It has been a while since our last post. We have had a lot going on. I will blog about that later. I blog tonight to announce a challenge my wife and I are going to embark on. Amidst the chaos that has become our life these days, we are going to try a juice cleanse.
If you haven't seen the movie "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" you need to. I won't give the plot away but in a nutshell it is a documentary about a man who, for health reasons, takes a 60 day juice fast challenge. Right now, I can't see past 10 days on something like this so that is where we are going to start. First, let me say, I am NOT looking forward to this. I am a total junk food junkie, however I am tired of being fatigued, having acid reflux, and overall feeling like garbage. I have 5 little ones that I want to see grow up, marry and have children. I have tried other diets to lose weight, which were all very effective except that I went back to old eating habits upon attaining the desired weight. Something tells me I have been barking up the wrong tree as I am back at the weight I began...again. So I will be honest and say I am right at 230 lbs. While that may sound like a lot, let me also add that I am 6'5" so 230 lbs doesn't look necessarily heavyon me. Really my weight is not my biggest concern. The habits I am forming now at almost 35 years old are setting me up for a lifetime of health problems. My family has had cancer, diabetes, glaucoma, heart disease, prostate problems, gallbladder issues and strokes in its history (though I have not had any of the aforementioned ailments). I personally have struggled with depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety, acid reflux, acne, sinus issues & food allergies just to name a few which I believe stem from poor nutrition among other things. I have never taken my health seriously.
How sad is it to admit that I have held an immortality complex never believing that a) my poor habits would catch up to me & b) that I would ever have to worry about my health. While we begin this 10 day challenge...I do not go gently into that good night. I can only think about pizza, Taco Bell, burgers, fries, junk food...anything but fruits and vegetables. But I have to ask myself, what will it take for me to change my pattern? Will it take me having a heart attack at 40? Will it take me being faced with cancer? Truth be told, I am dreading this with every fiber of my being. Even tonight, I have to have one last snack of Pringles potato chips just to feel that familiar grease film in my mouth and the all too common heartburn. My family struggles with obesity and have for several generations. One of my biggest fears, I am ashamed to admit, has been that I would become obese. While it is a touch of vanity that drives me, it is also an honest realization that if my body is a temple...why am I taking a wrecking ball to it on a daily basis?!?
While my physical appearance is important to me, admittedly it has been for the wrong reason. But I have to say, I am tired of clothes being tight and feeling my stomach bulge when I sit or lean over. I am tired of getting to a point where I can't bend down and tie my shoes without grunting. Laugh if you must, Lord knows I have. I don't want to be winded from just walking up the stairs in my own house. I can't play outside with the children as I get fatigued too easily. While I don't look it, I feel bloated most of the time and very lethargic. Enough is enough. I realize that changing my eating is only part of the battle. This is very much a spiritual issue as well. Some may scoff, but it is true. So along with this food challenge, I am also going to make it a spiritual challenge as well as a physical challenge. I say 10 days but in reality that is because I can't quite bring myself to say 30 days. The juice portion will start with 10 days, but the rest will be a 30 day challenge. So here we go...Day 1 starts tomorrow. (today was payday and I need to go to the grocery store... :) ) We've borrowed a juicer and are ready to roar.
I will catalog this journey...mainly as a form of accountability, though I realize no one may read this, it still requires me to track this journey. Being the consummate historian, I want my children to glean some wisdom from my experience.
I will take my measurements tomorrow and include them in day 1's post. I am sure Lauren doesn't want me to include hers. We will also take pictures along this journey. Did I mention I was dreading this...this was really my wife's idea. Lord, give us strength and change our hearts to truly see our bodies as a temple of the Living God and treat them as such...
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