Day ten

Ok, today is the last day of Advocare's 10-day cleanse! It feels good to be moving on to the rest of the 24-day challenge. This part of the diet plan allows you to have whole-wheat breads and pastas in addition to the complex carbs we have already been eating and some dairy products such as yogurt, low fat cheeses, and low fat milk. It still wants you to steer clear of any sugar, though. I'm making a trip to the grocery store today and will make a post with my grocery list.

Here's the last meal plan for the 10-day cleanse:

DAY 10

• Breakfast- 2 boiled eggs

• Snack - Grapes

• Lunch- Fiesta Soup leftovers

• Snack: Apple w/ peanut butter

• Dinner- Grilled salmon with sweet potatoes

Overall, the cleanse has been pretty good. I feel like I have definitely gotten stronger and learned a lot of things about what to eat and how to cook. Here's the pros and cons of this cleanse process that I have found:

PROS

• I feel pretty good! I feel like I have energy, I feel better about making better choices when I eat, I feel stronger to resist making bad choices

• I'm much less hungry throughout the day, and I seem to get full quicker

• I've started the habit of eating breakfast in the morning (which I wasn't doing prior to this diet) and snacking on something healthy throughout the day to stave off hunger and keep my energy level up

• I consistently drink more water than when I started this diet plan

• I understand the things I need to be eating and how addictive sugar can be. Whole grain is better, complex carbs are better, lean meats are better, fruits and veggies are very good for you.

• I'm motivated to exercise. When I take care of my body with what I eat, I want to take care of it with what I do.

CONS

• This was really hard at first, especially if you are accustomed to eating the crap that I was eating. It's like quitting cold-turkey.

• I still get hungry sometimes and that makes me feel weak.

• I can feel myself almost getting burned out on this already. It's very restrictive and very difficult to maintain when eating socially (e.g., parties, meals with family, etc). The temptation to cheat is very strong.

Thought of the day

Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

I love this verse for so many reasons. It commands us to rise above the influences of our culture and our sinful natures, and to allow ourselves to be renewed by God. It commands that we think differently about our lives and the world we live in--to question why we do what we do and how to change it. Ultimately, there are many things in the world that we need to resist. Be a non-conformist! This verse says that we will encounter many tests of our faith and our "renewed minds," and these tests are an opportunity to rely on God's heart and remember his faithfulness and run back to him. I venture to say that, most of the time, the initial way we would like to respond to any challenge should actually be responded to in the exact opposite way. For example, if someone makes you mad or says something mean, your initial desire may be to give them a taste of their own medicine. But, this is a test. We must face a situation like that and discern what is the will of God. Then we might find that responding with love, patience, or gentleness is really the response we should have. That is what is "good, acceptable, and perfect."

I am someone who struggles with my weight and the temptation of decadent foods. I have been conformed to the world by mindlessly eating or completely gorging myself on rich foods that have changed how my body looks and how I feel. A cleanse and diet plan like the one I have been doing has not only begun a renewal of my body, but also a renewal of my mind. I have learned how to be less dependent on food, how to prepare food in healthier ways, how to think about food as it relates to eternity. This change of heart and mind will inevitably be tested by the world. Someone might bring donuts to work or I might go to a super fancy and decadent restaurant, and my initial response will be to conform and feast. But, like I said, it's probably a good rule of thumb that the actual response I have should be the exact opposite. Therefore, I need to face these tests by abstaining from the unnecessary foods, or practicing moderation and thoughtfulness when choosing what to eat. These tests help me discern God's will for my life and my body. Using my renewed mind over my "matter" to make decisions about my diet and exercise habits will ultimately be "good, acceptable, and perfect."

Day nine

8.8 pounds down! A note about last night: I am very happy to report that, despite my husband and I having our second anniversary yesterday, we did not cheat! We did have some of the gravy/a jus that was produced from the rotisserie chicken I made last night as a little treat. But, this was after standing in the kitchen discussing/devising/conniving what "cheat" meal we would have--Bojangle's, Cook-Out, Steak and Shake, Outback, or stay in an make some Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits from the boxed mix (which, for those of you NOT on a diet I recommend extremely highly). But, despite all the talk, we didn't do it--we didn't cheat; we stayed strong! We didn't even go out afterwards and get dessert. And despite how tempting it was and how amazing the food would have probably tasted, I'm glad we didn't. I'm very glad to still be "on" the more restricted meal plan, without any major lapses in strength or judgement.

Anyway, here's the meal plan for today:

DAY 9 (May 20)

• Breakfast- Advocare shake

• Snack- Strawberries & Banana

• Lunch- Sliced turkey breast w/ carrots and boiled egg

• Snack- Pear

• Dinner- Fiesta Soup

I exercised using Debbie Siebers' "Slim in 6" DVD again. I really like that video, and I think it's a tough but fulfilling workout. She works you hard without being annoying. It's exciting that my endurance is building--I'm not getting as sore and I'm able to complete more of the exercises with more ease.

