I went to a "Back on Track" support group meeting last night at my surgery center and we were discussing the old black and white thinking. The counselor warned against this kind of behavior and instead reccommended planning. Go back to planning and weighing our portions so that we realize when we have had enough. She also suggested breaking snack food into "snack portions" before storing them in the cabinet. In other words when you purchase the bran crackers seperate them into individual portions in zip lock baggies.... no boxes in the pantry. That way we have a visual que as to how much we are eating and have to make a concious decision to get more. Sounds logical to me. She also reccommended going back to eating the protien first before other items on the plate. The protien is usually the most dense and will create a plug in the pouch which will keep us full longer. The biggest faux pas that the group had were .....drinking or sipping at meals which moves the food thru the pouch too fast and grazing which defeats the behavior modification because then we are never truly hungry or full and it is important that we learn what this feels like so we eat for hunger not "head hunger". Practice makes PROGRESS. Hope this helps....it helped me, Desiree

Hi Valorie, I'm not the expert by any means but this is what my personal trainer does. She works one particular area, such as chest/back, or biceps/triceps, or lower body at each session, along with some cardio, such as spinning or climbing stairs, etc. I am used to working out, have done it since the dark ages. But, man, when I finish a session with her, I feel like my butt has thoroughly been kicked! I am usually sore for the next couple of days, although it's not too bad. It sounds to me like maybe your trainer is concentrating on too much at once, especially if you don't feel the pain. Maybe he/she should take a body area at a time? Like I said, I'm not the expert! Deidrah

Questions for all the exercise experts out there.... Is it better to work out 5 days per week 1 hr per day or 3 days per week 2 hrs per day? Is it better to work on 1-2 areas of the body each session or work all areas every session? My trainer does the whole body method along with some cardio for each hour session. About 20 min cardio 10 stretching and 30 minutes of whole body strength. I don't get sore and I don't really feel the pain. Am I really getting the best work out this way? Is it really true, "no pain, no gain?" Thanks in advance for your help. Hugs, Valorie

Yippee! Yeah! Fantastic! What great news. I'm so glad for you Kim. I know this has been at trying time for you. Feeling Great -- Now that is good news. You know now that you are feeling good and convinced you are going to live. Doesn't the financial stuff seem like it will get worked out too. Good luck to you my friend - keep up the good work.

Kim, It's so good to hear from you! Happy to hear that J tube is out. How is "real" eating going? Any more pains or are the meds doing their job? Still expecting to have to have the gall bladder removed at some point? CeCe