arguchik | (no subject)

Note to self: don't do that again.

I let myself get way too hungry today. I was busy prepping for class, engrossed in what I was doing, and thereby forgot to eat lunch. Normally that would be OK--not great, but fine. Very survivable. Unfortunately, today I'm coming off 2 days' worth of intestinal yuckiness, which means that I was a little low on calories to begin with, both because I've been...erm...shall we say "rapidly expending" them, and because I haven't been eating nearly as much food as usual. Probably less than half of my normal daily caloric intake.

So class went fine...I taught, it went well, no mishaps. Then I decided to take the #44 bus home, and halfway home I decided to transfer to the #5 and go up to Red Mill on Greenwood to get a burger. I had such a craving...seriously, it was knee-buckling. Well, when I got off the bus my knees actually did almost give out on me. I wobbled and tripped my way up the road to Red Mill, placed my order, and basically collapsed onto a chair. Wow.

I am familiar with the feeling. I have done some extended backpacking (by which I mean more than a few days--unfortunately not as much as a month or anything) in mountainous terrain, and it is really easy--and really dangerous--to get calorie-depleted under those circumstances because you have to consume WAY more calories than you'd think. Hiking with a heavy pack, you really burn through the food, and if you don't replace that energy you'll quickly find yourself in trouble. It makes you more susceptible to hypothermia, heat exhaustion, and just debilitating fatigue, not to mention fatigue-related injuries. The warning signs, for me, are wobbly knees and clumsy feet, along with confusion and an uncharacteristic lack of coordination (i.e. more than my usual clumsiness). It's really quite astonishing how quickly that state can creep up--sometimes before I even know I'm hungry. [For someone my size, any pack loaded for an overnight trip is pretty fucking heavy, in terms of percentage of body weight--something most of the men I've backpacked with have a really difficult time comprehending, incidentally. All that "women's specific" sizing can only shave so many ounces off the weight of a sleeping bag, for example; and things like a tent, a water filtration device, or a stove weigh the same no matter how big you are, obviously.]

Forgive the tangent. My point: must not get so hungry again. However...having said the thing I'm supposed to say, I'm also going to add this: it's kind of an interesting experience, every now and then, to get so hungry that you actually feel the need for food in your muscles and bones. I can't remember the last time a burger tasted quite that good. In fact, I can't remember the last time I appreciated food of any kind quite that much, which in turn is an important reminder of how fucking lucky I am, that I can get such cheap, easy, tasty food with so little trouble.

And now here I am, already thinking about dinner...which is my way of reassuring you, gentle Reader, that I am not going to start starving myself for the thrill of it. That's not what I was talking about...I hope that's clear.

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Now I'm hungry. I think I'll grab something from the vending machine before heading home.

mmmmmmcheetos

I was thinking about fasting tonight, not for any reason other than "I look gross, i feel gross, maybe this will clean me out," and just going to bed early and hoping I'd pass out and start tomorrow with a clean slate. now you're making me think I should go heat up some frozen veggies anyway.

dude...at least it's kind of a cheap high.

The last time you appreciated food that much may well have been on a camping trip. Even nasty dehydrated meals take on a spiritual quality after a mountainous hike.

i'm all about the peanut butter sandwiches when i hike. don't particularly like (or dislike) them any other time or place except at the top of a mountain that i've just climbed, at which time and place they transform magically into manna.

Wow, the same thing happened to me yesterday. I got unexpectedly flushed and super wobbly in the changing room at American Eagle Outfitters (judge me-- they have cheap jeans) and had to get an emergency smoothie.

hehehe. "emergency smoothie."

didja get it at jambajuice?

Naw-- they're notorious for their "non-diary" mix that's chock full of whey, powdered yogurt, non-fat milk and other junk. I don't trust 'em. I went to Coco-Banana on Cherry St. :)

they're notorious for their "non-diary" mix that's chock full of whey, powdered yogurt, non-fat milk and other junk

no shit! that's outrageous! how do they get away with that?!? i don't really like their stuff anyway. i've only had a smoothie there like 3 times in my life.

funny, I was thinking about trying a Master Cleanse fast for the first time (I'm becoming a real california as the years go by). Although I plan to schedule restful days in order to survive it.