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Today's a struggle

I need to fit on a plane seat by October 16. Period. That trip has to happen, as I'm going to see my old father for the first time in two years. Two years!


I wonder - what should I do? How to go about losing ten kilos in less than two months despite my metabolism so slow, my thyroid not responsive, and my lack of energy just killing me?

That I have to diet is obvious. That I have to diet like never before is also obvious... Help!

I may not get to see him again if I don't go now. Or of course we'd get to see each other a lot of times in the years to come, who knows. I just cannot take any risk, he's 86.

Covid did not help. I usually go to see him twice a year: October and April. April 2020 was Covid time, October 2020 was Covid time and my boyfriend was in ICU fighting for his life (but he's a trooper and he survived!) and loosing his transplant (really bad news). April 2021 still Covid time, still no vaccines, still the risk of infection for myself (I'm of course in a high risk category) and for my father - who was cocooning and not opening the door to anybody, and rightly so.


Now it's time. We are both vaccinated and the borders open to travellers. My sister was even able to come and see me in August, now it's time.

But what if I don't fit into the seat of the plane? I really really am that big. They can give me an extension belt, like they always do - but I have to reach the dongle on each side to fasten it!

I learnt from this bariatric surgery support group on Facebook that before surgery they need to put you on a Liver Reducing Diet (lrd) because a fatty liver, which is enlarged, will make it very difficult for the surgeon to operate.


Through this diet the liver reduces in size quite considerably, and you happen to lose a lot of weight too. They usually put on this diet for 2 weeks. I wonder: can I stay on this diet for 5 weeks?

You also need to take vitamins and supplements while on this diet, apparently. In this support group people uploaded a few of these diets - slightly different from each other according to the surgeons' dietitians, but very similar.

Should I use this diet and start it now? It would give me 5 solid weeks before the flight, my butt might shrink just enough!

Of course, what if I cannot stick to it? First of all, will that make me unfit for surgery? Both psychologically ("she won't be able to sustain the lifelong changes") and physically ("her liver won't shrink enough").

I'm just terrified.

I'll be posting these LRD diets on this blog - will not change anything.















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