"Man am I Full"

Some of you may notice that I have added a new picture. Thanks to my friend Jody for setting up the before and after. I hadn't fully realized how big I was until seeing those two pictures. As unbelievably proud I am of what I accomplished, there is still some sadness about what that picture represents. It doesn't overwhelm me but it reminds me of how long it took me to get here.

My first foray into food has not been what I thought it would be. My first night was a salad with sliced deli turkey and not only was it very salty, but it almost made me vomit. Night two was a meal at Applebee's. I ordered the 7oz steak, seasonal veggies and mashed potatoes and a take-out box. Sadly, it also came with mozzarella sticks...YUM!!! I gave the rest of the table the mozzarella sticks and put 2/3's of the steak and the mashed potatoes in the box.

The veggies were a mix of broccoli, squash, carrots and zucchini. These are not my thing!! I put a piece of broccoli and carrot on the fork and waited for the gag to kick in. I ended up eating them all, and it wasn't that bad. It wasn't awesome, but it didn't kill me. I moved onto my small piece of steak and about half way through I started to feel ill again. I stuffed myself....on 1oz of steak and veggies!!!

Last night was a little better as I ate my whole 2oz of steak and another salad. I was definitely full but no pukey feeling. I did have a small bite of my son's turkey stick and noticed right away how salty it was. It feels good to be back on some food and not have the immediate desire to eat everything not nailed down!!

Obviously I still have a ways to go, but looking at that picture, and seeing how far I've come has energized me. I look forward to taking another picture in three months and seeing where I go to in the future. Look forward to getting there with all of you in tow!!

Russ