Prayer, Plain and Simple

Prayer, Plain and Simple

The Eucharist Diet: An Unorthodox Leverage of Orthodoxy

posted by Mark Herringshaw | 8:09am Friday January 22, 2010

January 22, 2010

Day 21

Weight: 199 lbs

Weight lost: -7 lbs

I’ve fallen below the benchmark threshold of 200 lbs! I think I’ll celebrate with something chocolate…

I can’t figure – exactly – how this is happening, except to credit it to my experiment. I’m finding myself no longer ravenous for everything edible. Enough seems to be enough. And yet yesterday I managed a decent breakfast of oatmeal, a luxurious lunch of grilled walleye, warm and fresh French bread and butter, and caramel draped apple pie, salad and soup for supper, and communion before bedtime shared with my wife Jill and son, Michael. All and all, satisfied!

But tonight and tomorrow will be a real test of my theory.  I’ll be attending and speaking at a men’s retreat in Northern Minnesota.  Men eat, and eat a lot at these kinds of things. Given my “unorthodox leverage of orthodoxy” strategy, the outcome should be interesting to measure. We’ll see when I get back and step on the scales on Sunday.

Through the retreat my plan will remain unchanged: I’m not going to impose any strict discipline on myself or do any more exercise than usual. I’m just going to “consume” Jesus, and let him take care of the rest!

“Once again, God, I begin by acknowledging that I need more than toast and eggs and coffee. I do need breakfast, and I appreciate it, as it goes. But I need more to fill the deeper empty places. I need what only you can supply. I need you. But as quickly as I ask, you respond. You come and give me yourself. And for that most of all, I am grateful.”  

“The Eucharist Diet” adventure is my six month experiment taking daily communion and tracking and posting the results in my personal life, relationships, health, and body fat percentage.



Previous Posts

A Prayer After the Explosions that Rocked Mumbai
At least 10 are dead in three separate explosions that tore through a business district in Mumbai, India today. Dozens more are injured. The Indian government has confirmed that the explosions were terrorist attacks likely from Muslim radicals. They have placed the entire city on high alert. “Go

posted 11:12:12am Jul. 13, 2011 | read full post »

A Prayer for a True Yankee Hero
Christian Lopez could have made a “cool” fifty thousand dollars… at least. Instead, he didn’t ask for a single thing. And that is the real “cool” in the story. Lopez happened to be sitting in the left field seats at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, July 9th when Derek Jeter hit a towering

posted 7:05:04pm Jul. 11, 2011 | read full post »

A Prayer for Victims of Sexual Abuse
Jaycee Dugard, the young woman kidnapped in 1991 at the age of 11 by Phillip Garrido and held captive for nearly two decades told her story last night to Diane Sawyer on ABC News' "Primetime." Gugard appeared remarkably composed throughout the interview. Phillip Garrido, 60, a serial sex offender

posted 7:57:30am Jul. 11, 2011 | read full post »

A Prayer for Rain
Torrential rains this week brought a first-relief to drought-stricken Texas. But much more is needed if the southern states of the US are to escape the historic dry spell that has gripped the region most of the year. Praying for rain seems fitting. “God, you send rains in season. It is a season o

posted 7:50:14pm Jul. 09, 2011 | read full post »

A Prayer for Crime Victims
 Murder is in the news cycle. Casey Anthony was acquitted this week on charges of first degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. Who hasn’t heard about that, and who doesn’t have an opinion? Now Humberto Leal, 38, who was convicted in 1995 in the brutal raping and murd

posted 9:05:37am Jul. 07, 2011 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments read comments(1)
post a comment
Tom

posted January 22, 2010 at 12:32 pm


Because of the title of the post and first letter caps, I couldn’t tell if you meant orthodoxy or Orthodoxy, and so I thought you were resorting to some Black Fasting (as in this diet isn’t working; I have to take more drastic measures!)
I wish you well in your slimdown (and do let us know when you start posing for SlimFast ;-)
Sincerely,
Thomas



report abuse
 

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.

Share this story


About Beliefnet

Our mission is to help people like you find, and walk, a spiritual path that will bring comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness. More about Beliefnet.

Help

Media Kit

Subscribe

Legal

Copyright © Beliefnet, Inc. and/or its licensors. All rights reserved. Use of this site is subject to Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. Constructed by Beliefnet.

Advertisement

Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.