I'll be eating nothing but lentils in 2011

[Ramius]

Just for the record, i reserve the right to laugh my ass off at you for being an idiot when you kill yourself.

[DrFishfinder]

At least you can light your butt and turn into Rocket Man. Air travel costs should go down.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Just for the record, i reserve the right to laugh my ass off at you for being an idiot when you kill yourself.

 

I wouldn't have it any other way.

[bartshan-83]

I'll tell you Sage, I really dig your concept. I love the idea (a) of pushing yourself in such an extreme way and (b) that people should do something absurd or crazy at least once. But I'd suggest that you've set the bar too high and that you could perhaps have a more rewarding experience if you created a challenge that allowed for a higher possibility of success. I don't know you so I have no clue how strong your resolve is, but I'd have to join the field here and bet on the lentils dominating you at some point in 2011 (likely sooner than later). Yeah, you can still definitely learn a lot even if you end up failing, but I think maybe if you setup a less drastic (yet still stringent) challenge, you'd get a lot more out this.

 

And my doubts are not just centered on what you are attempting, but also your approach. I'm obviously making tons of assumptions here, but it sounds like you are doing things a little backwards. You've decided on and announced your goal, but you still haven't shored up such a core tenet of the plan, the health implications of an all-lentil diet. You say you plan on researching this. You say your brother is a nutritionist and you plan on using him as a resource. These are things I would have thought you'd already done. I in no way want this to sound condescending, but it sound like you were inspired/fascinated by the potato guy, decided you wanted to do something like that, picked a target (lentils) based on reasonable (but surface) analysis and then made the big announcement before really crunching the numbers. Even assuming further research shows that this plan is nutritionally safe and therefore, not DOA, I think the way you put it together is not indicative of a level of commitment high enough to take on such an onerous task. You've only been with this idea for a few weeks and it sounds like you were/are ready to jump in without having your ducks in a row. That smells to me like a recipe for a quick burnout, not a 365 day marathon.

 

And not that there is ever really a perfect time to do something like this, but attempting it in college lessens your odds ever more, IMO. College (for me and I'd think the vast majority of people) is the most socially chaotic stretch of your life. There is far less normalcy and routine, which is usually the lifeblood of a disciplined regimen. Maybe college life is different for you and I'm certainly not suggesting this might be any easier if you had a job, wife and kids. But the first thing I did when I read your post was wonder if I could do what you are trying. I doubt it. But I can't even fathom attempting it 6 years ago as a college senior.

 

Anyway, whatever you decide to do...good luck. Like I said, I dig stuff like this and I find it invigorating when I hear someone is lacing them up for a big internal struggle. Re-reading my post, I realize it comes off very very negatively. I don't mean to discourage idea of what I think you are attempting to do. Just playing devil's advocate as to my perceived pitfalls in your plan.

[Clip Smith]

Good to see a few serious posts.

 

I like the spirit behind the idea....but it will be almost impossible to pull off even with resolve. What happens when you need to travel, or end up stranded somewhere for a few days? Not to mention just an average social life where one would go out a few times a month, if not per week.

 

I think resolve will get you through the first 3 weeks to turn it into a routine, then you have some momentum going.....but I can't see this going past March without failure, be it voluntary or not.

 

I've had just the opposite idea. I wanted to go to 3 places a day in Buffalo and order their chicken wings, then at the end of the year have a book ready to go ranking the top 1000 places in Buffalo to get chicken wings with reviews. I think it would sell, could even do a blog, but my cholesterol would be 537 and my TP budget would triple.

[erynthered]

While I think its a stupid idea, there could be some money at the end if you do it. Contact these folks.

 

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/member/how_to_become_a_record_breaker.aspx

 

 

[Chef Jim]

Good luck Sage. You will gain a better appreciation for flavors and how lucky we are. Food is a luxury. And we are fortunate just to have clean water. It is a big world outside the US. Be prepared to swear off lentils for the rest of your life after this

 

No it's not. And no we aren't.

[Fezmid]

I wanted to go to 3 places a day in Buffalo and order their chicken wings, then at the end of the year have a book ready to go ranking the top 1000 places in Buffalo to get chicken wings with reviews. I think it would sell, could even do a blog, but my cholesterol would be 537 and my TP budget would triple.

I think you'd be able to do this -- you don't have to eat 25 wings at a time. If you're just trying to get a taste of the wings, you could do it with only 2-3 and I think you'd be fine from a health perspective.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

I'll tell you Sage, I really dig your concept. I love the idea (a) of pushing yourself in such an extreme way and (b) that people should do something absurd or crazy at least once. But I'd suggest that you've set the bar too high and that you could perhaps have a more rewarding experience if you created a challenge that allowed for a higher possibility of success. I don't know you so I have no clue how strong your resolve is, but I'd have to join the field here and bet on the lentils dominating you at some point in 2011 (likely sooner than later). Yeah, you can still definitely learn a lot even if you end up failing, but I think maybe if you setup a less drastic (yet still stringent) challenge, you'd get a lot more out this.

