Gray areas.

There's another blog that I read, occasionally, written by a woman that has been struggling with her weight for a long time. In one of her recent posts, she expressed her frustration with having had to attend an all day work meeting where the food was provided. Her choices and better judgement had been taken from her, and she was basically forced to eat what was provided to the group.
Because she hadn't stuck to her plan to keep her hunger at bay during the morning hours, by afternoon when lunch was served, she lost control of her will power. She ate bbq, and sweets, and large portions. Her entry into her blog that night was written by a broken woman. Her guilt was evident in her writing.
I am so glad I'm beyond that. There was a time when, for me, it was all or nothing. If I followed any plan and stuck to it for a week, I felt fantastic! But the moment I caved in, and had something that I knew wasn't good for me, I fell off the wagon, as if it were the end of the world.
What we need to remember is that there are gray areas in our lives. Everything can't be black and white. It's balance that we need to learn. If one is on a diet to lose weight, that diet can't be running their lives and causing guilt every time they have a piece of bread or a cookie. The trick is in balancing your activity with your calorie intake. It's simple, but takes lots of practice.
I'm to a point where I feel super confident about my choices. As long as I'm active, whether it's aerobic or not, at least I'm moving. And when I'm moving, I'm burning calories. Sitting on the couch doesn't burn calories. Housework burns calories. Yard work burns calories. Walking the dog, chasing the kids and shopping at the mall burns calories. :-)
We're back to the basic equation of calories in/calories out. Add them as you eat them, and then burn them off.