Day 30: The End

The experiment has finally come to a close with great success. Probably the most common question I've gotten over the past week is "what do you think you got out of it?" Well, to rehash some of what I've said already in this blog...

1. More focused and decisive

2. More energy. I don't crash after work everyday.

3. Longer and better quality sleep. I don't wake up as much during the night.

4. I'm more calm and less anxious. Even when work gets stressful I remain unbelievably cool and don't let things get me upset.

Hopefully, If I could give anything to you (the reader) from this experience is the motivation to try it out for yourself. You'll be surprised what you thought you needed. Obviously, things like coffee and soda aren't good for us. I don't think there is any debate over that. But, I would take it a step further to say that milk and juice aren't that necessary. In fact, dairy all together doesn't do that much for me. It's hard to digest and is more likely to make me tired which is the side-effect of bad digesting.

This, momentarily, ends this blog. I hope you enjoyed it and perhaps I'll bring it back to life again someday.

Day 28: Cheating in my dreams

As I near the end with a little more than two days left, I've found myself trying to justify a little cheating. I haven't. Though, I have several times in my dreams. I wake up thinking that I still drank that coke. It takes me a couple of minutes to realize that it was just a dream.

I'm giving serious thought into making the internet the next vehicle for my experiment in self-deprivation, which would mean no blogging. Oh well. I need to finish another album anyway.

Day 21: 2/3

I'm sure anyone who has been reading this blog might sweat a bit with such a long lapse in time between blogs. Does this mean I gave in? No, I haven't. I'm still on track and have passed the two-thirds marker.

Certain times of the day and the weekends in particular are when I have my strongest moments of want. Consider that every Saturday and Sunday morning for the past three years have been spent walking over to Peat's Coffee in the morning to get my latte. It kind of becomes a habit.

So, if I still have the cravings how long will it take for them to disappear? Though, I guess I would have to completely give up sugar to be completely free and be able to lose the cravings. I assume.

Day 17: Blueberry cheese danish

Today was an example of how good and how bad food can make you feel. This morning I was really disciplined. Before noon I managed not to consume a single particle of sugar. I didn't trade one bad habit for another. When I woke up, I didn't feel so hot, but as the morning progressed I got a taste of how good it feels to be sugar-free. I realize that being sugar-free wasn't necessarily the point of this experiment, but it seems to be the message that I'm getting. I've realize for a long time the negative effects it has on my energy and mental state, but I'm beginning to find out how little it takes to send my "chi" skyrocketing downward.

After lunch, one of my coworkers offered me a homemade brownie. I obliged because I had been really disciplined up until that point. I had a really great lunch, so I thought, "why not." Afterwards I didn't feel awful, but not as good as before. The funny thing is that once you get it in your system you have to have more, so on my last break I had a peanut butter cup. After that I could sense that my body was quickly getting tired. Then to cap it off, after work I stopped at the plaid pantry and got a packaged blueberry cheese danish. After that I felt pretty disgusting, exhausted and a little down.

I'm realizing that eventually I'm going to have to cut sugar out of my life.

Day 15: Halfway there

Today is one to celebrate. Halfway to my goal of 30 days, I am feeling pretty good. My friend Jon, who is also partaking in this experiment, started off at 208 pounds and in merely two weeks is down to an even 200. With all of those quick-fix diets on television that brag of major weight loss with little to no work, here is something that actually works. But, weight-loss is only a minor in comparison to your overall health. Both Jon and I sleep better, longer without waking up, feel great in the morning and have the energy and focus after work to do more than collapse on the couch.

What comes to mind is a segment from the movie "Super-size me," where Morgan Sperlock interviews a chubby teenage girl who has just listened to a speech given by Jared from the Subway commercials. She was complaining that it wasn't realistic to be able to afford to eat Subway everyday, so how could she achieve what Jared had. This scene is very telling of the gross misconceptions of diet and exercise that exist in the Western psyche. As if Subway was the only way or even an adequate way to lose weight. When people are desperate they want to believe anything, especially when it's easy and doesn't involved substantial lifestyle changes. Sure, it's unfair that some people can eat the same diet as this girl and stay thin in their teenage years, but that's genetics. The cards aren't dealt evenly. Besides, even the kids who remain thin in their teenage years will eventually get fat through a western diet, but not until later when age slows down their metabolism.

Also, have you noticed that many people just downright hate water. How far are we from our humanity that we hate something that is so essential to life.

Day 14: chopped liver and no coke

Kathy and I went to one of our favorite brunch spots, Korbblatt's, which is a Jewish deli/restaurant located in NW Portland. Other than having some of the best sandwiches in town they also have the best fountain coke ever. There is nothing that goes with fresh lox better than strong coke (don't get the wrong idea). But, alas, I couldn't have it with my chopped liver and egg salad sandwich.

There are certain meals (pizza comes to mind) that just seem synonymous with drinking soda. Going to McDonald's and getting a super-sized water with your extra value meal is downright sacrilegious.

One other thing that I've notice is that when I consume a lot of sugar and caffeine unhealthy food seems to follow. What I mean to say, is that when not drinking soda and lattes I'm not nearly as interested in eating fast food or late night junk eating. I've had someone explain this to me and I think it has something to do with blood-sugar, but I'm not sure.

