I had the surgery 6 days ago and have lost 12lbs, im happy with that 12lb gone forever but i am a carbaholic and miss foooood sooo badddd lol, i was so hungry whilst making my kids sandwiches that i actually licked the butter off the knife! what is wrong with me? i should be standing tough at this stage but i just miss food, I sometimes think whether i could trick the band and get something past it but i know that my band is too clever for that and 7 hour indigestion just isn't worth it, i know i should really be loving this restriction but i feel as though i am mourning the loss of food, will it ever get easier?

As someone else said, it's too bad they can't band our heads because that's where most of the problem is. You just need to get your head in the right spot...and, unfortunately, that's something we all have to deal with all by ourselves.

If you know you crave carbs, eliminate them from your diet except for the type of carbs found in low carb fruit and vegies. You'll most likely find the cravings go away eventually. If you go on a strict low carb diet (under 30 gm) with these carbs being in vegies (not fruits) for two weeks, usually the cravings disappear after a week. Then you can begin adding back the low carb fruits. If you're like me, potatoes, rice, flour products...even in very small portions...will just set you craving again almost immediately.

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Candy rain... don't worry.... made me laugh.... I licked the peanut butter off the knife this morning when making toast for the kids too! No harm done... we'll get there, in our own time.

There really is a period of mourning for food. It occurs at a time when we are very vulnerable--our bodies and minds are in upheaval from anesthesia, meds, the trauma of surgery, hormone fluctuations. Throw in the I-can't-have-that line of thinking and genuine hunger, and it's a recipe for meltdown.

It gets so so so much better. First, you'll just get on a more even keel as you recover from surgery. You'll feel better, both physically and emotionally, as you heal.

The grief for the old friend, food, can be helped, I found, by adopting a slightly different was of thinking about the restrictions the band (or your doctor's prescribed eating regimen) place on you. Just reframing the way you think about the I-can'ts can help tremendously.

Instead of saying, "I can't have that," focus on what you can have. Try to reframe your thinking so that you don't tell yourself, "I'm not allowed..." but instead think, "I choose...." Honestly, making it about choice is very empowering; it effects a shift in thinking that results in far less of a sense of deprivation than occurs when you feel as though your actions are driven by rules imposed by others.

(I hope that made sense!)

I like the idea of banding our heads. That made me laugh.

I licked the cinnamon off am apple fritter 2 weeks after surgery. We were at a farm pumpkin picking and they were hot and fresh. My sister and my friend looked at me like I was crazy. I survived and so will you.

Look at the big picture. These things still tempt me now a year out, and sometimes I lose, but many times I resist. It gets better.

Hang in there.

I am about 2 1/2 years post surgery and have lost 148lbs!!! Woohoo for me! I had stumbles like that along the way and I promise, it does get better. Your mind will eventually catch up to your body and although you will still miss some of your favorite foods, you just get used to knowing you cant have them. And another way I look at it is this...no, it probably wasnt good for you to lick the butter off the knife. But you also wont be eating that extra large value meal from McDonalds today for lunch and dinner. So when you weigh it out, you are still doing better than you were pre-surgery. Dont beat yourself up for little slip ups along the way. They are going to come. People ask me all the time "Dont you miss eating?" And I say "Yes, but the rewards are much greater than the food!" And that is so true when you go from a size 20 down to a size 8!! I love my band and wouldnt trade it for the world! Hang in there!!

Don't stress. Yesterday I did the same when my mum was making a cake - it was sugar and butter creamed together...Then when the cake was done I had a piece with a glass of Water.

...Yes, I feel dirty.

That's too funny...I am 10 days post op and last night I found myself sucking the BBQ sauce off of the leftover pork chops that I had fixed my family for supper. I fed the meat to the dogs, but just the taste of the BBQ sauce was awesome!!! Truth be known if I knew for sure it would not have gotten stuck or made me throw up I would have eaten the meat too!!! I keep hearing this to shall pass..man I wish it would hurry on by!!!!LOL

Well, to me that just shows you're human! So you did it once. No big deal. just don't make a habit of it.

Melissa

Yes you think you did a bad thing...but really in the scheme of things, what is a little butter? I always lick the PB off the knife after making my girls sandwiches and I don't think a thing about it - gives me a boost of Protein and a few calories, nothing big....you have to have SOME fat in your diet, too! Just try and get a lot of foods you DO enjoy - that are band-workable into your diet - some special treats like sugar free fudgicles or fruit popcicles are fabulous for me as they taste SOOO good and it is a nice treat at the end of a long day. BE creative with your smoothie recipes - that is my new fun pastime....I LOVE herbalife shakes...take the choc flavor, add in extra protein, some PB2 (powdered peanut butter), skim milk, ice...toss it in the magic bullet and it is just as thick and yummy as a milkshake! I think getting a variety of foods and not getting stuck and bored with the same one really helps.....

But take it easy on yourself - your first 6 weeks you are in healing phase - DON'T focus on weight loss is what my doctor said....you starve a body trying to heal itself and recover from surgery and you will create a mess....so make sure you are getting enough protein and nutrients. I didn't lose a thing that first month or so, I think I even gained a lb, but I really didn't care....as I was focused on the future and getting my banded life off on the right foot!

Kim

Wow! Its good to see the honesty with the small cheats, but I do it all the time, just not with excess, and yes, we are all ahead of the game with the band, considering it wasnt just a few licks of pb that got us here!

Where do you get the PB2, Ive never heard of it. Is it high fat? Im super interested! Sabrina

Thanks guys, you lot really made me chuckle lol i guess i just felt as though i wernt supposed to miss food and felt guilty for doing it. Glad to hear that everyone licks the knife in their own little way,

thanks for the support x :smile2:

Where do you get the PB2, Ive never heard of it. Is it high fat? Im super interested! Sabrina

I bought mine at Netrition.com - The Internet's Premier Nutrition Superstore! I don't recall the fat content, but it's probably low as the calories are A LOT less than regular PB. when you go there you can check the nutritional info and see if it meets your criteria.

It comes in regular and chocolate. yummy stuff. I buy my DaVinci s/f syrups from netrition too.

Enjoy.

Edited October 3, 201015 yr by Melissannde
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