Learning the art of moderation: check in

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:19 pm

The habits I'm working on currently:

1) no-s... as written. I'm actually quite 'experienced' at this but felt like the need for a public log to add some motivation.

2) glass ceiling... I have traditionally had an all or nothing relationship with booze. Recently it's been the latter, but this in itself can be a problem; when your friends and family are wanting to have a bottle of wine at the weekend, I suspect my abstinence makes them feel a bit guilty. It also becomes too much of a big thing on my part - you can be very busy 'not doing' something... I think the 2-glass rule at social occasions is a nice balance.

3) yoga. It's my main selfish interest at present. It's pretty much a daily thing so fits in well here.

EDIT:

4) (as of mid-April) - Urban Ranger; I like to walk.... It's a hobby and a daily pleasure. Now the above 3 are in hand I thought I could formally add this in. No targets other than to get out and walk a bit each day. The only exempt days are days when I do something else of a physical nature - eg workout, go climbing, whatever...

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 7:47 pm

1) No S = SUCCESS... no funny stuff

2) Yoga = SUCCESS... usual practice

3) Glass ceiling = SUCCESS... zero alcohol

Other meaningful stuff, (this bit should never be empty):

-worked out (besides yoga)
-caught up with an old friend
-did some work on the house (not as much as I wanted but still...)
-phoned my parents and siblings...

blue · Post by **blue** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:52 pm

Sounds like a great day. I love Yoga

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:10 pm

you'd never have guessed from your sig! Thanks for reading...

Day 2:

1) No S... SUCCESS. Nothing funny.

2) Yoga... SUCCESS. Self-practice class.

3) Glass ceiling... SUCCESS. 0 units.

Other interesting stuff:
-went climbing with a mate...

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:16 am

11th March

Day 3:

1) No S.... SUCCESS. No funny stuff

2) Yoga... EXEMPT - Moon day = rest

3) Glass ceiling.... SUCCESS - had 2 pints of dark beer while eating out. 1st in about 3 weeks, tasted all the better for it...

Other stuff:

ate out to celebrate the wife's new job.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:06 pm

Thurs 12th March

Day 4

1) No S..... SUCCESS Nothing funny

2) Yoga..... SUCCESS Usual practice

3) Glass ceiling.... SUCCESS No units

Other stuff:
-worked out
-started planning a walk for my days off next week...
-arranged a night out with a friend.

My usual N-day diet:
1. oats and fruit for breakfast with skim or semi-skim milk
2. some kind of home made vegetable soup for lunch... with bread if hungry.
3. some other kind of (usually) vegetable fare with rice or pasta or similar.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:40 am

Fri 13th March

Day 5

1) No S.... FAIL - a colleague at work brought in some homemade cookies his wife made for us so I ate one to avoid offence... Not the greatest dietary sin ever. Day 1 again tomorrow....

2) Yoga... SUCCESS

3) Glass ceiling... SUCCESS. 0 units

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 6:47 pm

I love your "other meaningful stuff" category.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:12 am

cheers! Just a daily reminder for me to do something with my days... Thanks for reading

Saturday 14th - Day 1 again...

1) No S... EXEMPT

2) Yoga... EXEMPT (saturdays = rest day)

3) Glass ceiling... SUCCESS. Went out but stuck to 2 glasses of wine.

Other good stuff:
-worked out (an easy session) while I listened to my footy team get beaten
-spoke to my sister to arrange a trip to see her next week
-a rare evening out with the wife....

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:35 am

Sunday 15th

Day 2

1) No S.... EXEMPT

2) Yoga... SUCCESS - I just do a short practice on a sunday.

3) Glass ceiling... SUCCESS. 2 glasses of wine with some friends over the course of an afternoon...

Things of note:
-cooked for some friends
-worked in the garden, in what I believe is known as 'sunshine'.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:33 am

Monday 16th

Day 3

1) NO S... SUCCESS

2) Yoga... SUCCESS

3) Glass ceiling... SUCESS. 0 units

other stuff:
worked in the garden again... spring is coming. That in itself is worthy of note.

VintageGeek · Post by **VintageGeek** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:12 pm

I may need to steal your Other Good Stuff idea. It's a good idea. Also, I dig yoga, but I'm too impatient to do it "right." I need quick-paced stuff.

