Thanksgiving!

   I know that I probably sound like a broken record, but I can't sing the praises of Dr. Billy and his amazing staff enough! They are really there for you and want you to succeed. 2 days before Thanksgiving I got a call from Patricia to check in with me because the following day I was going to be introducing a new range of foods to my diet. She wanted to make sure all of my questions were answered and that everything was clear. Patricia also wanted to see if I had a plan in place for tackling Thanksgiving. I actually did and she was able to help me tweak it a little bit because I had some unrealistic expectations. For example, I wanted to have a small piece of toasted garlic bread but she reminded me that if it doesn't go down well it's going to ruin my day. I should save experimentation for days when I am not going to be trapped at other people's houses. 

   I felt great going into Thanksgiving and everything did in fact go smoothly. I took a picture of my plate at my parents' house because that's where I did a bulk of my eating!

    What's funny about this plate and this picture is that this looks like a massive amount of food....I promise it's not. My mom was very kind and got out a small salad plate for me instead of the massive plates we usually eat off of for special occasions. She didn't want me to feel out of place or deprived because I had so much empty space on my plate. Now let me tell you what's there:

1. Turkey- I had been experimenting with turkey breast and chicken breast and am able to digest them without trouble, so I had no fear having it with 1/4 tablespoon cranberry sauce. 
2. Potatoes with melted cheese...Costco! 
3. 1/8 cup stuffing! Because I can't have soft bread yet I made sure to get the really crunchy top part and picked out the little pieces of carrots. It was a hassle but it did slow down the eating process for me. 
4. salmon- I am NOT a fish person, but this salmon was amazing and I would eat it again! It's also another good source of protein. 
5. Creamed corn and spinach- I took 1 tablespoon of each but didn't eat them. I just wanted to fill out my plate and wanted to give myself the illusion that I had fully participated. 

   Later that night we went to my in-laws and I kept it super simple there. I worked on getting my liquids down immediately and then eventually ate some turkey with gravy. At their house no one sits down formally at a table for dinner. Everyone just sits wherever they can find a spot and that made it less awkward and I didn't have to worry about people watching me eat.

   The best part was that when I weighed myself the next morning I didn't gain a single ounce,..I actually lost 2 ounces! Yay!!!!