Shame on The Universe   Poetry and Thoughts on the Universe

Servings eaten: 7

Times broken: 0

Amount left: 0 servings

Today’s weight: 252.2

Aaaaand done!

I made it! It’s been almost 2 months of nothing but Soylent, without breaking down and eating any junk food. It wasn’t easy, but it was totally worth it.

Obviously, the big plus was my health. More specifically, the weight I’ve lost is astounding. When I started, I was around 285. (I was probably heavier, as the scale I started with wasn’t very accurate.)

But now I am less than 255lbs. l lost 30 pounds in 2 months. I went from tightly wearing a size 42 pant and looking like a walking sausage to wearing a comfortable and loose 38 and looking like I am wearing clothes, not Saran Wrap. I know it isn’t a great way to lose weight, but it is pretty damn effective. Because Soylent is nutrient dense, I didn’t feel sick or lethargic, which makes this much better than the typical crash diet.

Not that it was easy: it wasn’t. But the difficulties were almost entirely mental in nature. Due to the reduced calories, my mental processing was much lower. You really do need to fuel your brain, and I spent the last 2 months with my needle close to the empty line. That’s why I didn’t do my weekly posts; I just couldn’t muster the brain space after spending all day working on complex issues. Instead I watched YouTube and played video games. I could have spent that time better, but I don’t regret it. I was working on me, even if it wasn’t in the traditional sense.

Craving wasn’t actually the challenge. My punishment was a good deterrent, but mostly I forgot to eat. It was an odd experience for me. I am the type of guy that can always eat. So it was a head trip to feel like I could go days without eating. I swear I was getting to the border of eating disorder. Not quite there, but close. But it was a good lesson, as it did show a potential side of me I should note down for later.

The social aspect was hard at first. I’m a loner by nature, but occasionally I poke my head out of my cage. I always thought it would be weird to go out somewhere with friends, and just not eat. I thought my friends would feel odd and the wait staff would be pushy. In reality, no one cares. Once people get their own food no one is bothered by what is on yours, or lack there of. As long as you tip well and act polite the staff is happy to oblige.

I had some epiphanies on habit and the nature of craving. I’m not going to go into them here, as I would like to devote a full post to them. But I am glad I did this, and that I was able to follow through to the end.

I ate 132 servings over all. That means I will be donating $132 to the Utah Food Bank. I’ll post a quick picture when I do. I will be donating the princely sum of exactly $0 to Ken Ham and his Ark experience. I’ve posted a picture of that donation below.

I hope Answer’s In Genesis enjoys it. I made it just for them. 🙂

So what’s next? Hopefully I continue the downward slope of weight loss. I am going to try and keep a whole plant vegan diet for health reasons. (The ethics is a whole different post.) My goal would be to get at around 200 pounds. Once I get there I’ll reassess my plans, and maybe come up with some other crazy diet scheme.

As for this blog? Tomorrow is the start of NaPoWriMo, so expect to see a poem every day for this whole month. After that, probably some more poetry and political ranting. No matter what, it should be fun.

Thanks for reading,

– Shaman