40 Day ‘Fast’

I listened to a podcast the other day that highlighted the benefits of fasting. The intention is to sacrifice something for a period of time so that you can gain clarity in an area of your life you want to improve. This may mean moving closer to your physical, mental, or spiritual goals. For me, I decided to give up sweets, alcohol, and meat for 40 days. I also plan to limit my processed food intake, like chips, crackers, etc. These were the things that I felt would make me feel better physically throughout the weeks if I was able to cut them out.

My why was two-fold. First, I was feeling like I had hit a plateau with my post-partum weight loss, and this seemed like a good way to take it to the next level. Removing the food is a good practice and challenge for myself to be less self-indulgent and to refrain from eating anything and everything throughout the day just because it’s in front of me. Second, I wanted to add a spiritual component to this fast. I plan to spend these 40 days digging deeper into where I want my spiritual life to go next, so there will be a daily practice in this area as well. Both of these components will be a gentle, daily reminder to focus on what’s most important to me right now in these two areas of my life.

I’m about one week in and I already feel better, even though it is challenging. We had a family dinner this week and while everyone else ate delicious chicken, shrimp and beef dishes, I stuck to the basics - rice, beans, and noodles. The chips and dips called to me, and I could feel my mouth salivating. Another night, chili dogs were on the menu, as I ate my roasted vegetables. So, there are times when I struggle with the feeling of missing out. This ‘fast’ is a gentle confrontation at every meal, when I have to remind myself of my why.

My goal is to remind myself that it’s okay to sacrifice things for a bigger purpose. I needed a reset. I want more physical and spiritual focus and clarity and working towards that is not easy. This is a reminder that not everything is meant to be easy. Change is challenging, but if we don’t push ourselves to do challenging things, we will not experience growth in areas where we want to see change. One caveat is that I will be giving myself Thanksgiving Day to indulge. It’s my favorite holiday, and I’m looking forward to spending it with my beautiful family and eating the delicious food that everyone will be preparing. It’s all about finding what works for me, setting up those rules and boundaries beforehand, and sticking to it.