7: Food Fast Wrap Up

My husband & I completed our 7 food fast about 3 weeks ago now.  If you happened on to the blog & started reading my daily posts, I apologize for suddenly ending them. It just got to be too much to blog every day with the kids around.  Try writing deep thoughts & more profound truths when the 4 littles are in the background or you're just simply exhausted.

So, how did it go?

Not as bad as I thought.  The first 2 weeks were the most difficult - coming down off sugar & caffeine along with some pre-menstrual hormone garbage - I would just be plain mad that I couldn't have chocolate.  Mainly chocolate.

The last 2 weeks + odd days weren't so bad.  After 'cleansing' the system, I was doing well sticking to our list of 7 foods/categories.  We went to a handful of other gatherings & ate what was there.  J & I felt very strongly that we shouldn't be placing our burden of 7 on other people.  It was between us & God, not our hosts & God.

And then we were especially careful when his mom & stepfather visited.  I ate sweet rolls because we didn't want to deal with the questions & doubt & criticism.  It would have taken away from their time with the kids (& driven me crazy) b/c it's all she would have focused on.

What did I take away?

After 4 weeks of almost no sugar, complete absence of caffeine & little variety, I felt more energetic & healthier.

Meal planning & grocery shopping were easier & faster!  You may not have heard this before, but I "shopped the edges."  It refers to just shopping the edges of the grocery store - produce, dairy, meat & bakery departments that are always on the edges.  The only exception is running to the interior to pick up dried or canned beans and the occasional snack for the kids (like goldfish).

Meal planning was a snap.  I didn't have to think about seasonings.  It was always salt & pepper.  Our protein was always chicken or beans or both.  We ate whatever veggies came in our box & truly did enjoy them!  We feasted on fresh berries & cherries . . . oh & when the fresh fruit truck came to our area with boxes of ripe-picked peaches . . . OH!!  There were days when I ate 4-5 delicious Georgia peaches!!

I felt good about what I was eating.

But what I didn't expect was this enormous weight off my shoulders.  I didn't realize the guilt that I carried around all the time because I would be eating . . . 'garbage' - sweets, fat-laden deliciousness or processed goodness filled with preservative.  It must have been so consistently there for so long that I just didn't notice the weight. My body & brain slowly changed it's homeostasis to include this burden as normal.

The aftermath?

I'm purchasing more produce & whole foods.  I'm cooking with more whole foods.  I'm eating less (close to zero) processed (though the leader VBS snacks are going send me into a 7 tailspin!).  I'm sticking with baking my own fresh ground, whole wheat bread.  I'm eating less sugar, drinking less caffeine.  Right now I'm having a cup of half-caff, determined that I will not go back to full caff.  Unfortunately, I see it a necessary evil to combat the drowsiness from my allergy medicine since Ragweed season is just beginning.

But I'm going to be praying about all of this.

In hindsight, I'm so thankful for my fast.  I hope that I always remember what the Lord taught me.  I don't want to be filling my temple with junk.  I don't want to be carrying around guilt.  And I don't think He wants me to either.

Just thinking about how my kids will be eating & living . . . making better choices & in greater freedom.

Day 2

It is difficult for me to not have something sweet at breakfast time!  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  The best way to avoid temptation is for me to grab a ww roll & run out of the kitchen.  It never lasts long, as kids need me, but that initial morning craving is gone by then.

After I survived breakfast - really enjoyed breakfast of fresh bread & some blueberries, I was ready to face the day.  Today was a big day, not just because of 7.  I was dry needled today.

But first, we went to AMP's swimming lessons.  I forgot to say that he was bumped into level 2 for this session, which BLOWS my mind.  Just a mere 2 weeks ago my boy was AFRAID, TERRIFIED - would go in to complete hysterics when water would get on his face/in his eyes.  In level one, he did bobs & boy, o, boy, did he do bobs!  I couldn't believe my eyes!!  His teacher would talk him down & then he would try again.  At the end of last week we had free passes to Noah's Ark - I was not expecting much.  But AMP wanted to go down every water slide he was tall enough for!!  So. Proud.

After lessons, I dropped the kids at our amazing, wonderful neighbor's, GmaB.  She is a blessing!  All our family is 2+ hours away, making doctor appts & more difficult to do during the day & paying a babysitter for 4 is expensive!!

Off to my Dr. appt.  I've been having problems w/ my pelvis - lots of pain & instability.  This is my second round of PT & I am honestly a bit frustrated.  Not at anyone, but at how stinking difficult it is to get back to  some sort of 'normalcy.'  It's been determined that the ligaments are loose from 3 pregnancies - one being a twin pregnancy.  They finally gave me an elastic belt that stabilizes my pelvis for when I'm walking or standing.  It's uncomfortable to sit in, so I'm finding that I'm not wearing it much . . . since I'm so up & down with the kids.

