Total Health Tuesday: Getting Real about Getting Real

As I have been chronicling on this blog, my family started the year by taking 100 days of Real Food's 10 day challenge. We ate nothing processed for ten days which was shockingly harder in some respects than I thought and surprisingly much easier in some ways than I anticipated. After the challenge I was able to maintain most of the rules for myself while returning to normal routines including occasionally eating-out (though far less eating out than we had been indulging in during the hectic holiday corridor from Halloween to New Year's). I really dramatically cut out white sugar and white flour--over this past weekend I indulged a little at a party and family dinner, which slid into a soda and candy yesterday.

When the results didn't show on the scale, I publicly proclaimed that I need to go back to Weight Watchers, which I have yet to do three weeks later. First, I am scared (plain and simple). I am also embarrassed that I have gained so much since the last time I was there. Mostly though I had hoped that simply eating real food, regardless of the quantity or caloric density, was going to be my new miracle diet. I said that this wasn't for weight loss, but rather for my family's health, which it was. But secretly, despite my claims, I hoped. Most of us who have battled weight on and off hold out hope that there is going to be some next thing that makes us thin (and right-quick too).

Real Food is awesome and I am going to stick with it--I don't want to be dependent on sugar substitutes or "diet" products. Simply eating real food probably is a great way to maintain health and, over a period of many years, I would probably accomplish my goals with this method alone. But it isn't "it." Coincidentally, just yesterday Lisa at 100 days of Real food wrote about this.

Tomorrow morning I am going to a spin class at 9:30 and it is right across the street from Weight Watchers. I want to go but I know I won't be able to stay for the meeting and make the spin class. I know I have a HUGE wine dinner this weekend where I have been looking forward to breaking all the rules. I have a million excuses why this isn't the week, but I am praying that I have the strength to walk in that building. Have you ever desperately wanted and needed to do something but had a hard time willing yourself to do it?