DAYS 5 - 7: Soup and Yoghurt Diet After having aweful experience with slimfast shakes on day 4, having soups felt like a real treat (never thought I would say that
). All was great. No slip ups. DAY 8: Milk and Yoghurt Diet It was the day I had my bariatric surgery research assesment at St Georges, so I went for milk and yoghurt option as it was quite easy to follow when you are on the go. Overall I would say it was my favourite option because I could have a savoury dish twice a day (stock) and plenty of yoghurt and milk. Though the amount of yoghurt is the same as on the soup diet, the amount of milk is 5 times more. That means I can have lattes and cappuccinos which is, again, is great when you are on the go. The assessment went great. The ladies who did it were very nice and supportive. Although I won't see my test results for a while, I have already learned a few interesting things about myself. One is thatI definately don't know how to breath properly. When I think I breath in, I actually breath out, or hold my breath. No surprise then that I could never do any breathing excercises, meditation or yoga. Having a blocked nose in my childhood has a lot to answer for it. I will have to work on it though. That's one more skill for me to learn. It's strange but I had no appetite today. 500cal was the limit. Yet the excercise level was high. I didn't feel anything when I looked at cakes in a coffee shop, or sandwiches (well, I wanted them, sort of, but I could cope with my head hunger). I think for the first time in my life I didn't feel miserable when I saw other people eating food I couldn't have. In fact I felt happy. And that made me... free. God! It's such a great feeling! DAYS 9-10: Soup and Yoghurt Diet Back to soups and my new favourites (never thought it would happen) - lentils. No slip ups. DAYS 11-12: Milk and Yoghurt Diet If I were on a normal (not pre-op) diet and the stakes weren't so high, I think these 2 days would have been when I'd given up. The head hunger was so strong I nearly cried. I drank tons of water, tried to distract myself with chores (luckily (or not) I had a lot to do before the op). ------------------------------------ Well, that is it! It was a great experience I must say. Not only I had lost more than a stone (7,5 kg), I have also discovered many things about myself, things that were somehow conceled from me before. Just in 2 short weeks I have learned more than in the last 2 years since I started keeping food diary, recording my moods and feeling assosiated with food. I think the main reason for that is that for the 1st time I did it while ON A DIET, when I am restricting myself, when I have to make tough choices and say "No" to my cravings. And the main 2 discoveries were: 1. Feeling of being deprived brings back memories of the times when I couldn't afford even the basics, let alone treats. Ever since food has in a way become essential to feeling secure (Day 1). 2. Not having treats and gourmet food does NOT mean that I am depriving myself. I am not eating NOT because I can't afford it, but rather because I CAN AFFORD not to eat it. (Day 8) For an eating disorders sufferer like me
! those were great things to learn, not to hear from someone else, but to experience, to live through, to feel in my head and body.
