Diametrically Opposed

As great as the "Eat from the Pantry" idea and the "30 Day Shred" idea are.  I have realized they are completely diametrically opposed to one another.  It's pretty much like telling someone they have to eat healthy with the frozen random junk they have on hand.

Yes, we have been eating from our pantry and freezer.  And we certainly haven't been short on options.  We have had food and recipe fixings and options.  What has proved hard is keeping it relatively healthy.  Sure, we have pizza rolls and chicken nuggets out the ying yang.  But low-cal, high-fiber, high-protein stuff just sitting in our freezer?  Not so much.

But then again, I remind myself that this is like the rest of my life.  It's a balancing act.  The times when I am mostly likely to fail not be successful are the times when I go whole hog for something.  When I adopt an "all or nothing" attitude.

And so tonight I am reminding myself it's about moderation.  Brian had a craving for Chicago-style pizza.  Something, back when our metabolism rocked, and I could wear cute jeans and tight shirts, and our kids didn't wake us up in the morning (because we didn't have them) we ate out a lot.  A lot.  And we were both in smaller clothes than we are now.  Ah, to be in your 20's again.

At first, I balked.  "But we are eating from the pantry!"  Followed by "But I only have 1,500 calories!"  But then I caught myself.  Again, the surefire way to fail at anything is to be ridiculously over-the-top about it.  And I do that.  I can often be ridiculously over-the-top.  About a lot of stuff.  So I stopped myself.

So I went to the store.  And I got the pizza sauce and cornmeal Brian needed (the rest we actually had).  I also got the cereal, fruits, milks and breads we needed.  So for the month, the grocery spending stands at  $66.38.  And I reminded myself to pat myself on the back.  January 10 and we've spent less than $70 for a family of 5, not bad.  And sometimes, "not bad" is "just fine."  Life is not a competition.

It's funny, I am really not a very competitive person.  But sometimes the competitive people around me bring out the competitiveness in me.  I think it's that "whole hog" thing coming out.  I tend to dive into things 200% and then fade back.  And I am trying to ease up on that.  Cause living life as a hot flame that fades isn't really the best way to do it, is it?

Long story short.  I am glad I gave in.  We ate a great dinner with my mom.  The pizza was great.  The kids were great.  The company was great.  And that fact that it was all in moderation was great.  That said, I am taking a break tonight from working out.  I can tell I am getting burned out on it.  And so I won't.  And that is good.