Day 14

Sorry for the delay in posting but Cheryl and I have been in Maine for the past few days. There is not a tremendous amount of new information to report. I have had some successes and some unsuccessful meals, but overall things are going well.

I knew that having the surgery just before the Holidays was going to lead to some challenges. And overall I don't think it was too bad. Sure there were some holiday treats that I feel like I've missed but nothing too depressing. The hardest part for me now is introducing my brain to my new stomach. For example, my brain doesn't really get that I can't eat anywhere near as much food as I used to eat. So when it comes time to prepare, (or order) a meal, I feel like I need to order like I used to: a main attraction and a side or two.

Tonight, for example, we met up with some friends at one of my favorite restaurants. There was actually a lot of things I could eat on the menu. I debated between the shrimp cocktail, a few different fish entrees, the chili, but I decided on the turkey tips. It came with two sides, so I opted for baked beans, and chili. The waitress said that she could add the chili but it wouldn't count as a side and that I had a choice of rice, potato or vegetable for my other side. I went with mashed potatoes, which aren't really on my food list right now. I realized after she walked away that this was enough food for 3 meals for me. I probably could have gone with a cup of chili and called it a day.

Anyway, I have leftovers to last me tomorrow and then some. The truth is I wanted to eat all that food...I see now that while this surgery is certainly helping me, there is much work to be done on my relationship with food.

I put in an illustration of the surgery since many people have been asking exactly what was done. Hope this helps.