shortened lent

(NOTE: this post was copied from my other blog, where it was originally posted on Feb 25, 2013.)

So I failed pretty epically at eating only unprocessed foods for Lent. I blame casual decision-making and lack of real conviction. Lent isn’t really something I celebrate, so I wasn’t particularly motivated to stick to it. However I do really want to stop eating processed food, and I also have decided to start a new habit. So scrap what I said before: here is what I’m going to do.

I have about 30 days until Easter (35 to be exact).

1. I have been far too inconsistent with praying far too long, and it needs to stop. Prayer is a priority in my life from now on. And until Easter (hopefully after too, but that’s another goal for another day) I am going to daily rise early to pray. “Early” is a generalization of course so I’ll be a little more specific: I will get up an hour before I “have to” and spend time reading scripture, praying scripture, and worshipping. That’s that.

2. I just discovered a new food blog similar to 100 Days of Real Food (I’m going to refer to it as 100 Days for short) called “Eating Rules” which was created by one of the guys who works for 100 Days. He decided to do an “October Challenge” of eating unprocessed a few years ago and has repeated it every year since. Though it isn’t October, I have about 30 days left until Easter so I think this is the perfect time to try it for myself. Obviously it was supposed to be 40 days but we’re not going to worry about that right now.

This guy’s whole premise is that you should set a few absolute rules that you CAN NOT BREAK. That eliminates the struggle of willpower, which is basically my whole issue. Then, after you set and adhere to those rules, you are allowed one “cheat” or “treat” meal per week during which you can eat whatever without guilt. It works both to motivate you, as the promised reward of your hard work, as well as a way to curb cravings. I think this method is genius, so I’m going to try it for myself.

That said, here are my rules, adapted from his and 100 Days’:

• All grains must be 100% whole.
• “Kitchen test” – i.e. if I wouldn’t cook with it in my kitchen, I can’t eat it.
• No hydrogenated oils or deep-fried foods (Alas, this includes tortilla chips).
• No refined sugar or artificial sweeteners/dyes.
• No fast food, and be extremely careful with restaurants.
• I’m going to try hard to eat mostly organic food (I have issues with GMOs & hormones), and to budget myself. We’ll see how that goes… it’s not part of the challenge but it’s a goal. 

This begins tomorrow! I’m planning on making muffins for breakfast and maybe a slow-cooker soup for lunch  I need to go grocery shopping so I’ll probably be figuring out what I want to eat soon.

(Quick update: it is now March 1 and the only things I've cheated on so far - knowingly - have been my unashamed purchase and use of sourdough bread for grilled sandwiches and the white tortilla I ate when Sarah made me a quesadilla. I have also eaten at campus dining halls a few times; in those cases I do my best to stick to the rules, but I don't hold myself accountable for ingredients that aren't immediately apparent. So far so good!)