Borrowing happiness from tomorrow

Clean eating is working really well for me. I have been doing it non-stop for 4 weeks now and am starting to notice some changes: no more sugar cravings after dinner, I dropped 3 kilos and I feel way more energized (I wake up before my alarm goes off). I start to enjoy looking at myself in the mirror and I love every small change I see. I realize that the features I don't  like are currently under construction.

However, on the weekend I keep fighting alcohol. This remains my biggest temptation. It's not like I drink throughout the whole week, but for me Friday night equals drinking with my friends. Last year, immediately after New Year's eve, I abstained myself from drinking for three whole weeks. I know, what a cliché! Anyway, those were the three longest weeks in my life. I did not like it a single bit. It felt like someone or something deliberately tried to ruin my weekend. Everyone could go out except for me. Yeah, of course I could go with my friends, but I tried that once and I was bored out of my mind and annoyed. The only thing I did like about this period was that I didn`t feel hungover the next morning. When I wake up, I never think: I wish that I'd had gone out last night. So when I start my next attempt I need to focus more on that feeling.

So until I really make up my mind to quit drinking for a while, I have some ground rules to limit the damage.

• Replace white wine with sparkling water & vodka with a slice of lemon, strawberry, raspberry or whatever you like. One glass of white wine is 155 kcal and vodka with sparkling water is only 85.  That's a whole lot of difference right? Just add a few pieces of fruit, because fruit contains sugar as well.
• No more eating after supper. So no nuts, cheeses or whatever when drinking with my friends. Needless to say, that includes no midnight snack when I get home.
• Whenever you feel hungover, your body automatically craves for more (fat) food than usual. But I promised myself that I can't have both: drink alcohol and eat shitty the next day. So I won't give in to my hangover cravings and I will think wisely about alternatives. Falafel with hummus in a whole-wheat tortilla, or a cauliflower pizza works really well with a hangover. 
  
• Drink loads of water and green tea to cleanse your body from all the bad things that alcohol contains.
• If you don't feel too bad, try working out. Sweating also helps to cleanse your body. But don't overdo it en listen to your body. Enough is enough.

Somewhere deep down inside, I know that drinking alcohol is borrowing happiness from tomorrow. So when the time is right and I challenge myself again, I will let you guys know how I am doing.