Anyone who knows me is well aware of my love of food. I like to cook it, bake it, eat it, write about it, talk ad nauseum about it and was humiliated on national TV because of it. I even gave up a 30-year career in daily journalism to pursue my food-inspired talents.

So why would I undergo a surgical procedure to undermine all that? Seems a little crazy, right?

Not if you are a pre-diabetic, overweight woman who suffers from low thyroid, high blood pressure, and somewhat-high cholesterol with a family history of obesity and heart disease. Then it’s a no brainer.

On May 14 at Tufts Medical Center, I had gastric sleeve surgery. It’s a less invasive procedure than the gastric bypass and has a better weight loss rate than the lap band. In fact, I’m told the Weight and Wellness Center at Tufts prefers not to do the lap band procedure because of the high rate of repeat offenders.

Since that time I have been on a liquid diet, then a protein shake-yogurt-soup-cottage cheese-Jell-O tapioca regimen but now I can have a little “soft protein” – chicken, tuna, fish, and beans. But my shrunken stomach (it’s about 2.5 ounces now) is having a hard time with it. Got my fingers crossed for a teeny bit of swordfish tonight.

Oh, I’ve lost 12 pounds since my surgery day. And I am never hungry.

I’ve eaten things in the last three weeks that you couldn’t have paid me to eat before surgery: sugar-free Carnation Instant Breakfast, Hood Cottage Cheese with Chives, canned soups, sugar free Popsicles and wretched Ocean Spray Diet Cranberry Juice. Which, by the way, should not be confused with Ocean Spray 100% Juice that does contain 36 grams of sugar and is ever-so-more drinkable at 140 calories a cup.

Grocery shopping takes forever because you must check the protein, sugar and fat content of every item you pick off the shelves. A protein drink by Odwalla? The sugar is sometimes more than double than the 12 to 14 grams I am allowed. Not exactly a “healthy item.”

Memorial Day Weekend was a test from God. Thankfully, my mother flat-out refused my offers to cook. I really didn’t feel like it anyway.

Saturday, we dined at Elizabeth’s in Fairhaven. Well, the family dined. I ate contraband cottage cheese and some broth from the restaurant’s soup du jour. That foray gave new meaning to “glutton for punishment.” The next night, the rels gathered to eat a delectable grilled fish dinner at my aunt and uncle’s house. I ate soup on a TV tray since I couldn’t bear being at the table. The next day, I coveted the kids’ grilled hot dogs while I sat at the table with a Chobani 100 vanilla yogurt.

“Why aren’t you eating a hot dog, Auntie? You love hot dogs,” said Melanie, 6.

“Yes, I do, but I’m on a special diet this weekend, Mellie,” I said. “So you can have my potato chips.” (Thankfully, that brought the diet conversation to a screeching halt as she reached into the basket of chips.)

Bread, my first love and future cash cow, doesn’t even factor into the diet until the next stage when I see from the sample menus in my workbook that I’ll be allowed half of an Fiber One English muffin. And I will be damn grateful.

I went into Seven Stars Bakery in Providence the other day to pick up a baguette for my husband’s dinner. That was a wah-wah show. I had to put the bag in the back of my station wagon for the ride home so I wouldn’t be tempted. Those damn cinnamon buns I got on a whim (?) were rather fragrant and the walnut-raisin bread was calling to me…

So what about the Bakery at Goat Cottage Farm? We have a kitchen design (!) for our commercial bakery so it’s all systems go. Fingers crossed. I’m not doing any taste-testing right now. But there will come a time in the months ahead when there will be items to sample and I will have to do it. However, my first allegiance every day will be to my new BFF, Protein. I will have an exercise routine by this time, as well, so the tasting won’t undo months of hard work.

Hey, if chefs can go under the knife then continue to run their restaurants, I can do this, too. I hope.

I’ve always been overweight except for three years in college. My graduation dress was a size 8. My guess is I won’t get down to that dress size again, but The Foodsmith will be a healthier person heading into later life. That’s all I want. Now, pass me a sugar free pudding…

 

 

 

 

Tags: #diet, #foodlove, #gastricsleeve, #protein, #TheFoodsmith, #tuftsmedicalcenter