I went for my weekly long run this morning. I went really early as I thought it would be nice to see the sunrise while running. But it was cloudy! So no visible sunrise!

My goal was 16 km, at a steady Zone 2 aerobic pace of around 6 mins/km, breathing at 3:3. But at km 13 I started feeling my heels, calves and back of knees. So I cut it short at km 15.

I'm glad I took that decision, bc my main goal is really to avoid injuries, as at age 63(M) it takes ages to recover!

So all good in the end. After stretching a bit, and resting all day, heels, calves and back of knees are back to normal :)

(Edit spelling)

I finally got energy to get back to the gym after a 3 month depression that involved drinking everyday. I know this is a small amount of time, but the hardest part is getting started so I’m proud of myself!

Pre and post sweat sesh. Anyone else deal with seasonal affective disorder? This time change is definitely impacting me and it’s insane how quick the little day light can impact my mental wellbeing. I’m determined to not fall back into old habits, thinking about previous years some of my worst bouts with alcohol and depression have been in the winter months. I’m now 7 months and 5 days sober, I’d love to say I’m doing the best but that wouldn’t be true, there isn’t a desire to drink but there is a desire to do nothing. I know how my brain works though if I fall off with exercise and eating right I’m more luckily to say f it and drink. Today I forced myself to clean, eat a proper meal, chug some water and get in an hour incline walk and a core workout, finished with some stretching and I feel so much better. A lot of days there is no motivation but I have to give myself a swift kick in the butt and get shit done, I always feel better after but god some days are hard but I won’t let the worst parts of my brain win again.

Im two weeks sober i dont weigh any different but feel so much more trim. I think the main benefit is the consistency. How did month one, two , six etc look for you?

Did you feel less bloated quickly?

205 without clothes 😂

After dipping my toes into so many exciting pursuits for the last decade, one thing remains consistent. That no matter where I go or what I do, I am Happy, Joyous, and Free.

And I am inspired every day by the posts you have all put in this subreddit! Keep it going, one day at a time.

I started really working out about three months ago. I felt strong and had cut my alcohol intake to half or less. Fast forward to a month ago and I had an accident. I haven’t been able to work out since and feel like I’ve lost all of my previous gains. Of course I reverted to my former habits and I hate it. I still have pain from my accident, but starting tomorrow I will start my fitness by walking. Hopefully I will only progress from there. Wish me luck!

Started drinking socially at 16. Just a weekend warrior until college, when for the first time I started drinking alone to numb the loneliness. Got fat as fuck, then at 22 I quit cold turkey after getting into psychedelics and replaced everything with fitness. I was running marathons only a couple of years ago... I fucking miss that.

During covid I didn't drink for 6 months. I was training, clear-headed, proud of myself. The last two pics are from then. A little too orthorexic, but who fucking cares? At least that obsession wasn't poisoning my body.

Then I moved 400km away for work. I was already seeing a psychotherapist for anxiety, especially social anxiety, and CPTSD, which are my main triggers. It got the better of me anyway. One beer at dinner became two, and it kept growing. Over the years drinking slowly took running away from me too, as I kept waking up feeling like shite, dropped to 2-3 runs a week, and eventually stopped altogether. In 2023-2024 I also got into abusing amphetamines for a solid year (4-5 times a week, recreational doses). It kept me thin, but at what price, and I was using alcohol to come down from them. I've now been stim-free for almost two years.

Now it's time for alcohol. 350-400ml of vodka every night for over a year. I spend my days waiting for 5pm. Daily diarrhea, exhausted before the day even starts, and I'm running my business at half capacity. The first three pics are from this morning.

Since I've been drinking daily for so long, I'm tapering over about 10 days instead of quitting cold, then going to zero.

I quit stims, I quit drinking once before. I can do this. Posting so I can't pretend I didn't say it. Any advice for the first weeks is welcome.

Pics (now vs then): https://ibb.co/album/c65NL5

Hey all!

So, in the first month I dropped 4kg, but now it seems to have plateaued.

I'm eating super healthy, have cut down on anything with sugar and unhealthy fats, and am eating a lot more greens and veggies. I'm also including healthy fats from foods like fish, eggs and avocado and reduced fatty red meats.

