Fresh on the heels of a great trip last week, and ready to change my eating habits one restaurant entrée at a time, I feel like I’m in the revAMp groove.

I attended a barbecue on Sunday that was no simple backyard affair—we’re talking industrial-sized meat smoker, people. The impressive spread was a gauntlet of customized temptation, including a crock pot of something called “OMG Mac n’ Cheese.” After careful inspection, I ended up with a plate full of fruit, vegetables, and the most incredible grilled chicken. Unfortunately, the cherry cola-braised pulled pork didn’t make the cut.

As I sat there eating my chicken while guests around me scarfed all manner of saucy, cheesy goodness, I realized something: I was truly satisfied with my meal. A simple statement, yes, but the truth of it encouraged me. It wasn’t just my brain saying, “That cheese looks delicious, but it is bad for you, so you shouldn’t want it.” I’ve been telling that brain to shut up for years. No, this new perspective is much more honest. I’m starting to think more about how certain foods will make me feel and whether or not something is a worthwhile splurge. In the end, OMG Mac would have done a lot more harm than good.

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The whole idea of a “lifestyle transformation” sounds pretty dramatic, right? Like, “If you do these things, follow these rules, eat this and avoid that, your life will magically morph into something spectacular and all your dreams will come true.” I realized this week that it’s not quite so simple. Now that’s not to say that the week wasn’t a success—I totally rocked the whole revAMp-while-traveling challenge—but it wasn’t easy.

Here’s a little secret about me: I hate change. (Ok, that’s not a secret at all. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I cried for months when I left for college and how mopey I was after LOST went off the air. But whatever.) What I’m trying to say is that while I totally bought in to the idea of changing my lifestyle, it took a while to register that, in order to actually achieve anything, I would have to change my behaviors. Like, do different things than I did before. I know that sounds obvious, but it really didn’t hit home until this week.

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Here’s a question I’ve been mulling over for a few days: Does anyone actually want to live a sugar/dairy/alcohol-free lifestyle? There are countless reasons for doing so: Athletes eat clean to improve their performance, people with allergies avoid what makes them flare up, and others abstain for myriad personal reasons. But when its completely optional—a choice—who would prefer cantaloupe to a cupcake?? If such a person exists, I need a consultation, because last night I dreamed about coconut ice cream.

It wasn’t just that there was ice cream in the periphery, either. The entire dream was a hunt for this creamy delight, knowing fully that it was off-limits, and it ended when I got my hands on a bowl and started chowing down. (What does this mean?!)

All that to say: the revAMp is in full swing! I’m 10 days in now, and when I’m not being visited by the ghost of ice cream past, it’s actually going really well. Strength training is always the first thing to slip when my schedule gets busy and I don’t feel like working out, so recommitting to that has been a great change—and I feel myself getting stronger already. I’m attributing the energy I feel in these workouts to the major bump in protein I’ve been getting from eating more nuts and lean meat, but it could just be that I’m doing them more regularly. Either way, I’m feeling good in that department.

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That's me on the right with my sister (and trainer) Audie.

You know what’s not easy? Sitting at your favorite restaurant when the waiter places a steaming bowl of truffle fries in front of you and saying, “No, thanks. I don’t want any.” That is a lie. You do want some. Or you would if you were me.

Hi, I’m Abby, and I just signed a contract that says I can’t eat truffle fries.

Well, not truffle fries in particular, but we’ll get to the details in a minute. For the next six weeks, I’ll be hijacking this little corner of Be Well Philly to talk about a health challenge I’m part of that will hopefully end in a healthier, happier, way-less-likely-to-eat-her-emotions version of me.

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