If you didn't read my previous blogs, let me get you up to speed. My small group is reading the book "7" and fasting in seven areas of our lives, one month at a time, for 7 months. The first month's fast was food. Well not literally a food fast for thirty days, as that would be crazy, although well timed for the start of shorts season (that was a joke, both because bony bodies look hideous in bathing suits and because summer is NEVER going to come. My kids wore puffer coats and pants today. The end.)
We chose seven foods and ate those for seven days. Mike and I chose almost the same list to make it easy, but we differed in cheese & nuts (you can guess which one Mike picked). The foods were healthy, and filling, and I never once went to bed hungry. I also ate when I wanted and didn't gain weight, I had energy for activities, food shopping was easier, it would have been simple if I didn't have to feed those darn kids. I figured it wouldn't be right for us to be eating healthy, fresh foods while I fed my kids chicken nuggets every night. Although they would have been fine with that, trust me.
I was resentful though. It was always worst at night. I had finished dinner and I wanted something sweet. Not sweet like another DAMN orange but sweet like lovely, tasty, dark chocolate. Or milk chocolate. Heck, I would have settled for white chocolate at that point and those that know me know those are words of desperation. How can it be both chocolate and white? It can't. I don't care what people say, white chocolate is not chocolate. Aaaannnnddd stepping away from the chocolate soap box. I would get this funky taste in my mouth and the only thing I had to look forward to was brushing my teeth. It was all made worse by the fact that Mike hated the entire thing, was extra grumpy, and I was forced to act like it was super great and oh, weren't we all learning so much about ourselves with this fabulous Bible study?
Three weeks in was Easter, and Easter was an amnesty day. A day that we could eat what we wanted. I looked forward to Easter with a kind of manic fervor. I planned menus, replanned menus, and made multiple shopping trips. I thought about preparing three different flourless chocolate cakes just to make sure that one was good. Or, maybe I would sit down and eat one all by myself. I dreamed of sugar, tasted sugar, and held out for that darn sugar. Easter came, and it started out wonderfully. The homemade caramel rolls were divine. I had a few pieces of Easter candy, and avoided eating anything on my list of seven. We went to church and I got a cookie from the fellowship line just because I could.
We went home and it was lunch time. Honestly, I hadn't planned lunch. In all my meticulous details, I had somehow left it out, skipping straight from breakfast to our Easter dinner. I riffled around in the fridge and found some boring, tasteless deli roll thing and ate it. Kind of a waste. Then I cooked my way through the rest of the afternoon.
Easter dinner was a feast. There weren't a ton of different foods (I ended up only making one flourless chocolate cake) but every food was lovingly prepared and carefully thought out. I made just enough so we wouldn't have leftovers. After dinner was eaten, and the kids were in bed, Mike and I sat on the couch. You know what? We both felt like poo. Only a not as nice word for poo. We had enjoyed the food. Mike shared how he understood the celebration of Easter more now that he had done 7 leading up to it. How Lent actually made much more sense. Yes, the food was great, but our bodies were responding to all the junk we had loaded them with during the day.
The next day was the easiest day of 7 for me. My body was mad at me, which lasted until that Thursday, but I was back on my 7 foods, and they were strangely comforting. I made it to the end of the study, and ironically I am still eating my 7 foods for breakfast and lunch. Mike had a turkey burger for dinner last night (and I had almond butter and whole wheat toast).
So 7 things I learned month 1
1. Even on my worst food day, I am still extremely blessed.
2. Seven foods would be a miracle to some
3. I always eat until I'm satisfied
4. My body responds better to whole foods
5. I learned how to make new foods, and I need to keep learning (almond/pb, bread)
6. Lots of people have access to too many junkie foods, and being able to afford 7 high quality foods is something to be celebrated
7. Anytime I am having a rough time, with small things like food, medium things, or big things, I can turn to God. Prayer brings me towards peace (even if I'm not entirely at peace), opens my eyes to the good things around me, and changes my heart.
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