Day 8: "Crazy with hunger".

Today I learned some important lessons:

1. Hunger can drive a person to do pretty crazy things.
2. When you're really hungry, you can't think about ANYTHING else.
3. Hunger is really a base thing; for the first time I realize how it dehumanizes us.

Now you're saying, "whatever", this girl doesn't know hunger from an oak tree. And perhaps you're right; I can always cheat on my diet, I am not homeless and not (quite) broke, and food is in great supply in this country. In fact, most of us have more than we know what to do with. We may even waste more food than others in this world get to eat... and that is a very sad thought. So no, I can't begin to imagine what the truly hungry people of this world feel like. The closest I can get is to drastically reduce my food intake - while keeping all other factors constant - and see how it affects my daily life.

The last couple days now, I've kept a pretty heavy workout schedule and not had too many freebies in terms of food... I'm flying solo you could say... and I'm feeling it. It's cumulative: a few days of not eating all that I want to, and it builds until it's hard to sleep at night with my stomach gnawing. So tonight I "cheated" and went over by 26 cents... I've banked some surplus so I felt it was alright, plus I am in danger of having my milk go sour and I don't want to waste it.

The faint-hearted can skip this next part:
By the time I got home from work today, I was so hungry that I felt nauseated and weak. The first thing I could get my hands on was some bread and I ate it so fast that it stuck in my throat... but I was so relieved I could have cried!... and then I ate spoon after spoon of my barley concoction and 1/2 a loaf of bread, before hitting the gym. Soon I realized that all my food was just a temporary fix ... the hunger started again. I had run out of money for the day and thus I went over by an extra cup of milk (did a lot of lifting and needed the protein). But all of this solidified my resolve that if I can survive past January, I'll be making some kind of donation to the Ottawa Food Bank. This experiment is certainly an eye-opener.

Oh, and for all you dear cynics who look at my food results and scoff at the large amounts I seem to consume ANYWAYS, let me say in my own defense that I happen to be 5'11", 150 lbs, use my own feet for transportation at least 2 hours per day, and workout 2-3 hours per day. So basically I am a giant machine. Thanks for your understanding...

Breakfast: Turkey sandwich with mustard, Glucosamine $1.14
Lunch: 1 bowl creamy pasta & tuna with green pepper, apple, Tim's coffee & cookie & 1/2 granola bar (free! Thanks Paul) $1.48
Dinner: 4 cups vegetable-barley soup, 2 slices bread with margarine $1.13
Snack: 1/2 loaf crusty bread, 1 tbsp Nutella, 1 tsp margarine, 2 cups milk $1.38
Other: Multivitamin & Glucosamine $0.13

Day 8 Total: $5.26