The Daniel Fast

This is what I am up to right now. It's day 3 of the 21 day Daniel Fast. My friend is doing this with her church and I decided to try it out, too.

• All fruits and vegetables


• Only water to drink


• Whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds


• No meat


• No dairy


• No sweeteners


• No bread


• No artificial or processed foods


• No chemicals

There is a spiritual part of this, of course, and I'm hoping this helps with my plan to strengthen my faith. The concept of this fast comes from Daniel 1:8-14. Daniel challenged King Nebuchadnezzar's royal foods and ate vegetables and water for 10 days saying if in the 10 days he didn't look better than the ones eating the royal foods, then they could do with him as they saw fit. Daniel believed God had called him to eat such a diet and would protect him. God did just that and Daniel's skin looked healthier than those eating the choice royal foods.

This is challenging. It's only day number three and my biggest challenges are avoiding sugar and caffeine. I am obviously addicted. I have also learned that I'm not that great of a cook when I have to prepare things from scratch. I am seriously considering some cooking classes when this is all over. However, I am loving the fact that I know what all of the ingredients are that are going into my body. If I don't know what it is, I'm not eating it.

In other news, I booked M's surprise birthday weekend getaway and I'm very excited. We'll be hanging out at a bed and breakfast the last weekend in March and exploring the different wineries in the area. Can't wait - it will be so nice to get away, even if it is only for a weekend.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, y'all!

I have started this year 10 lbs heavier than I was at the beginning of last year. In case you were wondering, I gained the 10 lbs just in the last couple of months. Not good. I'm not one to make New Years resolutions, but I need to fix this, and fast. It's amazing how much worse 10 lbs can make you feel.

My wonderful husband has agreed to go to the gym with me for weight training twice a week. I will focus on cardio at least 3 additional days of the week. It's not going to be fun at all (I hate the gym) and I hesitated at first. My husband used to power lift. He knows what needs to be done and does it. For the most part, I know what I need to do too, thanks to our stint with a personal trainer a little over a year ago. However, I am a huge sissy and will not push myself. I know M won't let me slack so this should be interesting. We started last Thursday and let me tell you, I am SORE. This is especially true for my triceps, biceps and chest - obviously I need help with upper body strength, because I apparently have none.

Bottom line - I just want to feel better. We are planning a Mexico trip in October so I want to look better, too. But most importantly, the goal is to feel better.

Other things I want to accomplish in 2012:

I want to read more books. I didn't do this nearly enough in 2011.

I want to listen more and relax more often.

I want to figure out my faith. I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school. Without getting into a whole lot of detail, I decided I'm never going back to a Catholic church (aside from weddings or funerals). I don't feel comfortable there. A few recent happenings have made me really question my faith. Quite frankly, I'm pissed off at God. And I don't want to be. Yesterday my sweet friend invited me to go to church with her and I took her up on that offer. I'm not 100% positive this is the right fit for me, but it felt so nice. Everyone was wonderful and very friendly. I'm trying to make peace with something I have been and will be dealing with for a long time as well as something else that just popped up into my life. Things I have no control over.

2011 was a great year, but I know there are changes to be made. Happy New Year - I hope it's filled with happiness and good health.