Day 11: Be in tune with your body.

I would like to be in tune with my body. The worst thing about feeling like shit is not knowing why you feel like shit. You spend the day indulging in multiple vice to the point that all the bad feelings become a haze. You're not sure whether it was the shit you ate today or the shit you ate the day before, but you're certain that you feel like shit.

Because this experiment cuts out the majority of my vice, it becomes much more clear. When I feel tired, I know it's because of the ten pieces of gum I had in the first half of the day. When I feel good, I know it's because I didn't chew ten pieces of gum and I'm staying hydrated. All unidentifiable chemicals are bad, but sugar is the killer. It just destroys my energy and who knows what the one's I can't pronounce are doing to me.

Unfortunately, my brain has been wired in a way to associate intense pleasure with these flavors. I like almonds, but their flavor just doesn't kick my brain into overdrive like a caramel latte does. It doesn't give me that intense, short-lived high. Instead, it gives me a longer-lasting, more level good feelings. But, it's never that high, but at the same time, never that low. I can definitely see the difficulty in kicking something like heroin. You're life is so much better without it, but in normal life you will never experience happiness as intensely at any given moment. Once you've experienced that intense joy, normal life can probably be pretty boring.

I think I should start meditating.

Day 10: 1/3

Today marks one-third of my experiment complete. I am feel very tired tonight, not so much because I have no caffeine, but I don't think I ate very well today; not enough vegetables.

The past couple of days have had some of the most tempting moments. Just one latte would get me through the day so much faster. But, the reason for this blogs existence has been proven valuable. I can't. I've put myself under public awareness, so I can't fail.

Some changes I've noticed since I started...

1. As expected, I sleep longer and better. I wake up much more refreshed and usually don't wake up in the middle of the night.

2. I go to the gym much more often.

3. I'm much more mellow and don't take things as personally. I'm not nearly as angry at work as when I started this experiment.

4. When driving more often I stay in the right lane. I'm not as anxious to get where I'm going.

It just came to me that other than an experiment in self-discipline, "the tasteless life" is a revolt against artificial flavors and chemicals. To this extent I've only been half-successful. I'm still chewing gum like a fiend and usually have a candy bar sometime during the day. I need to work on that. Maybe I'll stop chewing gum tomorrow. Maybe not.

I found out that regular Wrigley's is the best for the sugar addict. Most of the newer gums with the fancy packages and heavy marketing don't live up to their container.

Days 6 and 7: Focus and Decision

This was my first weekend on the 30 day water-only experiment. Every Saturday and Sunday one of the first things I do when I get up is to go to Peet's and get the Caramel Latte. I get lattes almost every day, but not until later. As soon as I get the latte I come home, relax, tune-out and ride the caffeine buzz and feel good about doing nothing. That's one of the many bad side-effects of an addiction whether it's lattes or pot, they make you feel ok with getting nothing done and going nowhere.

It's not just about being lazy. Personally, it makes me feel incapable of making the decisions that will push me forward towards whatever I want. Without these bad things clouding up my mental state, I've been more capable of making decisions again. I accomplished a couple of important things that I've been wanting to do for awhile now.

Hence, If anyone wants to know how they they can benefit from cutting these things from their lives, you will probably have more focus and less indecision. I think most people feel they need certain addictions to function on a daily basis and they don't question it. I'm beginning to question whether I want any of these things again, whether or not I want to take this past the original concept of a 30 day experiment of self-discipline.

Day 5: Trading one addiction for another

This happened to me when I was first trying to quit drinking soda. Instead, I started drinking caramel lattes, which was much more expensive and much heavier on the caffeine. I really couldn't say which one is the worse addiction. I would have to guess soda since it has more ingredients, but I'm still not convinced I got the best out of that trade.

The hardest time during these thirty days is my first break in which I'm used to getting my first fix of the day, so instead of a white mocha, I've been eating a candy bar. Even though the basis of this experiment was never to shed my addictions, it would be a pleasant side-effect. So, am I just trading for another addiction or am I weening myself off of my true addictions?

I would go with the later since I don't even really like candy that much. It just seems like I'm trying to get a minascule amount of what I used to get from the lattes.

Regardless, I think I'll cut that morning candy bar out.

Day 4: Driving and naps

Most people who are addicted to something can associate most of the pleasant moments in their daily life with the intake of this addiction. When I lived in Indiana, one of my favorite things to do was to drive around with a big gulp in my cup holder. I'm sure it sounds a little ridiculous to people with heavier addictions, but the positivity I feel with driving around is forever linked with the caffeine/sugar buzz I would get.

I don't drink soda as much these days, but traded it in for lattes. Sure enough, one of my best moments of the day is typically my first break at work where I get my first latte of the day and get buzzed, which gets me to lunch, etc. etc.

So, I guess I'm an addict.

The past couple of days I've taken lunchtime naps. I'm no longer constantly wired, so halfway through the day I get a bit tired. But, I take a small nap and I feel good the rest of the way through. Somewhere along the line we all felt it necessary to never be tired, seeing it as some kind of weakness. There should be a national nap half-hour instituted into the work schedule.

