This site has been so beneficial in me learning about the lap band procedure as well as everyone's success with the procedure. But I am concerned that I will get this done and then go back to my old eating habits. I worry that I won't lose weight, become frustrating (after putting so much energy in having this done) and end up not losing a pound. I also worry that I'll become extremely frustrated following surgery about not really being able to eat anything. Can anybody offer suggestions. I know I have to believe that I can do this..and I'm just being a negative Nancy now

Yea, I read some things yesterday and I'm worried too. I guess we just have to be committed. It's a big lifestyle change. Remember we don't wanna be fat anymore, thats why we are doing this! I'm sure once I start losing the weight I'll feel better about it. I'm worried about what kind of emotions are going to come up, I think I gotta channel the need to eat into something else, maybe something like going to the gym or cleaning. I never ate because I was hungry, I ate because I liked food, and I liked the social aspect of it. It's gonna be a big change to not do that.

I think it'll help me knowing I'll get sick if I eat the wrong food. I know me personally, I'd rather not puke, than eat a piece of junk food. Also all the money we are spending on this, and how serious it is.

Like Heather said, we don't want to be fat anymore! Also, I agree that once you start seeing the weight come off, it will encourage you to keep going and lose more weight. I've been told that a major part of success is support from other bandsters. Go to the monthly meetings and come on here whenever you feel you need some encouragement.

I was also worried before I had my surgery that I would slip back in to old eating habits.

What you don't realize now is what it will feel like not to be hungry anymore.

When you are bot starving hungry all day long it is much easier to make healthy food choices. Instead of trying to work out how to curb my hunger and what is the next thing I can find to eat, I now take the time to think about what would be a good healthy food choice for this meal.

If you are committed to the band and stick to the rules you will be successful.

Like Heather said, we don't want to be fat anymore! Also, I agree that once you start seeing the weight come off, it will encourage you to keep going and lose more weight. I've been told that a major part of success is support from other bandsters. Go to the monthly meetings and come on here whenever you feel you need some encouragement.

Yea, I got to find some of those. I don't have any friends or family that have the band to talk to. They all support me of course, but don't know what i'm going through

I was very much the same way you are before surgery. I though "What if I fail? This is a huge step to take". I thought I would fail at this and be looked upon as a huge idiot for taking a drastic step and STILL not being able to lose weight. I am so glad I did this. Trust me, you will still crave things. I still eat Cookies or chips, just not a dozen cookies or the entire bag of chips. I do miss eating bread, but quickly learned it (for me) causes pain and gets stuck, which isn't worth it.

I haven't followed a stringent diet (which some people need to follow), just the doctor's recommendations (for the most part). I don't have a strict gym regimine, I just play with my class at recess.

This is an incredibly life-changing procedure. There are some expected doubts. However, only you can control your success.

I am also scared about after surgery...right now I eat just to eat and because I love food. I am also in the process of quitting smoking and I feel like oh no...no cigarettes, no junk food. This will be a life changing experience. All I know is I'm tired of being out of breath all the time from walking up one flight of stairs and not being able to look good in anything, no shopping with friends or family because their stores don't carry my size...it gets really old. I'm ready to live my life for me. : )

Right Laura, Now I'd eat a dozen cookies. I think I can learn to have one, or a bite.

The reality is that you might go through all this and not lose the weight but it's all within your control Too many people get the band thinking that after surgery, they'll just magically not feel like overeating, will magically choose to make the right food choices, will magically not crave all the things that made them this obese to begin with.

It's not magical and it all still comes down to self-control and willpower. *Maybe* the band will physically limit how much you can eat at one meal without getting your band overfilled. How do you know it's overfilled? According to my surgeon, if you're getting stuck on a fairly regular basis, despite taking small bites and chewing well, then you're overfilled. The way the band was designed to work was to put pressure on your vagus nerves which control the hunger hormone, ghrellin. So proper restriction is not limiting how much you can eat...but losing that hungry feeling with smaller quantities of food and keeping that hunger quiet for 3-4 hours...like a normal weight person.

If you're a grazer, a junk food eater or a sweet eater...the band won't stop you from doing any of that...but by removing the hunger (if that's the reason you eat), it removes some of the difficulty in applying our self-control.

My .02...if you want to know whether you'll be successful at the band, take a long honest look at your past eating habits and ask yourself why you eat. If it's because you are hungry, then the band will most likely be a benefit. If you feel it's because you just can't control your carb/sweet/etc. 'addiction', and you're looking for the band to do that...it most likely will not be a benefit because it won't stop you from eating all of those things.

Good luck with your decision.

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The reality is that you might go through all this and not lose the weight but it's all within your control Too many people get the band thinking that after surgery, they'll just magically not feel like overeating, will magically choose to make the right food choices, will magically not crave all the things that made them this obese to begin with.

It's not magical and it all still comes down to self-control and willpower. *Maybe* the band will physically limit how much you can eat at one meal without getting your band overfilled. How do you know it's overfilled? According to my surgeon, if you're getting stuck on a fairly regular basis, despite taking small bites and chewing well, then you're overfilled. The way the band was designed to work was to put pressure on your vagus nerves which control the hunger hormone, ghrellin. So proper restriction is not limiting how much you can eat...but losing that hungry feeling with smaller quantities of food and keeping that hunger quiet for 3-4 hours...like a normal weight person.

If you're a grazer, a junk food eater or a sweet eater...the band won't stop you from doing any of that...but by removing the hunger (if that's the reason you eat), it removes some of the difficulty in applying our self-control.

My .02...if you want to know whether you'll be successful at the band, take a long honest look at your past eating habits and ask yourself why you eat. If it's because you are hungry, then the band will most likely be a benefit. If you feel it's because you just can't control your carb/sweet/etc. 'addiction', and you're looking for the band to do that...it most likely will not be a benefit because it won't stop you from eating all of those things.

Good luck with your decision.

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My biggest thing is that I love rich food and I love sweets. I don't really emotionally eat unless you call boredom an emotion. I am still going to do this but am counting on the change in taste for things in really helping me take a big step back from sweets. Once this is done, I should be good to go. I'm just going to try to assist the band as much as I can and plan NOT TO FAIL!! Best of luck to you all. Friend me because I could use as much support as possible.