Minor updates

I don't have much to report, other than the fantastic news I received last Friday that my insurance approved me for the surgery! The turn around on that was so fast (~2 weeks), I'm kind of amazed. In other news, I've kind of fallen off the wagon with food, so to speak. I do well with all my meals, and have generally healthy snacks (if possibly one too many - but stuff like apples, carrots, bananas, grapes)...and have a random sweets binge.  Like, serious binge - sit down and eat handfuls of m&ms. UGH. Not really sure why, other than easily accessible and not committing myself to having *healthy* sweets around - not only that, but eating them in moderation.

I don't know how much the binges relate to emotions, but I will be happy when I get an incredibly strict schedule for food/liquid intake after the surgery, so there will be no wiggle room for anything like m&ms or cookies or whatever else I dive for.

Unfortunately, I have been really depressed lately - having severe communication issues with Dave when I feel like I need to cling to him as my rock more than ever. My moods have been very volatile and swiftly changing lately (which isn't incredibly hard to believe considering I have a bipolar disorder, but usually it's maintained pretty well by the medications I take for it). I believe it's the stress, the weather, the "new addition" (I picked up a stray cat the weekend before last, and he's kind of squatting...it's like having a baby in the home, I swear). There's a variety of things. Money's always a factor, of course. Dave being distant, quiet, already knowing that he won't stay the night with me at the hospital, so I'll have 2 nights on my ownsome where my only company will be Beary (my stuffed bear that I've had for at least 20 years, and still have - even if he's worse for wear and missing most of the beans in his legs). I don't feel like I'm stocked up adequately - and I've been told to do so! But a lot of forum members (gastricsleeve.com) have said that things that they bought prior to surgery make them gag after surgery. Well, balls. So what's the point in stocking up? This I do not know.

In addition, I've been pondering a lot about juicing. I think it would be excellent for stage 2 of my diet - where I'm having "full" liquids - as a way to supplement protein shakes. I'm concerned about the dietary factors though - obviously the sugars & carbs that come out of it, and if it would be enough protein. Yes, it's better to eat the vegetables raw - I see that again and again and again. Except, yknow, I can't. Physically, I won't be able to for at least a month. Munching on kale? Forget it. Apple peels? Nope. All this ruffage that's good for you is going to too difficult to digest while my stomach's healing. Pretty much, I can't get a straight answer - how much does juicing help when your digestive capacities are incredibly limited - what are the nutritional proportions of the whole foods to juiced foods (obviously there is significant pulp removed after the juice goes through, so is it truly 1 carrot raw = 1 carrot juiced? I find that incredibly hard to believe). BAH. Dang fad diet having sketchy answers. I guess it's the diets that are grounded in cold hard facts are the ones that are going to last.

In other news, shopping for sippy cups, and trying to find ones that aren't completely absurd. No, I don't really want to take an absurd sippy cup to work, thank you. I'm going to have to start drinking it out of a brown paper bag out of shame.