hi! having my surgery done on december 17 but the anxiety is killing me and eating more than ever!! please help any advise???

Do you have a preop diet? If so, when does it start? Make sure you stick to it!

I hate to say it, but between my initial consultation and the start of my preop diet, I gained 10 pounds :-(. The preop diet was crazy hard for me (I had a 3 week, liquids only diet). The first few days were hard, but then I was fine. It would help yourself out to start reigning in your eating habits now, but I know I didn't really do that before my preop diet started sadly. But then when it started, I was gung ho. Maybe you can counteract some of the eating with some exercise a few days a week? You'll need to exercise with your band, so why not start now? good luck and congrats on your surgery date!!

thanks for answering they didnt give me a pre op diet, I have an appt on wed to see my surgeon maybe then he will give it to me I had no idea you had a liquid pre op diet , you can eat anything that's liquid??? yeah im going to start working out, at least tha might help a bit cause this anxiety is driving me crazy!! i gained 5 pounds in 1 week!

Well everyone's preop diet is different, but for me it was 3 shakes a day plus a snack like sugarfree ice pop, SF FF Jello, broth etc. I think my surgeon said 800 calories a day (can't remember now) but I ended up eating much less than that. Medically, its to shrink your liver so your doc can access your stomach. But its also great for jump starting weightloss and getting you used to eating less and also good prep for the post op diet!

Where are you being banded?

oh boy sounds like im gonna have a hard time!!! im being banded in south florida, how do you control your hunger now? are you just not hungry? are there certain foodsthat just dont appeal to you anymore?

I went thru that...Im being banded now and I'll tell you that I ate everything in the book...all the fast food I could stuff myself with...but now that the date is getting closer..I'm starting to say goodbye and get serious about this.

I've started the pre-op diet even though the doctor hasn't told me and I'll tell you that with the shakes I have more energy than before. when it comes to the gym, I see that I'm not as tired as I would normally be. but I've noticed the change which motivates me even more. you can do it. ween it out...little by little so you don't miss it!

I didn't receive my pre-op diet until one week prior to my surgery. Mine consisted of five days of clear liquids only so it wasn't quite like 'you can eat anything that's liquid'. I was allowed diluted clear juices like apple and white grape, sugar free popcicles and low-sodium broths. The diet is meant to shrink the liver in preparation for surgery. I lost twelve pounds during those five days on clear liquids and think that it jump-started my post-surgery weightloss efforts to a large degree.

thanks for answering they didnt give me a pre op diet, I have an appt on wed to see my surgeon maybe then he will give it to me I had no idea you had a liquid pre op diet , you can eat anything that's liquid???

oh boy sounds like im gonna have a hard time!!! im being banded in south florida, how do you control your hunger now? are you just not hungry? are there certain foodsthat just dont appeal to you anymore?

Why do you think you'll have a hard time?? You'll be fine! You just have to put your mind to it.

Hm, I'm not crazy hungry these days. I'm not really a morning eater. I know everyone says eating Breakfast is really important for weightloss, but number 1: I can't eat anything solid in the morning for the most part, and 2: eating when I get up makes me feel sick. I'm really tight up until probably 6PM or so. So around noon I have a Protein shake. Sometimes around 3 I have a little snack (like half an ounce of cheese or a yogurt something). And then I have my dinner around 6:30. To be honest, the hardest part for me is night snacking. I'm not hungry at night, but that's when my head kicks in and tells me that I have to eat junk food. I tell myself that I don't need to eat everything in sight right now. There will be tons of food available tomorrow, the next day, and everyday for the rest of my life. I can resume eating tomorrow. Its become a mantra and has helped me curb my head hunger and has improved my relationship with food a bit. I also food log religiously. And when I'm out of calories for the day I stop (which means I have to budget in my Snacks if I want them). When I'm not food logging there is only one reason: I don't want to think about what I'm eating. I think that we, as obese people, confuse real hunger with head hunger a lot. I'm spending a lot of time thinking about my head hunger. Sometimes I do eat when I'm head hungry, but its important to me to recognize that its not real hunger. Baby steps.

Hm...well there are definitely certain foods that used to be staples in my diet that I don't care very much about anymore. Soda, bread, rice (thought this one was going to be hard...I do eat rice sometimes, but I used to eat maki and sushi almost everyday and I thought I was going to just die without it ), Pasta (another surprising one...I can eat a little sometimes, but its annoying to try and eat it regularly).

