Need Some Help for my Talk

The emotional part of ANY day is the hardest part of living this surgery for me.  It's important to talk to someone about what you're feeling -- food related, family related or whatever.  Having a support team is key.  I'm also a big journaler. 

Find some new tradition that does not involve food... Perhaps volunteer at a shelter...
Go sledding (now that you've lost weight, you should be able to)
Maybe play board games with family.
Treat yourself to a manicure/massage.

Have a 'spouse night' where you treat each other massage.

Use fragrant candles.....I heard that if you sniff certain scents, you are less likely to stimulate appetiti...I was planning to read up on this one.


Jayne

I will be more than happy to heckle you from the audience if you would like

I just dont have the food in my house.  I don't host the meals...and I don't take food home.  Or, if I do, I take only the meat.  Really, meals that big have become a bore for me.  I eat a few bites and then I am done...its not the food orgy that it once was. 

I  never feel deprived.  If I want to try something, I try a bite of it....but my pouch can handle a bite, and I am 3 plus years out.  I often find the smells are much much better than the actual taste of almost anything these days. 

You will do great!!

hg

utilize my transfer addiction and drink heavily  . . .

just kidding . . .

last holiday season there wasn't an issue since i was just a couple months out.  i plan to always offer to bring a WLS appropriate contribution to any party i attend.  work on socializing without having to have my mouth full.  do self talk.  use BECK strategies.  review my cards before every occasion.  journal my foods.  use the boards for support --- all that keeps my head straight.

Nicole, I hope you'll share your outline with us when all is said and done! I'd love to attend but we have Fulton tix for tomrrow night.

This is my first post op holiday season. I don't cook the meals and I don't host the gatherings. I've become reasonably proficient at pushing food around on my plate when we go to family gatherings.

Looking back, two things come to mind:

I always used to stand near the table so I could take more food with no one noticing. No more.

The holidays are such an exhausing, emotional time, they are certainly a trigger for emotional eating. The family members who drink too much...the hurtful things that can be said...the difficult memories...it's not always like they show in Better Homes and Gardens is it? I agree that journaling is a terrific tool to help us come to terms with the "crap of life" and can help us prepare to deal with the holiday gatherings more constructively. For me, I plan to exercise all that I can during the season. I'm less likely to be my own undoing if I have spent the time and energy working out, looking at myself in those floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

And I LOVE the slogan about fruitcake!!!! Use it!

I am looking forward to your talk tomorrow night Nicole.  Though I have not had my surgery yet, I always found during prior diets, etc. that I avoided eating by being the "facilitator" at the family functions.  For example, I would always go into the house of whoever was hosting and would keep busy.  I would get drinks for everyone, help clean up the kitchen, help take food to the table, spend time reading to the young kids or playing with the older kids.   By doing that, I am spending time with everyone, never in one place too long and often have my hands full so I wasn't able to snack and eat the whole day.  My hobby is also photography so I would often set up as the official photographer and stay busy snapping pictures.

Nicole,
One thing I have found helpful is to make sure I'm not hungry before I attend a family function, I don't begin to sample and pick up munchies in an unstoppable manner if I'm already full or feeling close to full.
focusing on how much better I feel about myself not being the " fat one" in the room also helps.
Chris

So Nicole,

How did it go? Any suggestions you have that you could share with the rest of us?

Jo,

I think the talk is tonight.....I'm sure she'll update us tonight or tomorrow!

Nicole,

You've gotten such great advice already.

I'm a big fan of putting food on my plate and walking aroudn with it, talking with people and they don't seem to notice, and I feel like I am part of the "in crowd" if you will without feeling over stuffed and ridiculous feeling.

You will do great which is the whole reason I responded - just for the emotional support aspect of it.  Wish I could come...instead of LGH I will be at LVH tonight, LOL

Pam