God bless you and your family. Remember to focus on one thing at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself if you can help it.

All the best.

Kime, Stress plays such an important factor in our lives and always sabotages our good intension's. Like you I decided to have Lap band due to many medical factors, the biggest was watching both my father and eldest brother die due to complications of strokes in their late 50:s. I was 54 when I had my surgery. I am so sorry that you are having to deal with so much heartache and stress right now. I have a few suggestions for packing some snacks for your road trips and being on the go. I have found that if I carry stuff with me I am less likely to overeat and reach for the unhealthy or just settle for what I can get in the cafeteria, convince store or fast food restaurant. Stock up on some low carb protein bars and premixed shakes. These fit easily in your purse and you can reach for these if you can't eat a healthy meal. My favorite bars are, Oh Yeah, Nature Valley Protein, and Quest. Now they are not high in protein only about 10gms but they do satisfy that immediate hunger and prevent me from eating something less nutritious. In the shakes, that is really a taste preference. I prefer powdered shakes, I carry a small shaker container with snack bags filled with chocolate and vanilla, sometimes I put one of those flavored water packets into the vanilla powder to give it a fruit flavor. Low Cal cheese sticks, turkey pepperoni, almonds and soy nuts travel well also. I do not trust myself with the entire bag, when I am stressed I tend to want to graze. I measure all snacks when I bring them home from the store and place in snack bags, that way they are always ready for me to grab and go. Eating out, this can be that hardest for us, my favorite fast food restaurant is Chick Fli A, their grilled chicken nuggets, fruit cup and diet lemonade in the kids meal is just perfect. The are high in sodium but for a quick on the go meal in the car, you can eat it with your fingers and keep moving. Hospital cafeterias are the worst, I know I am a nurse. You would think as health care workers we would have healthy food around us but who wants healthy when stressed we all migrate to what reminds us of home. I grab a Greek yogurt or some oatmeal for breakfast. For lunch,low fat cottage cheese, individual hummus with the pretzel chips, natural peanut butter and 4 saltine crackers, an apple, banana, a small bunch of grapes. Berries like strawberries or blueberries are also nice choices. Those Oscar Myer lunch-ables with cheese turkey or ham and crackers is also a fast grab. Some of these are high in sodium and yes they are processed foods, but they will keep hunger at bay, you can carry most with you or find in a cafeteria or convenient store. I know this sounds like a lot of work upfront but it will help you to get refocused and back on track. I hope your family does well and again I am so sorry for all the added stress and sorrow you are dealing with. Good luck to you. Diane

Thankfully, Duke has an awesome cafe. They have hummus and a HUGE salad and fruit bar. There home cook line has calorie counts to help you make a decision. They do have unhealthy options, but they have more healthy options. Great hospital, glad it's so close- it's saved many family members and it's where I had my lapband done.

Today I was better on eating and after dinner my hubby and I are going for a walk on the trail behind our house.