Yesterday was my first day of the SNAP Experience, I was late to the game because my birthday happened to be this week and I didn’t want to miss out on the chance of doing the challenge again. The challenge officially started on September 15th, but it was a hectic day for me. I woke up at 5am in the morning to get my gown prepped for a TV segment, I went to the TV station, then after that I attended a bridal shower, and then a bachelorette party, where I ended up staying the night at the hotel the party was booked at.
I certainly didn’t want to be the “Debbie Downer” of the party by not participating and so I partied it up with the rest of them. Then on Sunday, my husband and I celebrated my birthday early knowing my real birthday was on a Monday.
I know this year’s SNAP Experience will be more difficult for me as I am making way to becoming a vegetarian, I’m on a diet, started a fitness boot camp, and completely busy with my orders and events. But I’m not one to throw in the towel without trying it again this year.
The amount of knowledge I know about poverty statistics, because my husband works for the Association of Arizona Food Banks, doing the challenge reminds me of how some people live and essentially where I come from, which was the Philippines. I heard stories from my parents and family about what they endured to be able to survive and I know I will never experience poverty like they have, but at least maybe I can experience hunger and never complain about how lucky I am.
And boy was I hungry yesterday, on my birthday which was the day before I started the challenge. I woke up at 4:30am to attend my fitness boot camp class. I figured if I was going to eat cake I had to burn calories before I did it. I ran several errands during the day and spent a nice evening with friends that involved a nice meal and dessert. I was feeling more guilty and so I took an hour walk with the dog and my hubby.
So here comes yesterday, I woke up hungry but not knowing what to eat, and didn’t end up eating breakfast but opted for a late lunch. I found that since I am exercising more that I’m hungrier than ever, but I’m still on a diet. I opted for a tortilla with 2 eggs and a little cheese. I know splurged with the shredded cheese going at a rate of $2.50 a package, but I was thinking I can make it last the whole week. In retrospect, I should have gotten a block cheese and grated it myself, it might have been slightly cheaper. The tortilla package was $1.99 and the package of eggs was $1.99. But I was amazed that I couldn’t get as many vegetables when I went grocery shopping because I had spent a bulk of the budget on things that would stay fresher than vegetables.
So, yesterday I was doing well with eating 2 cheese and egg burritos (one for lunch and one for dinner), but after I came back from walking the dog for an hour, I was super hungry. I ended up drinking a ton of water and going to bed hungry.
This morning, I had plans to wake up at 4:30am to go to boot camp, but I didn’t have the energy and ended up sleeping in. I have the same dilemma this morning, I haven’t eaten anything yet, but I feel the need to keep up with my exercise goals. We will see if I have the motivation to push through.
-Jennyvi
The Arizona SNAP Experience 