Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

Okay the fasting is going well. I ate two bean burritos for lunch. That is, two whole wheat tortillas, spread with refritos, with canned corn, salsa, fresh garden tomatoes, and green pepper slices, wrapped up, bundled in a paper towel (cuz it was JUICY)...ate two of those, and a bunch of veggies like cauliflower and pea pods.

I do feel hungry right now, but nothing unmanageable. I will probably eat a piece of fruit tomorrow morning, but no meal until lunchtime.

Just went through a bunch of journals, and found myself craving the brats that NancyG said she had a bite of! that's what happens WHEN I GET THIS HUNGRY and it is why fasting to lose weight really doesn't work...you are just three times hungrier at the next meal. But everyone's menus on their journals were appealing...and that's another BENEFIT of fasting: it resets your tastes, so that simpler food does fit the bill, just right...

However, I am not doing this because of weight loss, but for spiritual reasons. That really makes a difference.

Yesterday and Saturday were enjoyable days with church people. I couldn't eat the burgers and hot dogs that were available at the little park carnival the youth group put on, so I just didn't eat. And yesterday the sermon had a point or two that hit home for me. It was just excellent. I needed THAT, as much as I need to eat food.

with that, i gonna get away from this computer. i've been doing this for more than an hour...

I go to bed tonight with a truly empty stomach. We'll see how things go for no-brekkie tomorrow. And...I'm really praying for a showing on my scale on Monday, if I do end up doing this for the whole week...and I'm listening to God for that one. Probably my choice, as so many of the things in life are. And that means, two weeks. It's what I had been thinking of doing, (except I was going to eliminate only lunch) before being called to fast, so I'll just keep on with it, depending on how this first full day goes.

ah.

later, gators!

lol....i only took one bite! And gave the rest to the dog! Ed ate them.....reminded me why i don't eat them anymore....sorry!

ncyg46 wrote:lol....i only took one bite! And gave the rest to the dog! Ed ate them.....reminded me why i don't eat them anymore....sorry!

I know! and when I read about it, I was all "oooh, a bite of a bratwurst. mmmm. I want to smell it, and taste it, and chew it" LOL

Speaking of fasting, the scale is down four lbs. and I'm continuing w/the "lunch only" fast. I think I will do it for two weeks, but am absolutely listening to my body. If it isn't enough, I will only do it on Mondays (which is the call that went out, to fast on Mondays) ...that will be through the rest of the year, though.

Feeling pretty good. I'm making a stir fry rice dish to take with me for lunch. Gotta keep an eye on outings, so I can pack more portable lunches on those days. cooking food, and not tasting it. yup, it feels good to be the one in control

okay, day three of this "lunch only" fast. Today, I'm taking two potatoes to bake, some vegetarian baked beans, some corn, some broccoli, and probably a handful of tomatoes from my garden and some romaine lettuce.

I was up a bit late, and woke earlier than usual. thing is, I met for coffee with this old friend from my college days. It was very nice catching up with him. He has a 13 year old son with a brain injury, and has worked all of his professional life in resource within the Utah school system. Well, not to go on, but it was a bit difficult to fall asleep last night, and there's a cat in the neighborhood who once in awhile makes itself known at 4:00 am...which is what happened today. so...low blood sugar, the emotional high of meeting my old friend, and a bit less sleep than usual. whew. I do feel zonked.

And this afternoon is "junk food client" so I'll have to go prepared for sure. maybe I'll take along an apple just in case I find myself hungry while I'm there.

and that's about it. I've gone down another couple of lbs on my scale. 193 but won't claim it until after this little fast thingy is over. We'll see what we shall see.

Buns,
I'd love to hear more about your fast. I was listening to Erwin Lutzer this week on Moody Radio, and he's talking about the discipline of fasting. It's something I've been sort of afraid of, and yet, I know it's a Christian discipline I should embrace as a believer. Could you tell me a little more about your experience with it, and even about the retreat the motivated you to do it? You could PM me if that's a more appropriate place to converse. I'm praying about doing a fast the week my kids go back to school, and I'd really love your input. Thanks.

Great job, by the way.

Hi Kirsty

You know, it's funny I always expect to hear loud and clear from God when I fast and pray, but it usually turns out to me feeling slow and sleepy. The last time I did a three day fast, I knew what it means, when the Bible says "I humbled myself with prayer and fasting" because it took me down a notch or two. I was pretty full of myself, until I'd been without any fuel for a few days!

then I tried a three day fast this past spring and got sorta sick, with pounding heart, dizziness, etc. so I haven't tried going completely without food since then. This eating lunch only is working for me, because I don't get too wacked out, blood sugar wise.

