Is a binge normal?

[eck 0]

Hi, I was banded Feb11 and am supposed to go for a fill later this week. But today was a crazy day - I've been bingeing since early this morning. First it was a couple of eggs, then some dried apricots, and then a chocolate bar when I went to do some errands. And then later on, when I did some more errands, I gave in a had some turtles (chocolates). Oh ya. Somewhere in there I also ate some cheese. And a chocolate eclair.

I don't know what's wrong with me! I'm not really that hungry, but it was almost as if a huge urge came over me and I just had to eat. It's not like I'm having a bad day, or a really stressful or emotional one. It'salmost been as if I really needed to get in some things that I haven't eaten for six weeks (i.e. pre-banding liquid diet and then post-banding).

Has this happened to anyone else? Is it normal? I've been doing so well - lost 23 pounds in 6 weeks - and I'm kind of worried that maybe this will happen again. And again.

Love to hear from others. Thanks.

ECK

[topazz 4]

Don't be hard on yourself! It's normal! We are training our minds to be stomach hungry, not head hungry. We areall trying to undo a habit that we have lived with so many years, and it just does not get undone in a day!!

Trust me, at least once a month I go on a little binge. I have to admit I am not proud, but it's what I do, especially during that "time of the month". I don't gorge and eat a whole pizza, but I do have a chocolate bar, some chips or something I should not have. I find that if I eat around my "treat", then I eat everything else and eventually eat it anyway, thus really messing up! So if I can have my forbidden food once a month, so be it!

It's okay! You'll just get back on track, and if it happens again, so be it! Dont be so hard on yourself! You are doing great!

[Pammy S Lewis 2]

i just started reading a book today called "breaking free from emotional overeating" because i just got banded and i'm afraid that i will keep eating even when i'm not hungry. hopefully it's a good book because i need to figure this out!

[topazz 4]

Pam, please let us know how the book is!! Good luck on your journey and keep us posted!

[eck 0]

I will look up that book too. It sounds like something I could use!

As for the advice, thanks it's good to know that I'm not the only one. I'm trying to figure this thing out and you're right, it's not just the banding. I've been overweight for almost 30 years and a few weeks won't change all the habits I acquired over that time. It helps to be reminded of that!

Take care,

[AquarianCrab 8]

I gave in to a pack of M&Ms this past week. I felt so sick after I ate them then later guilty, but they were oh so good going down. I'm glad they made me sick, because it will probably be a while (at least another few weeks) before I give in again. Especially since I lost nothing for my weekly weigh-in.

We all know the rules. We all know it's against the rules. But we're all also human.

Nobody ever said this was going to be easy.

"So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try all over again".... (anybody else remember that song, or am I showing my age here?)

Denise

[eck 0]

Geez Denise,

I remember the song. Are you by any chance suggesting that some of us are a little older?

I debated about M&Ms when choosing my chocolate bar yesterday. I figured they're so small that it would be easier to have just a few and then stop. Ultimately, however, I went for something more substantial because I was "mouth hungry", i.e. my mouth needed the taste and feel of chewing a chocolate bar with nuts and caramel.

I'm happy/unhappy to report that I woke up this morning with a stomach ache. I actually feel uncomfortably full! And it's not a nice feeling. I would like to think that I've learned my lesson, but I'm enough of a realist to know that this feeling will eventually fade (like having a baby) and then I'll do it again. I only hope that it'snot a frequent thing!

Have a good day out there and thanks again for the feedback.

[kshallow 9]

I usually have a couple of really bad days around that lovely time of month. I hate it b/c I have such a strong drive to eat salt and sugar for 1-2 days. It's not even an emotional binge or anything like that. It's a strong craving for these crap foods. I do my best to fall off the wagon within reason but it does end up being somewhat of a monthly binge

[sparky1582 4]

I can only speak from my own experiance, but for me after the 2nd fill binging was not an option. I could eat only so much and I found out ONE more bite was PB'ing time! So the band will do it's job and keep you from eating too much. food has been your best friend for a long time and it takes time to change your eating/binging habits. Just don't give up. Keep working the band.

