I Lost 20 Pounds in 28 Days. How and Why?

If you have graced my blog before, you may have read about my food addiction. In that you can understand how I put on the extra weight and why I may have wanted to gain some control of the problem. Frankly, most of us could stand to lose a little weight, and I’m sure the title intrigued you. I’m almost positive you are waiting on the answer. Well, the short answer is that I fasted for 28 straight days. I did a complete juice fast with fresh pressed vegetables and fruits from Healing Lives Juices.

Believe you me, if you only drink juice (16oz juices to be exact) 3 times a day for 28 days, you will lose 20 lbs. or maybe even more. But like I said, that’s the short answer.

You see, this time my weight loss wasn’t about weight loss at all, and it can’t be for you either. There is no way I could have made it 28 days without eating solid food without a deeper reason. I’m going to be frank; it was hard as heck! If you embark on such a journey, you had better have more on your mind than getting into those old pair of jeans or slimming down for your class reunion. For me it had gotten real. I had battled with emotional eating and food addiction for too long, and I was simply OVER IT. I was over being exhausted, I was over being in pain, and I was over letting food control me. This fast was for a total reset. When you’re not digesting, you give your body the chance to eliminate toxins and heal. I desperately needed some healing of my esophagus, my intestines, my pancreas, my joints, my entire system.

This was not just a physical reset but a spiritual one as well. My flesh had completely taken over! If I was sad, I wanted to eat. If I was lonely, I wanted to eat. If I was stressed, I wanted to eat. I wasn’t even hungry half the time, but my flesh wanted that boost of all the feel-good chemicals. I was no longer ok with being controlled by my flesh, especially because it does not always lead me in the right direction. The flesh mainly only leads us to what feels good. And we all know, what feels good to you, isn’t always good for you.

Mark 9:29 reads…And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. In this story, the disciples tried to cast an evil spirit out of a boy but were to their surprise unsuccessful. Jesus let them know that this time, more was required. Well, how are we going to get our breakthrough by fasting when it comes to serious spiritual warfare, if we can’t even give up fried chicken for a week, or caffeine for even a day? I wanted to be in control of my mind, body AND spirit. Breaking free of the “need” to turn to food for every little thing gave me the chance to rely on prayer, God’s guidance and my own creativity and inner joy.

How I lost the weight was simple, but the why means so much more. If you want to embark on a weight loss journey, first make it about something bigger. That something must mean more to you than the short-term pleasure you will gain from the desired food. Whatever your “why” is, know that you deserve to be happy and free. You should know that you are loved, and you deserve to be the best version of yourself. Not only that, but those who love you, deserve to experience the best version of you.