Living Below the Line: Day 4…Strength

This morning I went to the gym for a light cardio and strength training workout and it was hard… much more draining than usual. The overdose on carbs seems to be o.k. for the cardio, but I really felt the lack of protein today. So much so, that I only drank ¼ cup of my coffee afterwards (what??!!), in exchange for yogurt.  I’m a little surprised that I’ve been able to work out on this “diet” at all… so I ask, how do 1.4 billion people living in poverty stay strong when their bodies are not as physically strong as they could be?

I think I’m a pretty headstrong person, especially when it comes to willpower. But I have to say, this week has tested that too, not just my endurance for hunger and lack of choice. From the work kitchen filled with coffee aromas all morning (cue the Maxwell House commercial) to aromas of burgers, fries and tasty lunches wafting through the halls every day; everywhere we turn there are messages of food. I’m a member of Scoutmob and lots of other deal finders like Groupon and each morning, another email in my inbox inviting me to try a new cupcake place or have drinks somewhere…DELETE. And the other day I went into my purse to get something and staring right at me, a pack of gum. Gum, it’s not really food, is it? But still, I did the right thing and refrained.

Today after work I went to visit a friend recovering from surgery. Knowing that I would get home late - meaning delayed dinner -  I got in the mental zone. Well, I stayed longer than I originally planned and found that catching up with a friend was a nice distraction to thinking about food. But when I got home it dawned on me… I forgot to stop and get cat food, and it was too late to go out again, the stores were closed. Any of you who know little Noche – pants as I call him - know that I was greeted by a very vocal, HUNGRY cat. It hit me, the guilt; I had failed as a kitty parent.

I’ve had it pretty easy in this challenge; I’m a vegetarian, I have no children, and my boyfriend has been super supportive. But if I were really living below the line, I would likely have to think about and feed a family. And as much as I love animals, I’m just not sure I could deal with sending them to bed hungry too. So I scrambled through the cupboards… started with dog food, which Noche ate a bit of and then gave me an earful. I moved on to some cottage cheese I had in the fridge… no dice. Finally, too tired to deal with the “crying,” I gave in and filled his little bowl with Greenies treats. Yea, it wasn’t the best choice, but it was the only option I had.

Instantly, it was a reminder that many women have to send their children to bed hungry every night. Or sacrifice their own meals to not hear the crying. Noche is a little beast I love, but who will leave my life when his time is up; he won’t starve. Dealing with a malnourished child is a pain I cannot fathom. So again, how do people stay strong?

Well, they know the importance of family and community. They sometimes have a social fabric that may not be able to support them financially, but that supports them mentally. Conversation and solidarity could never replace sustenance, but it can certainly help to ease the mental anguish at times.  Living below the line with four other women on my team has added to my own strength to get through each day.  Most of the women on my team I didn’t know very well going into it, but I’ve reached Friday with more friends than I had last Friday for sure.

Today’s intake cost me $1.49 and consisted of:

Breakfast

Coffee (1/4 cup) = $0.06

Yogurt = $0.35

Banana = $0.15

Total breakfast = $0.56

Lunch

Pintos & cornbread = $0.46

Dinner

Peas (1/4 cup) = $0.08

Corn (1/2 cup) = $0.14

Carrot = $0.06

Ramen = $0.10*

Total dinner = $0.38

Daily Total = $1.40

*I was too tired to cook these at 9 pm so I ate them crunchy and it was delish.