So - I am on a "pre"-pre-op diet and I am trying to do a South Beach version. I have completely went off the deep end this weekend (starting Friday night) and gave the good 'ol, "I'll restart on Monday" excuse. THis really has me worried that I am not ready for the commitment it takes to get the band. Is this "normal" for banders to go through? I have been able to be on diets for months at a time without "cheating". I worry that I am not ready but I hope that this is normal and all will be fine. :w00t: I can only IMAGINE what I will be like during the true pre-op liquid only stage. Maybe at that point it will really click.

You have to forget about diets and start thinking about altering your eating habits for the rest of your life. Diets deprive you of certain foods and only make you crave them more. Diets also have end dates. You are in this for the rest of your life.

Even after you are banded you will be able to shovel in tons of food until you have restriction and that could take a long time.

Throw out the South Beach book and any other fad diet media you have laying around.

Do not wait until Monday or another minute. The rest of your life starts now!!!!

Start slow. Don't change a thing you are eating, just cut 1/4 of it off and throw it away. Then chew slower so it will take just as long to eat less.

Try and eat only 3 meals a day and space them 4-5 hours apart.

If you are hungry in between meals, grab a 100 calorie snack. Chips and cookies are fine in moderation.

Do not eat out of boredom or convenience because you are walking by a vending machine or the refrigerator.

Journal everything that passes your lips. You can do this on paper or online.

Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. This is very important.

Try and walk at least 150 minutes a week. You can split this up any way you'd like.

After you've done this stuff, then you can start thinking about replacing some of what you are eating with healthier alternatives.

I have been doing everything I just listed and am dropping 3-5 pounds a week. I am not hungry, nor am I tempted to go to a buffet somewhere.

I will be banded sometime next month so I will have a safety net.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!

I think what you are going through is entirely normal and in no way means that you aren't ready for the commitment of the band. I had 8 months between my first appt. and my actual banding. At first, I followed all the rules the nutritionist laid out and I lost 35 lbs. Then around Christmas, I fell off the wagon. I started eating and I gained the 35 lbs and 5 more. This wasn't too surprising. I had followed this pattern countless times before. After all, this is why I need the band. If I could follow all the rules all the time with no additional support, I wouldn't have a weight problem. My surgeon doesn't make his patients do a preop diet, so I didn't have to worry about that. I did just fine with the post-op diet restrictions. I wasn't tempted to cheat. I just felt different. I think it helped that I wasn't frustrated from a couple of weeks of liquids only prior to banding.

You can do this. You just need the support that the band will provide.

Cindy

Thank you both for the kind words. Btrieger, I have seen your post on here and as I read it, I think you have posted this or somthing similar to someone else. I should have listened then! I saw that you have had great success with your pre-op "dieting". I admit, I have been more strict on myself than my docs instructions.

Thanks again to both of you......and whoever else chimes in.:w00t:

I experienced a little of what I've heard others call Last Supper Syndrome. Before I had to start my liquid diet, I ate like I would never eat again. Since the band, I have done fine. In fact, I did fine on the all liquid diet...all 24 days of it (10 pre-op and 14 post-op). Don't fret...if you are truly committed when the time for the band comes, you will do fine.

I think you're being too tough on yourself. No one is perfect and if you were you wouldn't need the band in the first place. I had the same doubts as you before getting banded. I also had the Last Supper Syndrome and gained 5lbs the month before surgery. I'm only 18 days post-op, but I'm doing fine and no cheating. I think I overate because I was stressing about the surgery and I had the wrong mindset. It might make it a bit easier to keep in mind that after being banded we can eat a lot of the foods we ate before, only in smaller portions. You may be overindulging in foods that you're going to eat after the band.