What's the longest you've gone without eating?

What's the longest you've gone without eating (because you couldn't afford food)?

and I'm going to recommend it for Greatest, because until I was adopted at six years old, there were many, many times when I went days without eating because there were no adults around and no food in the house. I recall once giving my little sister a glass of warm water to stop her stomach from growling. Poverty is a cruel, cruel thing.

I'm sorry to hear about that. Hope you made it through relatively intact.
:hug:

That means helping both adults and children in more ways that I can list here. Physical poverty often mirrors hopelessness and vice-versa.

:kick:

The only reason I even made the distinction is that at least adults can be more resourceful and go out and find ways of scrounging up food. Poor kids are sometimes left locked up in dingy apartments with no food and no supervision all day.

It kills me just thinking, and knowing that that is going on right now, somewhere.

:cry:

One of the reasons my sister and I didn't eat is because most of the household money was spent on drugs and alcohol; addiction is a hunger of its own, and if we had better ways of dealing with poverty in our country, we might have fewer addiction problems.

Yes, it's going on right now. But this thread is a good thing, Yollam.

If not for my credit card, I'd have gone hungry a few times after buying medicine.

A large part of my credit card debt (my credit is shot now) was for food. But I was "too rich" for food stamps...

when I was on summer break from college. I got roped (brainwashed) into selling books door to door. They drop you off in the middle of nowhere, with no money, no place to live. You're supposed to live on the advance payments people give you for what you sell. Since I didn't sell anything, I didn't eat, nor the other two guys with me. Finally, on the fifth day, I convinced a quickstore owner to allow me to pay a check for some food. (this was in 1980, so cashing checks was not all that easy if you didn't have a local bank acct.). The only thing the store had was baloney, bread, and orange soda. When I took it back for the other guys, it was like manna from heaven.

Yes, I realize its not the same as being truly homeless or destitute, but I bring it up because I remember that when I see homeless or are addressing the issues that are similar. I personally do something on a small scale. I try to have at least a dollar in spare change on me.

I will say that after day three, the hunger pangs subside, somewhat.

Not sure if that's an ok answer, but there ya go.

I lived in my car for a few weeks, occasionally sleeping with friends before I could get together money for an apartment. I had to skip a few meals, and I remember how the crappiest food (50 cent "slider" cheeseburgers at AM/PM) seemed like filet mignon.

And despite my experience, I know I only had a little taste of what the hardcore homeless deal with. I was 20 years old. If I hadn't been so proud I could've asked my dad to wire money. I don't think the homeless have that option.

to my dad, as unappealing as that would have been. But I still had options. I was young, and a home I COULD go to.
Not the same thing, nor did I mean it was. I just meant I had been through the hungry for a few days part, so it makes it easier to relate.

Sometimes I think the repugs who have the least compassion have never had to be in that situation. If they had, they might find more compassion.

I answer quite differently overall, versus specific to not being able to afford. I've experienced $$ driven food issues, for sure, but fortunately, never leading to days without food as yet. Although I have attempted fasts about that long.

in the last 48 hours. Can't eat, don't want to.

I went to bed hungry for food, never of love.

:kick:

and I know hunger doesn't really start to hurt until about the ten day mark. Before then, if it's been due to poverty, it's been the indignity more than any physical discomfort, although that day #2 headache is no fun.

Poverty is a WMD and it's being weilded by the rich and the powerful against the whole world.

I couldn't eat for for at least a week, then it
was gatorade and saltines and broth for at least a week.
I lost 25lbs in three weeks.

Or, we subsisted on things like spaghetti without sauce, or pancakes my mother made out of flour water and baking soda (no eggs) and sugar/water "syrup".

But, it was usually only temporary, as was our occasional homelessness. Due to moving around a lot and my stepfather's military retirement checks not catching up to him.

I finally set out on my own when I was 15.

I also went for days without eating when I was a drunk/druggie.

There is NOTHING romantic or uplifting about being poor or an alcoholic.

I've gone almost a week without food before. At one point by 6'5" frame was down below 150 pounds due to poverty.

I'm doing much better now.

what made the difference for you? How is it that you're doing much better now? (I'm glad to hear you're doing better. :hug: )

It's unconscionable that any child goes hungry. Stories like Heidi's pains my heart.

But as an adult educated about fasting, going without food, even if not by choice, can be transformed into a positive detoxifying opportunity- as long as you have access to water and are able to limit physical exertion. I was once interred in Ghouliani's gulag for protesting his homophobic St. Pat's friends for 28 hours. As unprepared as I was to be held that long, and offered no food I would eat, my body thanked me. There are a lot of great books out there on fasting, but there are always risks, especially if you're on any type of drugs or had been in the past.

I lived in several places in most States I've lived in, spent 8 years total in southern California and parts of it were rough. Lived in a bad part of Garden Grove in the mid 80's and split the rent on an apartment with a couple we knew. When my friend and I both got laid off (worked at the same place) it was rough for a couple of months. I dropped from about 185 to about 160 in a fairly short time.

as a single mother at one time, many times I myself went without a meal for days...BUT, my son never missed a meal....I went without a lot of things so that he could have clothes, toys, food...etc.