Day 3: Still cranky, but more focused

I'm still pissed off when I'm at work, but my mind and body are a little more focused. I've actually had the energy to go to the gym the past three days. When I am immersed in my caffeine addiction the only energy I get is from the caffeine. When I don't have it, I don't have the momentum to do much of anything. Even doing laundry seems like a chore.

I'm still pretty awake, but my mind is a little scattered, so I probably won't be able to write anything to insightful tonight.

I was thinking earlier about whether or not I'll want to continue drinking only water after the thirty days. Maybe I'll feel so good that I won't want to. But, I know it will be pretty easy to get back on; much easier than it was to get off. I hope that didn't sound too perverse.

I would love to live my life in total discipline. I've always felt very unfocused in life. I don't like to have a schedule or plan on doing things. I would like to be monk-like, but monks don't live right next to a Peet's coffeehouse and a Plaid Pantry.

But, that's what this experiement is about: discipline

Day 2: Tired, Cranky and still chewing copious amounts of wintergreen

Day two brought a heavy overcast of tiredness, which was to be expected. I am slowly slipping out of my constant state of being wired awake. To "catch up on one's sleep" is a real simplification of how the body functions. You can't really sleep for 12 hrs and make up for the four hours you missed the previous night. It doesn't really work that way. You condition your body to function under certain circumstances and when you want to change you have to set up a new pattern and wait for it to adjust to the new set of conditions. In the same respect, you can't just stop consuming sugar and caffeine and expect for it to leave your system immediately. Some people say that once you've digested a cup of coffee or a soda that it takes 3 or 4 hours to leave your system. I don't look at it like that. When you continually drink caffeine day after day it builds up. If you were to drink coffee non-stop I imagine that you would eventually overdose. So, depending on what level you've built up will dictate how long it takes to leave your body. Hence, withdraw, which is why most people refuse to give it up. It's hard to see the benefit of quitting when you feel like shit for a week or however long it really takes. I couldn't say for sure.

On a related not, I was pretty cranky at work today. I didn't yell at anyone, but I got pretty upfront with a coworker. He was being pretty lame, but probably didn't deserve it. I've actually found from the times in my life where I stopped drinking coffee and soda that I much more open with my emotions. When I'm addicted to something that messes with your mental picture it actually holds me back except for maybe the first hour or so after ingesting it, but then it loses its effect and my mind shuts down. That's the ultimate crux of caffeine. It's only good for such a brief period then afterwards you're much worse off.

Day 1: Why? You're not fat.

Day one is almost to an end and has been a success, unless you want to count the two packs of gum I went through. I thought it was just smokers who chewed a lot of gum when trying to quit. I guess not.

The title of this post refers to one of the responses I got on my facebook page when I let everyone know that I was going to do. Honestly, I get this a lot, especially when I vocalize my opinions on health and diet. I don't want to pick on anyone particular or make anyone feel dumb for feeling this way, but it does seem to be a common misconception that fat is linked to an unhealthy lifestyle and if you're not fat you're in good shape.

Before I continue, I'd like continue to reiterate that what I'm doing is an act of self-discipline and not necessarily for my health, though it's a welcomed side-effect.

Even before recently, I've given a lot of thought to how our diet effects us individually. There is a disturbing idea that everyone starts off at the same place; we're all born blank and have the same choices, but that some of us somehow failed. I'm not fat, so I must have done something that an overweight person failed to do. Truthfully speaking, there are times in my life where I feel like if I had different genetics I would have gained a lot of weight because I ate just as poorly as someone who weighed much more than I did. But, I did pay a price. During different times, more specifically from later high-school into the beginning of college I ranged anywhere from fairly to very depressed. But, I eventually began to understand the connection between my lifestyle and the way I felt. Genetically, we all start from different places, but a poor diet and general lifestyle can escalate all of our genetic weaknesses whether it's physical or mental.

I think it's also important to realize that an overweight person is just a reflection of our own society's health and nutritional priorities.

Mission Statement: 30 days drinking only water

For 30 days (until December 2nd, 2009), I will only drink water. This will not affect what I eat, but for these thirty days there will be no lattes, soda, juice, tea or even vitamin water, which is disgusting anyway so that doesn't bother me.

I created this blog for a couple of reasons. One, to dictate my experience and verbalize my opinions about food: why we eat like we do in this 21st century. In doing so maybe I'll even encourage others to go 30 days living "the tasteless life." Though it could be argued that water has a taste, I chose the title because it sounds better than flavorless.

Second, I created this blog as a way to hold myself accountable to my goal. It's easy to say you will do something, but you are more likely to hold yourself to it when others know what you are doing. It's easy to let yourself down, but harder to disappoint others.

I would like to clarify that even though I will probably use this blog to discuss opinions on diet, more specifically the modern western diet, I am doing this as an experiment in self-control and personal discipline. I will admit that I am pretty excited about doing this and if it works out I might continue to develop my self-discipline through going without other things in my life that I feel beholden to, such as internet, processed foods, driving, etc.

So, enjoy!