I'm so hungry I could eat a holy cow!
Last night, my brother asked me if I'd do this "fast" if it weren't in preparation for surgery. I said "NO!" before he finished the question. It's not just the ever-present hunger that makes this so unpleasant. Here are a few other side-effects I've noticed:
1. Fatigue. I'm so tired. I have no energy whatsoever. I'm a car that has been running on fumes for the past 5 days. It's a little ironic, actually, because all day I dream of being able to go to bed, snuggle up in my blankets, and sleep. Instead, this diet has given me...
2. Sleep Deprivation. I'd been suffering from insomnia for a few weeks before I went on this diet, but it was waning. I had started getting some really good nights of sleep. Now, I'm on a sugar high and as soon as I lay down, my body starts fidgeting. It can't get comfortable and doesn't want to stay still to save its life. My legs are the worse.
3. Headaches. Speaking of a sugar high, I have a constant dull headache. I don't normally get headaches, and this isn't one caused by eye fatigue, stress, or anything else. Don't ask me how, I know I'm not a trained medical professional, but I know it's related to poor nutrition. It just feels the way I feel when I'm not getting enough healthy food. And, I'm not. Not even close. Everything, except the 64 oz of water I drink everyday and the French onion soup broth I had last night at my mom's birthday dinner, contains sugar and lots of it. The SlimFast has 17 grams of sugar. In between meals I suck on a Werther's Original. I add apple juice and a popsicle at dinner. Sugar, sugar, sugar.
4. Appearance. I'm sure part of this is due to the lack of sleep, but I look horrible! I took a picture of myself today with my cell phone and I looked 80-years old and on my death bed. Dark bags and wrinkles under my eyes, listless hair, pallid skin, dull eyes. Oh, and a big zit on my cheek, but I'll give the diet a break and not blame it for my acne.
5. Many, many trips to the bathroom. Sorry, I'm just keeping it real (as Pioneer Woman says). An all-liquid diet does this to you. This is definitely the cause of my...
6. Weight loss. The big positive about this ordeal: I've lost 13-16 pounds (depending on from which doctor's scales I measure) since Friday morning. That includes my office party at a steakhouse Friday night and pizza, chicken, mashed potatoes, and cheesecake on Saturday! Can you believe it?? I couldn't last night when I stood on my mom's scales and it showed my weight. I just hope this extreme diet is accomplishing its task of lowering the fatty content in my liver, making my surgery safer.
I know that this post sounds pretty negative, but I'm actually doing okay. I mean, it's killing me slowly, but I'm okay. I really thought I'd be irritable and mean, but I think I'm too tired to get mad. And, I know I'm doing this for a reason, that it isn't for forever, and it could save me money (leaner liver = safer surgery = less complications = smaller hospital bill). I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking to the regulations as well as I have AND for not becoming intolerable to be around in the process.
Thank heavens this diet didn't coincide with PMS - that could have been scary! Again, just keeping it real. :)
3 comments:
I would not have thought about all the sugar in Slimfast, but that would definitely account for the headaches (at least for me). I'm so sorry your legs are twitching - I know that drives me nuts! It's good to read about your ability to take the bad with the good. You'll do great with this surgery.
I'm glad that you're keeping it real. To me, that's the value of your documenting everything. It's how people who are considering the surgery will be able to make educated decisions on whether they really want to do it. It's a good log of all that you've been through. Interesting read, I think.
Missy, after I had already purchased a few boxes of it, I heard that there's also a low-sugar Slim Fast. I decided to drink what I have, and if I needed to get more, I'd look for the low-sugar stuff. Well, dinner tonight will be my last can, so hopefully the sugar high won't be so bad after today. *fingers crossed* As always, thanks for your words of encouragement!
Cardine, I'm glad you find it interesting. I've wondered if I'm boring the socks off of people. At some point, I reckon, a 1/2 cup of food won't seem like the feast it seems right now. I'll be able to look back and realize that if I can go 10 days without solid food, I'm strong enough to continue eating just a 1/2 cup. I hope that if I can do this, I can do anything I'll need to do to lose weight.
Post a Comment