No, this isn’t some kind of plug for an old Usher album.  Nor does it have anything to do with time spent in a wooden box with a man wearing a robe.  Instead, I fear that I must confess that my year of “unprocessed” eating has gone slightly askew.  In all honesty, I would say that we made it until about June…and, then, I fell off the wagon – big time.  A series of weddings, vacations, and out of town guests really threw my willpower for a loop.  And, let’s face it folks, I’ve never been too strong in the willpower department.  <br /><br />To clarify, however, things aren’t all bad.  We still aren’t drinking soda, eating chips (except for the rare drunken wedding night – yes, I did indeed raid the mini bar after Leslie and Reed’s wedding), digging into paper wrapped fast “food”, or binging on candy.  The basic ideas are still in tact, but there are a few things to be learned here.  I have three jobs.  Ben has one that adds up to the time commitment of four.  The reality of the situation is that if we want to eat, sometimes, we have to make exceptions.  The efforts made gave me an even better understanding of just why busy Americans might turn to convenience foods even when they truly don’t want to.  Something else that occurred to me ‘round about July was that healthy as my eating may have been, I was not getting enough of certain nutrients or food groups.  Most of you know that I don’t eat a lot of meat – it totally sketches me out on a lot of levels.  Yet, a girl needs protein.  Trying to stick to our rules meant a lot of dinners of fruit and veggies – read: unprocessed and easily prepared.  If I allow for healthy processed foods like fat free yogurt (God, I love Fage) and hummus (protein, fiber, AND heart healthy fats), my diet stays more balanced.  <br /><br />My hope, moving forward, is to really return to home cooking.  Our trips for the year are mostly done, and we are only expecting a couple more visitors.  Not only will we get our eating back on track but our financial situation as well!  We have loosened some rules, but remain steadfast in others.  I intend for this blog post to be a re-assertion of our unprocessed goals and a return to a better diet.<br /><br />There’s one more reason that all of this is particularly important.  At the onset of this project, I told you all that I have PCOS – a nasty condition that causes hair loss, abdominal fat, acne, insulin resistance, and totally out of whack hormones.  Perhaps the most devastating symptom is that women who have PCOS don’t ovulate regularly.  I recently read that a 30 year old woman with PCOS has a 60-70% chance of conception IF she maintains a healthy weight, eats well, and exercises daily.  Odds go down drastically with age.  So, here I am, 30 years old, practicing yoga 4 times a week, and trying every day to reign in my overwhelming desire to eat junkfood.  I’ve even given up drinking alcohol.  I can’t wait any longer as I know it’s going to be a long journey.  I invite you to come along for the ride -- not literally – Ben and I will keep that part to ourselves! ;) ewww… – as this woman journals the trials and tribulations of eating well to achieve and maintain a healthy pregnancy.  In less than two weeks, the goalie will be out of the game.