Day 9 and Day 10: Is it Friday yet?

What a week!  Oh man this has been a crazy week.  End of the month is always a challenge because of my job.  Usually I am a ball of stress and nerves and body pain.   And before my stress remedy was lots of sugar!   I mean, who doesn't feel better after a Brownie Fudge Sundae  from Braum's?  But not this month.  I didn't even blink an eye when they had cake at work on Wednesday and cupcakes at work today.  And I didn't judge anyone for partaking...nope, not one bit.  

Okay, so I don't just want to toot my own horn {{toot toot}} because I haven't had sugar for 10 days.  One  of the greatest things has happened as a result of The Whole30.  I haven't been having as much body pain. Who knew that eating whole foods for only 10 days can make such a difference in your body?!? Wait, you mean the people who wrote the book, and the millions of people who have participated in the plan knew this already?  Seriously.  My body feels so good.

I do have a confession to make.  The Bible says "Confess your sins from one to another and pray for each other so that you may be healed."  James 5:16 I hate to admit it, my body has been feeling great but it hasn't been because I have been getting more sleep either.  And don't you know, the week I pledge that I am going to bed at 10 pm my kids won't go to sleep, and I can't fall asleep, and my kids won't stay asleep, and I am stressed, and I must be honest the biggest reason I haven't been in bed on time is because I am obsessed with playing a game on my Kindle...no I won't tell you which one...I won't let you fall into my horrible time-wasting, sleep-stealing addiction.  It is for your own good.  Trust me.

And its not like I have been addicted to this game for a long time...but it has got me, hard.  I need your help and your prayer for me to get rid of this addiction and replace it with working out, sleep, and something that is beneficial...like laundry.  

So, I know that with just the change in my diet, my body is already changing.  And I am not just saying that because someone told me that I looked skinnier either.  My inflammation in my joints is down, and I can move my shoulder without pain.  My desk job involves a lot of typing and 10-key work and by the end of the month the constant repetition with my right hand usually leave me writhing in pain at night.  But not this month.  I am noticing a HUGE difference.  I couldn't be happier, and I know that it is solely due to the change in my diet.

If you haven't been convinced by me to try this new lifestyle yet, just wait.  I can not believe what I am going to experience over the next 20 days and I am so excited that I get to share it  with you.

Day 8: If I can stay on plan after today...I can do anything

This has seriously been a day.  From the moment I woke up this morning I have been stressed.  I am not talking about my shower was too cold, and my hair wouldn't fix right stress. I am talking about real-life, hold-your-breath-until-you-know-it-is-okay, pray-hard stress.

My kiddo woke up with her ear bleeding after she hit her head yesterday so we called the Dr. and ended up in the E.R. this morning.  Everything ended up being okay, and she had just scratched her ear canal and the blood was just superficial.  Praise the Lord!  And thanks to all who prayed for us too.

It is end of month--which is very important in my job.  And missing a half day is a big deal and causes even more stress.

Then something else happened that added more stress for me.  And more.  And more.  And you know what happened?  I survived.  I didn't eat anything not on plan.  I didn't have any of the candy or chips that we have in abundance in the office.  And I wasn't even really that tempted.  I knew it was off limits and didn't even entertain the thought of eating a Milky Way, or Pretzels, or Doritos, or Snickers, or Reeses. 

And I couldn't be more proud of myself.  Really.  It is okay to be proud of your accomplishments.  There were so many things that happened today that would have set me in a sugar swirl of shame just 9 days ago.  On days where I was that stressed in the past it wouldn't have been anything for me to eat two candy bars at work and then have ice cream when I went home and the kids went to bed.  {{hanging my head in disgust}}

But even with my meals not planned today--because of the E.R. visit--I ended up getting a salad from from the hospital cafeteria and everything stayed on plan.  I did it!  I really thought of all days that the circumstances of today would be my downfall.  But it wasn't.  And now I know that after today's craziness that means that I can stay on plan any day.

That just goes to show that my mind is changing. There isn't anything that is going to make me get off-plan because I have already set my mind to stay on plan.  And the message at church this week was just what I needed to hear to help get my mind set.  I go to LifeChurch.tv  The series right now is At The Movies and our pastor takes real movies and puts Biblical perspective on them.

This week the message was about the movie Captain Phillips.  And the message was amazing.  You can watch it here, but you have to hurry.  You can only watch it during one of the live showings THIS week.  But during the message Craig talked about the need for us to watch out for our enemy that seeks to devour us.  We must Stay Alert, Stand Firm, and Be Strong.  I know that some of you may laugh at me to say that my enemy is food, but hear me out, it isn't.  The devil has certainly used food as a tool to beat me up with for many, many years.  But I know that this plan, The Whole30, is what is helping me to be able to Stay Alert, Stand Firm, and Be Strong--that and all the prayers, support, and encouragement I am getting from you.  And today I had a big victory in my fight against food, and ultimately against the devil.

James 4:7 So humble yourselves before God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.