There seems to be a lot of discussion among bandsters about people who feel guilty about WHAT they eat and other people who are measuring out their food, people who are terrified of the holiday food temptations, etc.

The reason lap band works is because it forces you to adhere to a portion control program that alleviates the need of having to rely solely on willpower. I was banded in March and I eat whatever I want, only much less. I have lost 37% of my total weight or 115 pounds and have exceeded my goal weight. In fact, I now have a problem I always dreamed of...how do I stop losing weight?!

Since day one, I have not worried about what I eat and have tried to put the band to work for me...and it's worked. For those of you who have been banded recently, the weight will come off. It started slow for me but escalated quickly after my 2nd (and final) fill this past May.

So, this holiday season everyone needs to relax a bit and let the band work for you. If it's not restricting your intake, get a fill. Get to your sweet spot and enjoy your new life and the holidays!

I agree with Jaqui, all the diets i did before gave me a guilt complex about food. I could never keep up with the counting and the restrictions therefore always gave up and punished myself by going on a binge and putting the weight back on. The band has helped me to view food in a healthy non obsessive way. I still like food and i still eat but i no longer think about it all the time i never think 'if i have this bar of chocolate now i wont eat any breakfast to make up for it' which is how i thought when i was obese. Now i am thin and i never get up in the morning and think that i will have x amount of protein and i will only eat any carbs on my plate last if im still hungry... To me that takes me back to when food was the most important thing in my life.

The reason why i feel so strongly on this is that losing weight is only one part of recovering from obesity. Learning to let go of food so that it no longer has power over you is the bigger part. And I just dont see how you can do that constantly weighing, measuring and counting. I dont see how you can do it when you're relying not on your body and its feelings but on what someone else tells you to do. I really feel cured because I truly dont CARE what I eat at my next meal or how much Protein I get in a day.

WELL SAID!!!!!!!! I can't wait until I get to the point of not caring what my next meal will be, I am already finding that I am not obsessing about food nearly as much so that is a step in the right direction:redface:

My question is kind of related to this post & some of the things that have been said in reply to the initial post...

Exactly how big is our pouch and how much are we "supposed" to eat?

I've been thinking I was doing good just eating about 8 ounces of food per meal...but I've been seeing a lot of people say 1/2 cup or 4 ounces...

What works for you all?

My surgeon told me never more than 1 cup (8oz) of food 3 times per day. I am not even eating that though, I stop when I feel satisfied, not full, but satisfied

Jachut you hit the nail on the head for me! My fight is not with food, the problem for me is in my head and the way I allow food to control my life. This band/tool is really a big help in making me look at the reasons I eat. I am NOT that fond of food ... I DON'T like to cook and I HATE being in the kitchen. But, historically when something happens in my life -- good or bad -- I am ready to eat over it. Well, since I have so much restriction now, the thought of eating when I am not hungry is a bit repugnant to me. So, instead I have been doing what my therapist has been trying to get me to do for a year now -- think about WHY I want to put something in my mouth. It's not easy looking my fears in the face, but I am finding that it's not the end of the world either. I'm not a person to weigh and measure and I have failed at every "diet" I have ever tried. But, just this morning when someone in my office told me (after I had refused a piece of cake) "go on, it's the holidays, give in", I thought about it and decided that I wasn't hungry and the truth is that I didn't really want it. It has been liberating to look at food differently. Slow and steady ...

Also, for those with diabetes, in January 2008 I went into emergency with my blood sugar at 917 ... I was delirious! Fortunately, I wasn't alone and my doctor was meeting me there. It was so bad that I couldn't answer the questions they were asking me. Good thing I was there with a friend that has known me for 40 years. Anyway, after being banded and losing a mere 20 lbs I am no longer on any diabetes meds. I am a Type 2 diabetic and yes, I am atypical; all I know is that "for me", the band is working in ways that I never imagined. Slow and steady ...

We are all different and I hope for the best outcome for each and every one of us.

Happy Holidays!

Hello! I have been banded for just over 6 months now. This has been the best thing that I have ever done for myself (w/ the devoted support of hubby, family, friends, and colleagues)! For the first time in a long while, I feel good about myself and my appearance. I have always dressed well and did my hair and make up, but it was just a facade. I felt hideous and unworthy on the inside. Since the scale has been going in the right direction (FINALLY!), I have a spring in my step, a smile in my face, and a great sense of pride in all that I do.

