Hi, I just discovered this journey blog and am so glad to found it. I really really need to write this journey down and by doing that will work through a lot of issues with weight loss.

Since I just found it I am actually noting what I've done from 8 days post-op (this past Friday). I became hungry, yes really hungry. My co-workers ordered Chinese take out (I LOVE CHINESE). Since no one knows what kind of surgery I really had (most think I had gall bladder surgery), they kept asking, don't you want something? Finally I looked over the menu to see if there was anything liquid and decided to order hot & sour soup. I skimmed off the juice (about 5 tsps) and added it to 4 oz of chicken broth. It was so, so , so good. I am just fed up with sugary protein shakes and skimmed milk. I just needing something that had a little "kick" to eat (and salt)!! I finally got in about 68 ozs of liquids today.

Saturday was my family picnic. I just knew this would be the most challenging by far. I scheduled WLS after the major holidays and hoping I could sail through this weekend. Well, the menu was traditional U.S. southern.....chicken (fried and grilled), fried fish, grilled ribs, polish sausage, hot dogs, hamburgers (beef and turkey), baked beans, spaghetti salad, slaw and chips. Boy, did I have to psych myself out. I prepared my shakes and just kept drinking propel and water (by the way, I can now get down more than 4 ozs-----can't wait til I finish healing to get my 1st fill). I must admit, I did cheat.........sort of. I took a chicken and rib bone and sucked that sucker to death! I even chewed a little bit and spat it out (that's the sound of a desperate overeater)!. I felt so, so bad. My family kept asking me why wasn't I eating? Since they don't know I had surgery, I kept telling them I was detoxing to wing myself from sugar and salt and had to be strong and stop sabatoging (sp) my diets. My family is always having some big cookout or dinner! The good news is again I got my 68 ozs of liquids in and I went on a nature walk up and down hills and even did the exercises at each junction.

I am a Christian and very active in church. Today is 1st Sunday which is of high significance at my church. It is Communion Sunday. The only problem is I didn't know it (I overslept and forgot). Problem number 2, guess who prepares Communion? ME!!!! Church starts at 11, I got there at 10:15 to start the preparations. I know my blood pressure went up! I got it done but it threw my entire day off. As a matter of fact, it is 7:30 p.m. and I've only taking in about 36 ozs of liquids and 28 grams of protein. I need 30 ozs more and 60 more ozs of protein. Darn! I guess I'll be up til at least 3 a.m.

After Church, my DH says, can't we go out to eat to O'Charley's and you get something off the menu? Despite my telling him over and over why I can't eat anything solid, he just doesn't get it. And this is so like him whenever I'd start a diet, he would sabotage it, yes seriously!! He will want to go out more to dinner than when I am not dieting! I drank 16 ozs of water, then 30 minutes later had my protein shake. I then drove down to my mother's house to pick up my granddaughter..............more enticing food. I need my head examined as I almost cried of hunger!! I quickly left and drank 17 ozs of Propel, ordered more hot and sour soup and skimmed the top and added to broth and it satisfied me. So that's it for now. I am about to go and make another protein shake and go for a ride with my DH.

BTW, I found out the hot and sour soup has 100 calories, 1 gram of fat and 1100 mg of salt. I split it to one serving once a day so it shouldn't hurt.

Later.

Rumar