April 29, 2008 What A Difference A Little Dairy Makes!

I can't believe it's been a week since I last wrote here. Time just flies by!

I've been slowly adding back a little dairy. Cottage cheese one day, some yogurt the next, a little cheddar cheese here and there. It really does make a difference, some in good ways, some not so good.The pros: more protein! more variety! Cheese!!The cons: stinky gas. post nasal drip.

I would never have believed that a little dairy could really affect me this much, but it seems it DOES. So now the question is, "is it worth it"? At this point, I would have to say YES. Just having that cottage cheese or yogurt makes such a difference in my diet. It gives me easy, yummy, digestable protein. It gives me flavor. I ENJOY it. The gas, I don't care about. And frankly, the post nasal drip COULD be from seasonal allergies, rather than the dairy, but who knows? But I'll deal with it, at least for now. I certainly won't go crazy with the dairy, but I feel like this is a good compromise.

I started eating Cheerios every few days. There's some wheat in there, so it's the first wheat in 2.5 months. So far, so good. Again, I'm not in a hurry to add in alot of wheat. But I sure do love my Cheerios!

The scale stayed the same this week, which is OK. I just hope it doesn't go UP in the next few weeks when I can't exercise. 5 days of lying in bed is NOT going to burn alot of calories! I may need to drop my calories a bit, maybe 1300-1400 instead of 1400-1600. Just until I can go back to the gym. Which can't be soon enough for me!!

I'm about as ready for surgery as I can be. I've cooked up a storm, making things for me to eat over the next several weeks--chili, rice and beans, tortilla soup. I have plenty of veggie and turkey sauce, some veggie and beef sauce, and I'm going to make a big pot of rice tomorrow. I bought lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I stocked up on almond milk, and got a bunch of rice (possible rationing coming...) I will bring a cooler to the hospital with some fresh fruit, baby carrots, cottage cheese, protein boluses, and some granola, nuts, and raisins. That should help alot, since hospital food is not known for being either tasty or healthy.

I don't know how much I'll be able to be on the computer while I'm in bed. I don't have to lie completely flat, but I can't sit up all the way either. Not sure if I can hold the laptop well enough to read and type, but we'll see. In the meantime, there are plenty of DVDs to watch, and books to read. I'm sure the time will pass fairly quickly, and by next week hopefully I'll be allowed to sit up in my chair again. If not, I am gonna be SOOOO bored!

I went out and bought a few elastic waist pants and capris for the coming weeks. Since all the elastics I had were huge on me and falling off, I needed to replace them. I figure I can use the capris for the gym afterwards--they have drawstrings, so I can wear them until they are baggy. I don't plan on buying anything else for a long time--not until we go to Talbots at the end of June to get stuff for vacation.

Strange. I've had 210 as my goal for the longest time. But since I saw Dr. Westrich, and he said my knees are the same as the ones they put in a little old lady, I'm feeling like maybe I need to lose more. I know I'm never gonna see 150, but maybe 180-190? It would have to be maintainable of course. But I think when I get to 210, I'm not going to change my diet or my exercise. I'll just keep going and see where my body takes me. And wherever that is, that's where I'll be. Sorta profound. The only thing I worry about is that if I lose more than I'd planned, my kilt will be too big. Well, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!