And I have the EXACT same problem with alcohol that you do. I just don't ever really want to drink it, even when everyone around me is doing it. Some people might say that's a good thing, but it really does unsettle the mood a bit at times. Especially at family functions, since all attendees are usually a bit tipsy to escape the general discomfort of, you know, family functions.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:55 am

Steal away - glad it's a useful idea. The yoga I do is ashtanga, so it's quick (ish) pace, admittedly not 'quick' by other physical exercise standards but it's become part of my daily life now and I feel better for it.

Yesterday was a good case in point for the alcohol thing; I went for a days hiking with some mates and they wanted a couple of beers as a reward afterwards. To be honest, a pint of water and a coffee would have done me, but after a day steadfastly declining their offers of chocolate bars and other snacks I thought it was best just to give in a little to avoid appearing like a complete ascetic... My big challenge will be this weekend though at - surprise - a family function.

Anyway:
Tuesday 17th March
Day 4

1) NO S.... SUCCESS

2) Yoga... SUCCESS

3) Glass ceiling.... SUCCESS. 2 beers - see above...

Notable things:
spent the whole day walking in the hills. Awesome stuff.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:27 am

Wednesday 18th March

Day 5

1) NO S.... SUCCESS

2) Yoga.... SUCCESS

3) Glass ceiling... SUCCESS 0 units

Other things which make my world go round:
-worked out
-painted the window frames
-spoke to my parents
-found a house I want to buy... maybe.

VintageGeek · Post by **VintageGeek** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:02 pm

Arjuna wrote:found a house I want to buy... maybe

Well that's exciting. I hear it's a good time to buy a house, but a bad time to own one.

Assuming you're in the States, that is.

Oh, the social obligations we hold ourselves and others to. If only we could be sober in peace.

Sounds like you're doing great. I haven't implemented the Other Stuff idea yet, but I'll probably start tomorrow. I have a hard time separating out significant things from things that don't really matter, but this should be a good exercise.

Good luck with your family function this weekend.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 3:58 pm

well, I'm in the UK but situation is about the same I think, although I'm in a bit of a funny area which seems to have been less affected for whatever reason... I guess a lot depends on what ours is valued at, but it's probably about time we moved. And if not, it's sometimes good pretending you're going to, just so you can nosey in at other people's houses....

Cheers for the good luck - I think I'll need it. My brother's planned entertainment revolves mostly around bars and pubs, so I'm gonna have to set my stall out early and tell him I have fallen out of love with binge drinking. Thing is, that's not even a lie; I used to know it was bad news, but liked it too much to cut it out, these days I genuinely dislike it. I'm hopeful....

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:42 pm

Thursday 19th March

Day 6

1) No S... SUCCESS

2) yoga... SUCCESS

3) glass ceiling... SUCCESS - 0 units

Other notables:
-sat in the garden and drank a cup of chai tea - a small and insignificant event, but the first time the weather has allowed me to do this since last summer, and it gave me a nice feeling of optimism and excitement at the forthcoming spring. Simple things and simple minds an' all that....

Also ticked off a few small chores I had to do but I wont go into details...

nubiennelady · Post by **nubiennelady** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:49 am

Good luck Arjuna....My husband is from England and I imagine if we lived there, avoiding the pubs as part of the socializing culture would be a challenge. When we visit, it's like we're in college again we wind up doing a pub crawl (unfortunately, I don't recover as fast as I did in college).

Nubie

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:31 am

thank you! Yeah, it's pretty entrenched in our culture for some reason. You have to contend with some very suspicious looks if you express an interest in not getting hammered on a weekend.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:01 pm

26-03-09

OK, it's day 1 again.... details maybe to follow later. I'm not sure the glass ceiling is best for me at present, but I'll run with it for now and assess later.

Day 1 of 21

1) No S... SUCCESS

2) Yoga... SUCCESS

3) GC... SUCCESS

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:11 pm

OK, time for an update;

I've not quit using these systems, but I have stopped doing the daily check in. Instead I'm just using the habitcalendar thing, which I seem to prefer. I'll re-visit this log now and then though to comment on things I deem worthy of comment....

It's funny, I started this with my main focus being to eliminate snacking and other dietary idiocy, and tagged on the glass ceiling as an after thought. However, looking at my calendar I rarely screw up the No S part, rarely miss a yoga session but have gone into 'reds' on a few occasions for the glass ceiling.

This is surprising, as I don't consider myself much of a drinker - in fact I would be quite content not drinking again. It shows me a) how much of a drinking culture we must have in the UK for me to fail so frequently and yet still be considered by those around me as abstemious, (spelt wrong probably), and b) how easily I cave in to peer pressure!