Anyway, I belong to a small group that meets in the VA chapel on Sundays. We consider ourselves a mission to the vets, and to homeless, esp. if the homeless are veterans. ha! There is a group of like-minded (that is, Anglicans from the mission out of Rwanda...yes, I am a missionary from Rwanda! ) well, we are few and far between, but the liturgy is important to us, as is the truth of Scripture, and the sacraments of baptism and communion. That is to say, we want to walk along the paths that generations of worshipers have walked, but not abandon the truth.

So, there is a network of such believers, and we have been asked to pray and fast every Monday, as we seek who we will affiliate with... should the SLC group be under the Colorado pastor/bishop, or should we affiliate under the group in Boise?

Before we went to Boise, I had already been thinking I wanted to give up my lunches for two weeks, and was ready to start that on Monday, but during my walk, I knew that I was to eat ONLY lunch, and give up breakfast (thus giving myself less distraction and more time for morning prayer) and dinner (which opens up the evening for prayer and contemplation).

So, I started on Monday, and i'm going for two weeks, unless the Lord leads me to keep on with it until we all meet again in October. I will fast this way (eating only lunch) every Monday until we do meet in Oct.

I'm not hearing much, but my prayers are that the leadership will hear loud and clear, what is the direction we are to go? And, praying for the person who is leading the SLC group is the biggest part of it all. And my hearing may sharpen, as time passes and I leave behind the pull of pure appetite.

I feel like Jesus, who said His food was to do the will of the Father! ack. But i can also feel my flesh coming under the discipline of this. I passed on kettle corn today, and didn't dip into the cashews or the candy at Junk Food Client's home on Monday. Saying "no" is good for me

I'm thinking God will honor your desire to forego food. Don't let yourself get tied up, though. I mean...usually in the past if i have fasted for three days, somewhere in the second or third day, I have had a bowl of brown rice just to strengthen myself. And hot cross buns are a traditional Lent food, because many people fast during Lent, eating only a hot cross bun in the evenings, to sustain themselves.

May God give you direction in this.

Thanks for the details and insight. It's helpful. I most likely will try a 3-day spiritual fast starting the week my kids go back to school. I'll keep you posted.
K

Official Delicious Treat

Today for lunch I had tabouli salad, and garbanzo beans on the side. I wanted to tell about the garbanzo beans, because they were delicious!

I drained and rinsed a can of garbanzos, put in a mixing bowl (actually, I put them in a medium small food container w/a fitted lid...Rubbermaid)...

squeezed one lemon over them, and put about 1/2 t of ground cumin and a good shake of cinnamon.

Put the lid on them and shook them up real good, and they sat until lunch time, a few hours later.
THEY WERE DELICIOUS! *slurp* that cinnamon, just a leeetle bit, added a lot to the flavor.

My body is telling me that I really don't need to eat late in the day at all. My appetite in the evenings is very low and blood sugar is fine. In the mornings, I'm VERY hungry, but still sticking to the lunch only fast. It is a distinct possibility that I will adopt a two meal a day policy after this is over: brekkie and a late lunch. A Late Large Lunch and not eat anything in the evenings.

Possibly. We'll see what we shall see. I've had food issues my whole life. Ah...who knows. August 23, I will break my fast in the morning before work...until then, I continue as is. VERY hungry in the mornings, nicely full for lunch, and okay in the evenings.

down to 191 this morning! yahooo! Wow, what if I get into the 180's while doing this?

Your doing great, time to change that ticker

Oh My Word. It is the morning of the sixth day of my modified fast, and I am feeling the low blood sugar SO HARD right now. I'm sleepy, slow, feeling weak and a bit wobbly. I may eat some fruit for sustenance, because I have to drive about an hour to get to work today and don't want to be a danger.

I'm not hungry, though. Just feeling low blood sugary.

another thing is, I am sleeping extremely well every night. Falling asleep easily, and sleeping until my alarm. No wake ups at 3:00 am, no insomnia after going pee in the middle of the night.

I'm reminded in my physical weakness, of the spiritual weakness that I have, and isn't it something, that God is dealing with me in the spiritual VERY INTENSELY right now. No coincidence.

