Life Goes On

I've finally gotten to a place where there are no unbearable hunger pains, and healthy food is not a mind game to get down my throat. I've loved my breakfasts and lunches...as for dinners they are a little bit of a juggling game. I think I'm just worried Drew is never full because he eats so dang much. I'm fine with eating beans for dinner, he on the other hand looks at me like I have a third head upon suggesting that. So that's been tough. Also the prayer thing has me feeling like I haven't tried hard enough? I'm sure that's ridiculous, but I was just expecting some sort of revelation or something. Pushing forward.

My breakfasts have consisted of strawberries, kiwis, and or bananas with honey and cinnamon drizzled over them. Occasionally I will throw some kashi granola on top with a 1/4 cup of almond milk. Its pretty fantastic.

Lunches I've made in addition to fun juices, veggie soups, veggies and hummus.  ( I tried an enormous cup of carrot, apple, and ginger juice..I was shocked I got that down. It was more orange than a pumpkin.)  

For dinners we've done quinoa, beans, soups, and salads. Nothing exciting. I'm sad to tell you that. 

I've recently decided that I needed two workouts a day because a) I'm impatient. and b) my holiday weight was making me mad. True to working your butt off, I am feeling more svelte and definitely sore all over. Yay! 

I'm amazed at my energy level and over all good mood. You get out what you put in. Also, good health and eating has more influence in your weight loss and appearance than the gym does. Go figure. 

Lord Beer Me Strength

My mother said the first three days are the hardest of the fast. On day one I wanted someone or something dead. I was so hungry and crabby, my goodness. My poor husband. I must have been detoxing cause I had no energy and felt that I should weigh 98lbs because that is how I felt. I had never been so happy to eat beans and rice and veggies for dinner in my life.

However, this morning I woke up totally refreshed. Ready to go!

The night before I had juiced for lunch:

2 bananas (which don't "juice" well I recommend a blender)
8 large strawberries
1 handful of blueberries
 1/2 cup of almond milk
squirt of organic honey

I also planned to take left overs for lunch from last night along with some hummus and veggies.
Dinner tonight is a Caribbean rice dish.
http://www.ultimatedanielfast.com/2009/10/if-only-i-were-having-it-in-caribbean.html

Looks yummy!

Today's hunger pains were nothing compared to yesterday. I drank nearly 6-7 water bottles yesterday and was using the restroom on the half hour. I'm sure that had everything to do with my rejuvenation.

Renew

MONTHS later! Sweet liberty....apparently I fell off the blogging train. I attempted the 30 photos in 30 days thing.... Obviously, that didn't pan out. Turns out I'm forgetful and not really thinking about my blog all the time. I really like to blog, I just wasn't really committed to it. Alas, a new years resolution.

My husband hates new years resolutions. He claims no one sticks to them by the end of the year. He's probably right, but I argued that its the effort of a new start is to what I find exciting. A blank page, a new beginning, whatever you want to call it, it feels good to me.

New Years Resolutions:
1. Have a better prayer life.
2. Blog better and more often.
3. Healthier lifestyle and a fit physique to show for it.

1. My prayer life I feel comes mostly from my needs. Which I feel is terrible. I usually start my communication with God being thankful of all that I have, and then go on to list my emotional and physical needs or frustrations.  I would like to change that to a sort of seeking and listening to what God might be trying to show me or lead me to do amidst my own little world. I want to ask the question, "What do You want to do with my day?" more often. At our church this month we are doing the Daniel Fast. If you've never heard of this or think fasts are for monks and Jesus himself, its really quite interesting. Actually, fasting was a normal discipline for the early church. It is just an act of saying God and His will for me is first and I am second. My needs are not a priority, and his voice is what I need to hear. In the book of Daniel, Daniel denies himself the luxuries of the "kings food" for 21 days in order to press in closer to what the Lord was asking of him.

So I'm not starving myself, I am simply...eating only fruits, vegetables, beans, rice, and lots of water. Its basically a vegan diet for 21 days. The vegan diet is not hard for some people, but it will be hard for me. I'm a carb and sugar addict. I realized the severity of it over the holidays. I normally live a relatively healthy lifestyle because of my father's cancer and the diet he is continually beating cancer with. I know how the secretly poisonous food works, especially in America. However, with Christmas and Thanksgiving...and the pies and the chocolate, cookies, and ham and everything buttered beyond belief...calling it a vacation from your normal diet catches up to you. I noticed I did not like wearing my jeans, I'm absolutely terrified of stepping on the scale, and I wanted to layer everything to keep from feeling the clinging shirt against my stomach.  So! That brings me to skip over number 2. and go right into number 3. I'm excited to jump start my year with the detox of the Daniel fast and get my bubble butt into the gym.

I'm hoping with the resolution of blogging more I can maintain the idea that if I'm forced to write about it, I might make the right choices. We'll see.

Today, 1/09/2012

I woke up this morning to my 6:55am alarm. I said to Andrew, "Are we going to the gym?" He said, "Doesn't it sound like a better idea after work, I'm so tired."

I'll give him a break. (ha!) I slept til 8 and woke up to do my juicing. I decided I would eat a fruit breakfast, juice for lunch with a steamed veggie and eat a veggies and beans for dinner. This is the plan for 21 days.

This morning I ate about 6 large strawberries cut up with sliced banana in a bowl with a large glass of lemon water. Delish.

For lunch I have juiced, 2 apples, 1/2 grapefruit, and a cup of grapes. Its called an apple blast. Not the amazing apple blast from caribou, oh how I wish! Its decent. I'm not a huge fan of grapefruit. It does something weird to my tongue. It leaves my mouth feeling like tequila does.  Also, with lunch I steamed a nice bowl of broccoli with sea salt. Its currently the highlight of my day. Whoa.

Dinner consists of a Mex mix of black and pinto beans, with rice, organic salsa, and guacamole. Yum. After dinner we're gonna give couple devotions a whirl and see how that goes.

The gym will consist of arms and abs with a bit of cardio.

Yay for resolutions!