I really had to work on doing this today. It would be so easy to have blown off journaling. But that would probably led to me taking other shortcuts.

Yesterday I started to ride but ended up getting off the bike after only 2 minutes. Way too much knee pain to any further. Today is another day and I will try to do it again. The good thing is that I am not beating myself up over this.

My wife and I talked about joining a gym. This would allow me get a cardio workout using my upper body and also work on my strength training which I really don't have the tools to do here at home. I think I'll do that the week after next. I would do it sooner but my daughter and grandchildren are visiting next week.

Thanks for the feedback on eating out, it really helped to put some things into perspective. It was decided that we would go out for a movie, followed by coffee and desert. Non sweetened apple pie with no ice cream for me. Just typing that makes it sound horrific! But I'll survive, and maybe even learn to enjoy it given time.

Thanks for being here and giving me a forum to unload. I know I can do this. I've come too far with other addictions to let this one stand in the way of having a healthy life. I guess that's part of the process. Realizing that maybe it is an addiction? I've blamed so many other things... meds or my genetics, You name it, I'm starting to realize that this is an addiction and I need to deal with it as such, spiritually. Surgery is just the beginning, I will need to change other aspects of how I think and behave. Just looking at the black and white thinking process that I am experiencing is telling me that this is so. I should listen myself and treat it as such.

I pray that I can have a successful outcome in this journey.

Donald,

Life after surgery is not a life of deprivation, food or otherwise.

I pimp this book every chance I get because it made all the difference in the world in my attitude towards eating post-surgery. You don't need a Kindle to read it, you can install the Kindle App on your phone or PC for free. The book is $9.99. Dr. Vuong is a bariatric surgeon who literally teaches his patients how to eat. It's nothing like you would expect.

I got the book a couple of days after surgery and it made all the difference in the world to me. Just read it and you will see what I mean. If you're not happy, Amazon refunds your money within the first 7 (?) days I think. It won't take more than a day or two to read. I still refer to it every day.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Gastric-Sleeve-Success-Practical/dp/0615830447/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1423762635&sr=8-2&keywords=duc+vuong

Jersey Girl,

I'm still pre op and trying to lose as much weight as I can before surgery. I am still trying to wrap my head around how I'm going to do this and what obstacles I might foresee or have come across. There is so much information that needs to be processed as I discover what my habits and triggers are. I don't think that I'll always have to live my life this way just as I didn't have to stop taking communion wine after I got sober, or reject everyone that smelled like smoke after I stopped smoking. But there are changes that I need to make in the way I respond to the world around me if I am to make this work.