Day Five of Post-Op:

The scale smiled at me this morning as the numbers 207 shined … yes, this makes 23 pounds down!  Woot!

I have been logging my foods via MyFitnessPal and trying to increase my water intake.  My total calories are inline with what my doctor has suggested and I have had no problem with keeping anything down.

Doc wants me on 'full liquids' for two weeks … he said, "the rule of thumbs is, if you can fit it through a straw you can have it!"  He then stipulated that I should avoid drinking anything through a straw … too much air and gas! LOL!For now, it's soup!  Tomorrow we are going out to dinner with friends and it'll be a mini-test.  It's at a restaurant that I wanted to check out before surgery, but we never made it over that way.  I plan on looking at the menu up online tonight and praying they have soups!  Perhaps a nice broccoli and cheddar … non-chunky, of course!

First … I survived day one of my full liquid diet and protein for pre-op!!!  Yeah!

Second … when I re-read the diet guidelines from Dr. Wasser I noticed that cream and broth based soups are a-ok!!  The only day I need 100% clear liquid is the day before surgery!

Lastly … I am now going to turn my focus onto homemade creamy soups, discovering the BEST canned soups out there, AND exploring some soupy shortcuts for those 'one the run' days.

Case and point …

I made myself a cup of broth yesterday … gross!  Too salty! TJ figured he would try his hand at heating up some for me, too … he worked his own spice-adding magic, but again … total fail.  A few moments later my mom surprised us with a visit.  She offered to get me some wonton-free wonton soup … broth only!  It felt like a bad episode of Goldilocks and the 3 bears!

Needless to say, the wonton broth was a total success. My first soupy shortcut has been found! An hour later is when I realized I could have had a creamy soup.  This opens up a whole new world.

Today for brunch I am sipping on a cup of creamy, butternut squash soup.  I sprinkled a touch of nutmeg into the soup while heating it on the stove … yum!!  For an early breakfast I had a protein shake and I will take one with me to work in an hour … I took the morning off to see Dr. Chao.  That's another story, for another time.

I don't know about dinner yet, but I am feeling some creative culinary moments coming on … avocado soup … cream carrot … sweet potato …. etc..!

Thank goodness for the new blender/food processor … I have a feeling we're going to become very close in the days and weeks ahead.