Fast(ing) Food Frenzy

I have never been a huge fast food fan, but you would never know that if you had been around me this week. I am fairly certain that I have never eaten as much fast food in one week as I have this week--not even in college! (of course all we had in college was McD) So I'm feeling like my exercise this week has been in vain--exercise then go cancel it out with fast food.

I have been thinking lately about fasting from things. Several years ago a friend of mine said she was giving up potato chips for Lent. I didn't know much of anything about Lent at the time, so I asked her about it. She didn't have many real good answers, but I didn't do any of my own research. I think I was stuck on the fact she was giving up potato chips because she could sit and eat an entire bag. So, a few years ago I gave up potato chips too. That wasn't too big a deal, I'm not as huge a fan as she is. The last year or two I have learned more about Lent. I have come to the conclusion that, for me, this should be a time of rememberance of Christ's death and ressurection. And fasting from something gives me reason to focus on Christ and Easter. Obviously I am not a very deep, theological person, but if nothing else, giving something up reminds me of Jesus giving up his life for me.

This is an excerpt from Wikipedia about Lent......
Fasting during Lent is a way for Christians to identify with Jesus' suffering, which according the Gospel, Christ underwent for the sake of humanity, in order to make propitiation for their failure to keep the laws instituted by God in the Pentateuch. This sacrifice is referred to by Christians variously as a substitutionary death, a redemptive death, and a death which satisfied the perfect justice of God, who actually provided the means for that satisfaction by sending Jesus, said in the Bible to be God's own son, to die in the place of humanity. It is this distinction which fulfills the Hebrews' hope for a messiah (the "Christ" in Greek ) who would save the troubled nation, according to the New Testament writings.
Many modern Protestants and Anglicans consider the observation of Lent to be a choice, rather than an obligation. They may decide to give up a favorite food (e.g. chocolate, alcohol) or activity (e.g. going to the movies, playing video games) for Lent, or they may instead decide to take on a Lenten discipline such as devotions, volunteering for charity work, and so forth.

So, this year I have given up sweets. If you know me, you know that I am a "sweets" person. So, several times a day I think about sweets and then why I chose to give them up for a period of time. It has only been a little over a week, and I am glad for this experience. I think it is both healthy for me physically and spiritually. Given my eating habits this week, I think fast food should be next on my list of things to give up!!

What are your thoughts on Lent? Have you given anything up, this year or in previous years?