I am currently obsessed with milk. Timmy and I spent last week at the Vineyard National Worship Leaders Retreat - East in Asheville, NC. Breakfast is scheduled for two hours before the first session begins so Timmy and I have never made it to breakfast in our three years of attending. We just pack a bag filled with fresh fruit, bars, bagels, and snacks. When I finally make it to the cafeteria for lunch and dinner, I never really think about milk and I'm not sure I have ever seen milk. I think they only bring it out for breakfast. But then, at night, as it grows closer to bedtime, it happens. Milk!

All growing up, I would drink a glass of milk before I went to bed. I did it for years. Then it stopped around high school and I never quite picked it up again. Every now and then when it would get late and I was hungry, I would drink a big glass of milk. But now, things have changed and I think it all started with Slim Fast. For June, July, and August, I drank a Slim Fast shake twice a day. That's 16oz of milk everyday for three months. When I dropped Slim Fast, I found myself craving milk. I'd eat cereal for light meal or I'd drink 8oz as a 100 calorie snack. Actually, it's more like a 80 calorie snack.

But last week was rough. All I wanted was milk but no access to it without getting in a car. And one of our things when we go to Asheville is that we don't leave the facilities the entire week. So, I just craved milk all week. I'll give you one guess as to the first thing I did when I got home - we went to the store and bought milk and cereal. And when I got home, I had a delicious and satisfying bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. Oh man, so good. That was on Friday night and today is Tuesday morning. Every morning I've had cereal and every night I've had a glass of milk. I've been to the grocery store every day since I got back because I keep forgetting something and I'm going to have to go back today or tomorrow because I need more milk.

I can only assume and hope that this is my body's way of saying "I need what's in the milk." Because I have this new rule and all this milk drinking breaks it. My rule, since I started my new diet five months ago, is that I do not consume my calories in liquid form. For me, it's not worth it. If I'm going to consume 150 calories, I want to eat it and chew it, not drink as an after thought and not even notice. So, for the last five months, I've mainly had water to drink. For dinner, I usually have a sugar free juice like Crystal Like or the generic version. Occasionally, when I go out, I might have a diet soda. Oh, and twice I went to Burlap and Bean and treated myself to one of our their hot beverages.

But really, for the most part, I don't consume calories in liquid form except for milk. But there's something special about milk. First of all, my body doesn't really crave other beverages on a regular basis any more, but it still craves milk. Second, there is something so satisfying about it. It feels like a snack. My body responds to it like food.

So that's my entirely too long of a rant about milk. But I was just sitting here finishing up my breakfast thinking, "Man, Milk. It really does do a body good."