I need to start getting a little tougher I think when I meet up with friends.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:01 am

A 4 day 'exempt' period has just finished with the Easter Bank holiday weekend. If not being a total idiot during 'S' days is a measure of success then I think these systems are starting to bear fruit. Obviously I indulged in the obligatory chocolate eggs, but asides that and a couple of (light, fruit-based) deserts I didn't do too badly at all.... I think the proper measure of a successful habit is when you don't actually want to go over board any more.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 12:56 am

I think you're right about the "successful habit meaning you don't want to go overboard."

Something for me to think about, even after all this time doing No-S. On weekends, I still tend to graze if I'm under any kind of emotional stress at all (even boredom)... even though I feel much better when I don't.

Good luck on the second round of 21. It's amazing how No-S spotlights EXACTLY what you're doing (or not doing) that you want to change, isn't it?

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:12 pm

yeah, it's quite an eye opener for me actually. Recording stuff rather than going off memory/perception can illustrate some hard-to-take truths!

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:22 pm

Anyway, I may re-start doing a more frequent log again to add some meat to the bones of the habit-cal tracker, (I know I said the exact opposite to this about a week ago, but I see some value in a more qualitative journal too).

Start with yesterday:

1) Yoga - SUCCESS. 90 min practice

2) Glass Ceiling - SUCCESS - 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS - see below

- oatmeal, fruit and milk
-. lentil and spinach soup
- fresh pasta with tomatoes and mozarella

4) Urban ranger - SUCCESS just a trip to the grocery store and back

Other:

SG inspired workout with a 35lb weighted indian club... Good stuff.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:05 pm

15/04

1) Yoga - SUCCESS - 90 mins practice

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS - 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS
- oats, fruit and milk
- split pea, coconut and coriander soup
- squash and mushroom risotto

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS - walk down to grocery store in afternoon, then around the park after dinner while I went over tomorrow's interview.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:59 pm

1) Yoga - SUCCESS.... 90 minute class

2) Glass Ceiling - SUCCESS.... 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS
-oats, fruit, milk, brazil nuts
-split pea, spinach and coconut soup + slice bread.
-mixed bean and halloumi pie with a mini ciabatta

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS.... same as yesterday

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:40 am

Friday 17th

1) Yoga - SUCCESS... 90 min practice

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS... 2 small glasses of wine

3) No S - Hmmmm, not sure - broke the letter but obeyed the spirit perhaps??
-oats, fruit, milk
-lentil and pepper pitta bread
-beef olive stew and some fresh strawberries for desert; I was being fed at the in-laws so turning down a desert of fresh fruit seemed a little churlish!

4) Urban ranger - SUCCESS. Just down town and back.

Other:
20 mins weighted clubs

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:42 am

1) Yoga - EXEMPT

2) NO S - EXEMPT

3) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS - 1 beer and 1/2 glass wine.

4) (non) Urban ranger - SUCCESS = an 8 mile walk around a circuit of mountains, all between 800-870 metres.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:28 am

Sunday 19th

1) Yoga - SUCCESS.. 90 mins

2) NO S - EXEMPT

3) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS... 0 units

4) Urban ranger - SUCCESS... bit of walking at work, then around the park after dinner.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:18 am

Monday 20th

1) Yoga - SUCCESS.... 90 mins

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS... 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS
-oats, fruit, milk
-zucchini and green lentil soup
-butter bean and spinach pie

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS.... grocery store and back

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 10:49 am

Tues 21st

1) Yoga - SUCCESS.... 90 min class

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS... 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS....
-oats, fruit, milk, brazil nuts
-mixed vegetable and bean soup
-broad bean, rice and mango done in a thai style. Better than it sounds.

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS.... 2 trips into town of about 20 mins each

Other - worked out with some SG like tools in the afternoon. Had time for about 35 minutes of kettlebell and weighted club work.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:20 am

Wed 22nd

1) Yoga - SUCCESS... 90 min practice

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS... 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS
-oats, fruit, milk & some jam
-sweet potato and coriander soup
-borlotti bean and spinach stew

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS... just a 30 minute walk around town

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:18 pm

Thurs 23rd

1) Yoga - SUCCESS.... just a 30 min gentle practice on account of being completely wiped out.

