Day four: poor planning and temptation

Weight: 201.2 (I didn't think I would lose weight yet, given my caloric intake through berries and plums but it seems I am definitely shedding pounds).

I have to work from 9 to 9 today and haven't properly prepared my feasts.

Breakfast: a handful of wild strawberries from the back yard.

Lunch: I've been chomping on amaranth and a few plumbs all day. I had another colleague donate the kind of green beans that start out purple and turn green when cooked. They were very good for lunch. Once again I blanched, seasoned, and buttered them.

Dinner: As I write, I'm beginning my dinner of some rose petals and the rest of my amaranth. I'm not happy about this at all. I should have prepared better. Of course, that's part of the fun. I don't get to stalk up (Freud! I meant stock). I go find food when I need it but when I need it, I am not all that full of energy for the work itself because I lack food.

By now you realize I'm flying blind, so this is more an experiment to understand my own stupidity and dependence than it is one of those "look at this bad ass survive on elk he killed with a stone" kind of projects. I'll be going straight for the berries tonight.

All day, I've been sipping on tea that I made by putting hot water on mint, dandelion and a branch from a supple fir. Stupid me: I don't even know what kind of tree it was. But it made a nice brisk hot beverage. I now can recommend pine needle tea to you all.

Post Script: by the end of the day, with poor planning, I faced temptation hard. The first time I was victorious. A colleague's birthday celebration brought forth a cake that was just waiting around in the staff lounge all day. I don't like cake, but hunger can change one's perspectives. Then, I saw some bread laying around that I think had been used for communion service. It was destined for the dustbin. Being a high church type, I thought it might be my duty to ensure that this ostensibly sacramental bread did not go into the trash. So I had one stale bite. It was a glorious bite. But to consume the rest would be to screw up my experiment. Moreover, if I consumed it all, as I could easily have done, it would be one step closer to dumpster diving which I am determined not to allow into my life. That might be for another month and another experiment, but my wife would probably be angry at such practices. Of course, I was thinking about eating a starfish not long ago, isn't half-eaten pizza a much safer alternative. .....

No! No dumpster diving for this project. (Someone is telling me there is a great NPR "This American Life" episode on a father who alienated his family by becoming a freegan by living off of grocery store rejects). The experiment, in any case, has made me acutely aware of the scraps of food we discard. But I am as opposed to becoming as I am to eating out of the trash.

Some have been asking about what this is doing to my digestive system. Stop reading if you don't want details, but I think it is actually an important aspect of the experiment. Turns out, with the diet as I have it so full of roughage, that all is well. However, my stool could almost pass for that of a horse given the high fiber content!

By the way: note this picture of an amaranth plant. They are everywhere and have a pretty good nutritional value. Beware of herbicides and other contaminant before consuming. [Note also that this blog in NO WAY is intended as a "how-to". I hope also you read closely to note that I don't think the mushrooms below are edible.]