Tag Archives: Fasting

Breakthrough Fast Day 15 Unexpected Results

This fast has not been what I expected. I planned to stay on juices and a daily soy shake for the whole 21 days. Instead, I set aside food until I’ve had an hour or more of talking with God and meditating on His Word. Then, I break the fast, usually in late afternoon. Fasting brings clarity and a focus to my daily devotions that I’ve not experienced before. It also allows God to fill the empty places. However, by evening my blood sugar is so low that I’m breaking the fast by dinnertime and it’s okay. This fast doesn’t have to fit my pictures in order to bring results.

Breakthrough Fast, Day 8

Just as each race is different, each fast is different.*  This fast has been nothing like the Juice Reboot that I did last summer.  This one has been an emotional rollercoaster and the food cravings have not gone away after two days like before.  I blame Christmas feasting, the sugar intake was very high this year.  As for the emotions,  I’m spending at least an hour per day in prayer and bible study.  God is teaching me about Joy and craving Him instead of food. Forgetting what is behind and reaching toward the goal, I’m expecting this coming week will be  easier, I’ll  keep you posted.

*See Fasting is Like Running, Dec.2011

21 Day Breakthrough – Day 1 A Little Shakey

The first few days of a fast are the hardest for me.  My body reacts to juicing with a weak, shaky feeling plus getting rid of lots of fluid.  So, I’ve learned to add some whole vegetables the first few days.

For example, today I enjoyed a Nutrilite protein powder shake with nonfat milk, and a banana.  Then while shopping I chose a Bolthouse Farms Amazing Mango Fruit Smoothie.  At dinner time I  retreated to my room where I prayed and read the bible for a while and took a nap.   Fasting after all the rich Christmas fare has left me feeling not so good,  so I celebrated the end of the day with a bowl of salad greens, purple cabbage and vinegar for the dressing.  Now I’m feeling fine and ready for whatever tomorrow will bring.  I’ve learned to listen to my body and feed it whole foods when the shakes strike.

Fasting is like Running

Lately i’ve been discussing dietary fasting with my niece who is a marathoner and we realized that participating in the various fasts is like running in marathons. For a runner each established race is a notch in their belt with bragging rights. There’s the Marine Corps Marathon, Boston Marathon, The Mud Run. For the health conscious participating in the various fasts is also grounds for bragging.  There is the 15 Day Juice Reboot, The 7-day cleanse and the 40 days of Lent.  The endurance and mental focus needed to successfully finish both disciplines are the same.

My next fast will be the 21 Days to Breakthrough with our church family. It begins on January 2. The details are on church-redeemer.org (keyword: breakthrough).  Anyone who wants to join me please send me a comment.  Maybe I’ll get a plaque for my office  or a bumper sticker for the back windshield of my car or maybe a pin ….

90 Day Vegan Adventure – Day 90 Return to the Beginning

The last day of the adventure and I find myself returning to the Juice Reboot.  Halloween with its mini-candy bars just about did me in.  I am now craving sugar and chocolate again.  So, the remedy is to Reboot.  At the end of the 90 day adventure I’m dusting off the juicer and enjoying at least one day of fasting to break the addictions and get back on track to healthy eating.

Fall fruit and vegetables make delicious juices.  The fresh kale is still growing in the garden and apples are available from the orchard.  Plus carrots have been recently harvested.  The two recipes using these seasonal ingredients are as follows:

Breakfast:  1 stick celery, 1 organic carrot, 2 Golden Delicious apples.

Lunch:  1 stick celery, 1 organic carrot, 1 Golden Delicious apple, handful fresh kale.

Enjoy!  Send me some of your favorite juices.  I welcome your comments.

 

90 Day Vegan Adventure – Day 49 The Benefits of Tea

One of the unexpected results of the 15 day Juice Reboot, see category below, was a change from drinking coffee to tea.  My daughter asked me about my favorite teas and if I’ve seen any benefit from the change.  Yesterday,  I replied to her first question about favorites and now I will address the benefits.

Drinking tea instead of coffee has completely healed the acid reflux I was experiencing.  It doesn’t seem to matter what type of tea it is, the calcium antacids remain in the bottle.  I was taking at least 2 antacids before bed almost every night before the reboot.  I was also drinking decaffeinated coffee from Starbucks and other cafe’s along with sodas with fast food.  The sodas and coffee were associated with the acidic problem in my stomach.

The other major benefit comes from fresh mint tea.  We grow spearmint, peppermint, and for the first time Stevia  in our garden.  The mints are easy to get started and hard to kill, plus they spread over a period of time.  12 stalks of mint plus about 20 leaves of Stevia make 2 quarts of tea.  Iced or hot it is delicious without the effects of sugar and it settles all stomach issues.

Whenever, my children caught a stomach flu or other digestive tract disorder, the first thing we would do is run to the garden for some mint and make tea.  It always made them feel better.

