Weighing In

"Delusions of Grandeur" - Rene Magritte, 1967, bronze

Do these pants make my butt look big?

It's Monday, my regular "weigh-in day" for Weight Watchers. When I was discharged from the hospital, my instructions were pretty simple. I had some pain medication, but no further antibiotic treatment. My incision, I was told, would dissolve. It was closed off with some fabric tape, but it was OK for me to shower, although immersing the would in water, as in a bath, was forbidden.

I was encouraged to exercise. Walk, they said. That was perfect for me, because I love to walk and our neighborhood is a perfect place to walk. I indulged in a couple of excursions where I might have overextended myself - a trip to the Getty Museum, another trip to downtown LA. They were fun, but after these, I was very tired, and spent the next day relaxing.

My biggest incision hurts a little. It itches, as I think is normal for healing flesh to feel as it knits back together. It sometimes feels warm to the touch, and sometimes feels swollen or hard. The skin in the area is irritated where they shaved me and the hair is growing back in. The small incisions feel nothing, no more than a pinprick.

Eat a normal diet, the doctors said. They gave me very little in the way of diet counseling, although I'd been told in a broad general sense to follow a high fiber diet.

My own appetite told me to keep portion sizes low, but I enjoyed being able to eat vegetables, whole grains, and fruits - all of which had been forbidden under the "low residue" diet of my earlier convalescence. And oh, it was good! I had sweet strawberries from the Farmers' Market. Brussels sprouts roasted with balsamic vinegar. I made a sandwich with dark, sprouted wheat bread and fresh tomatoes. I also allowed myself to enjoy wine at meals, and an occasional cocktail - not clinically bad, but calorie-wise, overloaded.

So - after a week of home-based recovery, how did my Monday weigh-in go?

I gained a pound. 

Oh well. Better get serious about counting points again.

Sculpture in the Fran and Ray Stark Sculpture Terrace, Getty Museum Los Angeles