Tomorrow, I will begin doing something that is going to change my life. I am 32 years old and grossly overweight. I believe God has been making the possibility of health problems in the future a reality to me in a way I’ve never before considered. My sister and her husband are both raw vegans and, over Christmas, they showed me two videos that shocked me so much that I’ve decided to join their ranks as a raw vegan. The two videos are Forks Over Knives and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. My first thought with this whole thing was, “There’s no way I can do that and live without meat and dairy.” However, it dawned on me that I could hold onto my addiction to the American diet and likely get sicker as I age (I already have high cholesterol, gall bladder problems, and am a pre-diabetic) or I could make a spiritual decision to leave behind this body-destructive lifestyle and seek holiness not just of my spirit, but also of my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Physical wholeness is the same thing as holiness. Notice how the two words are spelled almost the same. They are essentially from the same root word and both mean “separate from anything that would make one sick or impure.” Holiness is the idea of holistic living in all spheres of our lives. So, tomorrow, it begins. I am starting with a juice fast. The man in Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead did a juice fast for 60 days and lost 87 pounds, ALL of which he kept off by eating a whole foods, plant-based diet.
I’d like to do 60 days myself, but I need to monitor how my body reacts. I will be juicing with my new juicer starting in the morning and imbibing the “mean green” juice drink four times a day. It is made from kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, green apples, and ginger root. It will provide me with all the vitamins and minerals I need each day (less the B vitamins for which I will need to take a supplement). After I’m done with my juice fast, I will be eating a 100% raw vegan diet with the occasional cooked vegetables. I am posting this here to share my journey with you. I will do periodic updates during the juice fast and let you know how my body is reacting. I also want to fill you in on how it affects me spiritually. Again, this is not just some fad diet, but a lifestyle change toward holiness of body. I want to be public about this, because I want to be held accountable. Now that I know that all of my dear readers are aware of what I’m doing, I am spurred on even more to succeed and, perhaps, to inspire you, too. Wish me luck and say a prayer for me as I undertake this huge change in my life to better my health and spirit!
Congrats to the first step.. Not easy.. Weight is always a struggle for me.. Im doing the WW plan starting 1/20.. day after my birthday.. We can do this.. He can do, She can do, Why not us??
Jill
Right on! Let’s do what it takes to have a healthier and, thus, holier, 2012. I’ve struggled with my weight most of my adult life so I feel you on that. WW definitely will take the weight off. It’s a good program. Good luck! Thanks for reading, Jill. It’s nice to have you on the site!