My Dear Trash: Finally Published

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Finally Published - Starving Girl!

The counselor has been so supportive while I’ve been fasting and writing about my experience. Where would I be without him?

When we were in Sedona in August, we spent some time writing down our goals. I love doing this with him.

“When are you going to publish your book?” he asked.

Oh, yeah, that little old thing!

Here I am in Sedona thrifting at Goodwill.

I wrote Starving Girl in 30 days and spent months editing it.

There was a time, around the 5-month mark when I put the darn thing away. I didn’t want anything to do with it. Writing a memoir was hard, emotional, VULNERABLE! I'd much rather be spending time with this little guy.

Crazy dog!

I loved fasting and I wrote about the ups and downs, the challenges and benefits, how I felt and managed 16-hours a day without food, but my experience was about so much more than fasting. My mind was so clear and focused and writing became a necessary function. Not only did writing helped the hours pass when I was hungry, but it allowed me to binge on my ideas. These were personal ideas I’d never shared with anybody. Fasting was not about food or dieting, but how my negative body image and food addiction hurt me. I started asking questions about women and how we compare ourselves to all the perfect photo-shopped images the media presents to us. Once I started down that path, I realized how sexual abuse played a huge role in my weight gain and how I had been running away from shame. I learned how overeating affected my mood and my relationships. Intermittent fasting was about hunger management and thinking of those who went without. It was about learning to be grateful and living in the present, not the past or future. My mind opened up in ways I’ve never experienced. As I studied more about intermittent fasting, I realized this was not by mistake. Increased brain function is one of the many benefits of fasting.

Leading scientists now believe that intermittent fasting is one of the key strategies for maximizing brain function. Click here to learn more.

According to neuroscientists, Fasting does good things for the brain, and this is evident by all of the beneficial neurochemical changes that happen in the brain when we fast. It also improves cognitive function, increases neurotrophic factors, increases stress resistance, and reduces inflammation.

Fasting is a challenge to your brain, and your brain responds to that challenge by adapting stress response pathways which help your brain cope with stress and risk for disease. The same changes that occur in the brain during fasting mimic the changes that occur with regular exercise. They both increase the production of protein in the brain (neurotrophic factors), which in turn promotes the growth of neurons, the connection between neurons, and the strength of synapses. Click here to read more.

So, when I was writing about intermittent fasting and I had a clarity of mind like never before in which my thoughts were going a million miles a minute and I could articulate them in meaningful ways, this was not by mistake. This was a major benefit of fasting. I was remembering things, writing specific details, I didn’t get headaches like I had before intermittent fasting, I was remembering to pray every day, I could focus and meditate, research and brainstorm, I could go hours without the interruption of meals and snacks, I was focused and my writing became a channel of deep thought and healing.

I came across this quote, and it affected me deeply.

I could be vulnerable. I could do it! I was starving for more than food, I was starving to live my purpose. I was starving to love, learn, heal, help, serve, give, dream and more.

I’ve read and edited Starving Girl countless times, but once the counselor and I set that goal to publish the book on my birthday September 24, I became determined to get the job done. I wasn’t going to edit Starving Girl forever, like I’d been doing with my other books I’d written. I was going to take that leap of faith, the plunge, put myself out there and whatever happened, I would be alright. It was going to be finished by my birthday, and that was that.

I met with my editor the evening of my birthday and she said we were close, but she had a few more suggestions. I came home and worked through the night, into the next day and for the next week like crazy. Everything was on hold. The kids helped out more and encouraged me in the kindest ways. My friends helped with the baby. The counselor and I gave up date night, I didn’t exercise for the entire week, I don’t even know if I looked up, but a week later, it was ready. One more final professional edit for typo’s, a new cover was finished and BAM! it was up.