I spent my past summer interning abroad in Shanghai. I went there by myself, and I didn’t have many friends in Shanghai. I decided to take advantage of this quiet period away from the influence of others. I’ve noticed that when I’m around other people, I am influenced to do unhealthy things. I spend more money, over eat food, not exercise, and more.

My personal challenge over the summer included a heavy diet restriction. I felt guilty about all the weight I had gained over the school year. Freshman 15 was very, very real for me. And I wanted to feel healthier. Besides this diet restriction, I also worked out every day for 1-2 hours. My diet consisted of one thing. The same meal prepared the same way. It was eggs and rice.

I chose eggs and rice for a few reasons. I like the taste, the rice is filling, and I know eggs have nutrients. I recognize the diet lacks fiber, fruits, or vegetables. But again: this was a heavy diet restriction. I prepared each meal in a very short amount of time. I would stick rice in a rice cooker and while it was cooking, fry up an egg and a dash of salt. Each meal cost me 16 cents and was 200 calories. I skipped breakfast and ate this meal twice daily.

As with any diet, I had cheat meals. But, I kept them minimal. I would go out with friends and coworkers to eat for only one or two meals a week. And there were definitely nights when I passed by a street vendor and succumbed to a late night snack. I would also sometimes buy oranges (for the fiber) and green beans to cook up and add to my egg/rice meal.

I went from eating Korean BBQ up to three times a week during the school year to a 400 calorie diet over the summer. You would expect it to have been difficult for me to make the change. But, I picked a food that I like the taste of. Also, I noticed that I didn’t feel the need to go out to eat all the time or to overspend on food that I didn’t want to eat. This likely because there weren't many people close to me in Shanghai. It was completely fine to transition.

Over the course of the two months, I, of course, learned a few things. For one, when you narrow your diet into a very narrow range of foods, your appetite for food in general goes down. My cravings went down a ton. I had many yearnings for a Chipotle burrito, but besides that, the cravings weren’t unbearable. I didn't break my diet.

I also learned that you save a ton of money when you diet. By a ton of money, I mean a ton. For example, when you go out to eat, the typical meal is around $10. My meal cost $0.16. And considering how we eat 14 or more meals a week, those savings add up. It was also very fast to prepare the meal and I saved a ton of time that I would've spent in a restaurant.

If I were to tell you to eat one 200 calorie meal every day for two months, you may think it almost impossible. I thought it was, too. But actually doing it, it surprised me how fast time passed. And I never actually got sick of the meal. I actually still cook it every now and then for myself back home at USC.

You may be wondering what the results were. After all, I dragged out a crash diet for two months. I ended up losing 20 pounds. To put it in perspective, I haven’t been this weight since I was in seventh grade, seven years ago. The calorie deficit worked very well for me. Since then, I’ve gone back to eating Chipotle and KBBQ and snacks and such. Would I do it again? Yes, if I felt unhealthy and uncomfortable with my weight again.

If you are considering doing something similar, please keep your health in mind. Crash diets are not meant to drag out forever. If you are deficient in nutrients, address them. Don't do this with no goal in sight - pick a point when you'd be happy with how your body is, and resume your normal diet.

Enjoy a photo collage of a few meals below! Happy dieting!