Day 5

Five days down and things are proceeding smoothly. That's fortunate for me and my wife, but unfortunate for readers of this blog who are hoping to find it interesting! In a way I'm bummed out that I don't have more stories of hardship and difficulty to report. I'd love to post some pictures of my skin turning green. Alas, aside from craving the idea of a bean burrito (but not actually being hungry for one) I'm feeling great!

Day 5
Shake: Pineapple, Kale, Peanut, Raisin, and Almond Milk
Shake Cost: < $7.45
Body Weight: 160.2lb (-3.6lb total)

Back to Napping

Earlier I reported that I'd stopped needing to take naps in the afternoon. Slowly but surely, I've fallen back into my old rhythm and am starting to get sleepy after lunch. I don't mind this, since it gives me a good excuse to take a break in a day that is no longer divided by meals. One thing that has improved though is my ability to recover from naps. Usually I'm groggy and cranky after I wake up, but if I have a few swallows of shake, I feel good again almost instantly.

Is Pickle Juice Cheating?

Some of the troubles of Day 1 were caused by too much salt in the shakes. I've since reduced our total intake to less than 1/4 teaspoon per day. By the FDA's standards that's less than 25% of the recommended daily intake, but I've read that many authorities consider 1/4 teaspoon to be enough. However, last night I started to have some intense cravings for salty foods. I can't be sure whether this was withdrawal or a legitimate message from my body, but I decided to have a few swallows of dill pickle juice. My craving was satisfied, and now I'm thinking I might make it a daily habit.

New Territory

You may have noticed that most of our shakes have included peanuts and raisins. The computer seems to like raisins because of their concentrated carbohydrates, and peanuts for their fat and protein. The raisins have the added benefit of being sweet, unlike the carbs that come from potatoes, barley, or rice flour. Right now we have enough ingredients at home to last us through Day 7, and after that I'm going to make an effort to try shakes that are based on different ingredients. For example, there's one that contains pears, melon, potatoes, and olive oil that could be good. I better buy some backup ingredients just in case though!