I think I may be the type of person that has to follow a structured eating plan. I know a lot of people get banded to stop dieting but I think the freedom to "eat what I want" is not working for me. I also think that may be why ww wasnt working for me -- eat anything you want as long as you count it. Sweets are my weakness. And when I eat one, I want more. Then the carb cycle starts. I think I may be one that has to have a list of foods you can eat and a list you can not eat. I guess I need the choice taken away for me lol. Does anyone else feel this way?

I think I may be the type of person that has to follow a structured eating plan. I know a lot of people get banded to stop dieting but I think the freedom to "eat what I want" is not working for me. I also think that may be why ww wasnt working for me -- eat anything you want as long as you count it. Sweets are my weakness. And when I eat one, I want more. Then the carb cycle starts. I think I may be one that has to have a list of foods you can eat and a list you can not eat. I guess I need the choice taken away for me lol. Does anyone else feel this way?

I think the term "Eat What You Want" is misunderstood.

The way I see it is I could eat what I want if I wanted to, but I choose not to.

If my food intake is limited, I have to make the best of it. I would not eat cupcakes all day in place of what I need to be eating.

That's why everyone has to take nutrition classes, count calories, measure portions, to learn what is good and what is not, in order to make wise decisions.

I don't count calories, nor do I measure portions. I haven't since being banded. Perhaps it is all the years of yo yo programs, but when I was banded I NEVER wanted to weigh and measure or journal a meal again. Since being banded I have focused on the Protein in my meals, eaten to my satisfied signal, then stopped.

I do avoid my trigger/slider foods so as to not start a binge. But even treats are not off my menu.

That's the thing about bands, they aren't one size fits all. :-)

Exactly

You can eat what you want within reason.But you have to recognise that if you choose to eat sweets etc then the band will not stop you, they are for the most part empty calories and they are also high calorie so you probably won't lose weight.

You do need to make sure that you get the required nutrition in daily. A lot of people here focus on Protein but there are lots of other things that are important ( Vitamins , minerals). I try to get all my nutrition from food rather than by using supplements so I eat from a wide variety of food groups. I did not need to cut carbs out of my diet to lose weight but the carbs that I chose to eat were for the most part healthy ones. Wholemeal bread, grains etc,even potatoes. Yes they are a healthy food - they contain potassium which is essential in a healthy diet - half a small boiled or dry roasted potato is not going to hurt - they become a problem when people eat mounds of them smothered in butter and cream!

If you need the structure of an eating plan that is fine. Your best bet would be to go and see a dietician and work out a personalised plan. If you don't want to do that then there are any number of diets available on the net - heck if you are like me you have probably tried most of them before.

I liked the fact that with the band I no longer needed to be on a diet, but that does not work for many people. Find what works for you and then go with it. Whatever you choose to do the band makes it easier.

I agree with b52, eat what you want is misundrstood. Ive been vocal about being a non dieter because i do believe that unless we get in touch with our bodies, we will never be cured of obesity. But theres reality too. I have the same probkem with sweets. I have to accept that i am just broken in that regard. Like elcee, i didnt need to give up carbs to lose but I have to stay away from sweet carbs, once i start i cant stop and if its been a few good days without them, then it can even be the start of a days long binge.

Other than that i do eat what i want. Truly if I want a Big Mac I have it and those wants are a lot more appropriate that my sweet cravings. Are you the same? Can you stop when it comes to fast food,salty or savoury treats in a way that you cant with sugar? I dont do well with rules or pans, they only lead to deprivation. But I do ban sweets.

Jachut, i am exactly the same. I can stop at salty or savory foods but when it comes to sweets its game over. I can go to mcds and order a small burger and be fine. But I swear that when i have a brownie or cookie it messes with my mind.

I was banded 9/22. I began preop diet beginning of sept. I didnt have so much as a cookie crumb from sept til thanksgiving. And that was my plan -- i would save my swee tooth for grandmas pumpkin pie. And i did. Only my plan was to have 1/2 slice and be done. I had a whole slice plus some apple pie. I had passed on so many Desserts prior to this. But i still lost the week of tgiving. So i thought hey this is nice--i can eat my sweets and still loose. I have struggled with sweets since thanksgiving and the scale is reflecting that. I understand that we still need to live our lives, but i have a big family that had family dinners a lot. If i ate a sweet everytime it was offered i would be eating it at least once a week.

Maybe i dont need so much of an eating plan as i do a calendar plan. Maybe i need to tell myself no sweets for 3 mos or whatever. And then eat one sweet and then set a date for a certain number of months later.

I still eat sweets... mostly milkshakes. I dont follow a 'diet' but I do pay attention and I still work out ~ and with my band I literally cannot eat alot so its forced portion control. I truly think if you always pay attention and are aware of everything you are doing you will succeed without depriving yourself of things you enjoy.

Sweets are big time trigger foods for me. Once I have a bite it's really hard for me to stop, so I don't keep them in the house and avoid them as much as possible. That's just me, of course it's different for everyone.

I LOVE sweets but they don't love me! I definitely have a sugar addiction and the minute that I put anything with sugar in my mouth it sets off my addiction by craving and craving more sugar and nothing will fill me, protein or otherwise. So for me the sugar puts me in a downward spiral so I avoid it like the plague...lol

I think that I, like hopefloats, have a sugar addiction. My band doesn't have a problem with sweets. I can put a pint of ice cream down in one sitting with no problem, but try to eat a 1/2 cup of broccoli and I'm in the bathroom PB'ing within 5 minutes. However, I try to limit my sweets because they are a trigger for me.

30 years of yo-yo dieting have taught me that neglecting my body of things doesn't work for me, so if I'm eating ice cream, then I had better be exercising (not at the same time!). THAT'S the trade off for me.

but try to eat a 1/2 cup of broccoli and I'm in the bathroom PB'ing within 5 minutes.

It could have that effect without being banded too. Yuk.

The only way I can way broccoli is if it is really soft and in some kind of sauce otherwise forget it. Hate it when it is raw or cooked so it is still hard and the stalks are inedible anyway. If I had to eat half a cup of veg then I can think of other ones that taste much better! LOL

^{OMG, I completely know what you are talking about and unfortunatley I have found that most sweets go down really well Once I start, it is hard to stop. I did really good until the Christmas cookies came along. I have great restriction, I just need to cut the sweets for a while. Once I get back into a routine, I will be good. I refuse to journal and count as well. My doctor doesn't want me to. It didn't work for me before and it truthfully stresses me out.}

Sometimes u have to give up what u love for the greater good I know what u mean even if its sugar free u would want all not just a piece so I will do the same ok void lucl