Several people have asked if we've been able to maintain our weight on this diet. The answer is no. This is one area where the difference between us and a disadvantaged person is glaring. We started this diet with plenty of balanced nutrients, so I don't think we could do much damage to our nutrition in 30 days. Of course, this is a very different scenario than a person who has eaten so little for a long period of time. Ryan and I also both started this diet with some extra "padding", so weight maintenance is not something we are worried about. If a person didn't have any to spare, though, this would be very difficult. I'm a long way from "wasting away to nothing" but for many people, loosing a few pounds could be very dangerous and life threatening. It's hard to imagine how arduous it would be to be undernourished and engaging in hard physical labor as so many in the world do.
We have not been participating in any extra exercise. We both walk a least a couple of miles a day (usually more) to and from the bus/Metrolink. We decided that this was sufficient and we didn't need to burn more calories by "exercising". I do yoga a few times a week and that is burning some extra calories, but I'm not jogging right now.
Today's Meals ~
Breakfast ~ steel cut oats with raisins and green tea
Lunch ~ pinto beans and rice with a sprout salad
Snack ~ apple cider vinegar "cocktail"
Dinner ~ rice
Daily Total ~ $1.85
Just a little bit of food for thought...
Kelly
So, how does your system perform? As in regular? Trying to be delicate here...
ReplyDeleteI just ran across this today. This is a great thing that you're doing. Maybe what you should be most grateful for in this little experiment is that you have each other and you're doing this together! I'll bet it would be infinitely harder to do otherwise.
ReplyDeleteLike Alice, I worry about the protein aspect. A little soy milk, perhaps?
Johanna, they're eating beans. Beans and rice combined make a complete protein. I'm no longer worried about that. I was just concerned in the beginning when I got the impression that they were mainly eating rice with only occasional beans. That would not provide sufficient or complete protein. Insufficient protein feeds cravings and if you go long enough, your body will start taking it from your muscles, which is not a good thing.
ReplyDeleteWhile living in Haiti, I was always blown away by the degree to which the laborers exerted themselves with very little nourishment or water (especially water). What I recognized was the human body's astounding capacity to adapt to dire circumstances. Unfortunately, the adaptations the body makes when faced with a lifetime of undernourishment are quite dire in and of themselves. That said, I have never, in the least bit, been concerned that the two of you are in any 'danger' of harming yourselves. 30 days (with regular caloric intake, although seen by many as 'too little') is not long enough for your body to begin shutting down. I appreciate what you are doing and I applaud your attempts at approaching 'the gap.' Thanks for bringing us along. Peace.
ReplyDeleteRon, everything is regular as can be.
ReplyDeleteJohanna, thanks for the encouragement.
Alice, the beans definitely do make a difference.
Sean, I always appreciate your insight!