Challenge Reports, Day TWO

from Brian S (pastor)
I am on day two of the challenge and it's harder then I thought it'd be. You don't get much with $21 and I had to go to three different stores to stretch out my money. I was able to snag some bread, pb and j, meat, hamburger helper, chips, milk, cereal, spaghetti, and some pop (I won't make it a week on this diet without some caffeine; was able to snag 2 2-liters at HyVee for $.90 a piece (Dr Pepper and Pepsi!) with my money, and we'll see how it goes.
Couple of things already jumping out at me. The first is how people react to the fact that I am on the challenge. I had people that wanted to take me out to lunch this week, give me food, etc, and when you explain the scope of the challenge, you get these 'why would you do that' kind of looks. I was also surprised at how prevalent food is in my world and how much I consume it without really thinking about it. I went to my house and was so tempted to open a cupboard or the fridge and just eat away.
We had our small group over to the house last night and we always serve a snack and it was difficult to pass up the snack. Right now, I am definitely 'hungry' and yet I don't know if it's a physical hunger or a psychological hunger due to the fact that I am consciously passing up on opportunities to eat that I would normally gladly participate in. So day one was psychologically harder then I anticipated and my appreciation and respect for folks who call this a way of life has already gone way up.
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From Nina K (our nutritionist)
Day Two - $1.67 1120 calories 45 grams protein
This was the first day I worked and tried to follow my plan. It went well. I pay close attention to beverages. Water is free out of the tap. I bought tea on sale. So my only beverages are water and tea. Tea is considered healthier than coffee, so this is another way that you can save money and eat healthy.
All healthy diets have a foundation of grains, so I planned first to have wheat bread, oatmeal and a dried bean soup mix. These are all the most healthy things anyone can eat and they are very inexpensive. The more you eat beans, they easier they are to digest.
I chose 1 fresh fruit- bananas for .39 a pound- (3 bananas) and 1 fresh vegetable- potatoes 5 pounds for $1.28 (15 potatoes). There is nothing bad about canned fruits and vegetables. They may have a little more sugar or salt but they are still fruits and vegetables and they are very cheap! Buy the store brands on sale. I bought canned apricots and for my vegetable a jar of spaghetti sauce. I mixed it with the bean soup mixture for a sort of vegetarian chili.
I bought walnuts even though they are expensive, you only need a portion size of 2 Tablespoons a day- that’s less than a cup a week- so it is affordable.
Finally, I must admit that even though I am having no problems sticking to this, and I do feel it is pretty healthy, it is boring. And I do have the luxury of knowing it is only a week.
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