Taking Stock and Stocking Up

Today's Day 1 of my commitment to being more primal and my commitment to a better me.  I've been on vacation since December 17th and, since I knew I'd be doing this, I've been trying to eat things I already had in the house so I didn't have to throw it away.  (Yeah, I know I could take stuff to some local food bank, but most of it was "loose" stuff... flour, sugar, pasta etc in my canisters, that they just won't accept and I was trying to spend as little additional money as possible on food while I was off.)  

Before I went to the store, I had to take stock, do some serious planning, and make a list (I like lists - they make me feel  like I've got a plan of attack!).  Going on the principle that when you've got good stuff at home, you don't go out looking for it somewhere else, I planned my menu for the week and used my shopping list to lay out the things I'll need for the week.  Then, I hit the street with my plan in mind and my list in hand. 

Now, some women like to shop for knick-knacks and do-dads and some like to shop for clothes and shoes and some like to shop for men and diamonds, but me, I like to shop for food (and school supplies, which is probably something I inherited from my mother).  I don't like to meander around the grocery store - and when I get stuck behind people who are meanderers, I get a little bit of grocery store road rage (Get your cart out of the way before I have to hit it with my cart!) - but I like to be surrounded by all the options and colorful possibilities that are there in the grocery store.  It's a little sick, I know. 

Now that my fridge and freezer are brimming with healthy primal foods, I feel like I'm off to a rip-roaring start to the new year and the new me.  Here are the before and after pics of my fridge - quite a difference, huh. 

In addition to taking stock of the food situation, I had to take stock of my body.  You've got to know where you started to know how far you've come.  Obviously, there are some things that can't be defined with my tape measure, like my energy level and self-loathing, but the inches lost will provide motivation in the future on those days when the energy and spirit are lacking. 

Ugh, it wasn't pretty and it certainly didn't make me happy, but I just view it as a starting point... it is what it is and whining about it won't gain me anything.  I've listed the stats on my Progress page so I can trend the measurements.  I also took a couple of 'before' pictures of myself so I can see where the changes occur - maybe give me a little objectivity when it's needed in the future.  It'll definitely be interesting to track and review if I'm able to stick with this for a while.