The men lost a lot of weight. No surprise there—that was the goal of the experiment. But a good chunk of what they lost was lean weight. Their body temperature also dropped by several degrees. They lost interest in sex—a sign of bad health, though perhaps helpful given their circumstances. Worse, they couldn’t think straight. They felt cold all the time. Both their strength and their endurance plummeted. Many became depressed and psychotic. And they fixated on food—even in their sleep.2 In other words, it was hell on earth.
