As you may recall, I gave up meat, sweets and anything deep fired for Lent. How’s that going? So glad you asked.
I’ve messed it up once or twice. I ate 3 or so corn chips at a Mexican restaurant the other day before I remember how corn chips are made. And yesterday, after playgroup, one of the mothers was tired of hearing me cough, so she made a batch of Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. After all that trouble she went through, I didn’t want to be impolite, so I had some. It was heavenly. It was everything chicken soup should be: schmaltzy, thick and made with love. I’m saving the rest for Sunday when I can enjoy it, when the Lent rules don’t apply. It also made me feel better in the coughing cause, too, so I call that a success, and forgive myself. But I AM so looking forward to Sunday.
However, I won’t be enjoying any sweets this Sunday. Not this time. I’ve discovered a sad truth about myself. I’m Emilie and I’m addicted to sweets. (Hi, Emilie…) If I can avoid the sweets, I mean refrain from them, I’m OK. But, once I get going, I can’t hardly stop myself, and sometimes, one is too many and, evidently, 14 servings of sweets in one day is not enough. From now on, having a sweet will be a few-and-far-between experience. It’s got to be.
What else have I learned this Lent so far? Well, there are some blessings in the fast. I’m learning a lot about some new foods, foods I would not have tried if I hadn’t gone meat free. I’m expanding my dinner staples, and that can’t be bad. My fiber levels have never been so high. Way high. Good Grief! High. Oh, and I’ve lost 6 pounds. I’m good. It’s good. I can do this till Easter.
Lent and my Fast
March 13, 2009 by epbush
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I’m the same way about sweets. If I stay away from them, I actually lose the craving and don’t want them. But as soon as I go back, that sweet tooth is reactivated and then I can’t get enough. If you are able to actually not just learn, but implement this lesson, then you are made of stronger (and smarter) stuff than me.
If you need some veggie recipe ideas to get you through the rest of lent, shoot me an e-mail. I’ve been eating mostly veg for, um, 13 years now and I’ve got a bunch of quick, easy stuff up my sleeve.
They say admitting you have a problem is half the battle. There aren’t too many sayings about that other half, to be sure.
As for the chicken soup and the coughing, as I recall, those who are ill (or elderly, or menstruating, or nursing, or pregnant) are exempt from fasting. I think that’s the rule of Lenten fasting….or maybe it’s Ramadan….I get confused sometimes.
Hey – that’s a really good point that I have to remember.
I tipped off my fasting for a few days and really felt lost in my purpose. Rather than feel frustrated or disappointed, I turned it around and resumed the fasting. When I really crave the food, and when my stomach grumbles with hunger, I think about God. Then when I think the chocolate cookie the kids are eating looks so yummy, I think of temptation. It’s not easy.
Amen to that, my Sugar Addiction ran my life until Lent last year!