Cleaning My Inner House

I received an unusual birthday gift last week. It wasn't unexpected, but I was not truly prepared for the magnitude of the gift. No, it wasn't the realization that I was turning 60. It was the printed version of my diet plan for the next few weeks.

I had a final meeting with the dietitian that will also serve as my dietary liaison during my adjustment period. My surgery is set for mid January, and prior to that I need to "shrink" the fat out of my liver in order to make the surgery easier. You ideally want to lose 20 pounds fairly rapidly, so you are given a very strict liquid protein diet regimen to follow. I decided that since I have been very naughty this holiday season I had better start early! I really need to clean the inner house that is me.

In order to make this successful, I first needed to clean my outer house and remove all temptations. I started with the pantry. It was pretty good with the exception of the pancake makings. But it was almost gone, so not too bad a problem there. The crackers and wafers were stale, so they were tossed in the trash. Spaghetti pasta - well if I push it way back on the top shelf it will be out of sight and hopefully out of mind.

The fridge and freezer was a whole different ballgame. I looked at all the butters and jams that I loved so much on toast and biscuits. I kept one jar of apple butter for company, the rest was either given to friends or tossed. The egg nog was getting old, so it won't be missed. Mayonnaise, real and lite, gone. Biscuits, canned and frozen, gone. Baking potatoes, ditto.
The Christmas cookies that I still had left from my binge eating, put in baggies in the freezer and buried under the frozen meats that I hope will still be good in another month.

I cooked the last Texas-sized ribeye as a birthday gift to me. I cooked the ham for Christmas, but did save the bone for homemade soup when I am allowed to have more solid food. I still have a few bacon and eggs to devour before January 5th. Of course, that won't do much for my head start dieting.

I have learned one thing since starting this journey. If I crave it, I absolutely cannot have it where I can easily reach it. I have NO willpower, but since the grocery store is eight miles OTB (over the bridge to the mainland) it is much easier to resist the temptation to go out and buy some more. There has not been a bag of chips in my house since before Thanksgiving, and the last of the sodas will be gone by New Years.

Aside from chewing actual food, I think I am going to miss my Zero Coke the most. Can't have carbonation, since it stretches the stomach, which is a no-no!

So my outer house cleaning is definitely going to help clean my inner house. I wonder how long it will be before I can be a 2F?  I already lost one F if you count hair color, since I am no longer a true blond after my last trip to the stylist.

Wow, going down to a 2F will mean some serious shopping. I had better get that job sooner than later. That'll be fun!
I may still be a SWF, but I am gonna get me some style!