The Thirty Day SHTF Test Diet: Day 6

Today was Day 6 for my test of Mountain House food packets as emergency food, The Thirty Day SHTF Test Diet. Lots of preppers recommend storing food for a disaster; this series tests it out. As detailed earlier, this diet has turned into a weight-loss diet too.

This day, the rebound continued. Unlike yesterday, I didn't succumb to exhaustion. But I did have insomnia, which led to me waking up must later than usual. Perhaps that's why my pep returned. As per usual, the food was good. No dizziness, fainting or other symptoms and no sign of any vitamin deficiency.

Today's Meals

Similar to Day 4, a packet of scrambled eggs with ham and green pepper.

In another perhaps-amusing lapse from my routine, I leaped right into eating it before taking the usual picture of it reconstituted. It looked and tasted like the others, though this time there was a little more excess fluid. Unlike the granola, it took a cup of boiled water.

Dinner was Turkey Tetrazzini:

Like all the others, it took two cups of boiling water, two bouts of stirring, and about eight to ten minutes of cooling before ready.

I have to say, the beans were a nice touch.

It went down well. Relatively light on the spices, it included a lot more turkey than the Chicken and Rice had chicken.

Effects, So Far:

As mentioned above, my pep returned after a stretch of insomnia. Unfortunately, that stretch included some simmering that I kept bottled up. You could say, in a manner of speaking, that I had a wee little visit from the Night Gods.

Basic common-sense psychology says that frustration over the stresses of the diet got the better of me. That's true as it stands, but it does make me wonder what would boil over in a real SHTF event. Thankfully, the disasters I've experienced featured nothing of the sort. The worst was an ice-storm power outage; folks just hunkered down or moved to shelters where there was heat. No trouble broke out.

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or "Fat Tuesday." The fattening-up and Mardi-Gras partying is still with us, even if the fast or sacrifice of Lent isn't as much observed. It's my bet that, in a real post-disaster environment that lasts for months, similar customs will come into play: community parties where everyone brings some pre-disaster luxuries to remind them of the good old days.

In the humble present, I have hit one of those notorious plateaus:

I actually ricocheted a couple of pounds upwards. Maybe this is my way of observing Fat Tuesday. :-) Happy Mardi Gras.

Conclusion For Day 6

My pep came back, though not before a bout of insomnia that included bottled-up venting of frustration. The exhaustion I experienced yesterday did not return. It's too soon to say I bounced back, but if I keep the vim then there might actually be something to the food. At this point, too soon to say.

I can say that any frustration sessions only come during after-lights-out night, "when the demons come." Nothing during the day, which was upbeat.

Bit of a bounceback for Shrove Tuesday. Thanks for reading.

And feel free to comment below!

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Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12