(The author in [much]thinner times.)
Did you ever see the movie Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)? The paper-thin plot centers on two airhead, stuck-in-the-'80s blondes (Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow) and their adventures attending their 10th high school reunion. It's an utterly forgettable movie except for one telling line: (Romy) "I'm just really lucky I had mono. It was like the best diet ever!" Well, I can relate. If mono is the "best diet ever," then "impending root canal" definitely comes in a close second.
About a month ago I had a filling replaced, which is normally pretty routine. But, over the next week and a half, I experienced extreme sensitivity to hot and cold, plus shooting pain whenever I bit down on the right side of my mouth. I went back to my dentist, who adjusted the bite and sent me on my way. If anything, the pain was worse, which prompted a third visit. This time, he determined that I needed a root canal. Dun-dun-DUNNNN!!! A friend had already warned me that an RC might be in my future. But hearing those two words that traditionally strike fear in even the most stalwart dental patient filled me with waves of . . . relief.
Relief? Yes -- RELIEF! I don't think I have ever looked forward to a dental procedure as much as this one! And I have endured plenty of dental discomfort, from five long years of orthodontics to wisdom teeth extraction to my ongoing gum recession condition (which makes even a routine cleaning uncomfortable -- and sometimes downright painful). But none of that compared to the amount of pain that one little tooth with one exposed root caused me the last few weeks.
So what does that have to do with dieting? Well, the upside of mouth pain is my reluctance to eat. Shooting pain does have a way of making a person put the fork down and abandon all efforts to finish a meal; all it takes is one careless bite. Plus, when chewing on just one side of the mouth is the only option, one finds it necessary to restrict oneself to eating soft, lukewarm foods (hot and cold foods just add to the pain). "Mindful eating" takes on a whole new meaning. And believe me, being reduced to eating soup and apple sauce is a great way to kill an appetite! End result: I lost 3 pounds!
I must point out, I've also been pretty conscientious about exercising over the last couple of months. I'd like to think that all the hours I've logged on the treadmill have contributed to my weight loss. I have also resumed the weight lifting routine that I had let slide, and this week I got reacquainted with yoga. I was already on a weight loss program (remember my "personal trainer" experiment?), but my progress was slow and in danger of grinding to a halt -- mostly because I couldn't seem to get on track with the food plan. The dental ordeal changed all that. Like Romy's "Best Ever Mono Diet," the "Toothache Diet" gave my weight loss efforts a much needed boost!
Incidentally, I'm still chewing on the left side of my mouth. I had the root canal a week ago, and a temporary filling was put in place. Next week I go back for the prep work for a crown. By the end of the month, the crown should be in place and, hopefully, I can eat normally again.
Of course, "normal" is a relative term. While I was confining my meal choices to different varieties of soup, I discovered for myself a "diet tip" that, honestly, I had never quite believed: Soup fills you up; therefore, you eat less. I suspect that the tooth pain -- not the soup -- killed my appetite. Still, post-root canal, I'm finding that a bowl of soup, a salad, and a piece of bread make a satisfying meal. Yes, I know -- it's hardly earthshaking. But, to me, it has been a real revelation -- a diet breakthrough, if you will.
If nothing else, the root canal experience has forced me to rethink my food choices, mostly for the better. I'm more likely to have a small bowl of soup instead of chips with my sandwich. And I'm limiting myself to half a sandwich. Since I have a temporary filling, I'm still chewing on one side, which makes eating a sandwich rather labor-intensive. Therefore, I'm eating more slowly -- another one of those "diet tips" I never could master before. Now I have no choice!
Has the Toothache Diet made any permanent changes in my eating habits? Only time will tell. But hey, by my estimation, I still have another two weeks until the crown is in place and my mouth is back to normal. Diet experts say it takes a minimum of 30 days to replace bad habits with good ones. I hope they're right, because I can't wait until I can start eating apples again!
No comments:
Post a Comment