Hi Kerri! Today I got an appointment with my plastic surgeon. I will see what I look like. It's so cold here in Chicagoland, 7 degrees I will post after I get home and warm up! I don't want to go out in this weather... Hugs, Lucy

Hi Lucy~ I'm so thrilled to hear that you're back safe and sound. I've been out of town for a few days, but was thinking of you! The swelling will go down, fortunately!! I hope you're not still in pain. Keep us updated on how you're doing. Congratulations!! Hugs, Kerri

With my daily mantra in mind "I am a gastric bypass patient and I need to behave like one"..... Progressively better....not perfect....but definitely better. I packed my lunchbag last night with all of the food I was going to allow myself from the time I got up to the time I get home (usually around 5:30 - but not till 6:30 today). I packed: A cheese stick A low-carb yogurt (the kind with high-fiber cereal mixed in) A SF lime jello A wrap cut into four pieces (roast beef, provolone, stone-ground mustard) A banana I ate: 6:30 am - A Venti SF Decaf Vanilla Latte (20g protein) 9:00 am - yogurt (5 grams protein) 11:30 am - 2 pieces of the wrap (20g protein) 12:30 - cheese stick and jello (8g protein) (then I was locked into a meeting until 5:30, during which I ate a bite size chocolate) 5:30 - banana 6:00 - another SF vanilla latte (20g protein) 6:30 pm - the other two pieces of the wrap (20g protein) I'm probably gonna have to eat another yogurt or jello if I get hungry later. I think I did pretty good today!!! YEA!!!!!!!! About 93g protein and around 1200 calories!!!! I think I can do this if I pack my lunch like this everyday. I need to go find some more of those wraps. I found them at Food Lion but I went to Giant yesterday and they didn't have them. They had wraps - but not the ones with 14g of protein in them. Next time I go to Food Lion, I'm gonna have to buy them out. Plus, these are the only wraps that don't hurt my pouch (and they have 8g fiber in them). How's everyone else hanging in? Hugs, A Gastric Bypass Patient for life, Pam

Hi Pam, I wanted to reply to you yesterday when I read your original post but I didnt have time. I just wanted to say that that could have been written by me. I have been stuggling so bad lately. My eating has been waaaaay out of control. Not so much in the amounts that I eat but I havent made good choices and the grazing is really bad. I havent put on any weight yet. I weigh myself compulsivly. But I am really scared because this is just like before surgery. I feel like I am out of control. Well, I guess this is where the real work begins. I wish that there was something that you could do to just wake up one day and have a normal relationship with food. I know that I wont let myself gain weight back to my presurgery weight, but it is like part of me is just seeing how far I can pu**** before I gain. Its like seeing how close you can come to the cliff before you fall over the edge. This is a bad time of year to be struggling with these issues. I wish that I had never strayed off the no sugar path. Because that is what is haunting me now is the sugar. I am going on vacation soon. Hubby and I are celebrating our 25th by going to Vegas. I hate to wait till I come home to work on this issue but it almost seems pointless to work on it while I am on vacation. Boy is that a cop-out. Maybe I can get it under control somewhat before I go so that the damage isnt quite as bad. Well, I am proud of you for trying to work on it and thank you for giving a voice to something I have been struggling with and was feeling to ashamed to write about. May we all battle the food demons and win the battle. Love Lynn

Hi Pam! I live alone so I have to care for myself. I plan on walking outside tomorrow morning, just a couple of steps. It's so cold here! I can't wait until Tuesday to see the entire me in the mirror. I am scared of the scars but know that I will have to live with them. They will be less noticeable over time. It's so wierd that my pants are so big, I first bought an extra small and it fit very well. So I went up a size to a small, it had a little room in it, but now it's way too big. I thought my clothes would be tight, but in this cir****tance that is not the case. We, as a group should plan a get together for our 2 year anniversary. Something to think about! Thanks for your response. It is always good to hear from you. Hugs and Love, Lucy