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Yes, we’re still in the midst of what has been the most unusual Carnival season in history. But we wanted to put this on your radar for next week: The 6th annual Ochsner Eat Fit #AlcoholFreeFor40 challenge starts Ash Wednesday, February 17th, complete with a step-by-step guide to make it your own personal self-experiment to see just how nixing alcohol for forty days affects our whole-body wellness.

THE CHALLENGE: Give up all alcohol from Ash Wednesday until Easter.  Establish the following pre-Challenge metrics and repeat again at end of Challenge.  Do this on your own or sign up here to do your pre-challenge metrics for $25 at the #AlcoholFreeFor40 kickoff event at Ochsner Fitness Center’s FUEL Café + Market on Thursday, March 7 (more details below).

THE SUPPORT:  Local restaurants will offer Zero-Proof Cocktails. #HappyHourWorkouts every Thursday 6p.  #MindfulMondays to start each week on the right foot.  Social support at Alcohol-Free For 40 Facebook Group.  Follow @EatFitNOLA on social to stay in the know.

BENEFITS:  Less inflammation, better sleep, reduced anxiety, improved mood & energy, healthier-looking skin, potential weight loss. Here’s a snapshot of the many benefits that this extended detox will have on your mind, body and spirit:  

  • Within days you’ll notice more energy, improved sleep, clearer eyes with less under-eye circles 
  • Within one week you’ll notice less fluid retention and can start to see brighter skin. You’ll also likely notice fewer cravings, mental clarity and an ability to focus.
  • Within a month you can start to see and feel the changes in weight, particularly if alcohol was contributing a significant bit of excess calories.  

METRICS TO TRACK:

  1. Weight + Body Composition
  2. Close-up photo of face; details of eyes and skin in particular
  3. Labs:
    • CBC (Complete Blood Count)
    • Liver panel including enzymes AST & ALT
    • Lipid Panel (includes triglycerides, which can be affected by alcohol)
    • GGT (a specific liver test that’s most affected by alcohol)
    • Vitamin B12 and Folate Panel
    • hs-CRP (marker of inflammation)
    • ESR (marker of inflammation)

KICK-OFF PRE-CHALLENGE METRICS: To make it as easy as possible, have your pre-and post-challenge labs and metrics completed for just $25 (a value of more than $400). Visit www.alcoholfreefor40.com for Eventbrite link with details about scheduling labs, body composition, blood pressure and close-up photo of face, skin, eyes.

Join #AlcoholFreeFor40 group on Facebook and follow @EatFitNOLA to follow the journey of others, and share your own experiences, successes, mocktail recipes, and photos.

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Want more from Molly?  Click here to sign up for Eat Fit Wellness Bites weekly e-newsletter with links to her Get the Skinny TV segments here on WGNO and more!   Follow Molly on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram:  @MollyKimballRD – and check out her weekly podcast; just search ‘Molly Kimball’ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.