[ElfiePoo 109]

You need to stop eating the sugar. Sugar will only increase that craving to eat constantly. Your band will not stop those sugar cravings even when you're at your sweet spot...so do yourself a favor and stop now.

Did your doctor not give you a postop diet? Most do and it usually says 'no sugar' and oftentimes it is low carb...because carbs also tend to increase cravings...and the band won't stop your cravings (or doesn't for most people).

If you believe you're hungry, then eat an ounce of cheese or a hard boiled egg or some other type of Protein. If you're hungry, it will satisfy. If it doesn't satisfy, then you weren't hungry, you were 'craving'.

.

[Jachut 487]

Its entirely normal for me and its one of the main reasons why I got a band to NEVER diet again and to NEVER make any food off limits. Its worked for me. I do still have those days sometimes, because despite saying I dont diet, I dont truly eat whatever i want to eat whenever I want it, I watch what I eat, I keep the calories down and I do usually say no to any sort of junk/sugar. So every now and again I will have a day where I eat pretty badly. But I just put it behind me and move on and get back with the program.

Restricting what you eat, in most people, will lead to blowouts, its that simple. To me though, I can handle small amounts of the foods and it does prevent the blowouts to some degree. Others are more all or nothing. I also dont do what I'd call "binge" its not enormous amounts of foods but I might have a day when I eat nothing healthy and eat between meals.

[HeatherinCA 10]

It happens, but you gotta realize why you are eating, you got to pay attention to what goes in your mouth. Also for me, if I look at the calories I usually don't want it anymore. If someone told you that candy bar had 300 calories and the eclair also had 300 would of of eaten it? That's half a days worth of calories for a bandster.

[Drasan 23]

Binging might be too extreme a word for some of the behavior I'm reading in this thread. Binging is usually associated with eating disorders and is followed by an episode of purging. A typical binge episode might include an entire cake, an entire full size bag of potato chips, a roasted chicken, more or less. That's a binge. I know, because I used to do it. I do not binge like that any more. It's been 10's of years since I've done that and believe me, the psychiatrist and I had a few good talks before he would approve my band surgery.

I still have episodes like you're describing. It usually happens when I'm tired, stressed, procrastinating or bored. I can go for months of eating the way I should then I lose control and eat poorly for days or weeks.

I've been seeing a nutritionist, but honestly, I KNOW what I'm supposed to eat. What I need is behavior modification. Would that be a psychiatrist or are there specialists out there who can counsel banders with bad habits?

Thanks for a great thread ECK!

[eck 0]

Lots of food for thought here (pun intended). I can see the difference between what I did and bingeing from a technical perspective. Please know that I didn't mean to make light of what must have been a serious experience. Sometimes vocabulary can be limiting.

At the same time, I sometimes wonder whether the helpless feeling that I feel with food from time to time is similar? I know that I'm an emotional eater and that occasionally I feel like a magnet draws me to the kitchen. That's part of the reason why I chose to go for the lap-band - which insurance doesn't cover in Canada - as opposed to following yet another diet.

Thank you all for your feedback. I look forward to my first fill and am hopeful that with time I will learn to look at food as a healthy necessity and not a means to cope with feeling happy, worried, sad,depressed, excited,etc. I'm sure that you know what I mean.

Kind regards,

[2beskinny 4]

I certainly have days where I eat the wrong things. What I like about the band for me is that it limits the quantitiy of how much I can "overeat" so I have not gained weight from this behavior. Even when I've had days where I felt like i was eating the world, it really was not nearly as much food as I used to eat. In the old days i could hit a drive through, eat everything I ordered and still be hungry. That is physically impossible for me to eat that much anymore. I love the band! What I have found, however, is that now that I am down to the last 35 pounds, I need to tighten up my control and calories. I don't journal or limit myself to certain foods. I believe in eating everything - just in smaller portions. The more time goes on, the more I feel like this is just the new "normal" me - not me on a diet. I think I am going to have to re-evaluate my plan though to move forward from here! Yikes - I may have to go back to journaling