Day 2 of my Spring Cleaning

(Click here to read Day 1 and the Introduction)

Here are my thoughts and feelings on my second day of the "Sugar-Cleanse-Diet".

Day 2:
I woke up and was still feeling very hungry and experiencing pretty severe cravings for starches and sugar. I had a couple eggs and my special new concoction for breakfast: cut up granny smith apples (this is one of the least sugary fruits, and having one a day is permitted in a lot of the food lists I looked up) mixed together with plain yoghurt, walnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. It's actually quite tasty once you get past the sour-ness.

For lunch we had a brown rice and green vegetable stir fry (no sugary stir-fry sauces added, of course). This carried me through the day with a decent amount of energy, and I found that into the afternoon, I was thinking a lot less about sweets. I think the cravings are being beaten into submission!

We had a very delicious dinner - a tomato-beef pasta sauce served on top of spaghetti squash. I gobbled it down, enjoying every bite! Then I had to rush off to take my kids to AWANA, and I would be attending my last Grace Based Parenting class simultaneously.

Here's where I stumbled a little. There was coffee... Oh, wait! I guess I didn't mention that I planned to cut out most of my caffeine intake, and have been limiting myself to 1 cup a day. Usually during the class, there is an urn with de-caf coffee available, so I took one little styrofoam cup, and sipped it gratefully. However, I noticed about 20 minutes later that my usual subdued, calm demeanor was replaced with peppy participation during the class discussion. Uh oh! I think it actually contained caffeine. Ooops, sorry! (Sort of...)

In the later evening my husband and I talked about going out for a date, but we couldn't think of any place or any food that would be acceptable. We settled for the other half of our granny smith apples, (mine mixed with yogurty goodness) and a cup of decaf-earl grey mixed with just a little bit of unsweetened coconut milk. The tea was delicious and had a bit of a satisfying fattiness to it. It was difficult, however, to drink Earl Grey without eating some biscuits (a tradition I've had since I visited England as a teenager).

So my conclusion is that this is actually getting easier. I think the first 48 hours must be the hardest to manage. I've also been dealing with a minor headache off and on, which is probably from limiting caffeine.

I do like, however, the fact that I am feeling more in charge of my eating and not just listening to my feelings and emotions. I was always such a snacker, and would often eat (junk) without even really thinking about it, or even really enjoying it!

On a spiritual note, I do feel like there is significance in mastering my appetite and cravings. Philippians 3:19 says: "whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things", speaking of those who are not surrendered to Christ and being transformed by Him. Although food seems like such a minor area, the Bible specifically talks about regular fasting (combined with prayer) as a healthy part of your Christian walk. While it may not be my intent to make this whole 10 day diet a spiritual experience, life has a way of connecting the dots, and what happens in your physical realm can have an effect on your spiritual realm. I have come to recognise in the last couple days, just how much control my cravings have over me. It has shown me how much of my hunger hasn't been true hunger, but a craving and perceived need in my mind. I think this is valuable information... which actually makes me more accountable to my actions (and eating habits) in the future.

Here's hoping that in day 3, I can make broccoli taste like Smarties!