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Living, eating, drinking the Olympics

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For the past three weeks, Terin Izil has showered using Dasani water, worn an adidas swimsuit as underwear and has opted for a diet that mainly consists of McDonald's, Kellogg's cereal and Chobani yogurt.

It's called the "5 Ring Diet."

While shopping for a Gillette razor, Izil, who lives in Lakeview, noticed the five-colored Olympic rings on the product.

"I started looking around the store and saw there were several products from different categories and thought there are enough products for someone to live off of," the Seattle native said.

Since July 20, Izil, who works in advertising, has committed to living exclusively on brands that sponsor the Olympics as a way to bring awareness and raise money for her organization, Camp Promise, a summer camp in Washington and Connecticut open to people of all ages suffering from muscular dystrophy.

"I started the camp in 2009 out of a lack camp options for people living with muscular dystrophy," she said. "It's a really great chance for these campers to be independent for a week rather than rely on someone seven days a week for their care."

So far, Izil's "5 Ring Diet" has helped raised $6,261 for Camp Promise for a grand total of $16,536. Izil hopes to reach her goal of $25,000 by the Olympics closing ceremonies on Sunday.

Izil spent six days in London recently during her "diet," arriving two days before the opening ceremony.

"It was the perfect thing that I needed," she shared. "I was at the point of the diet where I was getting tired, so it was really nice to experience the Olympics and to be in the park in the spirit of it."

While in London, she also was able to eat chocolate again, much to her liking.

"Cadbury sponsors the Olympics, but is only sold in London, so I stocked up and brought some back with me to the U.S.," she said.

Izil, 28, said the most challenging part of her temporary lifestyle has been finding a variety of things to eat at McDonald's.

"I'm a vegetarian, and my only source of vegetables is from McDonald's," she said. "I've been eating the salads and trying to mix things up."

Izil's effort has caught the attention of the some of the brands and the public.

"Chobani sent me a care package, and I event got re-tweeted by Charmin," she said. "I get on the elevator now, and they say 'you're that girl.' I should be really embarrassed by the things people know about me, but it's a great cause so I don't mind."

While the public may be surprised by her endeavor, Izil said her family and friends aren't.

"I've always been a little bit out there, so it doesn't totally surprise them, but the degree to which I've been doing this has definitely reaffirmed that I'm a little bit out there, but they have been supportive especially by donating."

As for the first thing Izil's looking forward to once her "5 Ring Diet" ends, "A hot shower, a Chipotle burrito, and I would love to eat a bag of Doritos."

To donate to Camp Promise and follow Izil's "5 Ring Diet" journey, visit www.5ringdiet.com.


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