The smell of food is my KILLER! I have no will power it seems. I smell chicken, steak, sauce in the crock pot...OMG, I want it sooo bad! I have 5 kids, so we cook constantly or someone is anyway. They are teenagers and 20's so everyone has highschool, college or work schedules that are different. My kitchen is a flurry of activity maybe 18 hours a day!!! Me...I can barely think about eating a thing most days and others I want everything, then nothing agrees with this cantankerous tummy! My stomach reminds me of Walter...ya know the comedian Jeff Dunham...his sour puss old man dummy, yeah...thats my belly.

I went to NYC yesterday, my first real visit there ever! It was great, but at 16 days out, exhausting. If any of you have seen my posts I have had a few issues. Post-op mid sleeve swelling=no food, painful swallowing, extra upper GI's...ugh. Not fun. But...some days my belly is not Walter...it's just fine. Easter for example, I ate an artichoke...mushy and soft, a little Protein and FLAVOR. I felt human, it takes so long to eat, that I was eating while the family was eating...ahhh. Since then, no go. Nothing, even another artichoke, will go in well. 2 bites grumble, churn...no more allowed...sigh....grab a protein Water and just try to survive.

Yesterday in NYC, I lost Walter...it was great! I had clam chowder for lunch at South Street Seaport on the docks in the sun (about a half cup, but REAL food) I was feeling guilty because it wasn't low cal...but at 16 days out I really cannot order a chicken salad, so Soup it was. Then the smells hit...PIZZA, omg, I would have offered the vendor $25 for a slice...ohhhh, the BBQ smells, the chinese food smells...yikes! I was going to DIE! Pretzel wrapped hotdogs...why oh why would I have put my foot down and insisted my fiance buy one...just so I could have a bite...lol. I don't even like hotdogs??? I couldn't pass it up. So, he bought a hotdog (thank GOD he is skinny or this new diet of mine would kill him..I eat one bite, he finishes...lol)

I DID IT! AND...I don't feel guilty! I took a tiny bite of that hotdog with a pinch of pretzel and chewed till there was nothing left....AWESOME! One more tiny bite...heaven, the rest was all his. Did I fail...cheat...or blow it??? I say NO!!! I walked like 8 miles yesterday, I have lost weight and felt HUMAN for the first time in 16 days!!! I look at it as a victory! Those hotdogs were 2 for $5. In the past I would have gotten two, and scarfed them down with a big diet pepsi! Yesterday 2 teeny tiny bites made me feel amazing. I put that in the win column! This will get better..each day! I did this to make my life better, to help me control my portions but to still enjoy food. Will I do that every day? No. But on occasion..ABSOLUTELY!

good post, more power to ya..I have 5 children also so I know about the kitchen activity

I agree - not a fail or cheat - sounds like you did great!

16 days and you got a bite of a hotdog down??? Why can't you have chicken salad? If you're on mushies, I would think that would qualify....egg salad does on my diet as well as baked or boiled chicken or turkey.

16 days and you got a bite of a hotdog down??? Why can't you have chicken salad? If you're on mushies, I would think that would qualify....egg salad does on my diet as well as baked or boiled chicken or turkey.

Ahhh...I have tried everything...even my doc said just go to soft mechanical, my cantankerous "Walter" belly is something of a fuss budget. I ate chicken salad once...sooo sick. Vomited hard! Not cool this soon out. Egg salad, well, lets just say it went right through me. When I say bite of a hotdog...I mean teeny tiny little nibble, and chewed to basically nothing. The flavor was enough though. Did I mention that I basically loathe hotdogs...lol. Another weird twist for me. Prior to surgery I always drank Water, soda anything with no or very little ice. NOW, I fill the glass with crushed and cubed ice and add my drink...it cannot be cold enough!?? Whats with that? Crazy huh?

Today my three meals were... some southwest corn chowder, (about 1/2 cup) mmmm amazing. Then I had some low sodium / low fat deli ham (one slice) wrapped around like 1/4oz of havarti cheese with about 1/4 cup of the corn chowder and then third meal was a very thin oval low fat wrap divided into 3, took the one little strip smeared some avacado on it, slice of turkey deli meat, low sodium 98% fat free and some weight watchers shreeded cheese, another yum but kinda filling.

Countless bottles of water...couldn't seem to sip enough today. I know I did not hit my Protein requirements today, but I just couldn't stomach a Protein Drink today...I'll definitely try to be more protein conscious tomorrow!