God's Creation + Friday Update

Hello Everybody!

For a Friday update, Andrew and I are doing well on our high-raw diet. We did have a couple slip-ups this week. Wednesday, Andrew had a lunch date with the pastor at the church we have been attending and brought home veggie fajita leftovers. Now, if you noticed in one of my last posts the "I'M GOING CRAZY WANTING MEXICAN FOOD!" you can probably guess what happened. I GORGED myself on fajitas. Andrew and I both felt disgusting afterwards. Then, today, I woke up this morning and realized we literally had nothing to eat for breakfast. Knowing I won't be able to get to the grocery til later, I ended up eating something VERY bad for me (I'll let you use your imagination--I'm too embarassed to share!). Even with these two bad choices, we have pretty much been eating everything else raw. It has been INCREDIBLE!

On a totally different note-One of my favorite things about raw food is that it challenges my faith in so many ways. That sounds weird to some of my friends, but it has had a profound effect on my understanding of God and his grace and mercy! First, there's so much discipline involved in staying raw--it is a challenge! Ok, obviously, a challenge we fail at from time to time. But it really is a challenge--and I am learning so much about discipline through making healthy choices and pushing myself.

My favorite thing, though, is how beautiful raw/living food is. It is SO simple. So perfect. So nourishing. It is a tangible act of mercy on God's part. Our body is created to need food. He gave us food that tastes good and is so...simple! We love to complicate things to make them "Faster" and "Easier" when in reality the fastest and easiest foods are pure foods. I told Andrew that its like looking at a red bell pepper. It's a beautiful shape and color. It has one of the sweetest tastes-it is so good. And it is so full of vitamins! God gave us food that not only keeps us alive but also looks and tastes amazing! And through that, through that mercy and grace and the pleasure of eating what he provides, I learn about Him and his love for us. I mean, is there really anything more beautiful?

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food." (Genesis 1:29)

And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:9)

Fitness Challenge FAILURE

So, this week started out GREAT in terms of my Fitness Challenge. I ran, I ate about 99% raw, I felt great, I felt inspired and awesome.

Pictures taken from Justine Dell's blog on FAILURE

And then...I failed. That's it. I just .. failed. I'm not REALLY sure how. Tuesday night I ate a giant bowl of ice cream at my Bible study, Wednesday I think we might have had pizza, etc. What happened!? We ran out of good produce, for one. I didn't plan THAT very well. Also, it was my husband's birthday. As such, this weekend, we had about 4 meals out from other people. That means my willpower fails and I get what tastes best rather than what is best for me!!! I did work out a couple times, but overall I failed at that, too!

What is up with all this failure!?

I think the answer is simply planning. I didn't plan.

Point number one: When I hear "restaurant" I get excited to eat something that tastes good (read: is full of fat and horrible chemicals) rather than planning or getting excited thinking about the salad or "light" portion of the menu. Instead of eating before we left, I was STARVING by the time we got to the restaurants, leaving me little willpower to resist the richest, biggest portioned, cooked food.

Point number two: When it rains, I do NOT want to run. When I am spending the day preparing for my husband's birthday by baking him the brownies he picked out, I do not want to run. When my dog is being HORRIBLE on the leash, I take him back inside rather than walking with him that extra mile. When I think "Oh, I will run later!" I am making excuses to not run NOW (and then it never happens).

Another reason I think I failed is simply LAZINESS...and a lack of discipline. It is way easier to NOT eat well or to NOT work out when I have easier options! No excuses!!! I also did not give my health to God this week. I left it up to myself and without God guiding me (not that God cares what size jeans I wear--but generally speaking), I cannot do ANYTHING.

You might be able to tell, but I am pretty bummed about my performance this week! That being said, it is time to also tell you that failure does not mean GIVING UP! Oh no. I am back on the horse today! I made some raw coleslaw and guacamole (blogs coming later this week!), stocked my fridge with some great looking veggies/fruits, picked up another raw cookbook from the library, and am ready to go. There is a break in the rain this afternoon so I am going to make myself a nice breakfast smoothie, do a little work, and then head out to the pavement for a run. I'm hoping to break a personal running mark today, but I need that first umph to do it (from the GREEN SMOOTHIE).

So, as of this morning, I am weighing in at 137, one pound MORE than last Monday! :( However, with all the crap I ate this week, I am surprised it isn't more than that!

I'll update again on Monday and perhaps throughout the week as per my meals/creations/recipes/thoughts. Have a wonderful Monday!!!