After consuming only beer and water for 23 days, J. Wilson says there are two things he's sick of — morning radio shows and the Illuminator Doppelbock he's vowed to subsist on through Lent.more at Chicago Tribune
The Iowa newspaper editor and beer blogger is halfway through his quest to live on the "liquid bread" diet, a 300-year-old idea brewed up by German monks who did not eat during Lent. So far, Wilson says his fast has proven easier than he expected.
"I was hungry the first couple of days, but after that, the hunger is gone," said Wilson, editor of the weekly Adams County Press. "I'm not hungry."
Wilson said he was down to 145 pounds Thursday, 15 off his starting weight of 160 on Ash Wednesday, March 9. His kidney function drew some attention during a visit to the doctor this week, but that's easily controlled by more water consumption, Wilson says.
"At this point I've chewed up all the old hamburgers and doughnuts, and I've used up all my body fat," the married father of two said. "Now my body has turned on itself and is eating its own protein, and that's clogging the kidneys."
Wilson, who describes himself as a nondenominational Christian, says he's drinking four 12-ounce, 288-calorie Doppelbocks a day on weekdays, and five a day on the weekends. So far, that comes to about 11 gallons of beer.
"I just killed my first two kegs," said Wilson, 38. "I have one keg set up at home and one set up at work and they both ran out at the same time."
At the outset, Wilson also said he aimed to not be drunk at any point during the fast, a pledge he amended slightly on Thursday.
"If you walk in the rain, you're going to get wet," Wilson said. "It's not a 46-day hammerfest. That's what I meant when I said that originally.
"From time to time, if I have an appointment, I have to move my beers around. If I have to have two beers in quicker succession than I would like, sure you might get a little tipsy. But I haven't been sloshed the last three weeks.
It seems strange that he took interest in the practice even though he's not even a high church Protestant.
1 comment:
Tsk! What lousy reporting. A protestant Christian takes on a fast that most Catholics wouldn't attempt and the reporter doesn't even get close to the spiritual aspects of this!
I'm dying to learn if the guy is getting holier. If he's gained some spiritual insights on eating, health, balancing prayer & partying. Is he growing closer to God?
Thanks a lot Tribune, you blew it.
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