Jill, the problem is there is a really big difference in emotional eating and stress.  Stress can mess up your entires system.  It can raise your blood pressure into stroke range, it can send your blood sugar sky high, it can cause migranes, it can mess up your motabolism, it can kill you.  I am talking true stress.

Read your leader handout I gave you on "Emotional Eating".

Of course it does if you let it. The wording here is..If you let it. I  have my share of stress. But since I risk my life for this surgery I refuse to give in & let it ALL be for nothing. I look for other things to do besides eat.

In my opinion stress matters.  I am a stress eater.  I am trying to change that, especially now that I am banded.  I am looking into the things that stress me, how I can deal with that stress, and other outlets besides eating.  Example...yesterday I was so stressed and about ready to cry.  All I wanted to do was come home and eat a gallon of chocolate ice cream after a whole Godfather's combo pizza for dinner.  Of course I knew I could do that (and didn't).  I haven't figured out other ways to relive that stress that work for me yet but I can tell you that my jaw was and still kind of is clenched and my teeth griding together.  My teeth are already bad enough so I need to find what works for me QUICK!  I don't want to use stress as an excuse for my weight issues but I knew I have used food as an outlet in the past.

 Keep me posted on whether or not you are going to meet.  I am quite a ways away, but would love to come and meet you all face to face if it is possible.