Today started out with a true savory green smoothie. Although it is not exactly what was on the recipe, I have wanted to give it a try.

The great thing about the Green Smoothie Queens is that they are not trying to force feed me a plan or program. They are giving me tools that will help me make positive choices for my life.

Day Three Menu:

Breakfast: 2 stalks of celery, 1 banana, ½ cup of V-8 juice, one tsp onion powder, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 4 pieces of ice. This is not a McDonald’s smoothie – that is for sure. But I like the mix of pepper flavors. I think that if you dipped the glass in coarse salt before pouring in the smoothie you might just have a party drink. I’m also wondering if maybe the savory drinks might be better warm and in a mug . . .

Lunch: The recipe on the schedule included fruit. My body and too much sugar (even natural sugar from fruit) do not play nice. I decided to substitute the breakfast smoothie, with a green onion in the place of the onion powder and no cayenne pepper or banana. I warmed it up in the microwave and then ate it like soup. Even my husband was surprised at how good it tasted. I also enjoyed a small baked potato with a pat of butter and some salt and pepper.

Dinner: A little digression from the prescribed menu. I had some left over pasta that I had added broccoli and spinach to when I made it. I had a cup of that pasta and the rest of my tomato and romaine salad from last night.

I drank water with all of my meals and added lemon for some flavor. It is surprising that even with the small amounts I have eaten, I still feel satisfied. As a matter of fact, I feel a little heavy after that pasta.

Normally, my energy level tends to dissipate by three. Today I felt energized most of the day. It could be all of this greenery that my body is encountering. The hints of spring floating around may also have something to do with it. All in all, I am enjoying my Green Smoothing experience – and so are my body, mind and spirit!

One note – anyone that has ever seen me cook will tell you that I am not a recipe kind of gal. I consider a recipe as a starting point. Since the key to the green smoothie program is to get more fresh veggies in my system, I am using the recipes and modifying them to my own tastes and needs.

So much stuff crowds my life. Stuff surrounds me every where I turn and it can become overwhelming. Recognizing when I have had enough can be just as overwhelming. The “too much” feeling has been a part of my life for so long that just enough becomes foreign.

Christian Weight Loss Revelations

1. Weight loss comes from eating when hungry. True hunger comes with an empty or hollow sensation in the region about six inches or so above your belly button. Christian weight loss occurs when you eat at this hunger moment and all other cravings are curbed by feeding the heart.

2. Satisfaction aids in weight loss. Finding a place of satisfaction may require using a few cheats in the beginning. Eat half as much as you put on your plate. Use smaller plates. Eat slower and enjoy the company and the atmosphere while you eat. Chew each bite so that you can taste each bite. Satisfaction comes the moment you are no longer HUNGRY!

3. Weight loss appears when fear is released. There are times when I eat more than I need (or want) because I “love” that particular meal and I worry that I will not have a chance to have it again. The good news is that I CAN get more later and I will enjoy it more if I only eat until I am satisfied.

4. Keep it simple. Finding satisfaction and hunger to aid in weight loss does not have to be a challenge. Choose to wait to eat until the feeling in your stomach seems unbearable (and then wait another hour). Only eat a few bites and then walk away from the food. That hunger sensation will soon come again.

5. Weight loss naturally occurs when you bring in fewer calories. Eating at hunger and stopping at just enough will help make that weight loss happen.

The biggest difference between Christian weight loss and other weight loss diets is that prayer assists in the understanding of why food has become so important. Once food is taken down off the pedestal then the weight loss can begin in earnest. Finding hunger and satisfaction is one step in the Christian weight loss process.