to broaden our circle of friends as we always do. Both couples dropped us like a hot potato. It really upset my wife for a while, as she was close to the woman. It's a couple of years down the road, and I refer to them as the "Cool Kids Drinking Club". Looking at them now (their lives overall, social and political views, etc.), we wonder WTF we ever saw there.

Tony, those people were never your friends. Same for Robin's co-workers. Looking back at my experience, I think that a lot of people who pressure on you to drink are uncomfortable with their own alcohol dependence. They are looking for affirmation of their normality by trying to draw you in.

They were friendships which grew out of drinking together, in reality we were "drinking partners" more so than "friends". And to be honest, I would have done the same if one of them had quit drinking and not myself.

[bcm119]

The rifts that develop between friends over changing drinking habits is a two way street. Drinkers who pressure others to drink more are one side of the problem; people who've given up drinking and cast judgement on those who don't are the other side of the problem. If drinkers and light/non-drinkers both allow their friends to handle their own alcohol consumption without casting judgement, everyone is better off. I'm a medium drinker, and have 'de-friended' people from both groups - those who pressure me to drink more, and less.

[robin3mj]

Birthday later this week and I’ve landed on a dry year as a challenge. Wish me luck. I’ve really gone off of IPAs over the last month or so, feeling pretty good.

I came across an NY Times article on various NA beverages and ordered a bunch. HopLark remains my go-to but some of these look interesting. I have a “phony Negroni” from Brooklyn and two spirits from Pentire in Cornwall to mix things up.

[TonyP]

Birthday later this week and I’ve landed on a dry year as a challenge. Wish me luck. I’ve really gone off of IPAs over the last month or so, feeling pretty good.

I came across an NY Times article on various NA beverages and ordered a bunch. HopLark remains my go-to but some of these look interesting. I have a “phony Negroni” from Brooklyn and two spirits from Pentire in Cornwall to mix things up.

Back when, I knew a fellow that decided to quit drinking, but still live the lifestyle. His favorite watering hole kept his preferred NA beverage on hand for his drinking pleasure. Everything was fine, for a while.

The sobriety and the lifestyle didn't mix, and in short order the lifestyle won out and he was back to drinking, more than before he quit.

Don't know anyones habits here but NA beverages may be fine for those designated driver days but be lacking on a day-to-day choice. I know that as someone who has been sober for over 30yrs I couldn't drink NA beverages long before having\needing the real thing. And I don't know where that would lead to. Not worth the gamble, well for me anyway.

[robin3mj]

Back when, I knew a fellow that decided to quit drinking, but still live the lifestyle. His favorite watering hole kept his preferred NA beverage on hand for his drinking pleasure. Everything was fine, for a while.

The sobriety and the lifestyle didn't mix, and in short order the lifestyle won out and he was back to drinking, more than before he quit.

Don't know anyones habits here but NA beverages may be fine for those designated driver days but be lacking on a day-to-day choice. I know that as someone who has been sober for over 30yrs I couldn't drink NA beverages long before having\needing the real thing. And I don't know where that would lead to. Not worth the gamble, well for me anyway.

Been mostly dry since I started this thread and feeling pretty good. Solid habits are gaining traction/habit. After trying many of the varied NA options out there I’ve come to the conclusion that most of them suck. Continue to be sold on HopLark and on a weekend night one of the Phony Negroni or Amaro Falso mock tails from St Agrestis.

An NA beer can be ok if out for pizza or a burger with work, but seltzer and lime is just as satisfying.

[Mabouya]

I've recently decided to aggressively cut back on my salt / sodium intake. (my BP's fine, but I think it would still be a good idea)

One of the drivers for me is the store-bought instant soups I often have at work. They have ~40% of the sodium RDA.

(I'm not into cooking, so making DIY at home and taking it in isn't a likely option.)

Has anyone found any good low-sodium easy to make noodle / soup options.

TIA

[dgaddis]

Fun thread. Well, not fun, but, you know....

To those working on reducing/quitting booze - good luck! I didn't grow up around alcohol and wasn't really around it until college but decided I didn't want to do it. Beer taste like piss, and I didn't see the appeal in getting drunk, and I was worried if I did like it I would like it too much and it'd be a problem. All my college buddies drink, and I never tried to get them to quit, but it took a while before everyone gave up trying to get me to drink which was super annoying. Anyhow....as I've gotten older I'm really glad I never started because I think I do have a bit of an addictive personality and it would be a problem. It's way easier to not start something than it is to quit. But everyone I know who has quit, both people I know of (comedians, musicians, etc) and people I personally know, they're all healthier and happier and better at their 'thing' since they quit.

As for my own "healthy habits" I'm trying to get back in reasonable shape. I don't want to be a star athlete and I don't need a six pack, but I do need to slim down. Since having a kid my fitness plummeted and my waistline keeps growing. 10 years ago when I was riding a ton (and was in my 20's with a better metabolism) I walked around at 180lbs and ate basically whatever I wanted - and I did NOT eat healthy at all. At one point I decided I wanted to slim down and get faster on the bike, so I used the MyFitnessPal app to track my diet for a while and I got down into the low 160's. Fast forward to today the highest number I saw a scale was 210lbs in my birthday suit. I don't get on the scale all that often and I wouldn't be surprised if I was a bit heavier here and there, 215lbs maybe. I had purple stretch marks show up on my belly last year! WTF! I'm not/wasn't that fat!

