Low Carb Pre-op Diet day 15
by
, 08-14-2015 at 10:06 AM (2591 Views)
TMI but luckily the first week and a half of the diet, I was on my monthly lady issue and my cravings were not the worst. I am on birth control and have not had a cycle in months, so when it came back, IT WAS HORRIBLE. It put me off food a bit and the only pain I could focus on was my cramps.
More to the real point of this post:
I always knew I loved carbs, but I did not know it was a full blown addiction. I used to say, that nothing satisfies me like carbohydrates. If I ever had a meal without carbohydrates, my stomach would still growl and I felt as if I hadn't eaten much. One day last month I had a meal consisting of half a jar of pasta sauce, 200 grams of mince meat and 1 whole zucchini in a noodle form. And even with all that, my stomach was still growling. The amount of food on my plate was crazy, and I was still hungry...I then knew I needed to try and kick this. In my desperation, I had a piece of toast that night and finally, I was satisfied. What on earth!?
Without much faith, I started the low carb diet hoping that everything I read was true. At that point, I was super special (like we all are) and what worked for others was never going to work for me. The idea of not craving carbohydrates was nothing more than a myth to me. I just knew that I would never be satisfied with out them and I went in knowing I would fail.
So as you all know I am doing a 30 day pre-op diet. I decided to do the first two weeks of weening myself off carbohydrates. I am doing 1 or two protein shakes, then a low carb, low fat, high protein meal at night. The last two weeks will be very strict, 2 shakes and low to no carbs at dinner. Some days at work I do have a small meal for lunch. I think this is just tiny food funerals. I think about how long it will be since I will be able to have this food again, and I have a small portion. Its horrible, and my self control is out the window at times. But I don't over eat, it is low carb and not very many calories. But to my surprise, the small servings I have always satisfy me!
I am able to limit my carbohydrate intake though. If the meal in the day has a potato or bread element to it, then my nightly meal is a low carb veg and a meat. And that is enough for me. FOR ME?? I have no had any pasta or rice since starting this. (And pasta was a big one). Every so often I have a piece of bread with a meat, as my simple carb of the day if I am having one. But magically my cravings are gone. I can eat a meal without carbs and feel satisfied for hours.
Do I like carbs? Hell to the yes! Is a low carb pizza with no bread base tasty? NO... I hate it. Carb substitutes are not yummy to me. At this point its more about the combination of flavors and textures. If I cant have it just the way I want it, I just leave it. And that is okay with me. I don't go on thinking about how much i would love a slice of pizza or a sandwich.
I can say that I do get more headaches than I am used too. But I have always suffered from low energy and exhaustion, so I have not been able to notice a difference. One would think I could continue to go on and there is no need for surgery, but I am not even going to think like that. The surgery is going to be a tool for me to continue my better habits. I hope everything goes well and I continue to feel motivated.
Thanks for listening!