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| Warehouse store, or den of torture? |
Through the last few weeks of evaluation and preparation for bariatric surgery, I have been pretty happy with my mental attitude. I have been looking at the upcoming surgery as an opportunity to get healthier, not something that I am unhappy about or dreading. And I have, for the most part, been looking forward to the life changes that will come along with weight loss. Some sacrifices have to be made, sure, but they are all worth it, right?
Then, I met my emotional Waterloo last Friday, on a grocery visit to our local Costco.
At first, it wasn't too bad. I decided, as we entered, that I would check some of my favorite foods against the pre-surgical diet of 135 grams per day (or less) of Carbohydrates. We walked through the door and were immediately confronted with a rack filled with Costco muffins. Now THERE was something I would never have again, right? I checked the nutritional info, and boy howdy, was I right - Each muffin was 690 calories (1/3 of my daily caloric intake), with 79 grams of carbohydrates - almost 2 full meals worth. I shuddered a bit to think of the number of times I had eaten a muffin (or two...) along with a regular breakfast, and then moved deeper into the store.
Things did not get easier once inside. Many of my favorite processed foods called out to me from the frozen section. Frozen hash browns stood out harshly - they are a required ingredient in one of our "staple foods" around here, breakfast burritos. 18 grams of carbs a serving...and a serving was only 3 ounces of potatoes. The last time I put only 3 ounces of potatoes in a burrito would be, let's see, NEVER. More like three times that amount. So, 54 grams of hash browns in a burrito...and I normally eat at least 2 burritos for breakfast...that would be 108 grams of carbs, taken out of my pre-surgery 135 gram per day diet, before factoring in any other ingredient! More than two thirds of my daily carbohydrate diet, gone in 2 servings of hash browns. Once I realized breakfast burritos were going to have to come off the menu, depression began to set in.
We had to pass through the section filled with all the beautiful imported beers I will never have again. Through the aisle containing the Ghiradhelli Brownie mixes I would not be making again any time soon. I had a brief hope when we hit the fruit juices, hoping for some relief here (fruit is healthy, right?), but, nope: a mere 8 ounces of Welch's Grape Juice was a whopping 36 carbs. No more fruit juice as a Coke replacement for me, then, I trudged onward.
And then, the breaking point. My nose recognized that strong, earthy scent, and I realized I had arrived at the coffee aisle. We are only a few days now from D-Day (Decaf, that is) here at home, and I simply could no longer bear the thought of what was coming down the road. I have been a habitual coffee drinker since 16 years of age and now it, too, will be making an exit from my life. I suddenly felt like a 6-year-old being hauled through Toys-R-Us, and being told firmly to not touch anything. I looked back at the aisles filled with forbidden items, then looked into our cart filled with Kale, Celery and multivitamins, and had never felt so betrayed in my life.
My depressed mental state lasted all the way home. Once we arrived, I was left to unload the groceries from the car. And, after carrying 3 loads of groceries from car to fridge - a total of maybe 90 steps - I had to collapse on the couch, panting as if I had run a marathon.
Oh, right. That is why I am doing this.
Still Winded,
- Hawkwind
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