So I decided I want to lose some weight. I eat out for lunch pretty much every day and my diet sucks, it's really a miracle I didn't get way fatter (with time I'm sure I would - a quick glance around a family get together shows us Gaddis's tend to get big). Instead of using the app to track all my food (it works, but it's a PITA) I decided to (start by) cut out two things - fried food and sodas. I say "cut out" but I really mean "greatly reduce". I'll still get a fried chicken sandwhich for lunch here and there, but I'll just get that. Haven't had any french fries in ~six weeks or so, and instead of having a soda (or two...) every day now I only have one or maybe two a week. As simple and easy as those two changes are, they're working. I'm down to 200lbs, I feel better, look better, my clothes fit better, etc. My goal is to get back down below 180lbs.

I'm doing some kettlebell workouts once or twice a week (Simple & Sinister) and I've also taken up tennis this past summer and have joined a league, my first match is tonight. Tennis is great because you don't have to be in *great* shape to enjoy it. Yes you're running around, but the court ain't that big and it's way less aerobically intense than cranking the pedals on a bike for a few hours. And the learning curve is short enough that it doesn't take too long to get good enough to have fun doing it. I'm going to take a beating in this league though LOL. There's a ranking system, I should be playing at the 3.0 level but the 3.0's play on Thursday nights and I have to take my daughter to ballet on Thursday, so I stepped up to the 3.5 level, and there's a big difference haha. But whatever, it'll be fun and I just want to keep playing.

"Don't be afraid to suck at something new." - I forget where I heard that, but I like it.

[rmplum]

I'm doing some kettlebell workouts once or twice a week (Simple & Sinister) and I've also taken up tennis this past summer and have joined a league, my first match is tonight. Tennis is great because you don't have to be in *great* shape to enjoy it.

I picked up some kettlebells a few weeks ago to add to my home gym (a bench and some dumbbells - haha). I've been working on something called the "Turkish get-up" the past few weeks. It's a doozy, but I've been doing 2-3 sets every other day and it certainly does seem to be a good whole body move.

I was also excited to find Topo Chico at Costco this week. Sadly the bottles are plastic (vs glass) but still a satisfying nightly beverage vs a beer or two.

[dgaddis]

I picked up some kettlebells a few weeks ago to add to my home gym (a bench and some dumbbells - haha). I've been working on something called the "Turkish get-up" the past few weeks. It's a doozy, but I've been doing 2-3 sets every other day and it certainly does seem to be a good whole body move.

I was also excited to find Topo Chico at Costco this week. Sadly the bottles are plastic (vs glass) but still a satisfying nightly beverage vs a beer or two.

Simple & Sinister was put together by this Russian guy (there's a book, and it's pretty inexpensive) and it is a program/routine that is three moves to warm up (goblin squat, hip bridge, and halos - 3 sets of five each, five each direction for the halos) followed by two moves as the actual exercise - swings, and Turkish get-ups. 100 swings (50 w/each arm when doing one-arm swings, do them in sets of 10) and 10 get-ups (5 with each arm, alternating arms). There are two 'goals', Simple and Sinister. The moves and timelines are the same for both - 5 minutes to do 100 swings, 10 minutes to do the 10 get ups. The difference between them is with the weight, to accomplish the Simple goal you use a 32kg (70lbs) bell, and for Sinister you do it with a 48kg (105lbs) bell. Ladies use lighter weights. You can get your name added to the list if you accomplish the goal and send them a video of you doing it. It's a short list, more ladies than men which is interesting :: https://www.strongfirst.com/achieve/sinister/

It is tough! As a guy who's done almost zero weight lifting I'm a weenie, I've been using a 25lbs bell for everything. This weekend I stepped up to a 35lbs bell for the swing but after three sets I swapped back to the 25lbs bell for the last two sets. Definitely not ready for the 35lbs bell for the get-up yet.

[rmplum]

It is tough! As a guy who's done almost zero weight lifting I'm a weenie, I've been using a 25lbs bell for everything. This weekend I stepped up to a 35lbs bell for the swing but after three sets I swapped back to the 25lbs bell for the last two sets. Definitely not ready for the 35lbs bell for the get-up yet.

I'm not there yet. I'm doing my get-ups with an 8kg kettlebell. There's a lot to potentially get wrong in that move - I'm impressed you can do with a 25 lb! I'm easily a few weeks away from that!

[dgaddis]

I'm not there yet. I'm doing my get-ups with an 8kg kettlebell. There's a lot to potentially get wrong in that move - I'm impressed you can do with a 25 lb! I'm easily a few weeks away from that!

Honestly the only reason I can even do that is because I'm constantly lifting my daughter, either playing or helping her into the truck or setting her up on the counter or whatever. She's almost 5 and probably about 40lbs. Routinely lifting her since she was born is the closest thing to consistent weight training I've ever done haha.