I got my band on Dec 1st and didn't get filled until yesterday Feb 12th because I was scared I wouldn't be able to eat when I felt that burning urge to binge. Unfortunately all I want to do now is binge.

I know bingeing is something that I will have to stop doing but I just can't think of anything else. Working out has not helped and all I am doing is crying. How do you deal with unwanted emotions and how do you stop yourself from bingeing?

First, you didn't have the lap band surgery so that sometimes you can binge.

Second, make sure you are eating enough Protein. That will keep you full and hopefully not thinking of eating.

Unfortunately, it is hard not to think of food when it is all around us. And have you noticed how many food commercials are on tv?!!! UGH! Tonight I was at a service with a wonderful preacher and during his last prayer all I could think about is what I could eat when I left there! That is ridiculous.

Visiting this website every night is what keeps me going.

Take care and visit often!

1. Go for a walk. If you have a dog, take him/her with you. Try to really take in everything beautiful outside and shift your focus from food to the pretty flowers you see, the nice houses you see, or the nature that surrounds you.

2. Arts and Crafts. Sew, paint, draw, and create your own masterpiece. You can capture how you are feeling in your drawings. Why not go to your local crafts store and buy something that you've never done before?

3. Play an Instrument. Play the piano, violin, trumpet, or any other instrument that you like. Create a new song or just play by reading the notes of your favorite song.

4. Take a nice, relaxing bath. Create a mood for taking a bath: dim the lights, put on relaxing music, light some candles, close your eyes, and feel calmness take over your whole body.

5. Listen to Music. Put on some Mozart or Beethoven to transport you into a relaxed state of mind. If you do not like classical, put on whatever makes you feel good. Singing out loud also helps to put you in a good mood.

6. Write in a Journal. Write down exactly what you are feeling in your journal. Write about whatever happened that day to make you feel like you want to turn to food. You will feel better once you have your feelings off of your chest. In days to come, you will be able to look back on the times that you didn't give into a binge.

7. Say Affirmations. Say an affirmation out loud and with feeling behind it. Write this affirmation down and post it everywhere you can so that you are always reminded of how you want to be. Put a copy of it on the refrigerator or on the pantry door so you think twice about bingeing. Always try to talk yourself out of the binge.

8. Go for a Drive. Pick up your license and keys and go for a drive. As long as you feel safe, leave all cash and credit cards at home. Try to drive in an area where there is not a lot of temptation for food if you do bring money with you. This will at least make it more difficult to binge.

9. Call a friend or family member. Pick up the phone and call someone that you know you can talk to about how you are feeling. Someone that will encourage you to talk to them until you feel better. It's better to call someone instead of opening up the pantry door to get food. 10. Read a good book. Pick up any kind of uplifting book that you can find. Reading stories about motivating people that went through challenges will provide hope to you. There are many inspirational stories out there.

11. Get on here read & post messages.

12. Go shopping online or in person - start picking out your new SMALLER wardrobe!

13. Exercise.

Good luck!

Nice list!

I got my band on Dec 1st and didn't get filled until yesterday Feb 12th because I was scared I wouldn't be able to eat when I felt that burning urge to binge. Unfortunately all I want to do now is binge.

So you don't eat because you're hungry and then continue to overeat because you don't get the full signal? Your excess eating is a compulsion to binge? Less to do with food and more to fulfill a psychological/emotional need?

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Yesterday all I could think about was food. I joined facebook and started hunting up old friends from high school. Next thing I knew it 6 hours had passed(I did not even think of food, was having to much fun), I found people I have not talked with for 25 years, and some of us are going to get together soon(more incentive to do good eating and exercising) Leslie

You might want to get into therapy to talk about your food issues. It helps a lot. Also--are you saying your physician lets you decide when to get a fill? That doesn't sound right and you may need to look for a better practice. When I go in I meet with a nutritionist and the nurse who does the fills and we go over my records and my last month in detail and then make a follow up appointment for the next month. Your medical staff should be a support system. That said, now that I have restriction, if I feel like eating at night--which I usually don't-I will take a bite of something that is difficult to eat like oranges, or tofu or tunafish. It feels uncomfortable and quickly makes me lose all desire to eat any more.Good Luck!

Thank you Carbgirl for an excellent post. This will help me and a lot of other people.

Other posts here have mentioned the mourning period we go through when we realize we have to give up food. Some, reading this, may think it is a no brainer that we got the band because we wanted to stop bingeing so why are we worrying about bingeing. The truth is we have a relationship with food that needs to change and the emotional part is the hardest for some. Kind of like braking up with someone who is abusive but then hurting because it is lonely!! We have to acknowledge the lonliness and then move on to thoughts that are more productive. After banding, if we don't work on the emotional stuff, it will be a complete failure. A woman recently told me about someone who did that very thing. She is huge, and decided to get the band but nothing has happened in a year. I tried to explain things to her like fills, emotional stuff, etc, but she was normal weight and just didn't get it. Best of luck, hang in there, once you have restriction, you will get away from that relationship with food, and you will wonder why you ever worried about it... Hugs!!

I am struggling too. It is only 4 months and I am not doing the right thing all the time. Very frustrating. Must delve into this in therapy more....Are there therapists who work with food issues as a specialty???

That doesn't sound right and you may need to look for a better practice. When I go in I meet with a nutritionist and the nurse who does the fills and we go over my records and my last month in detail and then make a follow up appointment for the next month.

A doctor who allows the patient to determine whether or not they need a fill is not a bad doctor. My doctor has a band and he also lets the patient determine whether or not they need a fill because, as he said, only the patient knows whether they're hungry and still eating to excess. The difference in approach may be that my doctor has been banded now for a couple years and has first hand experience with the band.

Also, while the clinic I go to offers the option of nutritional support if you want, their approach is that we are adults and can choose...or not choose...to take advantage of them. For those who need and want it, it's there. For those of us who don't, we aren't forced to waste our time.

I love my doc, the clinic and the staff and wouldn't change them for the world.

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I am struggling too. It is only 4 months and I am not doing the right thing all the time. Very frustrating. Must delve into this in therapy more....Are there therapists who work with food issues as a specialty???

Yes, there are therapists who specialize in people with eating disorders.

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When I have the urge to eat or binge I make a cup of hot herbal tea... that usually curbs me. and then start researching stuff on the computer that is very distracting for me. If I am out driving and I want to hit a drive thru I will chew gum (yes i really do, funny I have NEVER accidently swallowed a piece in my life , knock on wood) or have an altoid ;o) and drink some water.

I simply stop and ask myself, "why?"

Then I remind myself how detrimental and stupid it would be.

And I am not exaggerating. I sometimes have this conversation with myself aloud.

PS. Great list Carbgrl!!!

Edited February 13, 201016 yr by btrieger

Crap when I binge It is oreo's period. Why try to get around it. Yep I do it once in awhile I am human so I eat a whole row. feel like crap. eat no supper wash it down the hole with milk and move on. The next day is a new one. Right one wrong one stumble it will happen. I have a problem and I can admit it.

I've been in therapy--off and on--since college and it seems to me it is all connected. You might go in with issues related to a parent or spouse and as you talk it all starts unraveling. I would try a therapist that comes well recommended no matter the specialty. The person I went to was a specialist in couples counseling but did a fantastic job with the food issues which were connected.

You might find it helps to have an objective ear tot alk to. As I present my problem to someone who doesn't know me I get clarification from myself as I am explaining this or that. And a good therapist can see when you are avoiding an issue or making light of something important. I think going to therapy also makes you feel you are being proactive and taking care of your self and all these positive moves feed each other.