New experiment (dieting)
So my last experiment was living for an extend period on a very limited budget. It was a success in that I was able to stay within the budget, despite the increase in difficulty for even day-to-day activities that resulted. It wasn't fun, but it was informative and I was able to prove to myself that my limits lie beyond that threshold.
My next experiment is a kind of dieting plan. One of the things I learned in the budget experiment is that it isn't easy (for me) to maintain a healthy diet on $3 a day. When you eat rice every day for months that $1.25 box of twinkies (containing 6 packs of 2 each!) looks like a fantastic ocean of flavor. I ended up exercising less (because I was tired often) and I don't think I lost any weight (I think I actually gained a few pounds).
To date, I have never successfully maintained a diet for an extended period, though I have tried to varying degrees on four or five occasions. Given that data, one could make the argument that I CANNOT maintain a diet for an extended period. So this new experiment is to see if that really is where my limit lies, or if I'm a stronger person than previous data suggests.
So here are the new experiment guidelines:
/***/
-All meals not between 1100 and 1700 hours cost 1 token. No token, no meal.
-All meals between 1100 and 1700 cost no tokens, but must be eaten at least 1 hour apart (end of last meal to beginning of next).
-A meal is defined as 3 cups of any food. (I have a 3 cup container for sizing)
5 mi run = 1 token
15 min weight training = 1 mi
20 min firearm training = 1 mi
Each token is a slip of paper with the exercises recorded on it.
Tokens are torn in half when they are used.
All fractions rounded down.
No chocolate (except slimfast drinks).
No soda, except when out with others.
Slimfast and fruit juice acceptable, doesn't count as a meal.
One half meal with vitamin supplement per day, any time.
Start: 4/8/2009
End: 6/6/2009 (60 days)
/***/
This is essentially an exercise for food program.
The soda exception is because I still intend to head out with friends and I drink soda instead of alcohol.
The slimfast and fruit juice exception is because of the high level of vitamins.
Chocolate slimfast also has the same nutrition and calories as the vanilla kind, but tastes less like chalk.
The half meal with vitamin exception is also there to get me to take my vitamins with greater regularity.
The experiment started this morning. As it was the start of the experiment I didn't have any tokens so my breakfast was the half meal with vitamin. I had two meals during the lunch period. I've just finished my fifth mile so I have my first token and I'm going to spend it on dinner tonight.
I had an elliptical machine that I did much of my exercising on but it broke. I bought a replacement today but it is a different model. The old one had a very natural stride and tracked distance in miles. This new one is cheaper, has a circular stride, and tracks rotations. It is more like walking stairs than jogging. Based on time and calories burned, I'm equating 500 rotations to 1 mile.
Like my previous experiments, there are no breaks in between the start and end dates. Slipping even once constitutes a failed experiment, no exceptions. That means I'll probably be trying to earn some extra tokens for when I'm out with others or for big holiday meals.
I also bought a bathroom scale. I weighed in at around 220, 6 pounds down from about two months ago (I've been exercising regularly) and about 4 pounds down from my plateau weight (what I've weighed since graduating high school). This is the strictest diet I've ever been on and I'm curious as to what it will do to my body.
Good luck and good hunting,
LateNightCoder
My next experiment is a kind of dieting plan. One of the things I learned in the budget experiment is that it isn't easy (for me) to maintain a healthy diet on $3 a day. When you eat rice every day for months that $1.25 box of twinkies (containing 6 packs of 2 each!) looks like a fantastic ocean of flavor. I ended up exercising less (because I was tired often) and I don't think I lost any weight (I think I actually gained a few pounds).
To date, I have never successfully maintained a diet for an extended period, though I have tried to varying degrees on four or five occasions. Given that data, one could make the argument that I CANNOT maintain a diet for an extended period. So this new experiment is to see if that really is where my limit lies, or if I'm a stronger person than previous data suggests.
So here are the new experiment guidelines:
/***/
-All meals not between 1100 and 1700 hours cost 1 token. No token, no meal.
-All meals between 1100 and 1700 cost no tokens, but must be eaten at least 1 hour apart (end of last meal to beginning of next).
-A meal is defined as 3 cups of any food. (I have a 3 cup container for sizing)
5 mi run = 1 token
15 min weight training = 1 mi
20 min firearm training = 1 mi
Each token is a slip of paper with the exercises recorded on it.
Tokens are torn in half when they are used.
All fractions rounded down.
No chocolate (except slimfast drinks).
No soda, except when out with others.
Slimfast and fruit juice acceptable, doesn't count as a meal.
One half meal with vitamin supplement per day, any time.
Start: 4/8/2009
End: 6/6/2009 (60 days)
/***/
This is essentially an exercise for food program.
The soda exception is because I still intend to head out with friends and I drink soda instead of alcohol.
The slimfast and fruit juice exception is because of the high level of vitamins.
Chocolate slimfast also has the same nutrition and calories as the vanilla kind, but tastes less like chalk.
The half meal with vitamin exception is also there to get me to take my vitamins with greater regularity.
The experiment started this morning. As it was the start of the experiment I didn't have any tokens so my breakfast was the half meal with vitamin. I had two meals during the lunch period. I've just finished my fifth mile so I have my first token and I'm going to spend it on dinner tonight.
I had an elliptical machine that I did much of my exercising on but it broke. I bought a replacement today but it is a different model. The old one had a very natural stride and tracked distance in miles. This new one is cheaper, has a circular stride, and tracks rotations. It is more like walking stairs than jogging. Based on time and calories burned, I'm equating 500 rotations to 1 mile.
Like my previous experiments, there are no breaks in between the start and end dates. Slipping even once constitutes a failed experiment, no exceptions. That means I'll probably be trying to earn some extra tokens for when I'm out with others or for big holiday meals.
I also bought a bathroom scale. I weighed in at around 220, 6 pounds down from about two months ago (I've been exercising regularly) and about 4 pounds down from my plateau weight (what I've weighed since graduating high school). This is the strictest diet I've ever been on and I'm curious as to what it will do to my body.
Good luck and good hunting,
LateNightCoder