2) Glass Ceiling - SUCCESS - 1 beer

3) No S - FAILURE
-oats, fruit, milk
-sweet potato, borlotti bean and spinach soup. 1 piece brown bread.
-ate out, hence failure - had a starter and a main. Not a bad failure but still gotta play by the rules.

4) Urban ranger - SUCCESS.... 30 min walk round town

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 8:33 am

Fri 24th

1) Yoga - EXEMPT (moon day)

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS... 2 glasses of red with the wife

3) No S - SUCCESS
-oats, fruit, milk, nuts
-mixed veg soup
-goats cheese gnocchi with some bread

4) (non) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS... 12 mile circular taking in Yorkshire's second highest mountain. Around 725 metres or so.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Sun Apr 26, 2009 4:50 pm

Sat 25th

1) Yoga - supposed to be exempt, but SUCCESS due to a 3 hour workshop

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS... 1.5 beers. Can you get .5 of a beer?

3) No S - EXEMPT... and some!

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS... 2 mile walk with some friends in the country.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:40 am

Sun 26th

1) Yoga - SUCCESS.... 30 mins or so

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS - 0 units

3) No S - EXEMPT... cue greed and discomfort.

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS... evening stroll around the park with the wife

Other: a day spent digging and weeding in the garden.... Surprisingly enjoyable actually...

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:03 pm

Mon 27th

1) Yoga - SUCCESS... 90 min practice

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS... 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS
-oats, fruit, milk
-green leaf, grapefruit and almond salad
-spinach and ricotta pasta bake

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS... just down the shops and back

The week's aims:

-5 yoga sessions
-No S, no failures
-use the clubs twice
-do a decent walk at the weekend

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:06 am

Tues 28th

1) Yoga - SUCCESS... 90 min class

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS... 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS
-oats, fruit, milk
-almond and grapefruit salad with rocket
-pumpkin and broad bean risotto

4) Urban Ranger - EXEMPT... I opted to do 30 minutes work with the weighted clubs instead. Some days I can do both, today was a bit busier so it was either/or.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:48 am

Wed 29th

1) Yoga - SUCCESS... 90 mins

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS.... 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS
-oats, fruit, milk
-leafy salad with grapefruit, almonds and aduki beans
-liver and potatoes

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS... 30 mins round town

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Fri May 01, 2009 11:41 am

Thurs 30th

1) Yoga - SUCCESS... 90 mins

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS.... 0 units

3) No S - SUCCESS
-oats, fruit, milk
-leafy salad with grapefruit, almonds and aduki beans
-mixed vegetable dhal type thing & 2 low fat mini naan breads

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS... 30 mins round town

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Fri May 01, 2009 11:49 am

some end of month stats:

April was an ok month; I had 2 failures - once with the booze, and once with the food. The food was no big deal, but the booze wiped me out for a day so I wasn't best pleased with that.

I do have the advantage at this time of year of several bank holidays, (extra S days) and less temptation than at most other times, (colleagues all thinking of summer and thus shunning the usual biscuits and cakes which require some skilfull negotiation on my part). I am pleased with the yoga and walking habits though.

May Goals:
-Improve on April's stats overall
-No hangovers! Even if I fail with the official glass ceiling I need to keep things sensible here...
-get into the mountains once or twice for a hike/scramble/climb
-commence some running; I have 2 (maybe 3) events on the horizon which require this. Firstly I want to do one or two mountain/hiking challenges in the early summer period. These are both 20+ miles so some cardio fitness is needed and some conditioning in the legs. The second is a 10 mile run with a 15kg back-pack in September. I'm doing this as a team of 3 so need to make sure I don't let the others down.

My rough plan is:
-2 runs every 8 day period, (my working week revolves around an 8 day cycle)
-1 other cross training activity - either SG or a hike in the hills or climbing or whatever.

This is on top of my previously established habits. It may seem a lot, but at present I have little other demands on me outside work, and besides it's not a permanent thing and - crucially - I actually enjoy it.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Sat May 02, 2009 8:47 am

Fri 1st May

1) Yoga - SUCCESS... 90 mins, gentler practice due to fatigue

2) Glass ceiling - SUCCESS.... 2 glasses of red wine

3) No S - SUCCESS
-oats, fruit, milk
-leafy salad with grapefruit, almonds and a small amount of blue cheese
-vegetable and halloumi bottom-less pie with some bread.

4) Urban Ranger - SUCCESS... 30 mins round town

5) Other - cross-training with the clubs, 15 mins worth.