The Real Skinny on Fasting from a Cheater

Faith and Cheating

I never "believed in" fasting. I didn't identify as a person who would fast. I tried once, as a teenager. Well, I cheated actually. My youth group leaders at church arranged for us to have a sleepover at their house. There would be games and movies, prayers and singing that night, and the promise of a delicious big breakfast in the morning. The one caveat was no food that night. It sounded awesome, I thought, except for the fasting. Yeah, the idea of fasting even for one meal sounded like torture, and when I realized there would be movies without delicious hot buttery popcorn, soda, and sweets...nope! 

But, Chocolate!

I told my friends it was a terrible idea until I thought of a better, albeit immoral idea. I would cheat, and bring sweets. Chocolate candies, sour candies, sweet candies, salty snacks. I had it all! I felt guilty. I felt clever. We snuck into my bag of hidden delights with the confidence of teenagers, who were sure we rigged the system. We didn't even get caught. The only downfall, was a stomach ache following all that sugar on an otherwise empty stomach that made me feel nauseated...or was that a little guilt, after all? Anyway, I thought the whole fasting thing was lame. 

Oh, I got that there was supposed to be a spiritual connection with fasting and prayer, but I didn't really understand it. I'm a long way from being a teenager, but sometimes I still feel like one. I grew in faith but never fasted. It seemed unnecessary. Recently though, there is a lot of talk about fasting for health and weight loss. I did my best to ignore it as an extreme measure, that I would avoid. It would be a last resort if I got cancer (watched some documentaries on fasting before chemo). Yeah, that was me, until last week. 

Challenges and Choices

The last few years have opened my eyes to many things that I have taken for granted (health, freedom, socialization, civilization) and I am realizing how precious and fragile it all is, but at the same time, how beautiful life is when you open your mind up to new possibilities. It's about choice. It's about self-autonomy. It's also about letting go of the false belief that I know everything. I've been trying new things. So, last week I thought I would challenge my old thinking about fasting. I decided to do a 36-hour fast, which is really just a full day and two nights of sleeping. The best day to do it would be a Monday (yesterday) as a kind of reset after enjoying the weekend. Monday gets a lot of flack anyway, so it seemed fitting. Monday would be "Mom without Meals Day" just to motivate me, and warn my husband. I still had coffee with cream (no sugar) and maybe this is cheating a little, but I still got results. 

Fasting is Awesome!

In fact, I got immediate and shocking results. I had a ton of energy, a focused mind, and a joyful attitude that seemed to come out of nowhere. Could this be chemical or spiritual? I did think about food in the evenings, and believe me any food sounded yummy. I realized only after missing one day of food, how much I took my meals and snacks for granted, I thought of starving children that go to bed hungry every night, and I realized that my own stomach was really not even hungry. It was my mind. My mind was bothering me, like an annoying pest, someone who is asking you repeatedly for a favor you don't want to do. I told it no, I told it to wait, I told it, you are not the boss of me. I stuck it out and slept better than I had in years. I wondered how hungry I would be in the morning. 

Food is Awesome!

I wasn't, but my coffee was delicious. I went on a walk with my husband and Corgi, and at noon, right on schedule, I had a delicious omelet. It was the tastiest thing I had ever made. I savored each buttery-rich bite of avocado, savory salsa, mushroom, gooey cheese, and turkey. I ate slowly like I always imagine a skinny French woman eating. I wondered how often I mindlessly ate and lost the joy of truly tasting with not just my mouth, but my whole body and mind. It was focused on eating. 

The Real Skinny of Fasting

What's the point? Well, I got my reset. Fasting helps the gut to heal, the cravings for junk food to dissipate, and yeah I lost two pounds. The real benefit, or at least the most obvious to me was that I learned I could be self-disciplined, not in a punishing way, but in a purposeful way. I learned that it was not the painful experience that I had previously imagined, but a truly enlightening one. I felt energized and empowered, I felt humble and grateful. Fasting is my new superpower, and I may use it, again. 

💗Wishing you Amazing Love & Awesome Style!