I just finished reading a book by Derek Prince called Shaping History Through Prayer & Fasting. It was thought-provoking and convicting. Prince chronicles some proclamations given by past US Presidents- Lincoln, Washington, Adams and Madison. Each of these men at times called for unity in fasting and prayer as a nation to repent of sin and return in humility to God. I found the book interesting in how it tied the blessings that our country currently enjoys to the prayers/devotion that men and women throughout US history have displayed towards God.
Another short book which you can read on http://stewardshipmandate.com tackles the secrets to living a long, healthy life. It is called The Art of Living Long by Luigi Cornaro. It was written in the 16th century when the average life expectancy was around 50 years for males. Luigi came close to death in his mid 30s. He radically changed his lifestyle after this experience and began to practice moderation in eating and drinking. In this book, Cornaro chronicles how his blood became purified through these disciplines. He lived past 100 years- a tremendous feat for that day and age.
These writings and many others have impressed on me the need to get serious and focused about combatting gluttony. This has always been a struggle for me. I hide it well through regular exercise. I have tried- unsuccessfully- many times to sustain some short fasting periods- usually no more than a day or even a six-eight hour period. I have at times consumed sixty ounces or more of diet coke per day. If there is a bag of tortilla chips or a carton of ice cream in the house, I usually try to finish the whole thing in one sitting. My rationale is that this type of food is bad and that I need to get rid of it. But it would be a sin to just throw it a way- I say that tongue in cheek.
So I am undergoing an experiment to attempt to bring my eating and drinking habits under God's control. I am currently 6'3" 207lbs. I think my natural, healthy weight should be around 190lbs. I read that in order to lose fat, you need to consume less than 10 times your body weight in calories each day. I also read that you should consume 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water each day.
My goals are to: consume less than 2000 calories daily, drink over 100 ounces of water daily and drink less than 24oz of soda daily. The foods that I am focusing on are lean proteins- cold water fish, lamb, turkey, eggs, soy, nuts, chicken, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. I am trying to minimize sugar, salt, soda and processed foods. I am going to attempt this experiment at least during the month of December- it will be kind of like the opposite of Super Size Me. I will continue my normal exercise routine- which is 4 times per week- weights, cardio and basketball.
I expect to report some great results in the way that I feel and fat loss. I have found this truth to be foundational over and over- what we measure tends to improve. More importantly, I hope that through these disciplines, I will be able to see changes to my prayer life and intimacy with God. We live in a culture that celebrates gluttony in all of its forms. I pray and encourage us all to be models of sobriety and discipline in these issues. The secret to life is to love God and enjoy Him forever. But also to be on a path of increasing frugality towards self so that we might be more generous to others.
For His Glory,
Ashley Hodge
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