I have been having trouble making sure I'm drinking enough water. I have not been drinking a full gallon, which I know is bad. I'm not really sure how to fix this issue other than to be more conscious of taking a few sips of water ever 30 minutes or so, and big cups of water during snacks and meals.

Thought of the day

A helpful infographic about the how good different foods are for you and the ideal distribution of your calories...

And some words of wisdom...

From the moment we wake, God is with us and is faithful to us. God loves us not for what we can do for him, but because he is full of grace and mercy. It is not because of any work that we do that we are saved--we cannot fast, stop ourselves from cussing, prohibit dancing and drinking, or commit ourselves to any other law/commandment to win his love. If we could do that, what would be the point of Jesus' death? No, the laws and commandments from the old testament are a mirror with which we see our sin and our glaring inadequacy. If all we try to accomplish spiritually is following the law, we will always always fail and religion will crush us. 

However, Jesus replaced the law. The John 1:16 says that we have received "Grace upon Grace," or "Grace in place of Grace." The law was given to us through God's grace so that we know his heart, and then Jesus came, literally, "in place" of the law to show us his love and to fulfill the law. So, when we wake we should think about Jesus and our Father's love, which is unfailing, patient, and so powerful that it conquered death. When we seek him and acknowledge our need for him, that is when we will demonstrate the fruit of the spirit and exhibit the discipline to care for our bodies and for each other. It is because of our love for him, and not because we are forcing ourselves to do it so he will love us. He already loves us--He is within us, he will help us, every moment of every day.

Days six through eight

Sorry, I definitely let the blog slip over the weekend! I am down 7.4 pounds, and I am PROUD to report that I have not cheated (except for one time) at all! I attribute this a lot to my husband, who has been staying strong on this diet plan with me and refuses to allow me to cheat. For example, I was REALLY tempted to get just a tiny little bag of popcorn when we went to see "Godzilla" this weekend, and he put his foot down and said if we cheated now, it would open the floodgates. I guess that's true. It's very nice to have someone resisting temptations with me.

The one time I cheated was when I had a finger-dip of vanilla icing (I know, I know, I said I was going to toss the tub of icing, but I didn't do it in time). However, after having that finger dip, I still was not fulfilled. The icing tasted a little chemical-y, very saccharine sweet, and made my mouth feel like it had a film for the next few hours. I tossed the tub after that, and I learned that sometimes the things we think will taste so good aren't as fulfilling as we hoped.

Anyway, here's the plan for the last few days and today:

DAY 6 

• Breakfast- Scrambled egg & pear

• Snack: Pineapple, orange, grape salad

• Lunch- Grilled chicken w/ veggies & brown rice

• Snack- Pineapple, orange, grape salad

• Dinner- Stir fried brown rice with chicken and veggies (light on the oil)

DAY 7 

• Breakfast- Omlette w/ salsa

• Snack - Leftover fruits/veggies

• Lunch- Rotisserie chicken & leftover veggies

• Snack - Cinnamon oatmeal

• Dinner- Zucchini turkey burger w/ beans

DAY 8 

• Breakfast- Boiled egg

• Snack- Banana w/ peanut butter

• Lunch- Sliced turkey breast w/ baby carrots

• Snack: Apple w/ nuts

• Dinner- Slow cooker rotisserie chicken with gravy, brown rice, and oven roasted asparagus

My husband and I went for a walk on Saturday and took a bike ride on Sunday at Gibson Park, a beautiful greenway near our house. The bike ride was much harder than the walk, and I got winded very easily. I had to walk the bike up the hill a few times, and Henry barely even broke a sweat! I just think we need to exercise separately because I feel like he doesn't challenge himself as much when he works out with me because I am an out-of-shape wimp. I did Debbie Siebers' "Slim in 6" video again today and found that I had a little bit of an easier time completing the exercises. I can't wait until I stop being sore from exercising!

Also, I have been having less sugar "crashes," in the afternoons. This is really helpful with being able to get things done in the afternoons, and I'm happy that my body seems to be adjusting to getting more natural sugars from fruits and veggies rather than from processed foods.

