Week Two

Life is a battle; defeat is a choice when victory has been provided.

-- Matt Evans, Rockbridge Community Church

Week two results are in!
Me: down 3.8lbs; total 13lbs - no change in inches (belly)
Richard: down 3.4lbs; total 9.6lbs - no change in inches (belly)
Micah: down 3.6lbs; total 16.6lbs
Noah: he went to Michigan for winter break so his results to come

The stand off on Talon Drive hill has come to a peaceful end. Thinking that Micah would change his eating habits so drastically was an unrealistic expectation. I was so hopeful for that “Christmas Miracle”. We made a compromise that he did not have to do the full detox, as long as he remained gluten and sugar free. We found some really good gluten free, organic chicken nuggets and other gluten free and free of refined sugar foods that he is willing to eat. He has also said he will continue to try new foods. This hasn’t happened yet, but maybe.

The good news is that he continues to lose. He had a doctor appointment this past week and she has never been so happy. Between this and a growth spurt, his BMI has gone down 2.5%. I do not put too much emphasis on BMI because I think it is a bunch of hooey, but I could tell he felt good about how proud she was of his progress.

I am learning to stay in my circle of influence. I can control what goes on in our house, but it would drive me crazy if I tried to control his decisions at school, at a friend’s house, or in the real world. My hope is that he will decide on his own that feeling better is worth not eating the junk. He went to the dinner and the movies with a friend last night and he had chicken fingers and fries at dinner and a soft pretzel and water at the movies. While this made my eye twitch just a little, it is a HUGE improvement over what he would have done in the past. It’s progress in the right direction.

What is amazing is that his eczema is almost completely gone! He has more energy and is not sleeping as much and he is much more chill since he has changed his diet. Micah has alwasy been a real snotty child (literally). Every morning he would get up and his nose would just run constantly. It drove me crazy! Mostly because he would wipe it on the collar of his shirt instead of using a tissue and I would have to tell him to change his shirt every morning. I noticed mid week last week that I had not told him to change his shirt and I did not have to tell him the rest of the week. He has not had a runny nose at all!

Noah had a rough week. His emotional detox took place last week, which is probably best since I was so emotional the week before. He fought with Micah something awful and he was the one to pick the fight, which is unlike him. One night he just unloaded on Micah. Through his tears, years of pent up feelings came pouring out - frustrations and hurts that he has just buried and not dealt with. After he emotionally vomited all over Micah, he went for a run. When he came back I could tell that a weight had been lifted off of him.

Noah had the opportunity to go to Michigan with my mom and dad this week. It is good for him to have some time away from Micah and get special attention from our family. My parents usually have candy in their car for road trips so the car was dubbed the “candy car”. Noah says to them (they are doing the 30 day detox too), “I guess this is no longer the candy car. We will have to rename it “the organic car”. It will be interesting to see how he does on the detox while he is away from home. My sister did send me proof that he had his morning shake this morning!


The most rewarding part of the week for me is that I made it through Valentine’s day without eating anything sweet! I made some candy for Noah out of the chocolate protein powder, coconut oil, and almond butter - I had one and it was really good, but really rich. WHAAAAAA?? I NEVER thought I would EVER hear that phrase come out of my mouth, especially with regard to chocolate!!!

I traveled to one of the county offices for a meeting on Valentines day and there were donuts and candy everywhere. It surprised me that I didn’t have a desire to eat any of them. But, what really shocked me was the response I had when someone brought Burger King back to the office for lunch. The smell of it made me nauseated. I never thought the smell of fast food would make me feel like that. The next day I worked in a county office where they brought in pizza for lunch. While I was not tempted to eat it, I will admit that I stood in the room and deeply inhaled the smell several times!

Another crazy thing I have realized is that my ears have cleared up. For over a decade now, I have had eczema in my ears. They itched all the time and there was a constant cycle of scratching to the point of draining, scabbing over and then it would start over again. The worst part is that I thought I was losing my hearing. Richard often complained that I couldn’t hear him. I would tell him “it’s not my fault you mumble”, but I was afraid because it was becoming increasingly harder to hear. The saddest part, for me, was when I sang. I could no longer hear myself sing. It was like I was under water. This morning, I knew I was on pitch when I sang “Oh Praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead” because I could hear myself again!!! What a gift!

I put the quote from my pastor, Matt Evans, at the top of this post because it hit me right between the eyes this morning. Prior to these 30 days, I was walking around defeated. I was allowing depression and anxiety to overtake me on daily basis. Fear kept me in my comfort zone. I was afraid of being vulnerable, making connections with people, allowing God to use my gifts and talents. I actually felt like I did not have any gifts, talents, or personality to offer anyone.

I have energy. I am sleeping better. I am making connections with people; smiling more, reaching out, making conversation. I am not overcome by negative thoughts that were plaguing me night and day. As I have fueled my body with the foods God gave us to eat and as I rid my body of the foods the enemy is using to destroy us - I am walking more closely in the calling that God has for me. What a difference 14 days makes!