“________________! You just can’t eat one!” If you are a student of television
commercials, you know that the correct answer is Lays Potato Chips. But for me personally, you could put any junk
food name in that blank space and that was my snacking motto. If one or three or five were good, then
surely eight or ten or twelve must be really good! So as I fasted for Lent I was also hoping to
get a grip on my eating as a subsidiary benefit. And so far, almost two and a half months
after Lent, I think I have.
Last month I talked about the spiritual benefits I accrued
in fasting during Lent. This month I am
talking about the side benefit of resetting my eating habits. Not eating for six weeks accomplished some
things for me. At the top of my list is
breaking the eating habit. I would
usually do okay at breakfast and lunch, but then I would come home in the late
afternoon and walk into the kitchen and head straight for the cupboards or the
fridge and eat. I would eat at supper,
usually having seconds on everything; I would eat again later after getting
home from church—just walk in the door and get something to eat and plop down
in front of the TV and eat and watch television.
That came to an abrupt stop with fasting. I broke that need to eat on a constant
basis. I have cut back on the amount of
food at meals, and next to nothing in between meals. I have started eating healthier, too. And if I know that I am going out to eat or
going to a party or something where there is going to be a lot of food, I
adjust my intake accordingly. I have
taken to making fruit smoothies every day and even do a little juicing as well.
I know you are not supposed to, but I have taken to getting
on the scale at night before I go to bed and then on again in the morning when
I get up. For me this helps me keep my
weight and food intake right out there in front of me all the time and helps
keep me on track. So far, I am proud to
say, the thirty pounds I lost over Lent are still lost! But I also haven’t lost any more either. I would like to lose another 20 pounds by the
end of September, but in order to do that, I am going to have to start
exercising on a regular basis. That is
my next challenge, but having that out in front of all you will hold me
accountable. I do feel better and I can
wear clothes that I haven’t been able to wear in quite some time. I notice my clothes not only fit better but
look better, too.
