My family is torturing me!!

   Oh, how I remember that.  The day I got home from surgery, my daughter brought home Burger King food from work.  The next day, they ordered my FAVORITE pizza.  I broke down in tears!  My daughter reminded me (and not very nicely, either) that *I* was the one that had the surgery, not her.  

  As much as that comment hurt at the moment, it drove it home.  She was right.  There will ALWAYS be tempting, good smelling foods around.  It was my hardest lesson.  

  I used to ask myself.. would I rather eat that pizza (or burger or whatever) or be healthy and thin?  No contest.  I was lucky enough to come home on soft foods (never had any sort of a liquid diet either before surgery or after), and I managed to find some foods that I really enjoyed that fit into my new lifestyle.  They smelled good and tasted good and helped a LOT.  

  You WILL get through this, as much as it seems to suck right now.  I wish I had more uplifting words for you.  
   
  Be strong!  You CAN do this and it will be SO WORTH IT!
 

It honestly has never bothered me and I continued to bake and cook for my family.  This may be silly but I think if it did bother me that I might try to offset the smell by putting Vick's Vapor rub under my nose or wearing a mask over my nose since you say leaving during meal time doesn't work living in your apartment.  I did do that after surgery for a few weeks because everything smelled bad to me.  Alcohol rubs make me feel sick but Vick's didn't bother me.  Another friend was like me and she was able to use a peppermint oil under her nose. 

Sounds like you're doing the right things... good job! Everyone is right about this being your change, but it can be a challenge. Just keep thinking about how far you've already come and never look back!

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom and kindness.  I realize that this is my journey and that I'm going to have to find a way to deal with it.  I know I'm nowhere near ready for solid food as it is still a chore at this point to make sure I get my 80 oz of protein and 64 oz of water a day.  I know I will get through this and will be better for it in the end!

Jennifer