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The writings of a former wine mom and sometime supermom maintaining weight loss, workouts, and wits. Started One Year Alcohol-Free on July 5, 2018.

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Hi, I’m Jen.

An occasional supermom of two aspiring superheroes, I have been known to polish off a jar of Nutella and/or a bottle of wine in one sitting.

But after six years of motherhood under my too-tight belt, I decided to cut the Nutella habit and invest in self-care. In 2017, I lost 25 pounds with Weight Watchers and started exercising regularly again. In 2018, I am hoping to maintain my weight loss, ramp up my workouts, as well as explore my relationship with wine.

Having completed Dry January and then another 76-day alcohol-free stint in the spring, I committed to One Year Alcohol-Free on July 5. ONE WHOLE YEAR WITHOUT WINE. It’s on.

Find me on Instagram! @maintaining_mama

My Whys 👦🧑 Because I want to be in their lives as long as I can. Because I want to lead by an example of health. Because I want to empower them with knowledge of nutrition and its impact on our bodies. Because I want them to make better choices than I did. Because I don’t want them to have to spend their lives unraveling destructive subconscious wiring for which I am responsible. Because I want to show them that grown-ups don’t need alcohol to have fun. Or to de-stress. Or to commemorate a special occasion. Or to make dinner. Or to cope with being a grown-up. Or being a parent. I want to show them that alcohol is not an integral part of adulthood, and that adulthood is more joyous without it. I want to walk the walk. I want us all to walk the walk together. 💗💗💗 #oneyearalcoholfree #oyaf #soberaf #indiscovery #iamstronger #jomo #ichoosenobooze . . . #winemom #sahm #mom #momlife #momblogger #instamom #wwmoms #wwfreestyle #healthy #alcoholfree #sober #soberissexy #soberlife #grayareadrinking #sobermovement #fitness #strongisthenewskinny #bettertogether #weightloss #weightlossinspiration

Lady Liberty and I had a little moment for freedom today (yes that’s her in the background) 🗽😎 Today was a long one. We were out for 10 hours. The sun was hot. I couldn’t possibly keep up with hydration. Kids were good sports but exhausted. We were served complimentary freshly made ice cream during lunch - my first truly challenging moment of these sugar-free days - but I did resist! And I also resisted pizza for dinner, opting instead for grilled veg, chicken and shrimp. I did, however, have a second serving of frozen mango tonight 😋 While there were a couple of challenging moments, I truly did not resent being sugar-free or feel deprived. I felt in control. Healthy, energized, and proud. Just like the famous statue we spied today, food freedom feels like it’s on the horizon 🌅 #oneyearalcoholfree #oyaf #soberaf #indiscovery #iamstronger #jomo #ichoosenobooze . . . #winemom #sahm #mom #momlife #momblogger #instamom #wwmoms #wwfreestyle #healthy #alcoholfree #sober #soberissexy #soberlife #grayareadrinking #sobermovement #fitness #strongisthenewskinny #bettertogether #weightloss #weightlossinspiration

This is me now. 353 days into one year alcohol-free. 353 days into one of the best years of my life. I am stronger not just physically but in every other way. Before this year, I would have thought to myself, “I’ll never be able to do a real pull-up.” Now, I think to myself, “Every assisted pull-up is one pull-up closer to a real pull-up." Nobody ever jumped up on a weight-lifting rack and pulled their head above the bar the first time around. It takes practice. It takes time. It takes help. Nobody does the Big Thing overnight. And nobody does the Big Thing without help. In just 12 days, I will have gone without drinking alcohol for a full year. That is a Big Thing. It is not happening overnight, it is happening over hundreds of nights. And I could not have done it without help in the form of support and encouragement and inspiration that I have absorbed throughout the year. One year alcohol-free is within my grasp. Just like with pull-ups, I am not there yet. Unlike with pull-ups, I know that I will get there. But just like with pull-ups, the strength I have gained along the journey is perhaps even more important than achieving the goal itself 🌟 #oneyearalcoholfree #oyaf #soberaf #indiscovery #iamstronger #jomo #ichoosenobooze . . . #winemom #sahm #mom #momlife #momblogger #instamom #wwmoms #wwfreestyle #healthy #alcoholfree #sober #soberissexy #soberlife #grayareadrinking #sobermovement #fitness #strongisthenewskinny #bettertogether #weightloss #weightlossinspiration

352 days alcohol-free ✅ 4 days sugar-free ✅ New 60-minute Peloton spin PR ✅ Coincidence? I think not! Oh, and I’ve also lost 4lbs since Tuesday 😳 Yup, as suspected, I might have been eating too much sugar, which might not be so good for me 😬 I never would have had the guts to face the sugar monster if I hadn’t already vanquished the wine witch. And I won’t be off sugar indefinitely. Nope, as great as I feel I am still planning on ringing in my one year alcohol-free with a waffle cone full of ice cream. But. I am learning so much from this. I’m learning that cutting added and artificial sugar is not as hard as I thought it would be. I’m learning it makes me feel better than I thought I would feel. And I’m also learning what’s #worthit and what’s not. Alcohol freedom has been unlocked 🌟 (I think! Time will tell!). Food freedom is next. It may take years, but this year - my one year alcohol-free - has taught me that time flies, and grace matters, and I am capable 🙂 #oneyearalcoholfree #oyaf #soberaf #indiscovery #iamstronger #jomo #ichoosenobooze . . . #winemom #sahm #mom #momlife #momblogger #instamom #wwmoms #wwfreestyle #healthy #alcoholfree #sober #soberissexy #soberlife #grayareadrinking #sobermovement #fitness #strongisthenewskinny #bettertogether #weightloss #weightlossinspiration

