I orginally had my surgery in 2007. Naturally I immediately began to lose weight. A former soccer player, I had always loved to excercise, but pre-surgery it never seemed to matter what I did, the weight would never come off. So post surgery while the pounds were dropping off, I starting walking daily. Then jogging, then jogging. A year later I was running every day and was a whole different person. A year after that I was getting married, to a man who had custody of his two sons. Between the wedding plans and then the new family resposibilities, I slowly fell out of my work out routine. I still eat very little, but now that I'm so busy what little I eat isn't very healthy. And with a job that keeps me basically sedentary and I life too packed to work out, I have slowly gained it ALL BACK and then some. I know that I need to start exercising again, and MAKE the time, but even more importantly I am realizing what a terrible eater I still am! I never learned to make smart food choices and just relied on the band and the excercise to make the pounds come off regardless of what I ate. And now I run the risk of passing these habits on to my two precious stepsons that I am primarily responnsible for, which horrifies me. I don't want them to go through what I have. Does anyone have suggestions on web sites or books where I could learn more about smarter food choices and cooking easy, healthy stuff for a family? I know there are tons out there but there are so many that I can't tell which ones are worth reading and I get overw

I don't know any specific websites, but i know a simple place to start is to slowly replace normal items you buy with low fat and/or sugar free. Example, if you drink whole milk, switch to 2%, then 1%, then skim. Same thing with mayo, go to light then fat free. Cut back on the sodas & high sugar drinks & the chips & crap. We only have that stuff in our house for birthday parties & company & as an occasional snack for them. Add in healthy fruits & veggies with dip. If that is new, use lowfat dips. I'm blessed as my kids love fruits & salads. Switch out the veggie oil & spray for olive oil & cooking sprays. Go from spreadable butter to spray butter for some things. Go from regular noodles to wheat ones. My oldest ate MY wheat Pasta with low fat sauce & ground turkey the other night by mistake. I asked him how he enjoyed "his" meal. He said it was a little different but really good. Then i told him what it was. He was sort of surprised. I've been making lasagna like that for over a year now but never regular pasta for them. Another thing, is the ground turkey over the ground beef. I started with tacos. After you mix in the sauce mix, they can't tell beef from turkey...LOL Regular ice cream to low fat, popsicle to sugar free ones. Again, if they might not go for the change, start with small steps. Depending on their age, they may not even notice. HOWEVER, if you dare to make mac & cheese from a box using the powder cheese and/or the store brand over Kraft Deluxe, my 10 yr old will call you out on it every single time. He KNOWS the difference. So there are somethings that I won't compromise on because they need to have some "goodies" too.

Biggest change, portion control. Maybe not start with measuring everything, but just a little step like going to smaller dinner plates. Then adjust as needed.

Sounds like a lot, but it's not & i think you've already taken the hardest step....knowing that things need to change. GOOD LUCK!

I orginally had my surgery in 2007. Naturally I immediately began to lose weight. A former soccer player, I had always loved to excercise, but pre-surgery it never seemed to matter what I did, the weight would never come off. So post surgery while the pounds were dropping off, I starting walking daily. Then jogging, then jogging. A year later I was running every day and was a whole different person. A year after that I was getting married, to a man who had custody of his two sons. Between the wedding plans and then the new family resposibilities, I slowly fell out of my work out routine. I still eat very little, but now that I'm so busy what little I eat isn't very healthy. And with a job that keeps me basically sedentary and I life too packed to work out, I have slowly gained it ALL BACK and then some. I know that I need to start exercising again, and MAKE the time, but even more importantly I am realizing what a terrible eater I still am! I never learned to make smart food choices and just relied on the band and the excercise to make the pounds come off regardless of what I ate. And now I run the risk of passing these habits on to my two precious stepsons that I am primarily responnsible for, which horrifies me. I don't want them to go through what I have. Does anyone have suggestions on web sites or books where I could learn more about smarter food choices and cooking easy, healthy stuff for a family? I know there are tons out there but there are so many that I can't tell which ones are worth reading and I get overw

I'm a big Weight Watcher fan - imho it's the most well rounded healthy eating plan out there - you get your fat/starches/protein/dairy/veggies & fruit ..

Thanks for the tips Tami, it seems silly but when you are overwhelmed you don't know where to start! And I am going to check out the Weight Watchers site right now Indio girl. I tried it years ago and remember liking it but don't really remember much since it's been so long. Thanks!