So my chiat diet challenge has come to an end. 31 days of living off of whatever leftover food I could find around the office. And not just during the work week, but on weekends as well. Why would I subject myself to such a ridiculous idea? I wish I could say it was for something noble like "I'm doing this for the starving children in ethiopia." or even a punishment or consequence wouldn't be that bad, like "I lost a bet, and now I have to scavenge food for the rest of the month." but sadly, none of those reasons are true. In the end, I did this because a friend of mine raised the question if it were even possible, and I guess I was just bored and had nothing else better to do at the time. But it wasn't a complete waste of time. I did end up learning a few things along the way:
From learning how to ration food, to physically feeling the importance of having nutrients in your diet. I've learned to appreciate how fortunate I am to have so many choices in the types of food I get to eat. And although I still don't think I know what it's like to be truly hungry, I believe I've had a small glimpse into what it's like for people who experience hunger.
But the most important thing I'm taking away from all of this is being reminded of the generosity of people. Throughout the month, friends and co-workers were constantly letting me know where I could find food. Phone calls, emails, even shouts from across the hall. If there was food up for grabs in the building, people would let me know about it. Some friends would even try to convince to bend the rules so I could eat some of their food when I was hungry. There were also a number of times when I would return to my desk and find something left for me to eat. I would never eat it of course, but the thought was always appreciated.
The month began with me trying to see if I could live off of food that I find in the office. But by the end of the month, I ended up learning more about myself and other people.
So what was my first meal off the chiat diet? I thought it'd be beneficial to reintroduce nutrients back into my system. So the day began with some multi-vitamins and a healthy breakfast.
But that whole plan went to the crapper when I learned that the south philly experience food truck was going to be outside the office. Yummmmmy!
Final Weight: 165 lbs (-7.4 lbs from initial weigh in.)