Then & Now & Back to Work

Well, well, well.  It's hard to believe that a whole month has already passed by!  So much has changed in my life and the way I function on a daily basis.  Before I forget what it was like, let's review a typical day's diet for me in the past:

THEN:

Breakfast - porridge or toast x 2 or bacon and eggs on the weekend.

Morning tea - 99% fat free yoghurt or cake if there was some around (no restraint shown, ever.)

Lunch - salad or ham and salad roll or tuckshop hamburger.

Afternoon tea - Depends on when I got home.  Either nothing if late home or some cheese and crackers or 2 min noodles or some nuts or chocolate or steamed dim sims - afternoons are a hungry time for me.

Dinner - large serve of chicken and rice.  Probably seconds, especially for more rice.

Dessert - chocolate, sometimes half a block.  If there is something else i'd have that too.

NOW:

Breakfast - most of an optifast shake and multivitamin.

Morning tea - water

Lunch - today I had a weet bix (yes, 1) with half milk and half water.

Afternoon tea - water

Dinner - something soft and squishy that goes down easily.

Dessert - custard or something similar just to get the sweet hit!

There is a MUCH wider variety to choose from now that I'm on minced and mashed.  But it's no walk in the park.  I got far too excited about it this week and strayed from what I know works, to my own detriment.  I made savoury mince and mashed potato for dinner.  Seriously, I was SO excited about having something solid I was dancing around the kitchen!!  The results...  Mashed potato, yes! Fabulous and smooth and yummo!  Savoury mince was ok if I chewed well, but the veg (carrot, peas, corn, zucchini and cabbage) were not friendly, especially the cabbage.  I also think that I wasn't chewing as well as I could have, given my level of excitement this was to be expected!  Then I did something stupid.  I whipped out the puffed pastry and cooked up a couple of little triangles just for the crunchy.  Nope.  Didn't work.  At all.  One bite was all it took to work that out!!  It sat in my food pipe for hours and hours.  Blerk.  It will be a long time until I try that again.

I also need to eat very slowly.  And I need to remind myself I need to eat more slowly.  It takes me longer to eat just a few mouthfuls than it takes people to eat an entire meal.  If I eat too quickly or try to add liquid to the meal, things go pear shaped, quickly and in a worse case scenario, come out one end or the other!!!  Otherwise I am just very, very uncomfortable for about an hour. *Shudders*

I started back at work this week.  The kids are aware of what I have had done and are very supportive and interested in the whole process.  I have an open relationship with them and didn't just want to disappear for 2 weeks without explanation.  Most of them have made some kind of comment that I have lost weight and mainly that I "look different" - I choose to take that as a compliment!! On Monday I asked them if anyone had a question they wanted to ask me.  I had a very captive audience who all wanted to know if I could eat yet.  I ran through what I could do and explained that I had to chew everything very, very well before attempting to swallow or it was painful.  Mistake.  Every time I put anything near my mouth the entire class stops to watch and see if I'm ok!!!  Even if I have a sip of water, someone will ask if it hurts!! In addition to this, many of them have tried chewing until it is a liquid and decided that it takes the fun out of food!!  I totally agree, but what are you going to do?!?!?!!