The day has arrived!

I am allowed to eat actual flavorful savory FOOD! No more protein shakes...ever! My appointment went great, the doctor said my progress was "phenomenal" and even laughed about how big my pants were on me :) I have lost 29 pounds! I am very excited almost be under the "100 pounds to lose" mark. The dietician met with me and several people and gave us our "rules" for the next 10 weeks:

-High protein Soft food diet- anything that can be cut easily with a fork and contains no more than 5 grams of sugar or fat.

-portion size per meal: 1/2 cup

-Consume 20 grams of protein per meal, 3 times per day

-Take dime sized bites and chew 20-30 times

-Take 30 minutes to eat a meal (and with my meals being only half a cup, I am going to have to read a book or something between bites!)

-no drinking 30 minutes before, during, or 30 minutes after eating to avoid flushing food too quickly through the stomach.

-Daily supplements: 2 multi-vitamins, 3 calciums, 1 iron, 1 B12

-Exercise: 30 minutes of cardio a minimum of 3 days/week

I went to Wal-Mart after my appointment and stocked up on every high protein soft food I could find! You are probably wondering what my first meal will be? Well, here is it...drumroll please...tuna salad on crackers with light mayo, eggs, and relish! I am allowed a few crackers and pretzels to satisfy my urge to "crunch" something, but I can't go overboard or I won't be able to eat all my protein. I have had 3 bites of tuna salad since I've been home and I am completely full! I still can't wrap my brain around just how very small my new stomach is. I guess that will come with time? Anyway, I'm still feeling great and I am excited to see where I am 2 weeks from now when I return to the doctor. Wish me luck with my first solid food in 25 days!!