The protein shakes are killing me. I previously bought strawberry and chocolate Atkins Advantage shakes to add variety, but I still hate them. They’re just gross!

Last night I drained the juice from a Progresso Chicken Noodle soup (and added 17 gm protein powder) and ate that instead of plain chicken or beef broth. It was like 8 oz. of heaven. Yes!

Friday, the day I start the full liquids (instead of clear liquids only), is only two days away. I will be able to add real soups (without meat or lumps), yogurt and sugar-free pudding. Hopefully that will up my carb intake. I will still probably need 1 shake a day to keep up with my protein, but that’s it.

I have only been eating broth once a day because I’m afraid the extra sodium will cause fluid retention. I definitely prefer broth to protein shakes though.

The gas factory is slowing down since Monday. Thank goodness! I have 1 – 2 loud embarrassing sudden belches a day. I can drink liquids most of the time without burping immediately afterwards. However, I still do belch a few minutes later, but it is a lot more controllable than before. At least I have time to cover my mouth now.

One problem I started having Monday is weakness from this low carb diet. I’ve been getting in all my protein, at least 8 glasses of liquids, and all my vitamins, but the lack of carbs is hurting my energy level big time.

I have been able to walk about 15 minutes every day. I can’t do more than that because the heat makes me sweat and feel dehydrated. Plus, before surgery I couldn’t walk more than 20 minutes without my lower back hurting, so I’m not going to push it now.

I have actually lost 13 pounds including 5 pounds in the 2-day preop clear liquid diet. I’ve lost 2 BMI points already! Yay! I can’t believe how quickly I’m losing weight. I know I will not be losing 2-2 1/2 lbs. a day for long, but hallelujah! It’s nice to see the scale go down after a 2-year steady climb upwards.

I’m not going to start a weight chart until I’m a month out. I weigh myself every day. It’s not an obsession. I’ve been doing that since I was 18 when I started my first diet. I only write my weight down once a week though, either Friday or Saturday (whichever day I weigh less..hehe!).

Weighing myself every day has not kept me from gaining weight, but I’m sure I would have gained a lot more a lot faster if I didn’t keep track of my weight at all. In fact, I’m sure of it. Let me tell you why…

3 years ago, I noticed that my scale was acting erratically, jumping from weight to weight in a way that didn’t make sense. It was an electronic scale that was probably over 10 years old, so I bought a new scale. Lo and Behold! I found out that my old scale was 20 lbs. off. All this time I thought I was 265, when in fact I was 285! Doh!

Yes, I should have noticed that my pants were getting tighter and tighter. I should have wondered why I started having excruciating back pain that I had never had before. It got to the point where I couldn’t walk for more than 3 minutes before the pain started. I began having shortness of breath when doing simple things, such as bending over to pick something up. It scared me to death and made me think I was dying.

Despite being obese most of my life, I had been very healthy up until that time. I figured now that I was older, my weight was catching up to me and causing health problems. I know there are people who are 100+ pounds overweight and healthy, but thinking you will stay that way is foolish.

I had put too much faith in what the scale was telling me even when my health was telling me differently. My failing health was the reason I started what I thought would be the last diet in May 2004 and lost 90 lbs. in a year (of which, I gained 70 lbs. back in the last 2 years. However, without scale watching — or is it whale watching? — I would have gained it back faster).

Now I have 2 scales, one electronic and one mechanical, so that I always have one to compare to the other. I know that’s crazy, but I just can’t let that happen again.

Of course I can’t actually see my recent 13 pound loss but one difference I do notice is my thighs no longer touch the steering wheel when I get into the car. Hehe!

I am thinking about going back to work this Friday, August 24th. My one week postop appointment with Dr. Khalili is Friday morning, so I would only end up working from noon to six. It’s better to start a partial day than a full day since I don’t know how weakness is going to affect me.