This appointment was special.  As I mentioned earlier, we're trying some dry needling therapy.  So much of my pain is coming from muscles that are what they refer to as 'corded.'  Essentially an acupuncture type needle is inserted repeatedly into a muscle trigger point.  What happens if they hit the trigger point is that it causes the corded muscle to spasm -completely involuntarily.  The expected results are a muscle that is much more relaxed & stretched out.  It's not the most comfortable procedure, but definitely not too terrible that I won't do it again.

After needling 2 trigger points & not being able to find a third, I meandered down to my PT appointment where we focused on stretching & pain relief . . . & get me fitted for my belt.  As I left was the really difficult point.  I was pretty cold & I realized that I was a little traumatized.  All I wanted was to hold a hot cup of coffee & sip is slowly.  But alas, coffee did not make my list.  I walked out of the clinic fighting back tears, a little bit more scared about the next 28 days.

The rest of the day was less eventful.  I had asked J to take the afternoon off because the Dr. had told me that I would be quite sore, needing to rest, stretch & keep heat on my muscles.

For my big feat of the day I thought I'd hard boil some eggs.  This went well, until I thought I had turned the burner off & went to take a bath (while everyone else was napping).  Upon emerging from the steamy bathroom, an  unpleasant sulfur-y smell assaulted my nostrils.  Uh, oh.  Looks like I checked the wrong nob on the stove.  My eggs were sitting on a very dry surface.  They're a little tougher than usual & have grey around the yolks, but thankfully, it's pretty hard to ruin a hard boiled egg.  

My Last Supper

Is tonight.

Before I begin a 30 day fast.  

Now, before you jump to conclusions.  I am not writing about this on the blog to gain praise from man.  Yes, I know, praise from man is our reward if that is what we are looking for, but I am not.  I am looking for so much more.  Really, I'm using the blog like a diary or journal.  I can see that no one reads it, so I don't mind putting this all out there. 

On to the why, when, where & how . . .

It all started about a month ago when I stumbled upon this book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.  Her book includes an introduction, 7 chapters regarding her 7 months of fasting & ends with a conclusion.

Just reading the introduction blew me away.  I wanted to go on a journey like hers.  I have lots of baggage that I cannot seem to get rid of on my own & I need to open some doors so that God can take it (or rather, that I can learn to lay it down before & leave it there).  I want what is "comfortable (being a consumer christian) to become uncomfortable."  And what is "uncomfortable (loving the poor & marginalized) to become comfortable."  I read the intro out-loud to J a few weeks ago, as I was still trying to wrap my mind around it all (it is so simple, yet not . . .) & he was hooked as well. I thought I would be going on this journey alone, but I have a partner.

In Jen's first fast, she chose to focus on the excess of food that we have here in the states.  She chose 7 foods to eat for 30 days.  Water, salt, pepper & olive oil were 'freebies.'  She chose to eat only:

• chicken
• eggs
• avocado
• spinach
• whole wheat bread
• apples
• sweet potatoes.

Can you imagine?  Well, J & I have chosen our 7 foods and are ready to go for tomorrow.  Here is what we will be eating:

• chicken
• eggs
• apples
• spinach
• whole wheat bread (that I will make for us from fresh ground wheat berries, canola oil, honey, salt & yeast)
• beans
• nuts

We chose the nuts because I have a slight allergy to avocado & we needed to make sure that our bodies were getting a little fat.  We chose beans for many reasons.  If you want to check out this website, it will give you plenty of education on the matter of beans.

We have one exception to our 7 foods that Jen did not.  If you look back in the blog posts, you'll notice that we have started a garden & belong to a CSA.  We have no desire to see any food go to waste because of our fast.  So, anything in our weekly CSA box or garden that 1) the kids will not eat up or 2) I cannot preserve for after our 30 days are finished, we can eat.  

With that said, we start tomorrow.  I'm scared.  No coffee, chocolate, donuts, chips, smoothies . . .  J is going to have to do all the grocery shopping, b/c I don't want to see all the yum in the grocery store.

I'm not really a fan of being vulnerable either . . .

I'll be posting here from time to time - like I said, this is my journal . . .

I'm really not sure what to expect from God during this time.  But I hope & pray for so much!  

**If you feel a little lost about what you just read, I highly recommend finding a copy of 7:An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess.  You will not be disappointed - it is so much more than the title reveals.  Or you may leave a question in the comments section or email me.**