Situational Abstainer

Good thing I put a note about this post today, because I already forgot my big revelation.  Maybe when I clean up my diet again, some mental clarity will come back.  (I've had my coffee so no excuses this morning.)

One of the latest trends you hear floating around is are you an ABSTAINER or a MODERATOR.

An abstainer finds it easier to have nothing than to have one.  Have some means wanting more.

A moderator wants to have some occasionally, otherwise it builds to an extreme craving.  Have some means wanting less.

I tend to be an ABSTAINER when it comes to certain "bad" foods - sugar in particular.  Sugar (meaning desserts - not sugar in a ketchup) is something I need to say good-bye.  I don't have a healthy relationship with it, can't moderate it and it never leads to good things for ME.

There are other things that can be problematic, but not always and I don't want to give them up completely.  Cheese.  Wine.  I can overindulge in both, but not always and often do fine having them.

When I listened to a Gretchen Rubin podcast, she talked about being a Situational Abstainer.  Times when certain things are off limits and times when it's fine to have them.  Her example was her sister who never eats sweets at work, just at home.

This has me thinking about those SOMETIMES problematic things.  Can I situationally abstain and enjoy in moderation at other times.  I think so.

Opening wine on a Tuesday, drinking the first glass "to relax" so quickly I don't notice I drank it - no good.  I need to abstain from that behavior because I'm using wine to buffer and will usually drink more than I should.  Having a glass of wine because I want to enjoy wine, sipping it, noticing it, reading about it (where it's from, tasting notes, etc) - that's fine.  That never leads to drinking more than I want to drink or drinking when I don't really want the wine.  Wine is wine, wine is not relaxation.

I have some more thinking to do on this, but I like this way of looking at it a lot.  Thanks Gretchen Rubin!

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I have my procedure this morning to remove the skin cancer.  I'm not looking forward to it, but who would?!?!

Workout is a quick treadmill and arm lifting (since I have a big break coming for lifting).  I ended up running outside with Duke yesterday.  The rain took a break and I enjoy cool, overcast runs.  Bug guy rescheduled because they have to order what we need for the dang ants.

I nailed my healthier day - but it was an EFFORT!  I almost gave in a hundred times (or at least 10 times).  I feel better this morning, just in time to feel bad from the procedure.

Happy Friday!  Later gators.