We are now three weeks into the Food Desert simulation. Above you see a bar chart of my total food expenditures by day.
Average food expenditure was $7.89, with a median of $7.58 and a standard deviation of $2.11. As you can see, there are several outliers. During week 3 specifically average food expendutre was $6.96.
Average calories consumed was 1,766; average calories burned through exercise (as tracked by fitbit) was 368, for an average net caloric intake of 1,413. Looking at week 3 alone, average consumption was slightly higher at 1,831, and average calories burned was slightly lower at 300, for a net caloric intake of 1,531.
As you can see, a program of reaonable caloric restriction combined with avoiding the worst foods available in convenience stores has resulted in a predictable weight loss, with an ending weight of 166.7.
So didn't go to any food deserts today. But I did get about 2 hours of exercise by snow shoeing at Odiorne State Park in Rye, NH. This is an absolutely beautiful place, and if you don't see it in winter, I think you are missing out. We had a balmy day (temps above freezing), so Sally and I went for a romp along the coast. Great way to get some exercise. So I burned lots of calories today.
The day starte with Power Oatmeal. I think I may make that an official trademark of the Food Desert Diet. So whenever I write it, I will have to add the little "TM" next to it. I guess I'll go ahead and trademark Food Desert Diet while I'm at it. I weighed in this morning at 166.7 - 9.1 pounds lighter than when I started the experiment. Not bad in three weeks - seems like we might be on to something here, Circle K, Discount Beverage, Tedeschi, and me.
So power oatmeal breakfast with coffee:
Snack
Quantity
Cost
Calories
oatmeal
1.00
$0.33
153
peanut butter
1.00
$0.27
180
milk
1.00
$0.31
83
banana
1.00
$0.24
90
coffee
2.00
$0.19
5
$1.43
514
Lunch was left over beans from the night before, but over macaroni instead of rice:
Lunch
Quantity
Cost
Calories
pink beans
1.00
$0.50
120
olive oil
0.50
$0.35
60
onion
2.00
$0.16
15
green pepper
0.13
$0.16
4
spaghetti sauce
0.25
$0.08
15
macaroni
2.00
$0.16
210
coffee
3.00
$0.28
8
$1.40
432
Dinner was a special effort - something I had been planning to try for a while. It went kind of badly. I don't have the video yet, but I will later. I made pizza rustica. Pizza rustica is like a regular pizza, except you pour a layer of scrambled eggs over the sauce layer, then put the cheese on top of that. Or you mix the cheese into the egg, which is what I often do. I also often use different cheeses, like ricotta and mozzarella. It's a little different, but delicious when done well.
This one came out ok, though I had some issues, mostly cook-error related.
I didn't build up the crust around the edges enough so when I brought out the crust after the initial baking, there was not enough of a dam around the sides to hold in the egg. As a result it started flowing over the side. A big "doh!" for that one. In the end we were able to salvage the egg layer, but lost probably the equivalent of one egg due to spillage (1/4).
It's very high calorie because of the biscuit dough. I had three pieces for a cost of $1.73 and 753 calories.
Pizza rustica
Cost
Calories
2 C flour
$0.56
910
3 eggs
$0.62
231
sauce
$0.34
60
cheese
$2.36
179
shortening
$0.31
565
milk
$0.21
54.78
baking powder
$0.20
15
$4.60
2014.78
When I came back from snow shoeing I had the bag of ranch flavored peanuts I had purchased yesterday ($0.50; 220 cal).
Overall it was a great day, despite the mishap with the eggs.
Day totals:
Cost: $5.06
Calories: 1,922
Exercise: 683 - from 17,464 steps. 2 hours of snowshoeing, about 45 minutes on the treadmill with 12 minutes of running included.
So yesterday (day 20) I finally made a trip up to the Barrington/Rochester area, which according to the USDA is in a food desert.
(click on the image to see larger size)
This is a screen shot of the USDA's interactive map for food deserts. If you want to see where the closest food desert is to you, you can enter your location. I currently live east/southeast of here. UNH is southeast.
