Behavior Modification Exercise
The purpose of this work was to eat like someone else-someone whom I did not know-for one week. So, on Sunday September 15, 1996, I set up a hidden video camera in a shopping cart outside a Vons supermarket in Long Beach, California, pointed the cart at the market's door, and then secretly followed the first person who entered the market. Maintaining a discreet distance, I followed this middle-aged woman around the market. I bought every item she purchased. It soon appeared that she was shopping for a single dinner, perhaps for herself and one to three guests. Although my hope was to follow someone who was shopping for the coming week, so that I could create a week's worth of meals, and though I assumed that most people would be shopping on a Sunday for the coming week, I did not wish to exercise any control over my choice of a paradigm.
While shopping, it soon appeared that the randomly-chosen shopper sensed that she was being followed, despite my best efforts to conceal my activity. Although this result was not intended, I cannot deny, nor can I waive responsibility for, the result. For better or worse, it has become part of the exercise.
I proceeded to live off of the items she purchased for exactly seven days, beginning Monday September 16. On that morning, I weighed 165 pounds. The items purchased were as follows:
7-Up--2-liter bottle
Prewashed salad--2 lb.
1 cucumber
2 large tomatoes
9 scallions
Vons Chopped Olives--4.25 oz.
Wishbone Italian Salad Dressing--8 fl. oz.
Hidden Valley Ranch Creamy Dressing--1 pt.
Marie Callendar's Herb and Onion Croutons--5 oz.
Ground beef--1.59 pounds
Hunt's Choice-Cut Diced Tomatoes--1 lb. 12 oz.
Vons Spanish Rice and Vermicelli Mix--2 boxes, 6.8 oz. each
3 pears
4 bananas
Haagen Daz Vanilla Ice Cream--1 quart
1 bouquet of 8 carnations and baby's breath
Vons Medium Size Plastic Garbage Bags--20
Reynold's Wrap--25 square feet
Crest Toothpaste (Cool Mint Gel)--6.4 oz.
Total cost = $40.70
When I returned from shopping, I gave the flowers to my wife, who put them in a vase on the kitchen table.
The following were my daily meals:
Monday
Breakfast: 1 banana
Lunch: 3.4 oz. rice and vermicelli; 6 tbs. diced tomatoes; 1 tbs. Italian dressing; 2 tbs. vanilla ice cream
Dinner: 6 oz. salad; one-third of a tomato; 4 slices of cucumber; 7 croutons, 2 tbs.
ranch dressing; 4 tbs. vanilla ice cream
Tuesday
Breakfast: 1 banana
Lunch: 6 oz. salad; one-third of a tomato; 5 slices of cucumber; 8 croutons, 2 tbs. ranch dressing; 2 tbs. vanilla ice cream
Dinner: half a hamburger; 1 scallion; 5 tbs. of rice and vermicelli; 5 tbs. of ice cream
Wednesday
Breakfast: 1 banana
Lunch: 6 oz. salad; one-third of a tomato; 4 slices of cucumber; 3 tbs. Italian dressing
Snack: 8 croutons
Dinner: half a hamburger; 1 scallion; 5 tbs. of rice and vermicelli; 1 tbs. Italian dressing; 1 tbs. ranch dressing; 5 tbs. of vanilla ice cream
Thursday
Breakfast: 1 banana
Snack: 8 croutons
Lunch: 6 oz. salad; one-third of a tomato; 4 slices of cucumber; 2.125 oz. chopped olives; 2 tbs. Italian dressing
Dinner: half a hamburger; 2 scallions; 5 tbs. of rice and vermicelli; 1 tbs. ranch dressing; 5 tbs. of vanilla ice cream
Friday
Breakfast: 1 pear
Lunch: 6 oz. salad; one-third of a tomato; 4 slices of cucumber; 2.125 oz. chopped olives; 2 tbs. Italian dressing; 1 glass of 7-Up
Snack: 8 croutons
Dinner: half a hamburger; 1 scallion; 5 tbs. of rice and vermicelli; 1 tbs. ranch dressing; 1 glass of 7-Up; 5 tbs. of vanilla ice cream
Saturday
Breakfast: 1 pear
Lunch: 1 hamburger; 2 scallions; 1 oz. salad; one-sixth of a tomato; two slices of cucumber; 1 tbs. ranch dressing; 1 glass of 7-Up
Dinner: half a hamburger; 1 scallion; 5 tbs. of rice and vermicelli; 1 tbs. ranch dressing; 1 glass of 7-Up; 5 tbs. of vanilla ice cream
Sunday
Breakfast: 1 pear
Lunch: 1 hamburger; 1 oz. of salad; 2 tbs. ranch dressing; 1 glass of 7-Up
Dinner: half a hamburger; 1 scallion; 10 tbs. of rice and vermicelli; one-sixth of a tomato; 6 slices of cucumber; 2 tbs. ranch dressing; 2 glasses of 7-Up; 5 tbs. of ice cream
On Monday morning, September 23, I weighed 160 pounds
Food remaining: 5 tbs. of rice and vermicelli mix; 6 tbs. of ranch dressing; 1 cup of vanilla ice cream
Also remaining: Crest; garbage bags; Reynolds Wrap; 8 carnations and baby's breath