I took Ally Love’s #GetLifted ride on my #Peloton this morning. Not only was it super challenging, but as almost-always @allymisslove had the perfect morsel of wisdom to offer: ➡️“In order to fix something, you gotta go through it.” I had a problem that needed fixing. I drank too much. The wine witch wore the leggings in our relationship instead of me. I was stuck in a cycle of shame and I wanted out. But I couldn’t just stop drinking. At least not at first. Because I tried that. Every morning, I would wake up groggy and disgusted with myself, and promise to not drink that night. But by the time the witching hour rolled around, with my willpower tank completely depleted, I would inevitably give in. Again. I had a problem with alcohol that could not be fixed just because I said so. Nope. I needed to go through it, work through it, educate myself, connect with others, let my small victories slowly snowball into something bigger. Something profound and authentic and real and lasting. And now here I am, with two weeks to go in my one year alcohol-free, with no desire to drink again. Dare I say my problem is fixed? It just might be. But only because I have gone through it. I have not dodged or jumped over the hurdles I have faced. I have faced them, and broken through with ever-increasing strength. Now I’m starting to deal with my sugar dependence. A similar - but not identical - journey. These two weeks of no added or artificial sugar (of which I am on day three) are just the beginning. But I’m not afraid to go through it. This past year has vanquished that fear, I hope, for good 🌟 #oneyearalcoholfree #oyaf #soberaf #indiscovery #iamstronger #jomo #ichoosenobooze . . . #winemom #sahm #mom #momlife #momblogger #instamom #wwmoms #wwfreestyle #healthy #alcoholfree #sober #soberissexy #soberlife #grayareadrinking #sobermovement #fitness #strongisthenewskinny #bettertogether #weightloss #weightlossinspiration

Tried my best to channel some JOMO this afternoon as I sipped my tea, munched on some cashews and a piece of fruit, and rode out what felt like an hours-long no-sugar slump. I’m still slumping, actually. I feel like a bloated buoy with limbs of lead. Which makes me all the more determined to stick to my no added or artificial sugar rule for the next 12 days. I’m assuming that most of my cranky mood and slow and heavy bod is due to cutting sugar. It’s also partly due to not seeing the sun for several days and my Frenchie waking us up in the middle of the night. But it must be mostly due to cutting sugar, right? I think I’ve been operating largely on sugar, really. No more wine of course, but the sugar monster has more than filled the void left by the wine witch 😈 And he’s wily, this one! He sneaks himself into almost everything, as I’m disappointedly discovering. But nevertheless I am working hard to find alternative meals and snacks, and include more healthy fats. I don’t know how long it will take to regain my energy. I am desperate to feel the JOMO. I trust it will come. Just like with going alcohol-free, I want to revel in the triumph of not filling my body with a toxic, harmful substance. I want to feel how good it feels. But for now, I guess I’m detoxing. And I know from experience that it’s going to feel worse before it feels better. Two days down 👊🏻👊🏻 #oneyearalcoholfree #oyaf #soberaf #indiscovery #iamstronger #jomo #ichoosenobooze . . . #winemom #sahm #mom #momlife #momblogger #instamom #wwmoms #wwfreestyle #healthy #alcoholfree #sober #soberissexy #soberlife #grayareadrinking #sobermovement #fitness #strongisthenewskinny #bettertogether #weightloss #weightlossinspiration

Day one of no added or artificial sugar and going strong! 👊🏻 By which I mean I’m pooped, but that’s more from a late night last night and a trip with my son to the American Museum of Natural History in the pouring rain today. We had a fun city day though, and it felt great to not resort to ice cream or junk food. The trip itself was already special - we didn’t need sweets to make it so! (Let the 🧠 re-wiring begin!) Throughout this year, as proud as I’ve felt being AF, I have also felt so embarrassed by my reliance on sugar. Time to deal with it. I’m excited to see what happens over the next couple of weeks as I spend points on healthy fats instead of crappy sugar and carbs. Day one done! 🌟 #oneyearalcoholfree #oyaf #soberaf #indiscovery #iamstronger #jomo #ichoosenobooze . . . #winemom #sahm #mom #momlife #momblogger #instamom #wwmoms #wwfreestyle #healthy #alcoholfree #sober #soberissexy #soberlife #grayareadrinking #sobermovement #fitness #strongisthenewskinny #bettertogether #weightloss #weightlossinspiration

Two weeks. No added sugar or artificial sweeteners. It’s on. 🚫🍪🍦🍫🚫 Why ditch sugar? Why now? It’s not just because I want to feel strong and svelte on July 4, when my one year AF is up. My craving-conquering skills need honing. I am more of an aprés-surf girl than an urge-surfer - by which I mean I’d rather sit on my butt and indulge and deal with the consequences later than actually do the hard thing and ride out the sugar crave-wave. More on the blog. New post is up! Link in bio. #oneyearalcoholfree #oyaf #soberaf #indiscovery #iamstronger #jomo #ichoosenobooze . . . #winemom #sahm #mom #momlife #momblogger #instamom #wwmoms #wwfreestyle #healthy #alcoholfree #sober #soberissexy #soberlife #grayareadrinking #sobermovement #fitness #strongisthenewskinny #bettertogether #weightloss #weightlossinspiration

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One Year Alcohol Free

July 5th, 2019

9 days to go.

My Drinking Non-Negotiables

I will not drink to relieve boredom.
I will not drink to relieve stress.
I will not be drunk in front of my children.
I will not drink when I am alone; or alone with my children during the witching hour or any hour.
I will not drink when I have to drive.
I will not drink when I am traveling alone.
I will always put my children, my husband and my safety before alcohol.

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