 

And my doubts are not just centered on what you are attempting, but also your approach. I'm obviously making tons of assumptions here, but it sounds like you are doing things a little backwards. You've decided on and announced your goal, but you still haven't shored up such a core tenet of the plan, the health implications of an all-lentil diet. You say you plan on researching this. You say your brother is a nutritionist and you plan on using him as a resource. These are things I would have thought you'd already done. I in no way want this to sound condescending, but it sound like you were inspired/fascinated by the potato guy, decided you wanted to do something like that, picked a target (lentils) based on reasonable (but surface) analysis and then made the big announcement before really crunching the numbers. Even assuming further research shows that this plan is nutritionally safe and therefore, not DOA, I think the way you put it together is not indicative of a level of commitment high enough to take on such an onerous task. You've only been with this idea for a few weeks and it sounds like you were/are ready to jump in without having your ducks in a row. That smells to me like a recipe for a quick burnout, not a 365 day marathon.

 

And not that there is ever really a perfect time to do something like this, but attempting it in college lessens your odds ever more, IMO. College (for me and I'd think the vast majority of people) is the most socially chaotic stretch of your life. There is far less normalcy and routine, which is usually the lifeblood of a disciplined regimen. Maybe college life is different for you and I'm certainly not suggesting this might be any easier if you had a job, wife and kids. But the first thing I did when I read your post was wonder if I could do what you are trying. I doubt it. But I can't even fathom attempting it 6 years ago as a college senior.

 

Anyway, whatever you decide to do...good luck. Like I said, I dig stuff like this and I find it invigorating when I hear someone is lacing them up for a big internal struggle. Re-reading my post, I realize it comes off very very negatively. I don't mean to discourage idea of what I think you are attempting to do. Just playing devil's advocate as to my perceived pitfalls in your plan.

 

Bart, I'd like to thank you for the reasoned and well-thought-out response. One reason I posted about this in the first place (aside from garnering myself some attention haha) is that I wanted to get perspectives from a wide variety of people.

 

Don't worry about sounding negative or discouraging the idea...I don't discourage very easily.

 

Indeed, I see failure as a real and like possibility. Whether that failure is of the optional or mandatory variety, who knows? Or perhaps I'll succeed. Wouldn't that be something?

 

Really, it's something of a personality flaw. I consider the concept more than the process and approach a lot of things with a fair degree of recklessness. I agree with you that more research should have done before my announcement. On the flip side, a person with a more firmly screwed on head wouldn't have the intrepid spirit to try this sort of thing in the first place.

[Typical TBD Guy]

Thanks, Tough Guy. Fortunately for me, my brother is a qualified nutritionist, so I'll be using him as a resource.

 

As for the iro...based on the amount of lentils I'll be eating on a daily basis, I'll be getting somewhere between 150-160 percent of my recommended daily value of iron per day. Obviously this isn't ideal, but do you think it's enough to cause a serious iron overload?

 

No, not at all. I actually didn't realize your iron intake from lentils would be that mild. Cases of severe iron overloading from diet alone are usually pretty rare, anyway, since only a small percentage of iron from food actually gets absorbed (the rest just gets crapped out). Too much iron intake is mainly of concern when people take specific iron supplements. Do keep in mind, however, that the only ways absorbed iron exits the body is through sweating, hair growth, nail growth, skin cell shedding, and blood loss. So it's a much slower removal process than most other excesses of vitamins and minerals which can usually be pissed out in large amounts.

 

In all honesty, Sage, I strongly discourage you from attempting this diet for a full year - even with your brother's advice. Why not just one full month? There's a reason why they say one should eat a "well-balanced" diet. Even assuming lentils and vitamin supplements provide you with the full range of nutrients (which I highly doubt...for example, have you properly accounted for all 22 amino acids?), the human digestive system just won't absorb these nutrients at the same efficiency as with a combination of diverse foods. Plus you're in college and a poor diet can really screw with the energy levels needed to sustain a full course workload.

 

My recommendation: try a strict vegan, gluten-free diet for a year. If planned right, you will easily meet all of your caloric and nutritional needs while at the same time depriving yourself of all the "food luxuries" you aim to eschew. I respect your reasons for wanting to attempt this lentil-only diet, and I certainly don't doubt your willpower...I'm just questioning the safety of it all.

Edited December 21, 2010 by Internet Tough Guy

[mead107]

I should be eating nothing but cabbage soup for 60 days.

Edited December 21, 2010 by mead107

[Pete]

No it's not. And no we aren't.

selfish, ignorant, and ingrate

 

 

Water problems affect half of humanity:

 

•Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation.

•Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.

•More than 660 million people without sanitation live on less than $2 a day, and more than 385 million on less than $1 a day.

•Access to piped water into the household averages about 85% for the wealthiest 20% of the population, compared with 25% for the poorest 20%.

