Everything In Moderation

When the BFF says "let's try something FUN!", you Say "OK" with enthusiasm and gamely agree to try to not eat processed food or sugar for an entire 30 days...now I don't consider myself to have a bad diet by any stretch...I keep it gluten "light" leaving room for pizza Friday and maybe one other gluten containing meal per week. The rest is (for the most part) whole foods, very little grain and the daily occasional Reese's peanut butter cup and Peet's light mocha freddo...I haven't had a diet coke since October of 2012 people, cut a girl some slack with the mochas!! I can't yet take coffee any other way than SUPER cold and either with lots of creamy milk or blended by my friendly Peet's barista...enough with my detailed food plan. BORING!

 What I want to talk about is moderation and why, for me it's the only way to operate. This is what happens when I am deprived or denied of anything for any length of time...be it food, exercise, not talking to a friend or seeing my beautiful nieces.

 I get angry...I truly do. It makes me mad to not have certain things in life. Mark could eat cardboard every day if you told him it had the right amount of calories and nutrients to sustain him...we are just different creatures. I need a little bit of tasty goodness in my life to keep a smile on my face. Who doesn't need a reward for completing that 10 mile treadmill session with progressive efforts?!! So after about two weeks on this whole foods experiment I found myself getting angry at the world...see above picture. So I said, this isn't fun, I am not enjoying myself I am done. And you know what? The minute I told myself that I could have X, all was good in the world again. I relaxed. And I didn't even go out and eat X, but just knowing I could made all of the difference. And you know what? I should have known better. I know myself after all these years and I know that this will happen when I try to be extreme with anything...my world is in good harmony when I have a little Ok, a lot of vino bit of everything. Balance is the key for me.

 See below...what it looks like when I'm happy! And to continue working as hard as I'm working, I need to be a happy girl.

What about you? I know for some, the only way to try something new is to go ALL in and not allow any indiscretions. What works for you?

 Next up? Ironman Texas on May 18th...bring on some TX BBQ and the heat!!