Diet Hack, Week 1

This is Day 8 of the Garrett Diet Hack Experiment.

Target: 202.4 lbs
Body Weight: 198.4 lbs
Budget: 64.0 oz
Food eaten: 46.25 oz
Target weight loss so far: 1.0 lbs
Actual weight loss so far: 1.4 lbs

The Week in Review

This week began the Garrett Diet Hack experiment. In the first week, I have lost 1.4 pounds, so I am ahead of schedule. As you can see on the graph, the trend of my weight is steeper than my target weight. Here is what I have learned so far:

• Being hungry isn't that big a deal. My body adjusts quickly to changes in the level of food consumption.
• Fiber is super important.
• The value of this diet, more than anything, is psychological. First, because it is based on the laws of physics, I am guaranteed to lose weight. That gives me motivation to continue on the regimen, no matter how uncomfortable it might get. Second, I see instant results. Even though my weight fluctuates naturally, over just a few days I started seeing a downward trend. The trick is to use an accurate scale and track my weight so that I can see that trend more clearly. Third, the very act of weighing everything I eat makes me be very deliberate about what I am putting into my mouth. I am eating much smaller portions, snacking healthily, drinking less, and eat tiny portions of dessert. Finally, the diet motivates me to exercise in the morning before weighing myself.
  

Lent and Fasting

Today is Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the Christian season of Lent. In the Episcopal church, this is one of the two days of the church year where fasting is suggested. This also marks the beginning of the time when many people "give up" something for Lent. For forty days they may give up chocolate, beer, or some other indulgence. Instead of giving up something, many people will add something, such as meditation, special prayer time, or study.

I was interested in fasting today because, after all, the Garrett Diet Hack is a kind of gradual fasting program. I thought it would be interesting to just give up food altogether for a day to see what would happen to my weight. It would be another interesting data point.

So, I sent an email to my pastor asking her what fasting is all about. She replied that the principle point of fasting is to draw closer to God. The experience should be a reminder of Jesus' sacrifice for us. The experience should teach us something about ourselves and our relationship with God.

In thinking about her reply, I realized two things. First, if I were to fast today I would be doing so for the wrong reason. Gathering an interesting data point for my diet hack won't draw me closer to God. Second, I realized that, as a whole, this diet program will draw me closer to God during the whole Lenten season. I will be fasting in small doses every day of Lent. As I get closer to Easter, my target weight will drop down to levels that will be difficult to achieve without giving up most of the foods and drinks I enjoy. In the process I will become healthier, and God is certainly pleased when we take good care of our bodies.

Then I thought of other things that would draw me closer to God this Lent. I decided to start sharing my own faith journey. I considered myself an atheist about nine years ago. I remember telling my wife that nothing would be able to convince me that there was a God. Given that I am a Christian now, a lot must have changed in my thinking about religion and faith. I will start sharing some of my experiences over the next few weeks.