I am a solid size ten and have been my entire life except when my son was born until he was about 2. I was a size 1 then and did not weigh 100 #'s (at 5'6"), and not healthy at all because I had to choose...food for son, food for me (food for son). Rent to keep roof over son's head or food for me (rent). Doctor visit for son or dentist visit for me (doctor for son). Toy for son or toy for me (son). Clothes/Diapers for son, clothes or food for me (for son). Surgery for son or going to work for me to do all the things above (surgery for son...so I went even more hungry and LUCKILY my employer was understanding). Had to apply for funds from the Bureau of Crippled Children to pay for surgery (neurosurgery).

And I would NOT ask for help...I regret that now and always have...my folks would have helped me if I had asked...I refused to do so. However, if it had become life and death, I would have asked...i.e. the surgery.

These are the choices, without the fallback of parents who would and could help, MILLIONS of people are making, each day, in supposedly the richest country in the world...and it is a crime.

It's a crime. No one in our country should go to bed hungry except by choice. Are things better for you now? What made the difference. (Thank you for making sure your child didn't go hungry, though I don't believe parents should have to choose between their own hunger and their kids' hunger in our affluent culture. :hug: )

And I am fortunately well off enough and have insurance, etc.

I am not sure I can pinpoint the turning point really. Maybe just growing up some more and becoming more confident?

And I am thankful for it every day!

I can understand being too proud to take charity or welfare, but I've had help from my folks when I needed it. You shouldn't go without eating, for your son's sake you should be healthy.

I've had friends who were flat broke and refused anything from me, but would still accept help from their folks.

Thought I could do it all on my own.

I realized how stupid that was when my parents and I spoke about it years ago. I felt bad after "the lecture" I got when I was about 30 on this....that adult kind of bad when you know your parents were right and you have no defense.

At 46, I am much wiser...as the song goes "I was younger then than now"

In my early twenties.

I recall how my sensual acuity went way up. It seemed I could smell a hanmburger cooking on a bbq from a mile away. And it was a carnival of scrumptuous sensations just to walk by a resturant. In fact, I walked in to one, a small place, where it turned out the waiter guy was a fellow Eng Lit major at my school (a senior, I was a freshman), fed me, and arranged to get me a job there. After that, I ate well.

Without appetite stimulation, i would never eat. I do not have an appetite of my own. The bitching i have received about my weight is ridiculous.

But it comes in handy when you have small kids and there is very little food in the house. I have missed more than a few meals in the past just to make sure my growing brood got enough in their bellies.

I've known abundance and hunger, and I can tell you that true hunger sucks. You can't think straight, you're weak, you feel hopeless.

No one should go hungry in this world. No one.

:hug: Heidi :cry:

on lemon juice, cayenne, & maple syrup. because i am an overpriveledged, overweight, soulless yuppie.

Just curious. I imagine you would gain it back pretty fast when you start eating again.

Aimless drifting from here to there where ever the wind blew me, until I learned how to survive I went hungry for spells. Hunger can be a good teacher, and a humbling experience. I discovered that by going into truck stops and offering to work for food they were going to throw out anyway I could stay alive.
Sometimes the manager or whoever was in charge would just sit me down and feed me.
I've begged spare change, but it went mostly for tobacco back then, I learned about dumpster diving at closing time, that was before people would poison throwout food to keep people from eating it.
One good trick back then was to call in a pizza order shortly before closing time then digging it out of the trash later, I've even been a little light fingered in grocery stores, I'm not proud of it, but, when your stomach is growling a hungry person will do things that one ordinarily wouldn't do.

than that.
And that was just when I was in college. I've always been on the poor end of things, but I've always managed to have a roof over my head and food on my table. A cheap roof and cheap food, but a roof and food nonetheless. :)

I just took it for granted that everyone could eat something at least once a day? I mean you can get rice and beans for about a buck. Potatos, eggs, and bread are cheap. The most expensive staple food is probably milk.

I've never gone more than 2 days without food, and that's only because I was sick. I've fasted for religious/health reasons before. Shit, don't I feel like an asshole.

What's a good charity that feeds the hungry? I've been giving to my church and the Salvation Army, but I'll give more.

or any local food bank would be more than grateful for your donations.

:sarcasm:

I was a divorced mom and lost my job. I spent what (very) little money I could gather on feeding my child and bus fare to apply for another job.

Really nothing compared to families who have to make those kinds of choices year upon year, as so many - too many - do.

... in the world to me... (shivers with fear)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2332258

(sorry if I'm slightly off topic, but people should read this article about troops getting shabby treatment)

--at any price. Medical bills were strictly out of pocket, and that meant missed meals every now and then.

I was a healthy rugrat and didn't need insurance--that's why I'm underwhelmed by "insure the children" health care reform proposals. I went hungry because my parents couldn't get insurance.

As a kid, it made no difference to me, my parents put food on the table and that was all that mattered.