Straight from the pen: Nancy

You know that feeling? That you are very excited about something, but as soon as the actual moment arrives, you ask yourself: “Why did I sign up for this again?”.

In any case, I recognize the feeling of the past few days, the days leading up to the IkPas period of 40 days. Suddenly 40 days seems very long and April 5 seems very far away. And then that is also a Tuesday so, in accordance with my new aim, I would have to hold on for another 2 days until it is Friday again.

Yet I have also really looked forward to this period, lately I noticed more and more that I really need an alcohol-free period. Too often the bottle of wine was returned to the table during the week. I just didn't feel right about it anymore. And then the time has come, it is February 26 and the 40 dry days have started!

The evening before the start, as a goodbye, I had a delicious glass of red wine and consciously enjoyed every sip. I have now been on the road for more than a week and I can say that it has not disappointed me so far. On the first Friday afternoon I went to the local liquor store to dive into the world of non-alcoholic drinks. After I asked the shop assistant where I could find it, I got a pretty disinterested or maybe even irritated look and a reference to the profession. I fell from one surprise to the next, because I had not expected this! A meter box from floor to ceiling full of non-alcoholic wines, beers and even gin. I ask the shop assistant if he can recommend anything, his advice is: "It's all undrinkable". That also helps us a lot, but I can't blame the good man either, it is of course also a bit crazy to ask for alcohol-free in a liquor store.

Ten minutes later, armed with a bottle of non-alcoholic gin and a bottle of non-alcoholic wine, I head into the weekend in good spirits. Friday evening we are both so exhausted from the week that both bottles still remain closed and we stick to a cup of tea. On Saturday night I have a family party and my boyfriend has a reunion, although he intended to start afterwards, he also spent the evening alcohol-free. Nice to have such a partner in crime! I tried a glass of non-alcoholic wine that they neatly brought home for me, but I might as well have had a glass of apple juice. In any case, this was not a success.

Sunday evening I made alcohol-free gin and tonics, these were very tasty! Although I still wonder if that was the gin or just the tonic, the ice cubes and the lime. On Tuesdays we eat with my father and because we often receive the recipes in advance, his girlfriend loves to cook, I can prevent us from getting a delicious salmon dish with white wine in it.

After more than a week I can say that I wake up easier and that I also feel a bit fitter. Unfortunately it has not yet had an effect on the scale, after 1 week I am exactly nothing lost weight. Will that be different next week? In any case, we will continue in good spirits!

This week there is a drink and a dinner on the agenda, let's see how it is in the catering industry with alcohol-free refreshments. Until next week!