Constant (Cursed!) Cravings

Saturday 12-3-11
Caffeine, Calories and Carbonation


Thanksgiving kicked my butt a little, and led up to a week that kicked it some more.  Nothing earth-shakingly bad happened, there has just been a lot going on.  I fell off the healthy wagon a bit over Thanksgiving weekend and I was disappointed in myself because of that.  And I think it ended up showing on the scale at my first official weigh-in at the surgeon's office because my loss was a little less than I had hoped.  Still, I was down 9 pounds, so at least I moved in the right direction.

I'll backtrack a little.  Thanksgiving Day I worked my usual 7 am to 6 pm shift at my job, where most of us brought in some kind of food to share.  Some of the food was healthy and wonderful, and some of the food was unhealthy... and even more wonderful!  At least, it tasted wonderful.  My sweet tooth got the better of me and I indulged in some tasty treats (although not with the reckless abandon of years past), followed by some guilt.  And the leftovers lingered on into the weekend, but by Saturday I was back to eating my new normal way. 

The Sunday night after Thanksgiving I spent the night at the hospital for my sleep study.  It was not all that uncomfortable physically, but even on vacation I never sleep well the first night in a strange bed, so my sleep seemed fitful to me.  I was happy not to be awakened 2 hours in to hook me up to a CPAP, which I was told might happen if it became obvious that sleep apnea was a problem for me.  I may still have it, but at least not a severe enough case to warrant a split-night sleep study.  I go in to discuss the findings in a couple of weeks. 

The Sunday night study was not at the ideal time because I had an interview the following morning for a class I had applied for and I was concerned about not being at my best for this important meeting.  (More on that will follow in a future post.)  At any rate, I came home from the hospital in pouring rain with something like Crisco globbed in my hair and itchy residue from the tape that had attached the leads and electrodes to my skin and scalp.  Fortunately and by the grace of God, I was able to wash all the glop out of my hair and ended up with a great hair day for my interview, and The Humility Pimple that had threatened over the weekend vanished as well!  (Probably more will follow on The Humility Pimple in a future post, too.)

Wednesday I went in for my weigh-in, followed by a consult with the dietician.  Talking with her opened my eyes to some things I had been wondering about.  In the little over a month since my first visit with the surgeon, I was able, with some difficulty, to begin eating from (and trying to stick to) the recommended foods list, to start paying closer attention to portions, labels and calories, to begin drinking the recommended 64 ounces daily of non-caloric liquids, and to get myself off of caffeine completely.  The caffeine withdrawal was not easy for me.  I weaned off gradually for about 2 weeks and then quit caffeine altogether, and my head ached every day for at least a portion of the day, until actually just a few days ago.  They have not all been migraine-caliber headaches, mostly just persistent, nagging, relentless ones, the kind that make me cranky and irritable.  My Hubs has endured less-than-charming company from me the last few weeks.  Eliminating caffeine may not be the culprit in all the headaches, but it definitely played a role in some of them.  

Seems like I am dealing with a lot of C's, although not the fun kind associated with diamonds.  Caffeine is conquered, calories will be ongoing, and I won't even try to tackle carbonation until after the holidays are over.  I may need a few bubbles to get me through the stress of Christmas cheer and the foods that accompany it. 

I was curious as to why I won't be able to have carbonated drinks after surgery.  The dietician told me about a lady she had recently seen who had undergone weight-loss surgery a few years ago and lost most of her excess weight, then started gradually to gain some of it back.  She explained that she was still eating properly, controlling portions, eating healthy foods and drinking non-caloric drinks.  Then the dietician noticed that the patient had a diet soda in her tote bag and asked if she drank many carbonated drinks.  When the lady said she had resumed drinking the bubbles, the dietician explained that the bubbles in sodas expand the stomach pouch, stretching it out so that it gradually needs more food to fill it up.  I never even thought about that, but it makes perfect sense. 

So after the holidays, one of my New Year's resolutions will be to cut out the bubbles.  At least my carbonated drinks of choice for decades have not contained sugar, which is a blessing.  Still, I have loved my diet yellow bubbles, diet ginger ale and diet root beer.  Saying goodbye to these old friends will be a struggle, but I hope not as much of a headache as giving up caffeine was.