It took a while, but gradually I got pretty pissed off about this liquid diet BS. Over two years ago I relinquished almost all carbohydrates to keep my blood sugar in check — no desserts, breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruit — even most beans are off limits. I now eat little besides protein foods and vegetables, and it’s worked like a charm; I lost weight and my blood glucose stays normal because I don’t challenge my compromised pancreas with carbs. Also, I’m almost never hungry, since protein foods are so filling. (The only time I get hungry is when I’m disinterested in all my ‘legal’ choices, due to the monotony of the diet.)
That was a huge adjustment for a semi-vegetarian who’d obediently followed the USDA’s food pyramid and whose diet centered on ‘high quality’ carbs such as brown rice and my own whole wheat breads. But I managed, without too much bitching and moaning, and no longer give it much thought.
Of course, that is permanent — unless I go on insulin, I’ll never again enjoy roasted potatoes or a slice of pizza (once specialties of mine, which I did to perfection). And I’m only stuck on the liquid diet for a month or six weeks — but about 10 days in, it began to seem like the greatest injustice imaginable. After all I had already given up, it seemed downright cruel to limit me even further.
Another consideration is that if I’m not prepared at all times and places with my Nutribullet concoctions, I will not be eating at all. Low carb alone was hard enough, but there is nothing at a fast food place or a deli or even a restaurant which I’m allowed on a low-carb liquid diet. Pretty damn limiting.
It’s not just the diet either — it effects everything which food and meals mean to us. I miss eating with my family — even if I am sitting alongside them, with my mugs of liquid salad and peanut soup, it fails to feel like a real meal to me. It limits my social life too, since so much socializing is done over food. I’ve attended a few parties and met friends for dinner (theirs, not mine!), but it’s inescapable that these occasions are greatly impaired if you cannot share the food.
Nor had I appreciated the extent to which meals provide a rhythm and structure to our days. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not one of those people who ‘forget to eat’ or anything absurd like that; I’ve always loved good food, but I didn’t realize how it broke up the quotidian with its rewarding little rays of sunshine. Now that I can no longer eat them, I see how much I looked forward to reaching the office each morning and peeling my simple hard-boiled eggs for breakfast! And sitting down to a plate of meat and vegetables each evening was a daily landmark of pleasure and sustenance. Not special meals by any means, but oh I miss them desperately. Drinking a glass of V8 and protein powder may nourish the body, but not the soul.
I wonder how I’ll react when this ends — will I go absolutely berserk and eat everything in sight? I almost worry that my pleasure sensors will be permanently stunted by deprivation, and I’ll never enjoy food again! I’ll keep you posted.
Linnetontheleaf 
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