I LOVE cooking and being creative with my cooking (I post a lot of recipes on my blog...check it out) so I'm really never bored with food. I don't feel like I'm eating the same HealthyChoice frozen dinner everyday. I cook with fresh organic ingredients, and I try to experiment with new flavors and healthier ways of cooking things (including sweets and desserts!)...and so I'm trying to find the same excitement that I used to have for crap food with food that is healthy and nourishing. And its working. I know not everyone shares my enthusiasm for cooking, but I think if you do like to cook, its very helpful to do it when you have the band. My fiance and I used to eat out everyday...now I really don't see a need to eat out very often since I can probably make something more delicious and fresh at home and I don't have to worry about my food being drowned in fat and oil.

My pre-op eating plan only has me on clear liquids the day before. Of course, I'm trying to eat fewer calories now. I do admit though to some "Last Supper Syndrome" I call it. I've had a few last runs to Mac's and Chic Fil A. A few last Desserts, fave foods...and so on.

I'm reading a book called On The Bandwagon by Jean McMillan and its really motivating me and making me feel good with my decision.

I just hope once I'm banded I no longer have the "last supper syndrome" since I won't be able to eat it anyway! LOL

I just hope once I'm banded I no longer have the "last supper syndrome" since I won't be able to eat it anyway! LOL

I don't think you'll have last supper syndrome to be honest. I defintely had a "last supper" before I started my preop diet (I don't even remember what it was...that's how great it must've been ) but honestly there isn't really much that I can't eat currently. I don't do carbonated beverages but I don't miss them. Sushi/maki can be hard for me depending upon what it is, but that is also not a big deal and I don't really miss it (and I used to be a BIG sushi eater...4 or 5 times a week). But as far as most other things, I can eat them, just not nearly as much. And if there is something that I want that is typically really high calorie, I get creative with the recipe to reduce calories and eat an appropriate portion. Whatever it was that I had for my last supper, I can still eat it so it wasn't really like a last supper. I wish that was something I would've understood before I got banded. But save yourself stress (and maybe lots of calories too) - you don't need to do the last supper as you'll be able to taste most of your favorite foods again (and won't it be so nice to be able to stop after a small amount?).

Yeah that would be nice being able to eat a small amount and clean out the plate and keep thinking about whats leftover in the fridge there is going to be a lot of work to be done in my brain but the band is a helping tool and hope it will help

Hang in there, I heard it gets easier. I too have had difficulties. I'm currently on my pre op diet and I'm craving anything and everything. Don't lose focus. :blushing:

I LOVE cooking and being creative with my cooking (I post a lot of dinner everyday. I cook with fresh organic ingredients, and I try to experiment with new flavors and healthier ways of cooking things (including sweets and desserts!)...and so I'm trying to find the same excitement that I used to have for crap food with food that is healthy and nourishing. And its working. I know not everyone shares my enthusiasm for cooking, but I think if you do like to cook, its very helpful to do it when you have the band. My fiance and I used to eat out everyday...now I really don't see a need to eat out very often since I can probably make something more delicious and fresh at home and I don't have to worry about my food being drowned in fat and oil.

thanks for posting this. I am a foodie, and enjoy cooking and eating different foods. As of late I've had thoughts about will I be able to enjoy cooking the way I used to, will I still be able to enjoy variety? I am definitley someone who cannot eat the same thing everyday. I really like to mix it up and try new things.

Keep working at not eating as much - and get that exercise in your schedule!

I am 1 1/2 years post-op and I still crave certain foods.

I think I will always be fighting my head hunger ---

I can pretty much eat anything I want -- but not as much of it....so that makes it nice. I can not overeat - without it coming back up....which is gross.

But remember - there are "slider" foods -- that most people NEVER have problems tolerating. And it is the slider foods that will prevent people from losing weight - because they do NOT get stuck - you may end up overeating and NOT lose weight.

Sample slider foods (varies for everyone): mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, ice cream, puddings, yogurt, popcorn, crackers, Cookies, and the list goes on and on....it's okay to have a LITTLE if you have control to STOP....otherwise I do not have any.....sort of like an alcoholic....don't start because it is difficult to stop.

Good Luck - and keep this website as a resource -- take a look around the other areas....post op, etc.

And remember it really is all about EATING LESS and EXERCISING MORE! The band will help you eat less -- but there are many people who LEARN to eat around the band and they actually gain weight. so be careful and stay focused.

Hope this helps -- GOOD LUCK!

Ahhhhh! Im gaining weight too! I keep eating everything and anything because i tell myself i wont be able to after surgery. My surgery is Dec 20th and will have to do a 2 week liquid diet so I figure I can stuff my face now until then. I know it's bad!