Fasting for February

// February 4th, 2009 // family

This month a few people in our Lifegroup and a bunch at church are doing the Daniel Fast in one form or another from February 1st -23rd. Our pastor Brian wrote about it this morning on his blog and for those that haven’t read it yet, it’s something worth doing.

I heard about it a few weeks ago and my plan all along has been to give up soda for the duration. And now that I’m a few days late to the party, I’m giving it up for the entire month, maybe longer.

It may seem silly to give us something like soda, but I don’t think you truly understand my love of it, mainly Diet Coke. I could drink it with any meal for the most part, including breakfast. It’s so friggin’ delicious and satisfying.

But it’s also a crutch and probably not very good for me. I know that at times I feel tired and lifeless, and I believe a lot of that is due to the amount of Diet Coke I drink.

The idea of a fast is a tough one. I did this last year for the first time when I consumed nothing but water for a single day. It was brutal, but also proved to me how God uses it to bring us to our knees and realize all we need is Him.

This is going to be tough. I’ve made it 5 hours today so far and my head hurts and I want some so bad. But I’m drinking water (and some Emergen-C, I’m not feeling too great) and plugging along.

Plus a good idea has already come from it. I have a 12-pack of Diet Coke under my desk at work, and a fridge full of soda after our Super Bowl party. I plan on taking it all to work and leaving it in the lunchroom for free on Friday.

For those of you participating, what are YOU giving up this month? Or if you aren’t maybe join us in doing this starting today.

8 Responses to “Fasting for February”

  1. D.L. White says:
    February 4, 2009 at 11:36 am

    Diet Pepsi has been my drink of choice for years. I’d have at least one, up to three, a day. I loooooved it. In May of last year, I stopped drinking them cold turkey (not for a fast, but for other reasons). It was a very sad day. The 3-day caffeine and aspartame withdrawal headache afterwards was KILLER, but after I got past that, I noticed that I slept better, felt better, could focus more, etc. Now I only have the occasional Pepsi (regular, not diet) when we have pizza. (Gotta have soda with pizza!) I don’t regret giving it up. I know you’re just giving up diet coke for the fast, but I wonder if you’ll feel better too, and not go back to it??? Keep me posted. Btw-I’m not a health-nut or one of those extremists who thinks everything in processed food is going to kill us or give us cancer… Oh, and sorry this wasn’t more on topic. I’m just interested to see if you feel the same way.

  2. Scotty Dub says:
    February 4, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Good luck Mikey. Remember, there’s always a Starbucks close by. :-)

  3. Rob O. says:
    February 4, 2009 at 11:51 am

    I hadn’t heard of the Daniel Fast before but it’s something I might like to try.

    Re: giving up soda, I’d like to challenge you to, at the end of the month, try only a sip or two before plunging back in. I found – and you might also – that once you’re away from soda pops for awhile and have kinda deep-cleaned your palate, many sodas really don’t taste very good.

    I stopped drinking carbonated beverages cold turkey just about 4 years ago. Once or twice I’ve taken a sip here or there since, but they no longer have much appeal. Diet Coke, which had also been my mainstay, tastes especially yucky now. I had a sip of Diet Dr. Pepper one day last week and it tasted pretty okay, but not great.

    And of course, you don’t just have to replace your sodas with boring plain water. I do drink lots of plain, cold water but also enjoy plenty of iced tea, hot coffee, Crystal Light, and sometimes flavored waters. They may not have the “zing” of a carbonated drink, but there are some alternatives that are just as tasty & refreshing.

  4. Mike says:
    February 4, 2009 at 11:58 am

    @Davina – My hope is that in doing this fast, I do end up feeling better because of it. I definitely think that aspartame is something that keeps me down. The fact that I even know how to spell it is a good indication I know it sucks for me :)

    @Scotty – Yes! I’m giving up soda, not caffeine :)

    @Rob – Like I said, I’m giving it up for the month, if not longer. I’m going to make a good attempt to NOT get back into it after the month is up. You are right, there is a ton of other good stuff out there, I just have to get used to it.

  5. Tyler says:
    February 4, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    This is huge, but TV is the first thing that came to my mind. However I need to talk to Sara before I do to figure out how we can make it work and won’t give up in a few days.

    For some reason TV has been a big issue for me lately. Will get back with you tomorrow and let you know.

  6. adrian says:
    February 4, 2009 at 2:36 pm

    As some of you know, I’m giving up alcohol for the month. To some that may sound funny because saying no to alcohol may seem sensible anyway. However, I’m responsible with alcohol and I LOVE the taste of a good beer or wine. Having dinner with the lifegroup last night DEFINITELY challenged it because those beers looked so good :) Of course, my goal is to use those moments of wanting a drink as a trigger to want more of God. I use those moments to bring a up a prayer to God. It worked out really great for me last year. Any additional triggers to bring myself to God is always a good thing.

  7. Cap'n Schwartz says:
    February 4, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    Daniel Fast? … eh’, he’s not so fast.. Wally is faster…

    I plan to give up gargling peanut butter for the month, I mean its a good time to do this especially with all the taint right now in it anyways, might as well be as good as time as any. Look its either that or making target rubber mats for urinals, and the demand is just too high right now for those (mainly because everyones pissed at the Cardinals loss… Scotty’s blog says so), so right now the peanut butter goes!

  8. nicky says:
    February 4, 2009 at 10:38 pm

    i’m giving up snacking for the month. no cookies, crackers, candy, etc in between meals. not only will this be healthier for me but when i get a craving for something it will remind me to connect with God instead. it will be hard but i am looking forward to see what this month brings!

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