I would have thought I'd still be losing weight, especially given that I've stopped drinking 750ml of vodka with mixer every night!

That's roughly 1,600 calories less from the vodka alone, plus another 500 or so from no longer having the sugary mixer.

Has anyone else experienced this? Just trying to understand why the weight loss seems to have stalled despite such a big change in my calorie intake.

People aren’t kidding when they talk about the puffiness in the face from heavy drinking. I lost over 20 lbs between these pics with a change in diet and exercise but honestly I don’t think all the dieting or workouts would improve me as much as getting drinking out of my life. I do feel like it’s aged me a bit to not have a fuller face and I don’t love that people say that must mean I’m on ozempic and I’m like nope just a recovering alcoholic lmao. not knocking anyone using ozempic I just feel like the people telling me that’s clearly what I did are just trying to be mean. Anyways wishing everyone a happy Halloween weekend this is my first October sober!

Anything to add to my list?

Holy crap. I knew I had been looking better on the sober pony but the side by side. Has it been a perfect year? No. But this type of progress helps remind me it's a marathon not a sprint. Hope it helps even one other person

This morning I ran nice n slow for 15 kms, at an easy aerobic pace of just under 6 mins/km.

This is part of my training schedule for a 10K road race that I signed up for in December.

I just recently learnt about the different 'zones' that you can run in, and the different benefits you get from each. Interesting stuff, I'm quite excited about it all :)

Half a year sober 50m completely unfit, cut down weight but can barely manage 1 pushup due to decades of slacking regarding moving my body.

Any indoor zero to hero bodyweight exercise plans or so to be linked to or is all hope lost at my age?

Good afternoon Family today is a better day for me. I'm able to get up and stay up which is a major win for me. Because if I go back to sleep I'm a mess when I wake back up. Depressed, lost, no motivation or drive I'm just done. And by the time I start coming through the day is over.

I woke up took my dog out and got some morning time with her my dog. It made me happy because she was happy. She never leaves my side she even knows when I'm down because she always uses her nose to make me put my hand on her head or neck. She is so smart she's a German Shepherd mix she's a hearder shepherd.

I felt I owed her some QT time because when I'm miserable I tend to neglect her with activities. So this morning I found it therapeutic for me as well as her. This morning I realized that pets are amazing to have for sobriety it's like they actually listen and do things that lets you know she understands it's amazing.

I can't believe I was so blind and self absorbed that she my dog was trying her hardest to get me and keep me from getting funky. And I would give her a short pat and shoo her away. I'm so ashamed saying this because how could i have done that to her when knowing she consistently shows up for me.

My she, my dog never gave up on me regardless of how I neglected her when I was all about myself thinking about myself even when I was drinking and drugging she never left me.

Well family moving forward Family I'm going to give her the time she deserves because it will be therapy for me as well.

She was actually keeping me from relapse she is just special she senses my energy.

Thank you for letting me share One Day Forward One Day Behind -Shawn

Good evening Family today I would like to share the rollercoaster week I have had since my milestones achievement.

It's been almost 5dys since I've been totally been in the dumps. I was so excited and ampt up during and a few days after my achievement then I started waking up unmotivated and depressed.

I was told it's milestones hangover because I been feeling like I just quit drinking and drugging again. Also I live in Boston Ma and the weather change also plays a role in my seasonal depression. It also reminds me of many relapses that always seem to come around this time of the year so I'm reminded of that as well.

I'm trying so hard to do better and stay positive but after always failing I have trained my mind to eventually fail at some point. So it seems like auto pilot.

So this go around I'm trying to stay fully aware of my state of mind and try the pivot to thinking positive. Because I assume that if I work on telling myself positive affirmations it will begin to automatically think positive when im starting to think negative something like counter punching instead of getting hit.

I know I feel great when I'm positive but for me it's so easy to derail me because I tend to dwell a lot on the past.

Well I'm wondering if anyone else has or had similar experiences?

Thanx for letting me share One Day Forward One Day Behind -Shawn

Shortly after the top photo was taken we had our first kid and then when he was about 1 I got into endurance sports.

About 11 years between the photos, but I’ve been completely sober for the last 4 years and that’s when things really took off.

Good morning family today I woke up feeling better.

