Thanks guys, it worried me slightly, paranoid id got ascities through liver damage or some such thing, but that would be unlikely. Ive been walking a bit more but nothing too strenuous, drinking lots of water, I have been having bread, praps I'll cut that out. Sorry, sounds silly really, I just look all out of proportion, this isnt supposed to happen grrrr....still, skin looks better even if I am a roly poly hehe

:whoop:

Hey Aarry, I'm so with you on this. I've taken being kind to myself to another level as I've had such dreadful sleeping patterns but I need to kick it up a gear now and focus on using the rest of my leave really productively. Still not seeing much improvement on the wooly headedness so maybe a bit of mental and physical exertion is the answer. Kill or cure..:)

I must admit it is not fair I am a very avid tennis player and so cardio to me is not running on a treadmill looking at the clock counting the minutes to see when it is over. I actually LOVE tennis and I sweat a LOT and I can go 2-3 hours. Time flies when you are doing a sport you enjoy but I always say even if you just do a 15-30 minute brisk walk everyday that does make a difference!! Weird I know, I am an avid tennis player yet I used to drink myself silly afterwards -- makes no sense! But addiction doesn't make sense. All the more reason to stop it. Glad to share with you all it makes a huge difference thanks for listening!! :thanks

Ascites is a pronounced condition. You don't get a little fluid in the tummy, it's way worse than that. Of course, I suppose it's possible...

The bread thing...it's not that there's something wrong with bread. I love bread. It's just lots of carbs. No worries. I ate two boxes of GS cookies, a bag of hard candies, two pints of ice cream and various other goodies at the AA meetings. I'm not getting near my scale.

I know I would be up in weight this week. Not even worried. I'm pretending I'm on vacation and will have to lose my vacation weight when I get back.

Yeah. That's it.

I had the same thoughts especially since I had some pain in my side where my live is after I quit drinking. It went away after a week so that's good. Admittedly, I tend to be a bit of a hypochondriac. I'm not going to sweat it too much right now. I'll just do what I can to keep my weight under control.

I think that's a great way to look at it. I've been trying to practice being gentle on myself. Goodness knows that I've been rediculously hard on myself for the past several years which absolutely contributed to drinking the poison. It's time to let all that go. I can't change what is in the past, I can only do something today to help my future.

Noo..not silly at all. I've noticed there's a theme to our posts and we are all really preoccupied with the physical side of things right now, me included! Cravings, sleep, weight, energy levels - all to be expected as our bodies repair in the first month.

I've just spent a lovely five minutes reading the 'Class of March 2013' thread and that's all about one year sober high-fives and holiday plans :) I guess the point I'm trying to make (badly) is that this is the physically tough bit to get through. We will find our equilibrium. And we're sober so we're doing great! x

Very well said, Ary.

No use making it worse by beating myself up. Looking always forward, never behind.


Another bim-ism:

"If you are living one half second in the future or one half second in the past you are living in illusion; and illusion is the province of fear."


and


"Inhale Faith, Exhale Fear."



I'm out for a while because scampi.

That's a great idea, Shoshie! I think I will go do that as well.

Honestly, the physical stuff doesn't bother me as much as the mental stuff. The foggy brain thing is frustrating. I just want my brain power, attention span and concentration back. It's not like it should be a big surprise that the poison affects the brain. I'm just impatient about this part.

I like it! :c011:

Scampi sounds delicious!

Oh, Amen on the mental side Aarry. It's not an 'if', i feel reassured about that, it's the 'when'. First week in April would be good...:)

Hey I'm also a cardio head that used excessive amounts of exercise to rationalize my drinking.

I've backed off the intensity of the cardio a bit but yes, I've lost weight too. I do find that I'm feeling a bit plumper which I have put down to the fact I'm no longer dehydrated from alcohol.

I would say to anyone that's put on a bit not to freak out. It is most likely water that your body is hanging onto because you are no longer on this hydration-dehydration band wagon.

Your body will stabilize eventually and love you for not being on the poison anymore!

I'll second that!

Hey all. Just jumping in here, so I apologize if I've missed any shout outs or anything lol

I just spent the afternoon drafting a letter to a family member. I've been meaning to write this letter for a long time. There I was, just sitting at my desk, occupied with something totally unrelated, and I burst into tears about my family. So I pulled up a new word doc and drafted a long letter.
I won't bore you with details, but there is a lot of family conflict and tension, and I've been wanting to let it out for a long time.
Even if I don't send this letter, I am proud of myself for drafting it. Because it isn't in my head anymore.

Now I was so aggravated that i think I too have to do a little cardio.

Thanks for keeping audience to the musings of this child off the leash.

Ilya

Reading Weasel's posts in the weekend thread gave me an idea. I've been looking for new hobbies. There is a craft store down the street from me and I know they teach all kinds of classes. I think I will find out what kinds of classes they have going on and see if there is something I'm interested getting in on.

Hey Aarrychka, the Klutz books are also good for learning new things. I just bought one on how to learn to knit. I've always been able to crochet like a mad woman, but knitting never stuck.

That's what I was looking into!

I need to find out what the difference between the two is.

I've also considered taking the cake decorating classes. I've always been interested in it. I've made a couple of custom cakes but I'd love to get better at it.

I'll third that.

Everyone's body is different. Some gain weight (temporarily) during the first few weeks. Some lose it.

It will all even out. Our bodies are wonderful things! I'm amazed at the changes I'm seeing as mine repairs.

I'm not sweating any negative physical stuff right now because I know that I took away the biggest source of damage, the poison that is alcohol.

As far as I can tell, knitting is like crocheting but with two needles, and it goes faster. If I ever figure it out, I'll let you know. :)

No matter what our bodies are doing in the short term (stabilizing and detoxing from years of "poison" as Aarry so well puts it), our bodies are going to thank us VERY shortly in the LONG term!!!! I know even though I have cravings worse some days than others I do always have you all here for support!... and the next day I am waking up tired but with no hangover and no regrets and that is what it is all about! Keep putting those 1 days in the bank they add up to big dividends long term! :dance1a: