DAY 22

Challenges.

I think I shot myself in the foot by cheating a second time this weekend. Not that I haven’t missed food during the previous 2 weeks. I have. Many times. But during my Saturday dinner in previous weeks, I gorged on so much heavy food that I was too full to even have my breakfast dose the next day.

Eating Soylent actually felt good. Like a simple, bland, cleansing shake.

Soylent has this aura about it. Some combination of the media attention, the slick packaging, the fact that I can survive entirely on a powder mixed with water… Even if I didn’t know the ingredients or what it tasted like, Soylent still feels heathy.

It wasn’t just having a double dose of solid food so quickly, it was more about the culture and community surrounding the meal: seeing friends who I hadn’t seen in weeks or months, sharing homemade food, catching up over stories. What I really miss are these social aspects that are baked into the experience of food.

Soylent seemingly circumvents this part of society.

Yes I’ve shared my experiences with the stuff on this website. I’ve even shared samples of the actual product with curious friends. But I can’t help feeling like an anti-social schlub when friends go out for dinner or drinks and I’d rather stay home and be productive (and drink my shake).

But there’s something about the Soylent lifestyle that leads to an unhealthy desire for efficiency. I see more of the waste inherent in our society — in places where I never before thought to look. Wasted words in communication. Wasted energy in fighting losing battles. Wasted thoughts on things (or people) that won’t change.

If nothing else, challenging the food industry status quo helps me look critically upon other areas of my life and analyze them too.

Hours slept: 7

Meal times:
07:30AM : 12oz
11:00AM : 12oz
1:00PM : 8oz
7:00PM : 16oz

Weigh-in : 167lbs
Weigh-out: 167lbs