Saturday, November 17, 2012

Food Stamp Challenge: Aftermath

If you haven't noticed, I didn't post anything on the seventh day of the 7 Day Food Stamp Challenge. As I had been noting for several days leading up to the final day of the Challenge, I was hungry, beat, and crabby. I wasn't feeling up for anything.

The bottom line: I bagged the Challenge after completing six days. I wouldn't say I successfully completed those six days, because I felt awful by around the third day, which continued up until I gorged myself on the day I quit the Challenge. When I got home on Wednesday, I didn't even want to think of how I would pack a lunch for my all-day meeting that would fit within the Challenge. Plus, they would be serving food. It would be a long day. I had done enough.

What did I learn? Well, I probably spend more on food and don't think about how much of it I eat, at least from a financial standpoint. Sure, I don't buy super-expensive stuff by most standards, but I snack when I want and buy quality food. I wouldn't be able to do that on a food stamp budget. I would probably eat more rice and beans, and less Greek yogurt. I would still eat oatmeal, but I would likely omit the walnuts and raisins for cost reasons.

I'm hoping that this little experiment didn't set me back. I worry that the old saying that starving yourself just makes the body hoard calories once normal eating resumes. In any case, I've been eating a but less than normal since ending the challenge.

All in all, it was an interesting six days. I'm happy to be back to eating again.

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