Two Weeks Out - Day 14

Much better.  Tons better.  20+ pounds better!

Monday, I met with my doctor.  I was officially advanced to eat pureed foods.  Well, since I'm a little stubborn and more than a little picky, pureed foods are not my thing.  I'm a texture eater.  I have all kinds of rules about foods and their textures and what I'll put in my mouth.  And mushy foods - other than a very small handful of foods - are an absolute no.  No thank you.

The idea is that I am supposed to consume 3 protein supplement shakes daily (still) and then consume 2 oz. of pureed foods including meat.  Oh, right - who eats pureed pork chop?!  Not I!  To compensate for this, I eat very small bites of meat - smaller than a pencil eraser - and I chew like crazy.

Oh, the bliss!  Pork tenderloin, barbecued chopped brisket, grilled shrimp.  Well, a grilled shrimp - just one.  These foods are heavenly compared to the apple juice and sugar-free popsicle diet from before! And mashed potatoes (yummy! when cooked right of course), no-sugar added applesauce, sugar-free pudding and yogurt.  This I can do!  Oh and peanut butter...peanut butter never tasted so good!  I've always been a crunchy pb kind of girl - extra crunchy when available - but I'll settle for creamy any day if it means I don't have to eat another sugar-free popsicle.  I am so lucky that the handful of mushy foods I will eat lines up with the handful of mushy foods that I'm allowed to have on Phase II.

I have so much more energy.  Still not a ton.  But a hundred times more than I had a week ago.

My surgeon was pleased with my weight loss and told me to keep that up.  Twenty one pounds and 3 whole BMI points isn't too bad.  I'm scared in part that I'll stagnate already.  On all other diets, twenty pounds lost is where I stagnate for at least a month.  The science says that this won't be the case this time, but it is so hard for me to imagine anything else.

Day 8 - Liquids Only

Three days ago, I thought I was going to die.  I had so much pain that seemed like it was never going away and I could barely finish a popsicle without needing to lay down.  I am doing much better today.

As part of my post-op diet, Phase I, I was provided with eating guidelines.  That is what the nutritionist called them, though my assessment would be more of a strict schedule.  The "guidelines" look like this:

7-8     am 4 oz. liquid mixed with a full serving of protein supplement mix
8-9     am 8 oz. water
9-10   am 4 oz. apple juice
10-11 am 8 oz. water
11-12       4 oz. liquid mixed with a full serving of protein supplement mix
12-1   pm 8 oz. water
1-2     pm sugar-free ice popsicle (not with cream or fruit)
2-3     pm 8 oz. water
3-4     pm 4 oz. sugar-free Jell-O
4-5     pm 8 oz. water
5-6     pm 4 oz. chicken broth
6-7     pm 4 oz. liquid mixed with a full serving of protein supplement mix
7-8     pm 8 oz. water

Does this appeal to any of you?  How many of you have nothing to do but constantly consume disgusting liquids and water?  Bear in mind, I am recovering from a major surgery, so sleep is a common interrupter of any hour.  Add to that that I am rarely up and showered before 7 am anyway, and I kept falling behind and then getting scared that I would starve if I didn't catch up.  Starvation vs. dehydration is the ongoing battle.

Yesterday, I made a decision.  Few people can live their lives like this - on an hour by hour agenda.  It isn't realistic.  Add to this that as a sleeve patient, one is supposed to not drink 30 minutes before or after a meal.  Completely, insanely unrealistic.  So I decided to do the best I can.

The best I can means protein shakes as desired, not necessarily three times a day.  The best I can means I start drinking water as soon as I get up and as frequently as possible.  Really, is the fluid of the water going to mix with the fluid of the apple juice and somehow make my stomach fuller for having two liquids in?  How absurd!  The best I can means ignoring the 30-30 rule until I am eating something that actually resembles food.

It is a good day!  I am not going to die.  I'm going to eat popsicles for every meal for the next three days and then praise the Lord for soft foods like peanut butter, applesauce, and pureed fruits.