I'm so glad I did this challenge again. I definitely needed it. Going back and reading my first couple posts yesterday allowed me to really be able to tell that I've changed my relationship with food drastically in the past 30 days.
So, here's a little of what I did that last few days of the challenge.
Day 25 I spent the morning hours on Galveston Island with family, so by the time we got home it was well past lunch time.. I was starving, but had to still cook a little something to eat at 3 p.m.
(This is where it's much more convenient to be able to eat out at restaurants, or pick up fast food. But, convenience can also be taken advantage of, where it becomes a normal thing. And let's face it, Taco Bell tacos are NOT healthy.)
I cooked up some potato, broccoli and an all natural, no fillers, all beef hot dog. It was the quickest way to stuff food down the hatch after spending half the day in the car/looking at the ocean.
Day 26 I threw together a buffalo wings marinade but used drumsticks instead, and baked them in the oven, serving them with baked fries. (I have started to realize potatoes are a big go-to while I'm eating healthy. I guess because I still crave starchy things?)
Day 27 I was sort of lazy for supper. The kids begged for easy meals. They wanted raman noodles... So I just sauteed myself another hotdog and paired it with veggies. Easy-peesy, lemon-squeezy.
Day 28 I caught a cold, and was not feeling well at all by the time I got home from work. So, the kids had sandwiches and I cooked up a small chicken breast with veggies. Then I went to bed.
Getting sick towards the end of the challenge brought back a lot of cravings. I wanted comfort food since I didn't feel well. It was a trigger for my brain to beg me to finish before the 30 days. 28 days is close enough, right?
Day 29 I threw some chicken in the crockpot so dinner would be ready when we got home. It was shredded cilantro lime chicken. The kids put it on tostada shells with veggies and cheese, but I used cauliflower rice as my base and of course, skipped the cheese. It was yummy!
Day 30 I ate those leftovers. And.... done. Que the celebration music. And grab the chocolate.
Let's go over the results I have noticed over the last 30 days real quick. This is why it was worth it from a physical health standpoint.
*more energy
*better sleep
*less carpal tunnel pain (Though it isn't gone completely like it was last time.. sigh.. Oh well.)
*weight loss
*inches lost
These are the emotional benefits I have noticed.
*less cravings, especially sugar
*more focus at work
*less stressed feeling
*more motivation to do the daily things... like cook, clean, be a mom... etc..
*less angry mom syndrome
*I am losing my train of thought less... I think my brain is working better... :)
And lastly, let's talk about what I have learned spiritually.
I learned that self control in any area - even an area like food - can help exercise our ability to resist temptation to sin.
Self control is really just another way to look at denying what self wants for what self really needs. In the same way I denied my brain the sugar it craved because we all know sugar is an addictive poison and I fed it fruit instead, I can better realize and understand that the pleasures of sin are addictive as well.. and you are ALWAYS better off choosing God's way.
In this age of instant gratification, the learned trait of self control is often overlooked, or viewed as not important. But oh how that's wrong!
A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. -Prov. 25:28
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control: against such there is no law. -Gal. 5:22-23
We must concentrate on denying our flesh in order to wholeheartedly serve God.
Maybe our food choices aren't directly a sin issue... but applying self restraint in this way hopefully helped my willpower the next time I'm tempted to sin. If I can go 30 days without chocolate, I can also choose God's way instead of _________. (Whatever it might be that Satan tempts us with.)
Don't overlook the spiritual benefits to learning the trait of self control. This is something I will continue to work on, because I'm far from where God wants me to be.
The goal is always... less of me, more of Him.
-Mel
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