First Thanksgiving as the new me.

Have to admit that I'm having a little anxiety about tomorrow. Traditionally, Thanksgiving has been the Super Bowl of eating events for me. This was always the one day a year that I felt justified to pack away as much as possible without an ounce of guilt. I had surgery in May and am extremely fortunate to not have experienced any post-op complications and my physical recovery was quick and relatively pain-free. My biggest adjustment like most everyone on this path has been mental. I had a few panic attacks in the beginning when I was going through "food withdraw" when I first got home from the hospital, but losing 120 lbs definitely improves your outlook! Today, I'm dealing with my new diet, lifestyle, etc very well, except for situations that involve buffet style dinners and interacting with groups at any food-related event. ***** I should add that I am blessed (or cursed depending your point of view) to not have any food issues... I can eat whatever I want without ill effect. Obviously I have qty restrictions that I observe and I choose to eat a drastically healthier diet than I did before, but am able to deviate once in a while to indulge in a sweet, etc. ***** When I'm on my own and in the middle of the work week I'm driven by routine and walk a very straight path. I have only run into problems when I subconsciously revert back to my old ways during family gatherings, work luncheons, or any other event including a group of people. It's almost as if I'm trying to "keep up" with everyone else instead of making good food choices, using portion control, and eating slowly. My only bad experiences thus far have all involved this scenario... where I ate too much too fast and had to then walk around and pray not to spew in the bathroom. Also, buffets seem to be so good and bad at the same time... good because I can sample a bite or two of many items, but bad because my eyes are always bigger than my stomach! I'm trying to mentally prepare for tomorrow and remind myself that food should not hold the power over me that it once did. Just wondering if anyone else is feeling this way or can offer any advice on how to deal with my first post-op Thanksgiving. P.S. I am most thankful this year for the wonderful change in my life that gastric bypass surgery has brought and would do it again in a heartbeat... I feel good about myself again and have more energy than I've had in years.

We actually fixed our Thanksgiving meal last Saturday because I thought my husband would be out of town Friday thru Tuesday and I didn't want to have a lot of leftovers spoiling in the fridge. I made a smaller meal than normal but I did fix some yams (with the brown sugar splenda) and some whole wheat stuffing (can't tell that from the old) and I still measured my food, concentrated on eating the turkey first and just had about a tablespoon of stuffing and yams.....mmmmm! I did find out that I have to be really careful with the stuffing and yams, 'cause they really tasted good! But I was good and didn't pig out....first Thanksgiving ever that I didn't do that! So enjoy your "T" and just remember to have no more than a taste of the goodies.