I am scheduled to have major surgery on July 10. Without going into the gruesome details of the operation, let me just say that it involves my spine. So here, folks, is yet another opportunity for weight loss!

I will remain on Nutrisystem until the end of next week, when I will up the calories to 2600 per day for four days prior to surgery, carbing up a bit while increasing the protein, too. I won't gain any weight during that period, especially because I've been keeping the exercise level high. An increased fitness level will pay dividends in post-op recovery from the butchery as well as the general anesthesia.

OK, so here's the deal. My prior hospital stays have all resulted in significant weight losses, so I once again anticipate that I'll come out of this thing lighter by up to 10 pounds.

If there's one thing that works better than Nutrisystem to "loose wait," it is hospital food. I usually start with the regular diet but somewhere along the line, someone--and I don't know who--decides that I should have a low-fat diet. That's when the food really turns to tasteless gahhhbage. Egg Beaters? Sheeeeit! So, they give me what seems to be 900 Kc per day--why wouldn't I lose weight?

I know--I'll bring a bag of NS food with me and hide it in the closet. Then, I'll eat it cold. The tuna casserole should be particularly good like that.

Anyhow, I wanted to let you all know why I might turn up missing for a while. I should be in the hospital from July 10 to July 13, if there are no complications, but I won't be computing for a while after that. Save a space in the chat room for my big ass.