•1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 kilometre, but not in their house or yard, consume around 20 litres per day. In the United Kingdom the average person uses more than 50 litres of water a day flushing toilets (where average daily water usage is about 150 liters a day. The highest average water use in the world is in the US, at 600 liters day.)

•Some 1.8 million child deaths each year as a result of diarrhoea

•The loss of 443 million school days each year from water-related illness.

•Close to half of all people in developing countries suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.

•Millions of women spending several hours a day collecting water.

•To these human costs can be added the massive economic waste associated with the water and sanitation deficit.… The costs associated with health spending, productivity losses and labour diversions … are greatest in some of the poorest countries. Sub-Saharan Africa loses about 5% of GDP, or some $28.4 billion annually, a figure that exceeds total aid flows and debt relief to the region in 2003.Source 10

[Chef Jim]

selfish, ignorant, and ingrate

 

 

Water problems affect half of humanity:

 

•Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation.

•Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.

•More than 660 million people without sanitation live on less than $2 a day, and more than 385 million on less than $1 a day.

•Access to piped water into the household averages about 85% for the wealthiest 20% of the population, compared with 25% for the poorest 20%.

•1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 kilometre, but not in their house or yard, consume around 20 litres per day. In the United Kingdom the average person uses more than 50 litres of water a day flushing toilets (where average daily water usage is about 150 liters a day. The highest average water use in the world is in the US, at 600 liters day.)

•Some 1.8 million child deaths each year as a result of diarrhoea

•The loss of 443 million school days each year from water-related illness.

•Close to half of all people in developing countries suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.

•Millions of women spending several hours a day collecting water.

•To these human costs can be added the massive economic waste associated with the water and sanitation deficit.… The costs associated with health spending, productivity losses and labour diversions … are greatest in some of the poorest countries. Sub-Saharan Africa loses about 5% of GDP, or some $28.4 billion annually, a figure that exceeds total aid flows and debt relief to the region in 2003.Source 10

 

We are not fortunate (lucky) to have to have clean water. You make it sound like we just happened to stumble upon it here in America. We are a developed nation that does it best to provide potable water for all and for the most part has succeeded in that. Now please defend calling food a luxury.

[Pete]

We are not fortunate (lucky) to have to have clean water. You make it sound like we just happened to stumble upon it here in America. We are a developed nation that does it best to provide potable water for all and for the most part has succeeded in that. Now please defend calling food a luxury.

you win the lottery when you are born in the United States. That is one of 28 people in the world. Would you still have your smug condenscending attitude if you were born in Congo or Zimbambwe or Burma?

[BLZFAN4LIFE]

selfish, ignorant, and ingrate

 

 

Water problems affect half of humanity:

 

•Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation.

•Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.

•More than 660 million people without sanitation live on less than $2 a day, and more than 385 million on less than $1 a day.

•Access to piped water into the household averages about 85% for the wealthiest 20% of the population, compared with 25% for the poorest 20%.

•1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 kilometre, but not in their house or yard, consume around 20 litres per day. In the United Kingdom the average person uses more than 50 litres of water a day flushing toilets (where average daily water usage is about 150 liters a day. The highest average water use in the world is in the US, at 600 liters day.)

•Some 1.8 million child deaths each year as a result of diarrhoea

•The loss of 443 million school days each year from water-related illness.

•Close to half of all people in developing countries suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.

•Millions of women spending several hours a day collecting water.

•To these human costs can be added the massive economic waste associated with the water and sanitation deficit.… The costs associated with health spending, productivity losses and labour diversions … are greatest in some of the poorest countries. Sub-Saharan Africa loses about 5% of GDP, or some $28.4 billion annually, a figure that exceeds total aid flows and debt relief to the region in 2003.Source 10

 

Keep on crying a river and you can single handedly solve all of humanity's water problems!

[Jim in Anchorage]

you win the lottery when you are born in the United States. That is one of 28 people in the world. Would you still have your smug condenscending attitude if you were born in Congo or Zimbambwe or Burma?

And this has what to do with a dumb stunt like eating lintils for a year? Go join the Peace Corp if you're that worried about it.

[Chef Jim]

you win the lottery when you are born in the United States. That is one of 28 people in the world. Would you still have your smug condenscending attitude if you were born in Congo or Zimbambwe or Burma?

 

Condescending?? I'm just pointing out that food is NOT a luxury and though I may be fortunate to have won the uterine lottery by being born here we as Americans are not fortunate to have clean water. It's what devloped nations have, we're not fortunate it takes work and planning.

 

And I'd only be smug if I took the credit for all this clean water we have.

[Booster4324]

you win the lottery when you are born in the United States. That is one of 28 people in the world. Would you still have your smug condenscending attitude if you were born in Congo or Zimbambwe or Burma?

 

I have faith in Chef, he would.

[Chef Jim]

I have faith in Chef, he would.

 

Of course. Because I'd be one of the few with clean water and luxuriious food.

[ajzepp]

 

And I'd only be smug if I took the credit for all this clean water we have.

 

You have no credibility with me until you stop peeing in the pool