Accepting Feelings of Hunger… My Bone Broth Fast Experience

No Make-up. No Filter. 

Today started as any other day, with a time of meditation and prayer, moving into my children's rooms waking them for school. Feeding them breakfast and choosing for myself a simple yogurt smoothie, which ignites a chain reaction. Was it due to the brief conversation on Sunday with a friend on her Keto Diet? Turning my own eating and exercising habits into a petri dish whose microscope is magnifying my ego. See, I've never been one for consistency - exercising when I feel like it, with no regularity. Resentfully dialing down my inclination to fried food, sweets, and other crappy food choices when my chin starts to resemble a game of connect the dots. The chain reaction started with the conversation which exploded on Monday morning, the morning of best intentions, starting with a healthy smoothie and an inspiring jog, and then, explosions: the idea of a Bone Broth Cleanse began to form. Unexpectedly, I  decide to replace lunch with a cup of bone broth and meditation. 

Text an Accountability Partner when Images Torture!

♡Day 1: Breakfast is a simple smoothie of plain yogurt, frozen mango, chia seeds and a splash of OJ. Lunchtime comes and I quietly sit with a steaming hot mug of Taking Stock Salted Chicken Stock. It's delicious and nourishing. I feel completely satiated and succeed at no snacking that afternoon. 

Without even being hungry that afternoon I decide to add an energy drink powder into my water.  This I regret deeply because I don't like drinking chalk or being wired until 10PM. Reminder to not drink energy drink things after lunchtime. 

Or ever. 

Dinner is successful. I choose lean protein, mostly veggies, a little bit of brown rice, and only one cookie for dessert. I feel good about those choices. Everything in moderation - even moderation. 

Later that evening, I torture myself by logging into Pinterest. Every ooey, gooey chocolate cake  tempts to ruin my first day of near success.  As I start to get hungry, I text my accountability partner. Confession feels good and somehow releases my guilt to the universe. I go to bed hungry. Embracing the feeling of hunger and not numbing it down with unhealthy choices. 

♡ Day 2: My alarm goes off and I'm instantly awake, literally jumping out of bed. Maybe because I'm really hungry? A good friend has referred me to a new wellness product, Yoli. I'm starting my day with their YES whey protein shake. Its chocolatey and sweet, not too sweet, and I like the ingredient list. Not sure how this will tide me over, but it's worth a try to set myself up for a successful experience. 

Lunch is Taking Stock's Turmeric Ginger Broth with a little chopped green onion. 

Really. Tasty. 

Mentally, I'm not sure I'll survive on liquid lunch, so I mindfully eat a handful of almonds. 

I make it to dinner without snacking. Success! Dinner is a fresh stir fry full of edamame, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, eggs and brown rice topped with a dollop of kimchi and sriacha. My son's half-eaten chocolate zucchini cake sits on the table, harassing me. The cake wins. I sit down and eat. 

An hour after dinner I seriously want a cookie, but I restrain myself. 

Taking Stock's Turmeric Ginger Broth with Chopped Green Onion.

♡ Day 3: I slept horribly last night. My husband and I got into a deep conversation which lasted into the wee hours of the morning. Is the bone broth cleansing my emotions and thoughts, too? 

My Yoli breakfast shake goes down literally in 34 seconds. Morning mantra goes something like this,  must survive on hot tea until broth at noon. Save me.

Lunchtime arrives, but I've run out of Taking Stock Broth. Bummer. I heat up my own broth, which is a staple in my freezer, but mine isn't really a drinkable broth. My broth is fantastic in Chicken & Dumplings, but on its own tastes of onions. I slowly sip it down while listening to an inspiring podcast about finding your truth. 

It's 2:30, I'm starving. I've been pushing myself physically today. My pantry must hold some small source of protein to sustain me. Nothing but cookies, granola bars, carbs, crackers, cereal, cake, carbs, carbs, carbs everywhere. No wonder! Full realization of my habits is upon me. Tonight I'm teaching a cooking class, as I prepare to serve my students my mental energy is running high, I need to be my best! I heat up some 4-day-old leftover chicken and gravy, get a glass of water, sit down, breath, look at my food, and eat, slowly. I'm going to be OK. Until…there is a cookie in this house calling me to eat. I snatch it and run to my computer to write this out, after taking a bite my mind focuses on the words: Mindless eating. I'm done with mindless eating. I have to stop. My depression and anxiety are too great. My eating is NOT serving my highest self. Now, I'm going to sit somewhere quiet with this cookie and enjoy every single bite. This is how we should be savoring our food. Mindfully.  

GYST Fermentation Bar 
A Zen Place to Reflect over Beet Kvass

♡ Day 4:  I'm hungry today. I've exercised really hard this morning, I'm proud of pushing myself and my body is starting to feel stronger and healthier, but I need to add some protein into my afternoon. Bone Broth lunch is not going to fulfill me today. To my cup of bone broth this afternoon I add some shredded chicken. I'm feeling more mindful around my eating. Realizing habitually stuffing food into my mouth must end for a life of abundance and success. This reset is really good. My Yoli girlfriend said I shouldn't be hungry - ever. I'm disagreeing with her. I think I should be hungry for a time of reflection. Then, after I give myself a little reset, I'll feel more powerful over my eating choices. Realizing my hunger is almost a mental struggle, too. As pangs of hunger come on, its almost like I don't want to FEEL that, and I quickly eat something so I don't have to feel. No. Accept the feeling. Tell yourself, its OK to feel hungry. Sit in the at FEELING. Accept. Love. Be.

♡ Day 5: I completely skip my bone broth lunch today. And I'm OK with that. 

♡Day 6: Part of this experiment has been learning to accept feelings of hunger. 

As I sat, hungry, in 4:00 rush hour traffic, I was worried. How was I going to make it home with this hunger in my belly? The temptation to stop for a quick bite to eat was really great. I talk myself off the ledge: Telling myself its OK to feel hungry. You're going to be home in one hour. You can do it. Call a friend. I call three friends - luckily they answer and soon I'm home. Home to a crock pot of healthy chili which I had the foresight to prep on my busy work day. 

Feeling confident because I exercised self-control in choosing nourishing food choices.

Buy Gelatin Here!

♡ Day 7: Breakfast has been consistent every day this week — a Yoli Shake, which I'm adding pure gelatin into for extra protein, something I've learned I'm lacking! Gelatin has so many benefits, essential amino acids which help your liver function, a great source of protein, collagen for healthy skin, hair and nail. It's tasteless, odorless and doesn't make things thick and gooey - you can add to coffee or tea.  Buy some HERE!  Lunch this week was bone broth with a small handful of nuts, or small protein source, during a time to pause for mediation. Dinner was a lean protein, veggies and whole grains shared with my family.

These eating choices and practices feel really good. 

Replacing lunch with bone broth was a fun, challenging experiment leading me into several realizations about myself, which I hope inspire you, too! 

✔ Prepare yourself for success. I know what it's like to be a full-time working family. It's chaos, but you deserve abundance. Push yourself to prep crockpot meals, pre-bag snacks with protein and fiber, pack water bottles everywhere you go, force yourself to eat a full breakfast. 

✔ Make excersice a priority. Even ten minutes of stretching will be beneficial. 

✔ Fill your head with inspirational messages. Have a mantra to turn to when negativity fills up. Read the Bible. Get a motivational podcast going. 

✔ Have a support network. Phone a friend. Always. Be vulnerable. Share.

✔ Give yourself grace!