So my trip up into a real food desert as indicated by the USDA's map was uneventful. The convenience stores were essentially identical to what I had already seen pretty much everywhere else. There were differences in quality of the physical store, but pretty much all the stores carried the same stuff - beer, chips, and a few other edibles, almost no fresh food, very little frozen food other than pizza.
I confess, my hypothesis had been that I might actually find a little more real food, but frankly I think the USDA map is wrong. There is a Market Basket (a full grocery store) south on 125 about four miles from the Circle K. So why would the Circle K go through the trouble of stocking real groceries if they know that people can drive just a few miles down the road and get a much better selection at prices Circle K couldn't afford?
Anyway, day 20 started out with a nice omelet. I decided to splurge and use both onion and green pepper.
Breakfast
Quantity
Cost
Calories
eggs
2.00
$0.59
155
onion
4.00
$0.31
30
green peper
0.25
$0.32
7
I can't believe
5.00
$0.07
20
cheddar
1.00
$0.40
110
coffee
3.00
$0.28
8
$1.97
330
Day 20 was a busy day working in my office, before I decided I would go try to find the food desert. I paused to make a quick lunch of PB&Js and carrots:
Lunch
Quantity
Cost
Calories
bread
4.00
$0.52
266
peanut butter
1.00
$0.27
180
jelly
2.00
$0.35
112
carrots
4.00
$0.50
51
ranch dressing
0.50
$0.24
70
coffee
2.00
$0.19
5
$2.07
684
I was very excited to finally find a few missing ingredients - canned beans, and frozen peas!
I set those aside and decided to cook up my beans. One of the frustrating things about the Food Desert is how bland my cooking is. I am not charging myself for the spices because they are too hard to measure, and they cost is minimal from meal to meal, but I am only using spices I have bought in convenience stores, which is pretty limited, and does not include chili powder, cumin, garam masala, curry, etc. - all spices I regularly cook with.
I did decided to splurge again and use not only onions and peppers, but olive oil on day 20's dinner:
It came out nicely.
Dinner
Quantity
Cost
Calories
pink beans
1.00
$0.50
120
olive oil
0.50
$0.35
60
onion
2.00
$0.16
15
green pepper
0.13
$0.16
4
spaghetti sauce
0.25
$0.08
15
rice
1.00
$0.39
175
$1.63
389
I did eat the bag of jalapeno flavored peanuts ($0.50; 220 cal) as a snack on the road. It was nice to have some spice.
As an evening snack I made oatmeal again, but just put banana in the oatmeal, left out the peanut butter.
Snack
Quantity
Cost
Calories
peanuts, jalapeno flavor
1.00
$0.50
220
oatmeal
1.00
$0.33
153
milk
1.00
$0.31
83
banana
1.00
$0.24
90
cinamon
-
$ -
-
$1.38
546
For exercise, I just walked on the treadmill, no running, for 1 hour.
I drove down to Boston with my boss for a presentation at Children's Hospital put on by UNH HMP alumni for current students. What a great program this is that there are so many dedicated and passionate alumns.
I had to leave wicked early in the morning because the event started at 0830, so I poured a cup of coffee in my travel mug and packed a few PB&Js to take along for the ride.
I actually linked up with my boss on the way and we drove together, and he needed a cup of coffee for the road, so I, having finished my first cup, bought a second one.
Breakfast
Quantity
Cost
Calories
bread, wheat
4
$0.52
266
peanut butter
1
$0.27
180
jelly
1
$0.18
55
coffee
1
$0.09
5
coffe, store
1
$1.99
5
$3.05
511
An expensive breakfast, but 2/3 of the cost came from the single cup of coffee.
I had a bag of peanuts in my pocket the whole time we were in Boston, but I didn't get around to eating them. I didn't get lunch until about 1500. By then I was pretty hungry, so I made a big bowl of pasta with onions mixed in with the crappy store-bought sauce.
