Here we are!  Day 10!  Can I be honest with you?  I wasn’t sure I would make it to day 10.  The longest Feast/Fast I’ve ever done was 5 days.  And that wasn’t easy for me.  But with the encouragement of friends, I did it and I feel healthier than I have in a long time.

If you are considering doing a Feast, here are some tips I learned while doing mine that will hopefully help you along your journey:

1.  Know why you are doing it. 

This may sound stupid.  You’re doing it to lose weight, right?  But consider other benefits you’ll receive such as mental clarity, better complexion, an overall healthier body that had time to repair and rejuvenate, and if you’re lucky, an excuse to not cook for 10 days.

2.  Be accountable to someone

There’s no better way to stay on the plan than if you have to confess how you’re doing to someone.  I had a lot of someones.  I had the group I was doing the Feast with, family, and you all.  And don’t be afraid to be honest!  No one will think less of you.  They’ll only offer you words of encouragement that you might very well need at the moment.

3.  Stay distracted

There will be times when you’ll be hungry and bored.  Boredom is one of the number one reasons Americans overeat.  And that’s not even when we are hungry!  Imagine how hard it will be if you’re sitting around bored AND your stomach and mind are telling you to get a snack.  This is the perfect time to try something new or pick up an old hobby you let stay dormant.  Here are some suggestions:

• Any kind of craft.  When I was trying to stop drinking wine, I painted.  It kept me occupied for hours.  Here’s Halloween Kitties (those darn cats are always up to something!  I’ve caught them water skiing, decorating Christmas  cookies, and coloring Easter Eggs.)  For this Feast, it was sewing (see Spike’s new outfits here!).  It doesn’t matter what you do.  Scrap booking, crocheting, repurposing furniture (see a great example of that here!), or bringing back macrame (don’t we all need a yarn owl hanging on the wall).  It doesn’t matter.  Just pick something and have fun with it.  Before you know, you’ll have killed hours and have something to show for it afterwards.
• Walk.  How much do you know about the neighborhood you live in?  If you only get in your car and drive to places, you may be missing out on some cool stuff.  Having a dog helps.  Sometimes I’ll let him dictate where we go and he goes places I would have never gone, like alleys and that scary looking house concealed by all those trees in front (what are they hiding in there?)  But he also led me to a fountain I’d never seen and a really cool greenhouse I never knew was there.  Not only will you get fresh air and exercise, but discovering new things releases dopamine into your brain.  Dopamine makes you feel good and and creates a sense of peace.  Win-win!
• Get rid of the old.  Doing a Feast is way more than just a way to lose weight.  It about getting rid of the old and bringing in the new.  Getting rid of old, damaging habits and starting new beneficial ones.  It’s about breaking dependencies and strongholds in your life.  Take this opportunity to clean up any other unfinished business you may have.  Got clothes that no long fit or are out of style? (parachute pants will never be back in style).  Donate them.  That pile of random socks you think you’ll eventually find the match for?  That prodigal sock is gone.  Let it go and throw it’s mate away!   Mounds of paper in your office?  Go through it and organize.  Getting tons of emails from companies you don’t care for?  Don’t just delete them, take time to unsubscribe (it’s amazing how good that feels.  I mean, how did I get on the email list for taxidermy?)  Whatever you’ve been letting pile up in your life is only crowding out good things.  Now is the time to purge both weight and what’s weighing you down!
• Rearrange your house.  When you first hang up a new picture, you probably look at it often.  You admire how cool it looks there. But after a while, you don’t even notice it anymore.  Same thing with furniture.  Have fun with moving things that have always been in the family room to the bedroom.  Hang up new pictures, buy a new houseplant, move rugs, anything to create a new environment.  And if there are things you discover your don’t need, donate or give to friends.  Remember, new experiences release dopamine.
• Pamper yourself.  Take a bath (with products from Rafa Natural of course!), get a massage, pedicure, facial, whatever.  Don’t want to spend any money?  You can easily create your own face mask at home or just even take 10 minutes to sit in the quiet with a lit candle.  Whatever pampering means to you is fine.  If pampering means sorting  your recycling bin, then you’re weird, but that’s ok!  Do it!  It’s all about you.
• Volunteer.  There’s no better way to spend time then helping someone else.  It doesn’t have to been some grand effort.  It can be as small as volunteering to watch someone’s kids for a couple of hours or mowing your neighbor’s lawn when they are out of town.  And did you know that helping others is the number one dopamine releaser?  (I can see know I really need to write a post on dopamine!)  You’ll feel good and you’ll help someone out.

These are just a few ideas.  The only thing I wouldn’t suggest doing is watching TV.  I tried that one night.  There were so many food commercials it was pure torture!  I had to turn it off.  I switched over to a documentary on Netflix, curled up with Spike and was asleep in no time, cause documentaries can have that effect on me.

If you decide to do a Feast, let me know.  I’d love to provide encouragement, accountability, and even come help you move your furniture around for you if you need it!  You can do it!  It’s not easy though, so don’t be a hero.  Get the help of someone!

Results

Here are the final results.  I’m pretty satisfied with them.  Didn’t reach my goal, but it was probably unreasonable anyway. I mean, what 45 year old woman loses 20 lbs in  10 days

Day 10:  DONE!

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