What I Learned from Fasting Bread, Sweets, and Meats!
In January the start of the new year I was feeling off and felt like I needed some direction. I began praying asking for God to order my steps, but I was getting the vibe that I needed to be more in tune with God. I’ll be the first to tell you that at 38, I am not the most religious person nor have I had the most consistent relationship with God. On the outside looking in it would seem well she is a good woman (I know that term is problematic, but here we are) and barely entertains worldly things. However, that is just my nature in general. During this time I randomly come across an ad maybe, I can’t really remember but it is a fast and it’s talking about seeking God. I was on my lunch break so I immediately save it for me to go back to later. After work I go back and read up on it and it is a 10 day fast with women that are all seeking God, women that desire a closer relationship with him. It is a modified Daniel’s fast that is guided and even includes a work book that allows you to reflect on the scripture. The coolest thing was that you meet everyday with all the women to pray and review scripture. In general I’m a hermit because I work from home, but even I was craving adult interaction, so this really seemed perfect. It was amazing! Black women are beautiful beings, but when I tell you our spirits are unmatched it is so true. Us women poured into each other and it was magical. One of the most beautifully genuine things that I have ever experienced.
During one of the meet up sessions one of the women said that she fasts the first 3 days of every month as an act of tithing, i.e. giving God 10% for the month. Listen, I was mind blown. Tithing to me has always been a monetary thing. In fact the definition of it is monetary, but we are evolving and I loved this idea. I knew that this is something I would adopt for myself in order to reset and focus at the start of each month. It is just a win for me.
Now that it is March and my third time fasting at the beginning of the month what have I learned?
I have unhealthy eating habits - I realized that when I cook I tend to eat. I am sampling big portions of food prior to eating the actual meal. During the time I am fasting I am still actively cooking full meals for my family and not being able to eat along the way highlighted that this is my actual practice. I tend to eat all day. Like after about 9 am I am literally snacking and not always with the healthiest of things. The fact that I sit all day for work explains how it has been easy to slowly put on more weight that I am comfortable with. How am I working on fixing this? When I cook I eat a healthy snack to distract me like carrots and vegetable dip, cheez its, or grapes. I’ve also started chewing gum….just to distract myself from the act of eating. Sad, but it is where I am at this point. .
The act of obedience or discipline spills into other aspects of life-After the 10 day fast you could not tell me nothing. Nothing, do you hear me! I felt like, well I still feel like I can do anything I put my mind to if I put in the work. I have always known that, but it has been hard to translate that into things that benefit me. At work no doubt I’m going to be disciplined and get the work done. Consistently working out, which is something I don’t even want to be doing…a serious struggle. Morning and Evening routines, at this age I am still working on these things. One thing fasting improved was my prayer habits. Every morning first thing I do is pray now. Then I move into my devotionals. My consistency after that is questionable, but now I know for sure I am capable of MORE.
Temptation causes you to pray more and to just talk to GOD-I am a bread lover, even more than sweets. Sometimes a sister just wants some garlic bread, a biscuit, or a Hawaiian sweet roll. I’m getting excited just thinking about it. Since I am the resident grocery shopper in my household I did try to reduce the amount of bread I bought at first, but kids love eating sandwiches etc so it was on me to just do right. I found myself seeking God to just keep my mind focused on the goal. Now I don’t hesitate to just take a moment to pray if something is on my spirit. Honestly the best thing that has come out of fasting is the fact that I am now in my praying bag. I will pray in the shower, in between meetings at work, in the car because I feel like it freed me to just talk to him.
Losing weight isn’t all about avoiding bread, meats, and sweets-While I don’t fast to lose weight, that first month I thought if I happen to lose weight that will be and added bonus. Guess what, I didn’t lose not even one pound. They say your diet is the strongest contributor to losing weight, but what they don’t tell you is it has to be over long periods of time AND in conjunction with actively working out. Consistency is key! At this point I am older, gone are the days of me being a young whipper snapper. My body is fat friendly, it wants to hold on to all of the bad fats all over my body. So, yes minimizing or being mindful of your portions of bread, meats, and sweets is helpful. The fact is it needs to be done consistently.
I am more mindful of what I am eating-In this third month I decided I was going to do a better job of tracking what I eat. I am using the myfitness pal app which allows me to see how many calories i am eating, as well as the nutrients that I am taking in. When I tell you my sodium intake is out of control, it is out of control and that is when fasting! So just imagine what my intake is when I am not fasting. These past 3 days have been enlightening to say the least. Also I was eating canned fruit, chile no ma’am, no way, get out of here. The sugar in that is counter productive, get fresh fruit end of story.
I realize I stress eat-In general I don’t eat a lot of sweets. I try not to even buy them. My oldest son however, bless him, bought me a humongous bag of Hershey’s Kisses for Valentine’s Day. First off that is my all time favorite candy. Secondly I really really like eating them because see #1 it is my favorite candy. I tried to hide the candy from myself, but as soon as I felt like whew this day is requiring a lot of me and the stress rises, I was literally looking for the candy. I mean this is really a mental thing because I don’t even eat candy often. None that less that bag of candy is gone and it was consumed during heavy deliverables at work, after stressful conversations with the kids about virtual school, and to just wind down end of day. I must do better and I know it.
Ultimately fasting is very revealing. You will uncover all types of things about your relationship with eating and with food. It’s an opportunity to get clear on how you eat, what you eat, and why. It is also the best opportunity to seek God. To seek clarity in what path you should be on.
Before I wrap up I want to share what I ate these past 3 days which was nothing major, but to give you an idea that you can do it too. During this time I drank lots of water. I have a 28 oz. tumbler and I drank 2-3 of those per day.
| Meals | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Canned Pineapples | Nothing | Fresh Pineapples |
| Lunch | Ramen Bowl w/veggies only | Ramen bowl w/veggies only | Ramen Bowl w/veggies only |
| Dinner | Broccoli and Cheese soup | Teriyaki Vegetable Stir Fry | Pad Thai with no meat |
| Snacks | Light popcorn and Cheez its | Nuts by Sriracha 1/2 a bag | Nuts by Sriracha 1/2 a bag and cheez its |
If you are thinking about fasting, this should give you an idea of what to expect. Have you fasted before, if so what did you learn?
