A new, more challenging . . . Challenge

It's been two years since I've even looked at this blog (though honestly it seems like it's been a lot longer) and the twenty-some pounds I've gained since high school are making me feel like spending so much time in the college cafeteria may not have been such a good idea.

Last time I gave myself a food challenge it was to test my self control. This time I am unashamedly going to admit that I just need to get back into a size-7 jeans.

Also, last time I challenged myself (to not eat sugar from June 1-August 31) I promised myself I would never do that again (kind of like God promising never to flood the earth again, but instead of putting a rainbow in the sky, I just downed 4 quarts of mountain dew in about one hour).

So this time I got a little creative. We all know it isn't what you eat that matters, it's how much. One cheese puff will not kill anyone. A bag of cheese puffs, consumed on a frequent basis, can have adverse effects, however.

Here's the challenge: 1 ounce meals.

Okay, health nuts, don't freak out. We all know there's no way I'm going to pull that off. And most of us know that I really only make rules so that I can create a whole bunch of exceptions to go with them. So here they are:

1. I can eat fruit/vegetables whenever I want.
2. Obviously, no snacking during the day, but I can eat "snack foods" if they fit the weight limit during appointed meal times.
3. (Until I get a weigher thingy) meals probably will be more than one ounce -- they will, however, be small enough to fit on our baby plates. Going to stick with a "spirit of the law" rather than "letter of the law" mindset here. *ahem*
4. On days when I embark on particularly strenuous adventures (hiking, long-distance running) I reserve the right to at least eat a cliff bar (most likely, it will be more than that).
5. Exceptions are subject to change depending on how the first week of this goes.
6. I can eat fruit/vegetables whenever I want. (Had to say that twice. It's important.)

I'm starting on Monday. (For those who'd like to know, I am half-way through a bag of peanut butter M&Ms right now. Delish.) So yeah... Monday.

I will post pictures as often as possible of the food I get to eat and will update this blog on the trials of ... not eating.

And finally, to add to this challenge, I'm going to find a Scripture verse for every blog post. I'm a comfort eater which got me into this in the first place (I'd like to remind you of the bag of chocolate I'm demolishing currently) and the only real comfort comes from God. Weening myself off inordinate amounts of food will only have temporary results if I don't also cultivate a taste for the sweetness of Christ during those times when hot potato-bacon soup with cheese and sour cream seems like the only way to drown my sorrows.


^{Philippians 4 (NIV)
"6} Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."