As for eating what I want, I eat what I can tolerate and in small quantities. I no longer feel guilty about every morsel I put in my mouth. I think this has helped me be successful WITH my band. I know the band has helped me look at food in a positive light. It is no longer my enemy. I make much better food choices, but don't deprive myself of a treat now and then. I don't count calories, carbs, Proteins, etc. I don't weigh or measure my food. That is too much like a diet to me. I got banded so I wouldn't have to be on a diet.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

I weighted and measured for the first few months as a learning tool -As fat chick I don't think we know what 4 oz of meat - Pasta - rice looks like - I kept a food diary for the 1st year til I got to goal - it was an accountability factor and I loved writing down each week -2 lbs - and keeping a running total as the months passed - I logged calorie and Protein and my exercise - the minute I hit goal I quit doing these things

How much do I eat per meal - 1.5 to 2 cups for dinner - I have 4 oz of meat - 1/2 c rice and 1/2 cup veggies - some nites I eat it all some nites I don't - lunch is about 1.5 cup too - breakfast is usually something lite cuz I eat at my desk..

I am 2.5 yrs out and I am still afraid of gaining the weight back if I let my guard down - I am not dieting - can't say I really ever have - I cut the unhealthy stuff from my diet most of the starches - not all as I still have some starches/carbs- I cut tons of fat (cooking oil - butter & cheeses) and sugar..

I no longer eat 8 tacos loaded with cheese & dripping in grease or refried Beans made w/lard - or a 3/4 of a casserole in one night - or on a weekends a batch of brownies - Plus I added exercise into my life - prior to my band I sat a desk all day - and on my butt at home..

I like veggies always have - but did I eat them regularity nope and if I did eat them they were loaded with butter- I ate home cooked food starch/fat/sugar and meat Not Fast Food

I still crave these things (high fat & high sugar)- I could still eat a bag of candy - My head still wants those foods - I still miss being able to sit down and pig out on something - my band prevents that..

I am a Food Addict - I am a sober food addict at the moment but I am still an addict.. Food brings me comfort - nothing better than to sit down and read a book with a bag of M&M

So Jachut - I get your Mom - she need's a program to follow- I basically follow a WW type eating plan - as I think it's the most balanced - I don't go to meeting - I don't count points but I eat how I learned to when I went to WW which is balanced low fat limited starches & sugars and exercise

Everyone is diff - just like some pple need to go to their AA meetings weekly and other don't go at all..

I had to change my eating - as prior to my band my eating was unhealthy - I can't just eat less of what I use to eat due to it not being healthy.

I am guessing here - don't have any #'s behind what I am going to say - but

IMHO the majority of morbidity obese pple aren't just over eating healthy foods - they are eating high fat and high sugar and high carb meals in large quantities and they don't move due to the excess weight and it being too hard to..

I go out and eat mexican - Chinese - and cook these things at home occasionally - my band prevents me from over eating these foods but these foods are usually high calorie foods opposed to meat/fish - veggies & starch..

I still am a volume eater most of the time - I would rather have 4 oz of fish 1/2 c rice & veggies for 320 calories than a candy bar for 230 calories -

I have bday cake - Cookies - an occasional candy bar - or pie/ice cream - but usually always away from home - cuz if this stuff was in my house at Night time I would eat them till they were gone..

I am relaxed to a degree - but I know my triggers - so I am always mindful of them..

I have lost the weight before (never this much) and usually by this time I start gaining it back..

Our individual diets are what got us fat in the first place - So ya you can eat less of that same diet - but are you learning to eat healthy - or just less of the same high fat high sugar foods..

I concentrate on eating healthy 98% of the time allow for treats 2% of the time and work out 3-4 days a week 1 hr max per workout session - I have maintained my weight loss now for 1.5 yrs - fluctuating 5 lbs max.

But I still want unhealthy foods...

Hi my name is Janet and I am a food addict and the band doesn't deal w/my mental issues - just the physical one by limiting my quantity of food..

Edited December 23, 200916 yr by IndioGirl55

Great topic and lots of helpful things to consider if your weight loss slows down or stops. My doc said from the beginning it is calories in/calories out. The band will help us with portion control but it is up to us what we put in our stomach.

That being said, I can tell you that like an alcoholic who takes it "one day at a time", I literally take it "one meal at a time." I basically eat what I want in moderation. Some meals I make really good choices, other meals not so much. The other day I went to Mongolian Bar-b-que for lunch which I think is a healthy choice. Pre-band days I would have had one bowl and gone back and made a second bowl. The other day I made one bowl and ate maybe a 1/4 of what I made and took the rest home. For dinner though I had a couple swedish meatballs with some mashed potatoes -- not such a good choice. Am I 100% perfect?? Not even in my wildest dreams. But I AM 100% better than I was 9 months ago. I don't say I am obsessive about what I eat, but I am conscious of what I eat and I do try and analyze what I could have done differently. For example, as an obese person I think my mentality was to eat until you're stuffed and I unconsciously was eating with my band with the mentality of "how much can I eat to be satisified?" I am trying to change that mental attitude to say "how little can I eat and be satisified?" I'm trying to tell myself that it's okay to not finish all the food on my plate regardless of how much or how little there is on there. The band is a huge tool to help us lose weight but the biggest battle I think is not with our stomachs but with our heads.

