Virginia Viogniers are stellar. Their dry ciders are fantastic (Foggy Ridge, anyone?). Beer is top notch. But the terroir for a good red wine just isn't available in Virginia. Soil is all wrong, climate is mostly wrong as well (too much rain, too little hardship for the vines in decent growing areas).

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Dr_C and John - I volunteer to be an impartial arbitrator. After Jan 31st of course.

"
How long?
How long must we sing this song?
How long, how long?
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight, tonight
Sunday, Bloody Sunday"


Seemed appropriate

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RayGovett
Hughson CA
Be Prepared-- Strike Swiftly -- Who Dares Wins- Without warning-"it will be hard. I can do it"

Twenty days down! A score of reasons to be proud of :) just 35% of the challenge remains!

Today was another easy day, mostly because my body is wiped out from long haul workouts. I would have fallen asleep holding a beer bottle. But I also know I did as well as I could have this weekend because of being dry right now. I’m going to look at that as a serious part of “recovery” from now on.

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Wife and I are doing for the first time. It's fine during the week, but when we get to Friday evening I find myself cursing Dry January, as I want that 'reward' for getting to the end of the working week. I appear to have replaced alcohol with calories in 'treat' form at the moment.

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29 years and counting

I survived Monster Jam. But it was clearly designed as a test. There was literally a gauntlet of about 15 craft beer vending booths all with no lines (because Monster Jam spectators were going for the mass-market beer, go figure). I put my head down and ran the gauntlet.

I did not escape the crap-food gauntlet. But that's another month.

That is awesome! Congrats!

And I hear you on the crap food. The combo dry-clean month needs to be called the “why the eff am I even alive?” month.

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

21 days in the books. Three whole dry weeks! And just 10 days to go, or just over 30% remaining.

Today was easy, it was a rest day and I was otherwise busy. Planning for the week was good to bring up the perspective of “its only going to be easier because dry recovery has been good”. The end of the week/challenge, when I’m visiting the in-laws, is going to be my final exam.

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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Is anybody doing a dry-clean month this month? I wouldn't have survived if I did. I tried to upload a picture of my brunch from Sunday but the file was too big so I'll just say there was lemon curd, french toast trifle involved and leave it at that.

One thing I have started doing is making sure all the dishes are done and the kitchen is clean before I go to bed. It makes me happy not to wake up to a pile in the sink. When we redid our kitchen I got extra deep sinks so the pile isn't really visible anyway, but...

I am - but giving myself 2 days off

- my birthday
- burns night

Where i’ll Have a few beers and a whisky for burns night

But aside from that it’s no added sugar all month

Going ok and lost a few lbs.

I would die. I'm pretty sure you'd have found me in Delaware Street Nap position a week ago.

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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

22 days down, we’re in single digit countdown mode, everyone! Great job making it this far!

Today was pretty easy. I had a monthly conference call tonight that usually involves a glass of red wine. But instead I had seltzer and chewed on my fist as I was getting irritated with some of the other participants.

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Kudos to you! What's your plan going forward?

Short Term Plan is To Have a fun Weekend starting 1st Feb.
Friday: GF has been twiddling her thumbs - so nice dinner with her
Sunday: Superbowl. Which will be beer + Naughty Food.

Longer Term plan.....

I do like the effects of removing added sugar from Diet, and I don't have a very sweet tooth (starter over dessert any day), so I will I think stick to that...

I have also been reducing/removing very high fat food too (cheese, anything fried etc). That will be more of a challenge to keep up. But everything in moderation....

Booze: This will be coming back..... My job is pretty rough Monday-Friday so at least that limits it to 2-3 nights a week.

I've been not working out as much over January due to injury, which is now recovered from. This is why I went so hard on the diet, to make sure I didn't balloon. Hoping the additional volume will mean I don't bounce the weight back on once I loosen the restrictions up a bit

After dry January 2018, my significant other and I are doing dry January this year, too. (Ahoy, comrades.) Other than a bottle of wine or three on weekends, we don't drink that much, so it's not been too bad (especially with all the benefits others have stated).

Anyway. We have our favorites (typically in the $20 - $40/bottle range), but you know how you'll be perusing the wine at your local place and see the $100 - $200+ offerings and rub your chin and wonder if they're really that much better? Well, this year, I floated the following idea: let's estimate what we would've spent on alcohol in a typical January, then buy one bottle of wine with that amount for the first weekend in February. (Obviously the savings on alcohol spending will vanish, but easier to justify splurging on an expensive bottle which is something we've discussed in passing.)

So. For those pricier red-wine lovers following this thread: what's your suggestion/suggestions? Generally, we tend towards earthy-spicy Spanish types, but all suggestions welcome. Let's set our minimum at $100/bottle.


PS We're also doing no added-sugar-foods January, which for some of us feels like more of a hardship than giving up the hooch...

So. For those pricier red-wine lovers following this thread: what's your suggestion/suggestions? Generally, we tend towards earthy-spicy Spanish types, but all suggestions welcome. Let's set our minimum at $100/bottle. //

My question for you(and me) would be is their any bias before you taste, just because you "expect" it to be better? Maybe have a friend get a few bottles, couple new $20 ones, and a $100 one, in the same category. Then do a blind taste test and see if it"really" is better.. And keep in mind that those local store prices, are usually over 50%+ more than Costco ones. So maybe a $200 Costco bottle!!!!

Pricey wines that we buy: Clarets (i.e. Bordeaux) and Chateauneuf-du-pape; Californian Cab Sauvs (the Caymus is probably top of our list but we have the Hindsight linked to in an earlier post waiting to break our fast); New Zealand/Oregon pinot noirs (esp Pegasus Bay) and NZ sauv blancs (Cloudy Bay Te Koko).

I'm a Napa cheerleader. Check out Vineyard 29 2014 Aida Estate Zinfandel, Dakota Shy Next Chapter, Hall 2015 Kathryn Hall, and the 2013 or 2014 Robert Foley Howell Mountain Cabernet

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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

the $100 bottles will taste better than the $20 bottle - certainly smoother -

Try one of these..usually can't go wrong and available at most decent wine stores:

Stags Leap older vintage
Silver Oak
Caymus
Opus One

Our favourite weekend getaway place does a Winemaker's Dinner series every year - last year we actually went to the Robert Foley one and met him and his wife. 2017 was Chappellet and this year will be DuMOL. If you ever make it out Alberta way between February and April you'll have to try and coordinate with one of these dinners.

We met Bob Foley and his family in 2014 at a bar in Napa, his son went to the same school as where I was getting my doctorate so we bonded. We saw them again when we were there last March, at the vineyard. We adore their wines (might be a bit biased there, but you really can't beat Howell Mt anything), we're lucky we can get some back east here but we'll gladly order some of their smaller batch stuff from them.

I swear we have bonded so much over not drinking this month :)

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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

23 days down! Just under 25% of the way to go!

Another easy day with a test of going out to dinner, which I passed with flying colors. It’ll make tomorrow’s wake up call for track that much easier.

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Yes! And I think it's made the process much easier.

I hope track was good for you this morning. It's -34 here and I'm heading to the indoor track a few towns over for a change from the treadmill.

It definitely has! I'm glad we all have some accountabilibuddies this month :)

Track was baller and also indoors (thankfully, it is POURING). I haven't had the chance to really uncork the pace with IM training, so it was FUN to bring it this morning.

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
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I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

24 days done, just one small week to go! We’ve already done three of those, this ones easy.

I didn’t even give my husband’s wine glass a second wistful glance tonight. I’m wiped out. Better to have an easy recovery workout day tomorrow.

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx