I tend to dine out most days, and my weight is definitely reflecting that habit! No matter how much I walk, it’s just not coming off. I’m 30 lbs heavier than I want to be and 20 lbs bigger than I was last year. So, I’ve been looking into getting physically active again to knock this weight off and just feel better overall. I’m truly not that concerned about the number on the scale…I’m blessed with nearly 6 feet of height, and it spreads out pretty well. 😉 What I do care about is increasingly tight-fitting clothes, back fat, and cellulite. Grr…

I’ve been walking for an hour  3 or 4 times a week, but that’s not cutting it. I was reading some of Guruji’s work because I was looking for the answer to someone else’s question and came across his words on fasting. He recommends a three-day orange juice fast once a month to help the body, and I’ve done that before, but you really have to be in the mindset to go without eating! And I’m not there at the moment. But there was something else he recommended — a fruit fast. Now, that I can definitely do!  Only I would call it “raw vegan”. I’ve experimented with that lifestyle and blogged about it at The Fruit Experiment, if you’re interested. 

A one-day fast on fruit each week, or a three-day fast on orange juice each month, are good ways to accustom oneself to fasting. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda

So, I picked Tuesday since I was off work that day. I took about a week to mentally prepare myself. It also gave me time to acquire the fruit I wanted — organic grapes, grapefruit, cucumbers, blackberries, bananas, and a cantaloupe. Any given grocery store usually has grapes but not organic ones; but, I can almost always find those at Whole Foods, especially this time of year. I think it’s their season. So, that’s what I purchased. 

I started out at 183 lbs, when I weighed Tuesday, and went down to 178 on Wednesday. Since it’s just a one-dayer, I expected a 2 or 3-lb loss, but not 5 lbs! On Tuesday, I ate one bag of grapes for breakfast, which is as much as it took for me to feel full. I’d planned on eating two bags (2 lbs), but I snacked on the other bag until lunch. For lunch, I had two huge cucumbers with a little sea salt. For dinner, a cantaloupe, again with a little salt, which is how I’ve always loved to eat this melon. I was fully satisfied!

A master may ignore, without ill effect, dietary and other rules for health. The ordinary individual, however, should be careful to maintain physical well-being by right observance of the laws of nature. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda

On Wednesday, I’d originally planned to go back to eating normally; however, I still had the bananas, blackberries, and a grapefruit. So I ate the remaining fruit instead, which was six bananas spread over a few hours from breakfast to lunch.  I had the grapefruit and two packs/pints of blackberries around lunch. Then I went back to eating regularly. I didn’t want to waste this fruit!

Now, Guruji does not recommend fasting for weight-loss purposes (even though it’s a side effect!); rather, fasting is to prove by experience that “everything is mind,” and mind has dominion over matter. 

Guruji’s Affirmation

I am the master of this body. It will obey my mind irrespective of any food I eat. Any tendency toward fatness or thinness must go! 

 

Disclaimer: In sharing my experience, I’m not recommending this practice for you, the reader, in particular. Always consult your doctor regarding health matters. 🙏🏾