hercules411

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It sounds like a simple statement.. But it has helped me lose more than 100 pounds as I prepare for RNY surgery.

I was watching TV  this morning, and saw two back to back ads for breakfast. They showed donuts and sausage sandwiches.

Since I am on day two of my pre-op liquid protein diet.. I couldn't run out to Dunkin Donuts. So I did the next best thing. I picked up the remote and turned the channel.  It might be easier to give in, then blame television for eating too much fatty food. But I found that after turning off the commercial.. the desire for that food went away.

Other things I do to avoid temptation.

Other family members keep food at home that I shouldn't eat. I have them keep it in cupboards where I probably won't go. Yes.. I know where that food is. But in order to get it, I have to make a conscious decision to seek it out.

I keep some food for my work day in the car.  I have a tendency to eat my lunch and my snack all at once when I am at work. But I need that snack late in the day for energy. So I keep the snack (non perishable of course) in my car. When it is snack time, I have to walk out to my car and get it.

Snacks at work. I avoid getting within reach of the boss's candy dish. And when someone brings food in for he office to eat, I make sure it isn't in front of me. In fact, I try to move it out of sight.

It's easy for me to start overeating by blaming TV commercials or my co-workers. I just try to be honest with myself and keep temptation out of sight and definitely out of reach.

I am learning to use one of my shortcomings to improve my water intake. I lack the virtue of patience. I work on a computer all day, and can't stand it when the computer doesn't react immediately to my commands.  But now I spend that extra few seconds doing something I need to do. When the PC is booting up, or that web site is loading, I sip water.  I am looking for other opportunities to increase my intake of H2O.  Today I drank 5 liters about (160 ounces) of water.

I began my two week, 800 calorie a day pre-op diet today. It was kind of strange not chewing anything.  I got through work okay. but during my 45 minute walk at night, I felt a bit light headed.. Not dizzy just not as alert as usual. We'll see how it goes.

After spending a week on 1000 calories per day, this morning I weighed 337 lbs.  Today I  begin the 800 calorie per day liquid protein diet. Still concerned about constipation. Last bowel movement was Saturday and only after taking milk of magnesia. Today is Monday.

I was looking at another member's Health Tracker, and saw that he began tracking his weight at 300 lbs.  I thought to myself.. "Wow.. that guy started out at a weight that is 40 lbs lighter than I am now, and more than 200 lbs. less that my all time high weight. (The scale stopped at 500). I thought, "That guy doesn't have to lose as much as I do."

But that's the kind of thinking that in the past would put the brakes on a diet.  I would look at the huge, mountain I had to climb to get to my destination, then give up... hopeless.

But for now, my journey is one day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time... one second at a time. 

I have been blessed enough to be approved for RNY in two weeks. 

And for today.. I stuck to my meal plan and took a 45 minute walk.

That's something I could not have done just a few months ago.

The journey seems long.. but there are enough tiny rewards like that each day to keep me going.

I rarely have that moment when a light bulb goes on in my head. But today i realized how much I need to appreciate chewing and savoring food.  I still inhale it.

You see, tomorrow I start my two week pre-op liquid diet, followed by liquids for a while post-op.

So as i placed a  piece of baked yam in my mouth and began to chew, I realized.. "This will be my last morsel of chewable food for quite some time". 

I can't think of any time in my life when I ever thought that before. 

Onward and upward with the beginning of a new life.

Today was the last time I will ever "pig out".  I start my  pre-op liquid diet in two days and will have lap RNY in two weeks. So I had a last blast of the old days of eating one meal with wreck less abandon. I went to nice restaurant where I had an appetizer, rolls, mashed potatoes, french fried sweet potatoes and a 12 oz sirloin steak. I planned on dessert, but had no room in my stomach for it.  Unfortunately the steak was overcooked. Also my sense of taste seems to have diminished over the years. Frankly, I didn't enjoy the meal a whole lot.. But that's OK.
I also kept no food log today. Onward!

Ever have one of THOSE days? Lots of trials and disappointments. But I stuck with my food plan. I must say.. I  don't know if 1000 cals a day is enough. I'm slightly NOT alert.

Breakfast
All Whites, 56g liquid egg whites, microwaved
High Fiber Cereal, Trader Joe's 29 g
Milk, fat free, skim, 4 oz

Snack
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice
Nutella, 1 TB, 18 g

Lunch
Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrots, 180g Steamed
Chicken, breast 3oz, boneless, on Foreman Grill
Cottage Cheese, Dry, 57g Dean's

Snack
Peach, large, raw

Dinner
Salmon, cooked 6 oz
Steamed Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels on cob, 1 ear    

Nutritional supplements
Vitamin B12 2500mg sublingual
Vitamin C,100 mg
Vitamin D3, 2,000 IU, cholecalciferol
Calcium Citrate w/vitamin D3 2 tabs
Multi vitamin
Folic Acid 1mg tablet (prescription)

Cals 992
    
Fat (g) 21.7
    
Carbs (g) 101.5
    
Prot (g) 99.9

My Oct. 19th surgery date has been moved up to September 21st.  I start liquids in little more than a week.