A "Fast" Update - Not all 6s & 7s...

Day 6 & 7
So here I am...on the eve of my last day of one of the most difficult tasks I've ever committed to. A Fast.

Both yesterday and today have been tremendous mental and physical battles. A battle of wills - Will I cave? Will I fail? Will I pass out? Will I stay strong? Will I give in and just take a taste of peanut butter? Will my stomach ever stop growling?

It is not easy to break off deep, ingrained routines and habits cold turkey (mmm, turkey....). Such strong and natural instincts that have been with us since we were babies.

Something so simple as: "I'm hungry...I eat."

A "Fast" Update - Four, Five & Friday!

DAY FOUR & FIVE
Thank-you to everyone who has encouraged me and sent me their love. I only ever want to use this blog as a place to encourage others and as a way to express myself.

Oh yes, it is Friday and I'm more than halfway done my 8 day fast!

I'm thanking God that my work week is ending and I can have some time tomorrow to possibly NAP!

My fast is still going strong, I've been tempted but still have held out on the solid foods. I think my brain and body have finally switched off the impulse feeling that I MUST EAT something. Yes, I still have hunger pangs and 'empty' feeling moments, but they quickly pass as I drink some water and think bout something else.

The main issue I have been having for the past 2 days has been sleep. It's taken me a long time to fall asleep lately and I wake up so very tired. I feel like I could fall asleep any moment of the day if I just put my head down to rest....Yet, God is helping me stay strong and close to Him.

A "Fast" Update - Painting-by-Numbers

DAY THREE:
Well, here I am, and Day 3 is over and done with. I never, ever thought that I would have lasted this long. Honestly.

I'm not the type of person who sticks things out. I'm a starter, not a closer. Over the years I've tried all sorts of hobbies, past times, activities and I say tried, because that's what ends up happening; I try them. Full stop.

I usually try something for a little while, feel it out, see if I enjoy it, and most of the time I do. But what always seems to happen is that something else comes along to catch my eye and take my attention away. (Maybe I'm secretly a magpie, distracted by what's new and shiny!)

I have a closet full of "trys" - I have a box of paint-by-numbers that I spent several hours on but only managed to use a couple colours until it was put away never to see the light of day again. I have a violin I never play and guitar I haven't quite learned, and any number of crafts and activities, from bead looms to rollerblades, I've dabbled with but never stuck to.

I know it's okay to try things out and learn what you like or what you're good at, it just feels like my whole life is full of "just trying" something.

A "Fast" Update - Still Standing!

DAY TWO:
Well, so far, so good with my first two days of fasting. I've had a few weak moments and some angry hunger gremlins that seem to crawl right up my throat, but overall, I feel good and am doing well.

Every time I feel hungry or the urge to get something to eat I remind myself of why I am doing this. I remind myself that I can go without for once in my life. I remind myself that God is with me and He can let this experience bring me closer to Him. This afternoon I even took any hungry moment to stop and pray for someone in my family, taking my mind off myself.

As for what I am consuming to stay standing: lots of water, it's easier at work where we have a nice cold filtered water jug, but I've also been drinking 100% (not from concentrate) pressed apple juice. Today I tried a V8 Blueberry with vegetables juice and I just could not trick my mind into drinking a whole glass. It somehow doesn't taste right to me so later I might try it with a straw to fool myself that it's a delicious smoothie.

A "Fast" Update - Meet my new little motivator!

Day...One-Point-Five
Okay, it's now been only 12 hours since I began my fast...and I am sliding down the slippery slope of weakening with mental hunger!

I know it's mostly in my mind; the human body can last without solid food for quite a while, but it strikes me at how much I am actually just craving the ritual of going to the kitchen and getting something to eat. My feet have been trying to walk to the fridge and hands want to make something, open something, heat up something! Wow, I never realized it would be this difficult this early on! (Man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Stop it, traitorous salivary glands!)

Yet, I am surviving. I've been enjoying some fruit juices and I warmed up some organic, low sodium vegetable broth this evening. I've been keeping myself busy, taking down all my Christmas decorations, organizing them, going through them all only keeping what I really love and actually used this year. I went down an entire box from what I usually have stored away.

21 Day Challenge....Impossible Quest?

Today our community at Adore is holding their Second Annual 21-Day Challenge of Fasting and Prayer.

Have you ever fasted before? I mean on purpose, not by accident or because you ran out of food and didn't feel like going to the grocery store so you made it through the evening by ignoring the hunger pangs and waiting until morning.

Here in Canada we are so blessed to have so much food and variety of food right at our fingertips! I mean really, for only a few dollars we could eat a day's worth of calories; they wouldn't be all that great for you probably, but it can be done. And for those of us with steady employment do we take it for granted that we can go shop for whatever foods we desire or go out to eat at a restaraunt almost any time?

I have never fasted before...let alone missed a meal if I could help it. I admit it, I like food. I like the socal aspect of eating out with friends and family, of hosting people in my home for a meal or snacks. I like the taste of (almost) anything, I like the ritual of preparing and eating something yummy. I just plain old like food.