Eating Normally

Today was the first time I realized that I can eat normally. Now, when I say "normally" I don't mean that I can eat like I did before surgery, but I can eat almost anything again. Some foods have really turned my stomach since surgery and I'm not sure if I'll ever like them again - even foods that I LOVED before. We were out for a family baptism again today and the main course meal was steak. I ate half the steak, which is a HUGE accomplishment for me. Getting a lot of protein in me has been really hard the past few weeks. So I'm happy with that. But I also had a small piece of bread. It was nice being able to eat things I haven't eaten in a while, but it was also scary. At one point today I got worried that I was eating too much, which, if you were with me and saw my plate, you would laugh. The potatoes, veggies and mushrooms were still on the plate, so I didn't eat that much at all. But the fear crept in that I might put the weight back on. I hope this fear sticks around for a while because in the past I would have said "oh, who cares, it feels good to eat it so just dive in!" But now I'm thinking deeper about what and how much I'm eating. I make sure I eat all the protein on the plate first and if I have room left, IF, I'll move on to the other stuff. The other thing I noticed today is that since I'm eating "bigger" portions now, it's taking me a LONG time to eat. Everyone had finished eating and I was still on my 4th mouthful! I hate having to chew my food to smithereens, but I'll be in pain if I don't.

This past week we went for a walk along the river one night. It was amazing how "easy" it was for me. We did the same walk last summer with the kids and I had to stop a number of times to give my back a break and catch my breath. I could have easily gone further this week and might start doing that once the kids are in school.

One more thing I'm learning is that I need a new way to deal with stress. We have a few things to deal with that's stressful and in the past I would have turned to food. I can't do that anymore so I'm trying to figure out how to deal with it. I have taken the kids for bike rides, went for walks, just tried anything to keep my mind off the stress. The next few weeks will be a huge test for me so if you're a praying person, please pray that God shows me how to deal with the stress without abusing my body!

Well the two older kids start school this week and the following week Roman starts. So when all three are in school full time, I have a lot of time to focus on me and making sure I put my health on the TOP of my priority list. Can't wait!

And today is Sunday! Weightloss update day! I didn't lose anything the first few days of the week so I thought I was hitting a plateau. I wanted so badly to lose 2 pounds so I could hit 60 lbs lost before the kids went back to school. And I did it! I ended up losing 3 pounds so I hit the 60 lbs lost mark plus one! I'm thrilled with the progress. It's been nice seeing people who haven't seen me all summer who see a big difference in me. They always say they notice it in my face big time. I like that. I like not looking like a heart attack waiting to happen!



Total Loss: 61 lbs