Lunch
Quantity
Cost
Calories
macaroni
3.00
$0.47
315
onion
6.00
$0.47
32
I can't believe
5.00
$0.07
20
spaghetti sauce
1.00
$0.34
60
coffee
3.00
$0.28
5
$1.62
432
Since I hadn't eaten much protein, I decided to make myself a cheese omelet sandwich for dinner.
Dinner
Quantity
Cost
Calories
eggs
2.00
$0.59
155
cheddar
1.00
$0.40
110
I can't believe
5.00
$0.07
20
bread, wheat
2.00
$0.26
133
$1.32
418
After dinner I was still pretty hungry since I had only eaten about 1400 calories at that point, so I decided to make some power oatmeal: oatmeal with banana, peanut butter, and milk.
A couple of hours later I had an orange as a final snack.
Snack
Quantity
Cost
Calories
oatmeal
1.00
$0.33
153
peanut butter
1.00
$0.27
180
milk
1.00
$0.31
83
banana
1.00
$0.24
90
orange
1.00
$0.99
63
coffee
2.00
$0.19
5
$2.33
574
As you can see, there's not much variety in the desert. I really wasn't up for a can of vegetables today. Bananas are one of my favorite fruits - I eat them regularly even when I'm not doing this kind of experiment. I only occasionally eat oranges, but since they are available and so many other things are not, I've eaten more during the course of this experiment than I normally do.
Day totals:
Cost: $8.32
Calories: 1,951
Exercise: 360 calories from 12,270 steps. I ran for 10 minutes and walked for 35 on the treadmill. Still babying my foot.
Net calories: 1,591
Weight: 167.1
After trying to run yesterday, I woke up this morning with my formerly injured foot somewhat swollen. This was incredibly disappointing. I thought after having done all this walking for the last month that it would be ready, but apparently it was not ready for 20 minutes of running. So today I did not run or do any treadmill work. I just did my normal business.
Which started with breakfast of yogurt, a banana, and some coffee.
Breakfast
Quantity
Cost
Calories
banana
1.00
$-
90
Yogurt, chobani
1.00
$1.79
132
coffee
3.00
$0.28
5
$2.07
227
It was a day in the office, so I packed a couple of PB&Js and an orange.
Lunch
Quantity
Cost
Calories
bread, wheat
4
$0.52
266
peanut butter
1
$0.27
180
jelly
1
$0.18
55
orange
1
$0.99
63
coffee
3.00
$0.28
5
$2.24
569
I ate a pack of hot peanuts ($0.50; 290 cal) in the afternoon before class.
Dinner was pasta with peas and caramelized onions with olive oil.
Dinner
Quantity
Cost
Calories
macaroni
2.00
$0.31
210
peas, canned
1.00
$0.99
245
oil, olive
2/3
$0.23
80
onion
3.00
$0.23
21
milk
1/8
$0.04
10
coffee
2.00
$0.19
5
$2.00
571
Later in the evening I had an ounce of roasted/salted almonds ($0.66; 187 cal).
This was a day of frustration with the seeming ongoing nature of my injury. I'm tired of having my activity limited.
Day totals:
Cost: $7.47
Calories: 1,844
Exercise: 27 calories from 7,361 steps
weight: 167.1
I'm an onion and garlic fan - what can I say. No other cool pictures to share with you. Breakfast was an onion and cheese omelet.
Breakfast
Quantity
Cost
Calories
eggs
2.00
$0.59
155
cheddar cheese
1.00
$0.40
110
I can't believe
5.00
$0.07
20
onion
3.30
$0.26
21
coffee
3.00
$0.28
5
$1.59
311
Nothing like a little caramelized onion to make just about anything taste better. The only problem with that is time. To caramelize onions, you have to cook them over low heat for a long time. I had a bunch of errands to run yesterday - I got a new New Hampshire driver's license and New Hampshire plates for my car (Live Free or Die!). So since I wasn't racing in to UNH to get a parking spot before they all filled up and I had to park more than a mile from my office, I had some time. I put the onions in the skillet and read a health policy text while I stirred them.
