A Fart, and a Question

First, the fart:   It occured to me yesterday that the 80 pounds total I have lost is the same as the 80-pound bags of rock salt I buy at Menards for the water softener.  Haven't lifted one of those since my surgery (that's what teenage sons are for!), but I used to do it often.  And those mothers are HEAVY! In effect, I used to carry one of those around ALL the time - 24/7!!  No wonder my back hurt when I walked!  I can't wait to lose my next bag of salt!    Now, the question:  I'm in the pureed stage now - 2 oz of protein at each meal, with 1oz of starch, fruit, or vegetable, depending on the meal. I've been chewing the snot out of everything before I swallow it.  So what difference does it make if I have food that almost pureed going in my mouth, or if it's small chunks and I chew it down to a pureed state before I swallow?  It's a lot easier (and tastier) to chew, chew, chew regular food, than to pulverize it first, and then eat it in 'mush' form. Just wondering what you guys do. 

First of all:   Great job!  It's so cool to start comparing the weight we've lost to an object we can pick up or carry.  My first major comparison was the amount of weight I had lost being more than all of my SCUBA gear which is about 90 lbs tank and all included. Second: Good question. Your chopper or processor or blender....whatever you use....can actually get the food into smaller bits than your teeth can.  Also, this is part of the learning curve...by introducing foods to your mouth that are already the "proper" consistancy you will more easily learn how food should feel before swallowing.  Then as you progress to the next stages, your mind and body will automatically work to get the food to that same texture. If you have any doubts, ALWAYS follow the advice of your surgeon and nutrionist (in that order) to ensure the most success. Remeber that this is a learning experience and just as you had to eat pureed foods as a baby before you could sink in to a sirloin, you are learning to eat all over again. Good luck to you and continued success!

Boxman, A risk in progressing to chunks too quickly is that you might not remember to focus completely on chewing. I found that I when I was distracted while eating, I would occasionally not chew 20 to 30 times. I did speak with my Doc and Nut and modified my program a little. As was said above, it is critical to follow the Doc's and Nut's counsel. And make sure you have some papaya extract handy. Joe