A New Year and a New You

Happy New year everyone! The new year is a time when people reflect on the accomplishments of the past and make plans for the future, by making new year's resolutions. One of my new year's resolutions is to lose weight, and drop those extra pounds gained by enjoying so much good food. Yes, good healthy food can also make you fat! I do eat healthy, but I must say that I just enjoy my food too much! Last year I made attempts to curb my appetite by practicing weekly partial-day fasts, where I skip breakfast and lunch and just have dinner. I did that once a week, and during the Moslem month of Ramadan, I also attempted this type of fast, although I am not Moslem. I think the Moslems are on to something with this Ramadan fast, because I did gain control over my appetite to a large degree. Presently, I skip lunch 5 days a week, and only have breakfast and dinner. I do not even miss the lunch, and you know what, I think we eat far too much food anyway. I mean, whose idea was it any way that we needed three square meals a day to survive. I can understand someone who engages in regular manual labor, and physically challenging work needing three square meals a day, but today's sedentary worker certainly does not need three square meals a day!

In my goal to achieve my ideal weight, I realized that in order to be successful, I must curb my appetite. Once the appetite is curbed, I can then go on a weight loss program that combines healthy eating with exercise to achieve my ideal weight. To begin the new year, I am entering into a period of prayer and fasting for one week to bring my resolution goals to God and to ask Him for in achieving those goals. You see, God is the key to any successful weight loss program. He can help us lose the weight and keep it off. He does this by giving us the much needed will power that is lacking, to stick with a program. I can definitely use His supernatural help!

My weight loss/health program will consist of three stages:

1. Purge, rest and nourish
2. Cleanse, support, and nourish, and
3. Healthy living for life

The first two parts of the program is a detoxification process, where the body is rejuvinated by the removal of old, decaying, and toxic substances from the system. The third and last part of the program involves the implemenatation of healthy habits or can be used to launch a weight loss program. In any case, one will lose weight and become healthy at the end of this program.

Starting tomorrow, I will be entering into my fast. I have already take my herbal laxative tonight, so that I can start cleaning out my bowels from all the accumulation of food that I consumed over the Christmas season (both good and junk!). Those Christmas cookies and rum cakes were delicious, but I need this purge to re-boot my system, and get it back on track. By not eating breakfast and lunch I will be giving my digestive system a much needed rest from the constant snacking I engaged in over the holidays. I will still eat dinner, but only the most simple and wholesome foods, such as brown rice, fresh and steamed vegetables, fish and organic meats. It is so important during this stage that I do not clog up my system with unwholesome and unhealthy foods that slows down the digestive system such as white flour products, white rice, white sugar, and processed foods. The whole foods are not only very nourishing to the body, but they also assist in keeping the bowels moving, and thus assist with purging the system of residual and built up toxins.

While in this period of purge, fasting, and nourishment, I will not be doing any exercise, as I will use this time to not only rest my digestive organs but also my body from wear and tear. It is only through rest that the body is able to repair itself from the stresses that we place on it day to day. Proper rest is important for proper cell repair and rejuvenation.

Once my week of purge, fasting, and nourishment is over, I will be going to the next stage of cleanse, support, and nourish, that will incorporate exercise. For now, I just want to concentrate on the first stage and be successful.