Hunger is good discipline.

I'm going to take the 1200 challenge.

These days due to a mix of recent lab experiments and ancient natural wisdom doctors have started putting cancer patients and people fighting other illnesses on a restricted calorie diet. Apparently, it has helped some of the patients recover, and you may have read about how it has been shown to extend the life expectency of rats and what not.

So, i'm going to see if I can do the regimine: 1200 calories per day. The science makes some sense, and it'll probably be good for my health and all, but mostly I just want to see if i can handle the hunger. I remember the passage from hemmingway's "A Moveable Feast" where he talks about being hungry all the time, and walking around the Museum D'Orsay and how Cezanne's still life's popped with more color and more energy when he had not eaten in a while. I look forward to more vivid colors as well.

Also, I'm putting together a short film on food for the dirty pictures project called Pie Hole, and I don't think i can really explore the subject matter how I want to until i break free from its grasp. I know, these self-imposed minor hardships are silly and if she got wind of this, my grandmother would shake her head and wonder what the hell was wrong with me, but it's something i want to do. I know its not that impressive of a feat, but this mission will be difficult for me, i really like to eat and I really like to drink. I enjoy the feeling of eating fast and being too full.

I'm going to try this for 30 days to start. That should be sufficient to push me off the deep end. Wish me luck.

For a good discussion of restricted calorie diets and related issues see:
Just Don't, sing the ageless worms @Metafilter.