In the afternoon I made my first foray out with my realtor, and I found myself rushing when I got back from the DMV, so all I had for lunch was a PB&J and some coffee.
Lunch
Quantity
Cost
Calories
bread, wheat
2
$0.26
266
peanut butter
0.5
$0.14
180
jelly
0.5
$0.09
55
coffee
1.00
$0.09
5
$0.58
506
When I got home from my rather unsuccessful outing, I grabbed a bag of peanuts ($0.50; 260 cal) and went off to catch up on work.
My father got a new treadmill today, so not only did I do my usual walking routine, but I decided to try running to see how my foot would hold up. I walked for 40 minutes, then ran for 20 (10 minute miles just to see how things would go). If you don't remember, I've been dealing with chronic plantar fasciitis. This was the first time I had run since July. The heal felt a bit swollen after, so I iced it after my dinner, which was two grilled cheeses and some carrots and ranch dressing.
Dinner
Quantity
Cost
Calories
bread, wheat
4.00
$0.52
266
cheddar cheese
2.00
$0.80
210
I can't believe
10.00
$0.13
20
carrots
4.00
$0.50
51
ranch dressing
0.50
$0.24
110
$2.19
657
Since I ate so late, I didn't realize how few calories I had eaten today. At about 9:30 I realized I was only up to about 1,450 calories. I wasn't that hungry, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to eat a banana ($0.24; 90 cal) to add a little fruit to my diet.
Day totals:
Cost: $4.60
Calories: 1,564
Exercise: 592 from 15,820 steps
Net calories: 972
Weight: 167.8
Today is the first day of the rest of my life. And the second half of the Food Desert experiment.
Here's a sample of what I didn't eat yesterday - my father's walnut sour dough. It looked delicious. But as it was not made with ingredients from a convenience store, I had to pass on it.
Instead, breakfast was my standby yogurt and a banana with coffee.
Breakfast
Quantity
Cost
Calories
Yogurt, Chobani
1.00
$1.79
140
banana
1.00
$-
90
coffee
3.00
$0.28
5
$2.07
235
Unlike some of the foods in this experiment, this is actually often what my breakfast is when I am not on the Food Desert diet.
I haven't, however, eaten this many PB&J's since I was a kid:
Lunch
Quantity
Cost
Calories
bread, wheat
4
$0.52
266
peanut butter
1
$0.27
180
jelly
1
$0.18
55
coffee
3
$0.28
5
$1.25
506
I wanted to get a little more protein today, and since I hadn't had eggs for breakfast, I decided to have eggs for dinner. A cheddar omelet. But also a can of corn.
Dinner
Quantity
Cost
Calories
eggs
2.00
$0.59
155
corn
1.00
$1.79
210
I can't believe
5.00
$0.07
20
franks hot sauce
1.00
$0.07
-
cheddar cheese
1.00
$0.40
110
$2.91
495
Corn is much maligned these days, and with good reason, but I have to say growing up it was one of my favorite vegetables. And it withstands being canned pretty well, compared to, say, peas.
Sticking with the breakfast for dinner theme, I was still hungry after dnner because I was only at about 1300 calories for the day (which was not by plan - it just happened), I decided to have some amped-up oatmeal.
Snack
Quantity
Cost
Calories
oatmeal
1.00
$0.33
150
milk
1.00
$0.31
83
peanut butter
1.00
$0.27
180
raisins
1.00
$0.43
120
$1.35
533
The treadmill was still broken, and the main street my street connects to is far too narrow to walk on at night with the snow piled up on either side, so in frustration I decided to walk up and down my street until I hit my 10,000 steps. I got 10,325 to be exact. Bundled up in my down jacket, ski pants, and boots, I walked up and down the road three times to finish off my count for the day.
