Today is the final entry for my recap of my vacation in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico that was just a few weeks ago and it deals with a light fast I chose to do for a few days upon returning home. The motivating factor was simple. Gluttony.
If you’ve ever been to a buffet, then you’ll probably know what I’m talking about. It’s almost natural to want to overeat when at one, given all the choices that exist. The first thought I ever have at one is how I want to try everything there and get my money’s worth. Well that same mentality seemed to be present just as much when on an all-inclusive vacation where food surrounded me 24/7.
Every time I had breakfast, lunch or dinner at the resort’s buffet, I sampled everything because my ego kept convincing me that I would be missing out on something if I didn’t. On one particular evening for example there was a Mexican theme for dinner where they had a huge spread of desserts. I tried one of each, which probably ended up being equivalent to eating around 15 different ones overall.
By the time my vacation ended, I felt so lousy inside due to all this overabundance of food I had consumed on a consistent basis while away. I knew I had gained a few pounds, which many might say isn’t so bad for a skinny guy like myself. But the truth is, I didn’t feel that good about myself in how it happened nor did I feel that good in my body either. This is specifically why I made the conscious choice to go through a light fast beginning on my first full day home.
I have to say though that there were many times during past vacations I would tell myself quite often after overeating “I’ll just go on a diet when I get home”, but I never did, not once. I’m not sure if the reason why I actually did follow through with my verbal promise this time around was due to the spiritual place I’m trying to be in life. Regardless, I kept that promise and began a light fast my first full day back from vacation.
My diet for three full straight days consisted of nothing more than a cup of yogurt with a few tablespoons of granola for lunch and a single Lara Bar for dinner. And this was accompanied with only water or mostly black decaf coffee. To understand the drastic change I went through for those three days, I most likely consumed more than 4000 calories each day on vacation. But during those three days of light fasting, I consumed no more than 400 calories on each.
One of my friends made a joke while I did this light fast and said it sounded like I was binging and purging, but replacing the purging with fasting. I had to laugh, except deep down I was kicking myself for having done so much gluttony with food while I was away. Anyway, I learned two very important things because of my fasting.
One, I definitely have taken food for granted in life. According to the statistics I found online, 805 million people go through most of their days feeling what I felt more than not, which was weak, tired, and starving. It was strange seeing commercials or food programs on television, as I found myself longing to gorge on the pixels in front of me. It was also strange having the desire to eat things I normally don’t eat, just because I was so darn hungry. And I found it almost downright cruel when I had to sit through two different meetings where the aromas of pulled pork and lasagna wafted through the air. But the idea of going through this every single day truly overwhelmed my heart and brought out compassion for all those who have to do this because of their poverty.
The other important thing I learned was how fast I normally eat in life. Many of my friends have consistently told me this but I rarely have ever paid attention to them. It’s true though because at most meals, I was usually the first one finished. But having a single cup of yogurt and a single Lara Bar for an entire day made me want to have this food last as long as it could and I did just that. I savored every bite of that yogurt and took close to 30 minutes to consume it versus the 1 minute it normally took me. As for the Lara Bar, I finished it in close to 20 minutes as compared to the 2 minutes that generally took.
What’s interesting is that my fast ended up lasting just under four days by the time I had my first full meal again, which was a gourmet burger and fries at an upscale bar in Toledo. I will tell you that I did savor every single bite of that burger and fries no different than how I did with that yogurt and bar, and watched as people ate their food around me as fast as I once did. When that meal was finished, I felt more than satisfied on many levels. Thankfully, I am continuing to do this at every meal now and find I’m eating far less than I once did.
But I think the most important spiritual lesson I learned through my light fast is to be grateful I even have food to consume at all, when so many are going without on this planet every single day of their lives…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson