I’m nine weeks into this journey. I feel like it’s slow going. Sometimes I get disappointed and want to look in the mirror and see better results. No one has said “Wow! It looks like you’ve lost some weight!” And then I get frustrated that I feel like I need that kind of comment to feel validated in this journey. I want to look better, but I don’t want this journey to be about that. It’s a weird place. That being said, I do have to remember that because I am still breastfeeding the baby, I need my weight loss to be slow. I’m not just providing nutrients for me, but also for a baby and I need him to be healthy too.
Last week, I mentioned that it was Ash Wednesday and the start of the season of Lent. As a Christ-follower, I observe the season of Lent as a time of sacrifice and spiritual “spring cleaning” of sorts. (For more information and FAQ click here.) In the past I have given up chocolate, white flour, complaining and various other things. This year, I felt called to participate in the Daniel Fast during the season of Lent. In this particular fast, participants basically eat a vegan diet with additional restrictions of no processed foods, no sweeteners and no chemicals/additives.
This pull to do this particular type of fast relates in part to the journey I share with you on Wednesdays. I’ve said before – I love food. When I’m bored, I run to food. When I’m tired, I run to food. When I’m sad, I run to food. It’s like a love affair I need to break. It’s a spring cleaning for my body, mind and soul. By eating in this manner, my body is self-cleaning and my taste palate is being reset. We are trying many new dishes and I’m learning that I enjoy a multitude of tastes. I’m actually enjoying some foods even more than I did before! So until Easter, I’ll be sharing about this specific Lenten journey and the truths that I am learning.
Here is my goal progress:
- Incorporate a fresh fruit or vegetable for each meal – Sometimes they were frozen or cooked in the dish, but there was always something available.
- Use more seasonings to make meals more interesting – I’ve actually made my own “special seasoning” to use as well as trying fresh grated ginger!
- Eat breakfast every day, cereal no more than 3 times a week – I did eat breakfast everyday and not once was it cereal. I actually haven’t been able to find any cereal I can eat.
- Walk at least 3 times a week – I think so. We’ve had some rainy weather, so I actually didn’t keep track.
- Don’t eat after 9pm – On Monday night I ate some tortilla chips between 9 and 9:30.
- Try at least one new recipe each week – Yep, we tried several. A couple of them were good, one was a total flop.
- Do sit-ups or push-ups each day– Nope. I actually forgot about this most days.
- Drink at least 2 big blue glasses of water a day. – I always got in 2 glasses, but I’m actually trying to drink about 1/2 gallon of water daily.
Here are the numbers:
- Starting weight: 204.4
- Initial goal weight: 150
- Current weight: 192.2 (lost 6 lbs. – this is mostly due to the detox that happens at the start of most fasts)
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