Edited December 23, 200916 yr by A New Woman

Sorry, one more thing about mental attitude. I still struggle with the fact that I THINK I can eat way more than I actually can and take too much food. It's like I still think I'm that fat eater that is going to eat a ton of food. But am getting better. Yesterday I was in a rush doing Christmas shopping on my lunch hour and I hit McDonald's to take back to work. I went in and knew I was going to order the Chicken Selects. The girl at the counter asked me if I wanted the 5-piece or the 3-piece. I had to really think about it because in one second you think the 5-piece isn't really that big if you're only eating that and nothing else. Well, I reminded myself that I don't eat very much any more and I'd probably waste most of it. So I ordered the 3-piece and guess what I still wasted most of that since I only ate 1 piece. But with trying to change my mental attitude I'm glad I didn't try and convince myself that I should still keep eating. This has really been a journey of self discovery.

What an interesting read!

I have dieted my way fat as well. I can tell you the calorie, fat, sugar, carb, and Protein count of 1000s of foods. I can tell you the serving size. I can serve a perfectly-sized serving of just about anything on the first try. I learned this over the past 10+ years that I've done WWers.

So, I respectfully disagree that obese people don't know serving sizes or how to eat healthy. Just because I have the information doesn't mean I use it. Heck, people still smoke and they know it's deadly.

I am only 4 weeks in and still fill-less, but I started keeping a food journal as soon as I started full-liquids. I quickly stopped, as I was becoming obsessive with it. It's all I was thinking about. In a word, it was becoming a diet. I can't do that to myself again.

I am hoping I can use the knowledge I already have plus the band to be successful. Considering I've already lost nearly 40 lbs, I feel like I am doing it right so far. I am eating what I want, but stopping once the edge of hunger is gone. Once I have a fill, I anticipate this will be even easier.

Amy

Sorry, one more thing about mental attitude. I still struggle with the fact that I THINK I can eat way more than I actually can and take too much food. It's like I still think I'm that fat eater that is going to eat a ton of food. But am getting better. Yesterday I was in a rush doing Christmas shopping on my lunch hour and I hit McDonald's to take back to work. I went in and knew I was going to order the Chicken Selects. The girl at the counter asked me if I wanted the 5-piece or the 3-piece. I had to really think about it because in one second you think the 5-piece isn't really that big if you're only eating that and nothing else. Well, I reminded myself that I don't eat very much any more and I'd probably waste most of it. So I ordered the 3-piece and guess what I still wasted most of that since I only ate 1 piece. But with trying to change my mental attitude I'm glad I didn't try and convince myself that I should still keep eating. This has really been a journey of self discovery.

I do this same thing. I noticed it in my daughter after her band and thought it was silly and now I do it too. My husband and I used to go to the A&W near us often for hambugers. He always got a Papa burger and Onion Rings and I always got a Bacon Double Cheesburger and fries. I don't eat fries but he does and that way I got one or two onion rings. I don't eat bread either so I would eat the two huge burger patties and the vegs and bacon, Now though, I can not eat the whole two patties. I can maybe eat one of them but I still seem to want to order it. Now I can't even eat one onion ring. He always says why don't you order the single burger? And I always say I will next time. Then next time comes and I think one burger patty won't be enough, so I order the same thing. I think since I noticed it in my daughter too, that this must be fairly common. Anyone have any other thoughts on it?

JoJo, I have the same problem. I have a tendency to WANT to eat what I ate pre-band. Of course, I can't even get close, but I do have the desire in weak moments. I order the same quantities, but now most of it goes home with me in the carryout box.

It's a new way of life - no doubt.

I respectfully disagree - I can't eat what I want and keep the weight off

Sugar & Fat are my drugs of choice.. I am at my sweet spot but these foods are sliders - My band isn't going to stop me from eating a box of See's candy.. Ya my band stops me from eating a 16 oz steak and a loaf of bread- but it doesn't do anything for the sweets, adult beverages..

So yes pple who are addicted to sweets you do have to be diligent in keeping their guard up against these foods..

I can't eat what I want to eat - I want the candy and cookies and at night I have no control - so I don't have these foods in my house - I am a food addict - I am no diff than a crack addict - you can't leave a bag of crack on the kitchen table and not expect them to smoke it..

This isn't to say that I don't allow myself an occasional treats

but I can not eat like I would like to - if I did I would still weight 250 lbs

So for those of you who are sugar addicts - be careful during the holidays - Allow for some treats - but be mindful and aware of what you are eating..

I so agree with you i am sooo the sweet addict! if i eated what i want in small portions I wouldnt have lost what little weight i have lost so far!