Thought of the Day(s)

After Jesus was fasting for 40 days and was hungry, the enemy comes to him and tempts him to turn stones into bread. Then, Matthew 4:4 says, "Jesus answered, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

I need to remember these words, particularly as I am restricting my diet for the next few days. I may be hungry or I may feel deprived from the foods that I enjoy, but I need to remember that physical food is nothing more than sustenance for my body, and that I need to optimize how I am sustaining my body. What is better? 200 calories worth of veggies and fruits, or 200 calories worth of potato chips (see picture below). Furthermore, I need to remember that the true "bread" of life is found spiritually, not physically. I should pray that I hunger more for God's word and for a relationship with him, rather than focusing my thoughts on my next meal or on the crazy-good things I will eat when I'm done with this diet. Those thoughts do not bring me life like spiritual growth will. So, I should not be tempted to live by bread alone, even though I am hungry and craving actual bread at this time. I am a whole person, and to be whole I must feed my physical needs, emotional/psychological needs, AND my spiritual needs.

(200 calories of different foods)

If God created junk food, why is it so bad for us?

Sometimes I think about God's presence in our modern lives. I ask myself, "Did God create junk food?" or "If he created it, why is it so bad for us?" And I have trouble answering this question...

It's difficult for me to weigh the fact that we are broken as a society, which makes so many things we do motivated by our sinful desires, and the fact that we are very blessed by God. For example, think about the medical advancements we have made in the last century. Surely the fact that we have so many methods to diagnose and treat many illnesses, and so many brilliant, questioning minds pursuing these new methods is a blessing from God. I think our desire to make medical discoveries does not arise from our sinful nature, it arises from a Godly desire to find justice, dignity, life, and health for all.

However, I think our broken nature has caused us to twist some medical procedures for sinful things. For example, plastic surgery is a wonderful method to give people who have been maimed  by accidents, illnesses, or congenital deformities a chance to have functional bodies that are more aligned to what our society considers normal. However, many doctors have capitalized on performing plastic surgery on men and women who simply want to be "perfect." These men and women are building their identities on their bodies or on how they look, and not on God, which is a sin. Or, another example, our knowledge of the human body as it creates another human being has significantly increased in the last century. We have discovered so many ways to visualize a fetus, diagnose possible illnesses a fetus may have, and even perform surgeries on fetuses. We have found how women can better care for their bodies while they carry a fetus, and have devised alternative ways to conceive for women who are having trouble getting pregnant. And all of this knowledge can be applied to women who (sometimes) sinfully wish to NOT be pregnant. In the controversial case of abortion, the knowledge we have about how our bodies create life is twisted into how we can get rid of it. We can visualize the fetus in amazing ways--but sinfully, this is done to determine how old a fetus is, so that we can know if it's ok to eradicate it, because, at some arbitrary point, the fetus goes from being something terminable to something sacred. Therefore, these amazing discoveries about pregnancy and prenatal care--blessings from God--have been turned upside-down by many people's sinful nature to be in control.

In another ironic twist, many of the medical advancements we have made are to prevent and treat illnesses like strokes, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, which are caused most of the time by our worship of food and mindlessness when eating.

I think the advancements made in the food industry may be the same as the advancements we have seen in medical fields. Over time, we have discovered so many wonderful technologies to harvest foods efficiently, preserve foods to prevent waste, grow foods on a large scale, process foods to make them take different forms, prepare ingredients in different ways to make something healthy, sustaining, and delicious. I think these are God-given technological advancements. However, they are often twisted by our sinful desires. For example, we have the technology to create larger farms and harvest larger crops to feed a greater amount of people, but we have done so in ways that are not environmentally sustainable and are cruel to animals. We do this just so that people who don't need more can have more, cheaper. In this way, companies that own the farms are feeding their sinful desire to make a quick buck, and people who buy the products are sinfully taking it in excess without being informed consumers. In other ways, things are added to foods to make them tastier or to preserve, but make them much less healthy. This is sort of twisting the original purpose of the food into something that feeds our sinful nature for decadence and excess, and causes us to worship the food rather than the One who created it. So, in this way, while how the food industry is sometimes a blessing from God, I think that junk food is not necessarily a gift from God. I think our desire to make and consume junk food arises from sin, and the blessings we see within the food industry have been turned upside-down to feed our sinful nature.

Genesis 9:3 says, "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything." As this article states, food is a tangible expression of God's love for us. God has given us land to tend, animals to use, and brilliant, questioning minds that have made new ways to process, store, and distribute foods. However, God intended for us to be good stewards of the Earth and of our bodies (Proverbs 21:20). The use of technological advancements in the food industry should not lead to destruction of ecosystems, environments, or the health of consumers. That is why I need to be more careful about understanding my food sources and ingredients in my food. I need to diligently check how often I am eating decadent foods that may be slowly causing me to become unhealthy. My sinful nature demands decadence, and the enemy distracts me and tempts me to eat and drink mindlessly with no cognizance of what I'm feeding my body. But my spiritual nature should command my physical body, and therefore I should be more disciplined, prayerful and thoughtful about my food consumption and exercise habits.