Everything in Moderation...Including Moderation

Easter! What a great Easter we had! Lots of family, lots of fun, and lots of food. That last part is where it gets tricky. On Saturday night, Patrick and I went out with my sister Leah and her husband Nick and my little sister and her boyfriend Ryan. We all like to drink--that is no secret. However, with Patrick's weightloss goals and my attempts at supporting him, he drank water and I only drank one amaretto sour. So far, everything in moderation. It was tough but Patrick did great. Turns out it was good that he was only drinking water because he was the sober driver home!

Sunday, Patrick and I woke up early to workout before the egg hunt began. We worked with our kettlebells and got a good sweat going. What a great way to start our Easter Sunday. Not to mention that the weather was beautiful. So after we get done and come inside, my mom is making a delicious breakfast of hashbrowns, sausage, eggs with cheese, donuts, pastries.......you get the picture. After I work out, my appetite is normally HUGE so I was worried for Patrick and I. Immediately, I grabbed a banana for us to share. As we went through the 'buffet' that my mom had placed out, I took a small portion of everthing. I watched Patrick do the same--he skipped the donuts and pastries while I just cut off a bit size piece of each. Our attempts at moderation were successful thus far but it was only 9:00...how much more of this torture must we face?

After church and pictures, playing and relaxing, it was finally time for our big meal of the day. (Wait, what was breakfast considered...?) We had glazed ham, creamy/cheesy cauliflower, creamy/cheesy/bacony potatoes, buttery/cream cheesy/sugary corn, and chinese coleslaw with the dressing already on it. The theme song to Jaws may as well have been playing in the background. I could tell that Patrick and I, who ate lightly for breakfast and then had to wait until almost 2:00 for lunch, were about to eat the table and all its contents and even though we love each other very much, if one of us were to perish in the process--too bad, so sad--more for the survivor. I watched as we passed each dish around the table...PJ and I took small portions of each dish looking longingly at the size of the spoon against the size of our serving. By the end of round 1, we had done well. Our plates were not all the way full but we would get to try everything.

By the time I finished my plate, I was already having an internal battle with myself and I know Patrick was having the same one, "Should I eat more? I know I can eat more and the food is all so good. It's Easter so surely I can eat more, right? Jesus is risen so let's eat another biscuit." By the time I was done attempting to justify my way through another serving of everything, my stomach messaged my brain and told it that I was nourished and not too full. That felt good.

Now comes the part of the story where I take my moderation in moderation. The last dreaded part of this delicious day was dessert. My Lenten promise was no desserts after my big meal of the day which I stuck to throughout the season. So, when my mom pulled out the Nestle Tollhouse Pie with nuts, you can bet I had my plate ready. When she offered whip cream, I took that and when she brought out the ice cream, I took a scoop of that too. Not even an ounce of guilt crept into my soul because I knew that my diet sanity has a lot to do with my general sanity and I would have gone CRAZY if I had done every single little thing in moderation over Easter weekend.

My husband taught me this lesson a long time ago, before we ever started dating and it rings true for many of the adventures in which we have found ourselves. Everything in moderation, including moderation. Truer words have never been spoken. Thanks Patrick.