Long story short, I have had "man-hunt mentality" my whole life, except when I was married. I've finally gotten to a place where I am content to be alone (with my kids, and God ) and actually DO NOT want a man in my life...when BOOM, while out yard saling, my path crosses with that of a former lover, one who made me feel beautiful and desirable.

dang.

so, my physical weakness that comes from giving up two meals a day, makes me remember how EXTREMELY weak I am in this area. And now, I get to "deny myself, and take up my cross" and tell this old flame "I'm not dating right now, and can't see you" even though my flesh is crying out for his attentiveness and cheer and bright personality.

we met for coffee, and were going to go on a hike today, but when he calls, I'm going to cancel.

Hey,

Take care of yourself. Hope your okay

well, the scale is stopping at 190, for the past four days. My body is SO FREAKIN EFFICIENT But that's okay. I have another week of this modified fast, and have changed my body to this extent:

My appetite is totally subdued in the mornings and evenings (though low blood sugar is an issue in the mornings)

If I don't eat by about noon, my body REALLY throws a fit.

If I eat later than about 4:00, my body doesn't know what to do and gives me big gas (I skipped brekkie and lunch yesterday, and ate a large dinner at about 6:00... and went around with gastro-embarrassment the rest of the night)

I really like the feeling of an empty, flat stomach when I go to bed at night.

With these facts in mind, I think I can do the following, when the fast is over (one week from yesterday, but I'll still fast to lunch only on Mondays)

1) eat my two pieces of fruit in the mornings. Possibly some grain once winter starts up.
2) consume a very large lunch at 11.00 to noonish
3) eat a light dinner, somewhere between 4:00 and 6:00 pm and NOTHING after that, except possibly water w/a splash of juice.

*gulp* we'll see. I just want to see some pounds fall off of me, but I don't want to kick my stupid efficient metabolism into "conserve-every-calorie-as-fat" mode. Now, mind you, if I lived in a land where food was not abundant, where I could not reach for the .50c sleeve of Planter's peanuts at the c-store, where I had to stop and fix a simple meal of grain and veggies if i wanted to eat and feed my family (instead of grabbing a baked tater at Wendy's on the way home from work)...you know, if I lived in a place where two meals a day is the norm and there ISN'T food piled up in abundance everywhere you look...I would continue with this rather low cal intake, and the pounds WOULD fall off, eh?

But realistically speaking, I'm in a land of super abundance. I can walk a half mile, spend a half hour in the store, and walk home with two weeks' worth of food, so that my pantry and fridge are overflowing...I choose healthy, but guess what...whenever I stop for gas, there's a little market full of snacks and junk food...the fact is, I can't sustain a low calorie thing for long, and that's not the McDougall plan, anyway.

So...I would *like* to continue after the fast is over, with the above plan, but I know eventually the calorie dense foods will reach out and grab me. Which means, realistically, I need to be ready. Fasting is all fine and well, but it isn't a lifestyle. Utterly unsustainable, eh? I'm realistically thinking, once I'm done with this, I'll make MWL my day to day eating habit, with Minis in there for "diet mode" and regular McDougall Plan, when I have a special occasion.

there. That's my plan. Lord, help me to do it! Ha!

I hate plateaus! That's why I'm only going to weigh every 30 days. You are doing great. I have enjoyed looking at your journal.

real quick post about the party last night. the youth group at our church threw a "Back to School Bash" with a dunk tank, bounce cage/boxing ring (the kind that's blown up and you go inside and bounce...including GIANT boxing gloves for knocking each other around) and a jousting ring, (same thing: inflated and you knock each other around with padded sticks)

there was music, nice and loud, a mix of every genre from the late 50's on. Including the Village People YMCA...and a dance contest...which I won. We danced like dorks for however long, and I boogied like a maniac without stopping and when it was over, I wasn't even breathing hard. I love this way of eating!

It's Tuesday. I've been eating lunch only for a week and a day. Doing fine, though the scale is not dropping and that's okay, too. I'm not doing this for weight loss.

Now, to put together a nice big lunch It's gonna be a rather long day.

You are doing so great! I'm so proud of you, and impressed with how well you've done with this fast. I tried to fast for one day. I failed miserably and almost went off the deep end completely. (spiritual warfare???) Maybe someday, but for now, I just need to see my MWL as a sort of fast. I'm fasting from my sinful nature that wants to indulge in the wrong foods for the wrong reasons.

Glad you're doing so well! And congrats on the additional 10 pound weight loss! 190 is AWESOME!!!!!