Diet Log: Week 6, Day 4

Apparently I spurred some discussion about swallowing gum Yesterday. Let me put your fears about old wives tales to rest. The tale goes that gum will stay in your stomach for seven years. This is false. The truth is that there is no harm in swallowing the occasional piece of gum. It is true that it is not digestable, but in truth a lot of the stuff we eat on a daily basis is not digestable. That is what bowel movements are for - the body getting rid of indigestible stuff. The unique thing about gum is that there is NO PART of it that is digestable, so it comes back out largely intact - kind of like the little lego pieces we all swallowed when we were kids. So, while it may be true that if you sit a piece of gum in a pool of stomach acid, it will take 7 years to dissolve (no idea, I'm just speculating) there is no way your body will allow that to happen.

The only exception is if you swallow a large quantity of it in a relatively short period of time. Kind of like if you are on an ATV trip and need to consume an entire pack to get rid of the horrible taste left in your mouth from licking the coal-dust-mud off of your glasses. In that case it would be best not to swallow it. There is a danger that if you swallow a large enough amount, it can all stick together and become to large to pass through the bowels. This is particularly true if you have also eaten a large quantity of other stuff (like sunflower seeds) that is indigestable. It could make a giant sticky ball that will get stuck somewhere. However, I would submit that if you DO have a severe intestinal blockage, you would require surgery way before 7 years, so even in this case the old wives tale is false.

So, if you really enjoy swallowing your gum, go for it. But why? Is it THAT hard to find a trash can or the bottom of a table somewhere? If you are going to swallow it, why not just save your body the the trouble and spit it directly into the toilet?

Workout: I slept in this morning and did not get to work out.

Weigh-in: Partially because I am working from home this morning, and partially because I have a leaky hot water tank, I have not had a shower yet today, so I haven't weighed myself.

Breakfast: Egg Salad on toast. I cannot believe I have gone almost 4 days on the egg diet and still haven't had an omelet which is pretty much my all-time favorite breakfast food. Calories: 200

Lunch: Finally got my Omelet. Three Eggs + a generous amount of mushrooms + a sprinkling of cheese and ham. About 300 Calories

Dinner: Went to the Sox game tonight, so I had a sausage, but was able to hold off on the Fenway Franks. I went to the game with my wife, and since we get so few nights out by ourselves, we didn't want the night to end. As it happens, our car was parked at the prudential center, which also happens to house a CheeseCake Factory, so we decided to go out to dinner. I had the "Ranch House Burger" which is described as "pieces of steak, covered in sauteeed Onions, Mushrooms, Bacon and cheese ON TOP of a burger." mmmmmmm.... I did have a small victory in that I only hate half of it and was able to push the other half away and declined a piece of the delicious cheesecake. Calories? I don't know and right now I don't care.

Calories for the day: 500 until dinner and then after that I have no idea.