We went to an old favorite restaurant for lunch yesterday.. haven't been since before surgery in August...

I fit in the booth with a couple of inches between me and the table! I used to squeeze in and be embarassed that my stomach was smashed against the table.

Definetly gave me a much needed boost of encouragement. I was pretty loose with my eating over the holidays with the kids home from school all day everyday... definetly put on 5 lbs since Thanksgiving, but seeing the booth yesterday really made me feel like I was making progress. I'm meeting my DH's extended family at a reunion at the end of March for his grandfather's 90th bday... he hasn't seen the extended family in almost 7 years either, so we're both trying to drop a size before we go.

I'm still having trouble not drinking with meals, and chewing enough. I find that when I chew as much as we're supposed to I start to gag on the gross mushy saliva filled food and have a hard time making myself swallow. I'm also the saliva freak who has to dump the milk if I catch DH drinking out of it because the backwash possibilities in milk are the worst. It's an issue I'm working on, but the consistency has always been a problem for me. The feel of fish when I bite into it makes me gag, squeaky green Beans on my teeth make me shudder and gag. I have a hard time swallowing bananas Jello or yogurt if they've been in my mouth for more than a second or two. Veggies that are slimy I can't do for the same reasons... tomatoes when they are raw (I can handle cooked), cucumbers I can't do either. The only veggie that I can almost always eat is Broccoli- but I eat it so often I get to the point that it's just hard to make myself swallow it. I need to find some veggie recipes that I can eat without gagging. Consistency of food is my big issue. I can swallow it if it's gross, but not if it's slimy or too jiggly feeling. I've found myself eating the same 3 dinners, lunches, and breakfasts for months and I'm bored!

anyone else with these type of issues? how do you train yourself to eat food that your reflexes think you shouldn't?

Congrats on the booth task, I still ask the waiter for a table instead of a booth even though I have lost a ton. I think it is just mental for me, what if I don't fit keeps running around in my head. For the food thing I don't have problem with veggies, I eat a ton of those but fish (well pretty much anything that swims) I can't eat. It is all mental for me I just can't stand the texture, smell or anything about it. I avoid, you just have to find what works for you. What about green beans that are french style they are low on the squeaking factor? Good Luck!!

Mental note...don't read posts while eating...LOL Great job on the weight loss & getting in that booth. I never thought about that til reading your post. There are two local places that i can't wait now to visit to see the same. It's the little things that keep us motivated and become large victories.

I hope you find some veggie recipes and find out how to work around your reflexes. Enjoy that family reunion!

Congrats on the victory....I had a similar one on NYE.... since I am not drinking these days I was the DD driver. Normally when I climb into my hubby's truck I stop to tilt the steering wheel into the highest position before getting in. I forgot for some reason and while driving I realized that I didnt need the extra room as I fit with the wheel in the lowest position! I was SO excited. LOL

As for your gagging problem... maybe try taking smaller bites so you arent chewing as much food... just a thought. I too used to drink while eating and that has been a huge struggle to stop. But with the smaller bites it seems to have helped.

Love you NSV! I have one ... lately I keep checking to see if I have my seatbelt on. The seatbelt indicator light is not on, but I can't feel the seatbelt so I start to panic thinking I don't have it on. Low and behold, it's on ... it just fits differently now that I have lost weight. YAY for us!! LOL

Have you tried cauliflower? I don't particularly care for it but it is similar in texture to broccoli, so if you can stand the taste ...

Good luck.

~Fran

I got some kohlrabi today. It's really good. raw it's sweet and crunchy. I'm cooking some tonight and we'll see how it is.