Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The food stamp diabetic project day 8

.92 plus 4.25 equals 5.17.

It dawned on me how much math I am doing. In order to make this work I calculate the cost of everything, the cost of every meatball, slice of bread, ounce of cheese. I am weighing and measuring constantly.

It is beginning to feel like a full time job.

Do we really expect our poor to manage every penny of every meal, every day? Is there no way to offer wiggle room? More pennies?

Could we cancel some of our wars and give that money to social programs?

My breakfast was spartan as I am busy working away right now.

Banana .25
3 turkey meatballs .21
Coffee/cream .24
Toast and peanut butter .26 (toast 8, peanut butter .18)
Total .96
47 grams of carb, much more where it should be this morning.

I was very grateful when the time for lunch came around. Hunger had set in big time. I popped two of my chicken quesadillas in the toaster oven.
2 Quesadilla .86 
Iced tea .03
Total .89
40 grams of carb

It is 4:45 and I am trying to decide between the gym and a nap. My energy is gone. I had a great meeting this afternoon and now I want very badly to sleep. 

No decision was made I sat in a comfortable chair and was out for 45 minutes. It is clear after a week that my energy is depleted.

I got up and had 3 turkey meatballs and went to the gym late getting out after 7.

Snack 3 meatballs .21

However I lucked out. I got to Zabars after 7 and the cheese odds and ends had just been put out.
I usually keep a little dough starter on hand just for occasions like these, so I got home and made a pizza crust batch of dough.

I sliced a tomato, tore up the cheese and while the pizza was baking I had the rest of the greens.
I assembled my pizza using random cheese bits and the rest of the sauce along with the tomato and this was the result.

What a delicious and satisfying meal it was. Salad and pizza on the same night.

Let's see how I did.

Greens 1.00
Tomato .23
Sauce .20
Cheese .20
Dough .08
Total 1.71
36 grams of carb.

In general an expensive meal but I think I have enough bonus pennies it won't be a problem.

Day Total 3.77 I am under eating it seems. I have an entire 1.40 to carry over...that is enough for a 4th meal.

I realize I have become afraid of eating to much and blowing it.

My calories were 1,539 for the day.





8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am reading this blog daily with interest. In this meal you are 44 grams of carb over the amount I am permitted as a metabolic syndrome sufferer taking Metformin and watching my diet. Imagine this day's food, minus the pizza dough and bread. I would normally make up for the lack of carbs with some extra "legal" veggies like broccoli or kale or non-root things, or meat, or eggs, or shirataki. But all that takes money which our SNAP friends don't have or they wouldn't be on this ridiculous budget. I get tired of hearing from the Right that SNAP is just supplemental, and not supposed to be a complete budget. For the elderly and sick and unemployed, it is all they have.

Karl said...

The meal you are talking about was 36 grams of carb, how could 36 be 44 more than you are allowed?

da bitch in 23 said...

Paula Dean needs to get with you. I know you still hungry but you really trying. That pizza looked slamming. I know Miss Paula she like good food and you can make it for diabetics. Different doctors got different numbers for everybody and my maxium is 135 carbs a day but my husband is 180. Seems like men get more of everything.

Anonymous said...

Actually, I was referring to the whole day. Sorry to be unclear. I get 100 carbs per day, no roots, no sugar, no veggies. When I vary from that it shows up in my bloodwork. I think if you take injections you can compensate for it. I am trying to avoid injections... I can do it because I have enough money to eat the expensive foods on my diet. I can't imagine a person on food stamps living. Just living. I think they would get very sick and possibly die. Perhaps that is the GOP's way of "reducing the surplus population" as Mr Scrooge said.

Anonymous said...

Everyone in the House and Senate should be forced to read and follow along. I bet you'd see the SNAP allowance rise from $4+ a day to $12+ a day if that were to happen.

Anonymous said...

I've now contacted all my congress critters and said to increase the SNAP benefit by tripling it. If more of us do that perhaps it will get better for those using SNAP benefits.

And dispel the notion that it's a supplement.

Karl said...

I get it, the restrictions vary person to person and what I am doing won't work for everyone. In addition many diabetics have renal issues or congestive heart issues and have to make further modifications to the diet.

Are you type I or II. I have heard of some who have very difficult restrictions.

I did a food stamp project beginning July 1, 2011 for two months, just living without the diabetic restrictions. It was difficult, but not nearly as difficult as this.

Karl said...

I just want to be clear that the average is 4.50 per day. The absolute maximum for someone is 6.66, however it is rare for anyone to get it.

In order to qualify you can't have much if any income and forget assets. People without income or assets are often homeless and the amount of paperwork you have to do to get on the program would be impossible for a homeless person.

Proof is required of everything. How many homeless people have an address? If a friend shares an address they won't have a lease. A ton of paper is required to 'prevent fraud'. However even the Social workers will tell you ...anyone who wants to defraud this system is going to have a computer and a printer and can generate any paper they need.