Day 66 - Really?! How is that possible?

I can't believe there are only 4 days left of this fast.  I remember in the beginning thinking that I wished I could just wake up and be on day 70.  Now it's right around the corner and a small part of me wished it wasn't ending.  Just a small part...I really do miss food.  So many people say that they miss chewing, but not me.  I miss the taste, the texture, the smells, and especially cooking a meal I know that I actually will get to consume.  But, at the same time, I'm a little worried that I will just look at a tomato and it will jump onto my thighs like spackle.  Juicing is so easy...you don't really have to think about what to eat, you just juice.

In the past 70 days I have kept up with cooking for my family.  It hasn't been easy, and I must confess to a little bit of resentment from time to time (No fair!  Why do you get to eat and I don't?!  Oh wait, this torture was self-imposed...that's right....) as I watched them eat tacos, bacon, pizza, homemade chili and the list goes on...

This all made me realize that food addiction is a very real thing in my life, and that once I am done with this fast, I'm going to have to continue to lay it at the foot of the cross and trust in Jesus to carry my burden.  I still have dreams of gorging myself on food (and not lovely little salads or fruit platters either) all the time, and I wake up terrified that my life will resort to the same old thing...and that I will regain all the weight and lose my good health.  Then I remind myself that fear does not come from God - His word says that He has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.  Ooooh...did you see that last part?  Self-Discipline?!  Now there's something to ponder.  He's already given me that gift, now I just have to use it.

I do enjoy cooking tremendously, which is why I continued to cook for my family - in spite of the fact that my husband is an excellent cook and perfectly willing to do it.  I enjoy the whole process, beginning to end, and I didn't want to give that up.  I've collected 135 pages of vegetarian, vegan, and raw plant-based recipes that I can't wait to print out and cook up!  I'm hoping that my family will slowly transition into this healthier lifestyle as well.

A few people have asked me what my plan is to maintain the weight loss after my fast.  So here's the plan in a nutshell:

1.  Replace one meal a day with juice.
2.  Fast one entire day a week (juices only).
3.  Practice a mostly vegetarian lifestyle, with a mix of cooked and raw veggies & fruit.
4.  Allow myself one "cheat" meal a week, so I don't obsess (anyone who knows me well, knows for a fact that at least for the first month, that meal will be Mexican in nature and most likely nachos!!).
5.  Watch my scale like a hawk (I still won't weigh in more than once a week) and if the weight goes up, re-evaluate the plan.

I am basically just going to listen to what my body tells me.  If this is making me feel sick in any way, or sluggish/lethargic, bloated, etc., then I will change things around again until I do feel better.  I know that a lot of people go vegan, or raw food, after a fast but I don't think that's something I want to do just yet.  Again, I will see how I feel and go from there.  I just really do love my cheese!  I think I can live without other animal proteins, but I think a life without cheese would just totally bum me out :)

My first 2 meals are planned out!  My entire first week will be 2 juices a day, with a fruit or vegetable meal.  So for Monday night I plan to have an avocado (if I can even finish a whole one at this point) with some salsa on top.  Tuesday night my sister Sara (who by the way has also lost an incredible amount of weight & size from juicing right alongside of me), and a dear friend Carol, are going to get together and make some spring rolls at my house.  I'm so excited to do this!  Food and fellowship with two of my sisters in Christ - it's going to be amazing!

On a final note, I did a little shopping the other day and found that I am fitting into a size 6.  How crazy is that?!  In the space of 2 months, I went from a 14/16 to a size 6.  And unlike crash diets, I actually felt good doing it, drew closer to Jesus, made a ton of really amazing juicy friends, and have enough energy for 6 people!  Praise God!

I will post again in a couple days - blessings to each and every one of you!

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.  All praise to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.  Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
Ephesians 1:2-4