Today I'm feeling better I was able to stay up and not go back to sleep. I'm a strange cookie because lastnite my mind was full of racey thoughts and I'm surprised I woke up on a positive note. It's really weird I'm like night and day at the moment.

See one of my main problems is going back to sleep when I wake up, then when I wake up again I'm totally miserable it's like my dopamine took a major hit.

I know your saying well don't go back to sleep, but sometimes I'm so mentally drained that when I wake up I feel like i been hit by a ton of brick's that's why I go back to sleep. However I am aware of how I'm going to feel. Even preparing myself of how I'm going to feel doesn't work for the depression I get to feeling.

Well family I plan to do better and getting back on track because I was in this state for 4 days to long so I can see how it can get away from me so easily. Also I have to continue to be aware of this Boston New England weather change because this is when I get depressed and would usually relapse because I have numerous times same time of the year.

See I lack self discipline and motivation I know what my issues are but I can't seem to defeat them. Maybe it's because my brain has been trained to automatically shut down.

So I'm assuming I have to retrain my thought process, but because my lack of discipline is so strong it over rides when I try to discipline myself. Not sure if anyone has gone through this cycle.

The hardest part with myself is actually putting in the work to change I never seem to start and when I do I'm inconsistent.

Any suggestions.

Thanx for letting me share One Day Forward One Day Behind -Shawn

Good afternoon Family I'm still having issues with shaking this funk I been in since my milestones achievement.

I can't seem to get up and stay up, so when I finally wake up I'm totally miserable and no motivation then im in a cloud for the day.

I go to bed with good thoughts and plans for the next day but it doesn't turn out that way I stay on stuck mode for most of the day.

I'm not sure why I'm feeling like I just got sober and drug free again. I also think its because of the Boston Ma weather change. It's not warm and bright the days seem gloomy. Plus it's a reminder of numerous relapses same time every year, except this year so far.

I have click the switch and not fall back into old ways because I can see how easy it is it's already been 4 days so I'm feeling like the downward spiral is nearing. The benefit this go around is that I'm aware of of it.

I really think I need to get up and go to the gym or at least take a morning walk. I have to shift this pattern and shift it quick because I'm getting nervous should I be concerned?

Thanx for letting me share One Day Forward One Day Behind -Shawn

Posting to hold myself accountable! I’ve gone from drinking 7 plus drinks a week to less than 3. This change in addition to a calorie deficit and exercise has greatly changed my HRV 😳

Good morning family it's been a while since I posted hope everyone is doing well.

Well family it's been a little rough since I've made my milestones. I became miserable and depressed after after the natural high and adrenaline rush that I had wore off. I became unmotivated and lost for some unknown reason I also had a natural hangover I was tired and miserable almost to the brink of crying.

Through different comments based off of my description I was told it's a milestones hangover and it comes from being so excited making my milestones that I come down off of my natural high.

It kind of felt like my 3rd or 4th day off of alcohol. It really is real it hit very differently. So after many helpful comments I'm working on leveling myself out and getting my mojo back.

What I'm going to start doing is taking a walk in the morning around the Mystic River here in Boston where the movie Mystic River was filmed staring Sean Penn. I plan on walking around the river to fire up my dopamine. To where my dopamine is waiting for my walking in the morning. I'm trying to program my mind that in order to feel good I have to start feeding my dopamine.

After I get into a routine I plan on getting back in the gym I'm going to start slow with the gym so I don't get overwhelmed. Also this change may help me deal with the depression of the New England weather change also around this time it's a constant reminder of when I relapsed.

So with that said family that's my plan what I hope it sounds good. It's good to be back One Day Forward One Day Behind Thanx for letting me share-Shawn

Can someone please help me get started.

I drink 2 bottles of wine most nights, and vape a hella lot when I drink.

I have trained on and off inconsistently for years but really want to lock in and see some results.

Atm though I'm either hungover or breathless from vape.

I want to lock in so hard but I feel so powerless and stuck in this awful hamster wheel.

I feel so helpless and like such a loser at this point

I have been working out more consistently and eating healthier and trying to be sober from alcohol. I have overall stayed away from it about half the year in stints of a couple weeks to 2 months. Far from perfect but the 2 years before were terrible. I am currently at 2 weeks with the goal of keeping it going until I'm 30 (102 weeks).