90 Day Vegan Adventure – Day 47 New Fall Wardrobe?

I forgot what I was going to blog about today, so I will give you an update instead.  Since the Juice Reboot at the beginning of the summer I have dropped almost 2 sizes in slacks and blouses.  This means that when I unpack my winter clothing most of it will be too big.  Unfortunately, or not, I do not hold onto clothing that doesn’t fit.  If I haven’t worn it during the past year, the item is donated to Select Seconds in Frederick.  That means it’s time for a new wardrobe, yahoo!!

I also have a profile on Fitday.com and have begun entering my daily calories.  This is a great site for keeping track of weight loss goals and exercise.  Just want to make sure that I don’t regress into denial.  Believe me it’s easy to overeat and gain weight on any eating plan, just increase your calories past your activity level.  However, it’s much easier to stay within bounds when meat and high  fat dairy are not on the plate.

I’ve been downloading and watching the “Heavy” TV series from Netflix.  Just like the “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” Documentary these shows greatly improve motivation.  Please send comments about how you motivate yourself to stay on an eating plan.  We accept all diets here, not just Vegan.  Though my personal results show that it is  the plan that works for me.

90 Day Vegan Adventure – Day 36 Help with the Reboot

For those of you who are rebooting your system with a juice fast.  Visit www.fatsickandnearlydead.com site for explicit instructions.  The 15 day fast is doable with a normal schedule, just remember that the first 2 days are uncomfortable.  If you feel really hungry and tired, eat raw or steamed vegetables.  Bake a potato, steam some kale, raw carrots, a fresh tomato, etc.  It helps if you can get your vegetables and fruit in season close to where they are grown.  A Farmer’s Market and local orchards are great sources.  Everything will taste better.  Also, if you want more juice recipes, just write a comment.  Send me a line, I’m listening.

90 Day Vegan Adventure Day 1 – For the Diet Junkies

Today, August 9th, is the first day of my new Vegan Adventure.  With the 15 day reboot over, my palate is cleansed and I feel a clear connection with my body, free of compulsion.  That’s big for me.  Yesterday was the last day of the Reboot and when I could choose foods other than, fruits, and vegetables, I really wanted a bagel and swiss cheese.   So I gave in to the craving and it tasted great.  Now I’m ready to begin the 90 Day Vegan Adventure without the distraction of  that particular craving.

My plan is to eliminate dairy, except for yogurt, and all animal meat from my diet.  Basically, to eat the way I imagine the first people on earth ate in the Garden of Eden.  I think our bodies were originally designed to repair themselves based on that type of diet.  Dr. Duke Johnson agrees with me in his book entitled, Optimal Health.  More about this subject later this week.

You see, diets do not work.  Eventually, we aren’t listening to what our bodies and emotions really want and they become a form of deprivation.  There is a good series that I recommend you read by Geneen Roth.  The books are entitled, Breaking Free From Compulsive Eating and Why Weight. (See Library heading on this blog)   If you have been a diet junkie, going from diet to diet, losing weight and gaining it back plus more, these books are for you.  They advise you to break free from the diet cycle and begin to listen to your body which may take the best part of a year.  During the break free year I followed her advice: eating exactly what I wanted when I was hungry;  stopping when I was full; along with a few other simple behavioral changes.  I gained about 10 pounds and learned to take care of myself while listening to my body.

Then, I highly recommend some sort of fast to cleanse your body and clear your palate.  The Juice Reboot recommended by the Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead Documentary  and website worked for me. The cleansing is essential because you need to break free from unhealthy addictions and habits. However, the first thing you must do before starting any change in your eating or exercise habits is to consult a physician, especially if you have a chronic health condition and/or are taking medication on a regular basis.

Finally, go to our website, www.likemychoices.biz, >shop our store.  Search the site for Inherent Health and purchase a Weight Loss Genetic Test.  The results of the test will suggest to you what is the healthiest way to eat based on your genetic predisposition. My genetic testing showed  a low-fat eating plan with plenty of  aerobic exercise is the best way to proceed.

Tomorrow I will continue this theme with more suggestions for your library or nook and a word about supplements.  The goal is to change habits resulting in a healthier lifestyle and all of the advice in this blog will be based on personal education and experience.  So, I hope you will continue to follow me on this vegan adventure.

July 31 Reboot Day 7 Celebrating a Birthday

A birthday celebration has to have cake and ice cream, right?  Wrong, we celebrated my husbands birthday with a main pasta dish with pesto, plates of steamed and raw veggies as sides and a low-fat shortbread with fresh peaches.  I enjoyed the veggies and made some fresh peach juice for dessert.  It was a day of temptations but as long as I didn’t let myself get hungry, I survived.  The focus of the day was on the celebration and family time, not on the food.  Won the weekly scrabble game which also made it a great day!