Food

Ever since surgery, food and eating have occupied a huge part of my attention and thoughts. Maybe it was because I couldn't swallow for a week, and wasn't allowed to eat. Maybe it was the steroids they had me on. Or possibly something changed in the part of my brain that regulates appetite. Perhaps it's a combination of all three. But lately I seem to want to eat all the time.

Unfortunately, eating all the time is not sustainable. I lost 8 lbs or so in the week that I wasn't allowed to eat (they were giving me my nutririon through a kind of IV line called a central line, and that just isn't as good as regular food). In the weeks following, I gained back all that weight and then some. In the hospital I was wearing only pajamas and sweatpants, and they were supposed to be taking my weight regularly but the scale in my bed wasn't working properly, so I didn't realize I was gaining weight. That is, until I got out of the hospital, and none of my pants fit me. I have since lost a couple of those pounds, and probably converted a few more back into muscle, so I can squeeze into my pants again. But normally I'm a very active person, and right now my physical limitations make it so that I'm pretty sedentary. So I have to eat fewer calories to maintain my weight, but I'm thinking about and wanting food all the time. It's not so fun, and I now have much, much more sympathy for people who are obese-- I get it now, whereas I never really understood before.

So, I've been carefully counting my calories, and maintaining my weight-- a few pounds heavier than I would like to be, but as long as I can still wear my clothes, it's okay for now. But this weekend I'm letting that all go out the window-- it's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and we're going all out. Friends are coming to visit us from Lethbridge, Alberta, and the only plans we have for their visit involve eating. We have already started a bit of the cooking. I plan to eat my weight in pie this weekend-- wish me luck :)