I am really having a hard time with my dieting and eating. I had the Lap band sugery on Dec. 28, 2011. The first month was awesome. I wasn't hungry and I did great. I went for my first fill On Jan. 13, 2012, and he put 2 cc. in my band. Now I am stuggling. I am eating way too much and I realize I have a problem with food that goes beyond being hungry. I think about food all of the time. I eat for really know reason. I've not gained any weight but I have not lost any since my first fill. I need some help with getting over the joy of eating. I eat when I'm bored really bad. I also eat when I'm sad or down. When something good happens then I think I have to eat to celebrate. Does anyone else have this problem and how can I overcome this. I am really getting discouraged.

Sadly I know how you feel. You have to hang on there and I'm going to tell you what my friends and family tell me everyday. Nothing taste as good as skinny feels. Just remember that. It helps me so so much! You just have to coach yourself I started herbalife and that helped me a ton!

Hi,

I was also banded on 12/28/11 and sometimes I feel exactly like you do. I took off after my surgery through 1/8/12 and found myself bored all the time. Luckily I was swollen so it didn't bother me too much, but I knew it was something I needed to watch. When I get really bored now I clean the house, I obsess over my finances, I go window shopping without any cash or credit cards on the weekends...but that only takes care of the boredom part. When I reach a goal or feel happy about something I get together with a friend for "coffee" (I get a tea bag and water), I get a pedicure or a mani & pedi depending on how big the success or happiness is, or I go buy a new article of clothing. I think any of the above items could occupy your time when you are down also. I love the comment from jamief about nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, it just rings true to me! Good luck.

are you exercising? that would definitely help with the boredom and lack of weight loss.

you are still so early in the process, we all felt the same way. slow down, clean, exercise, anything but extra eating.

please stop calling your new life style a diet. it is not a diet, we quit diets. we don't quit our new life!

I was like you before too. I loved food, ate when I wasn't hungry. But ever since I got the lapband I write down what I eat. It makes a huge difference knowing how many calories I have had before I eat something else. I know a lot of people don't need to do this , but I am still hungry in between meals, I do think about food and what I will be having for my next meal. But the journal keeps me in control. I'm not perfect, I eat things sometimes I know I shouldn't. But there have only been a handful of days that I have reached 1800-2000 calories. And for me, that is huge in itself! So even on the days when I felt out of control eating, I really was in control still keeping my intake within reason. I'm sure prebanded days I had more than 5,000 calories a day many a times!

I think this will eventually change. I have been banded for almost 4 years and I can say I think my mind caught up with my body. Here's what I mean I was like you I obsessed over food and weight. I craved food all day but eventually I would reach for something and my brain would remember that i was going to feel sick after I eat it. It had to happen dozens of times before I just wouldn't go for food because was bored, sad, empty, stressed lonely etc. it's almost like a rat not going for the cheese idiots going to get a shock. That's ow I see it so have patience and possible get a small fill. When my band was very tight I lost my appetite all together. I missed not having hunger and not being able to eat a lot API got an unfil now I'm always bloated and have horrible gas. I'd go back to being tight as soon as I figure out why m suddenly so gassy ...waiting for more tests......hang n there it will work give it time.

Omit idiots! I didn't type that! my iPad auto corrects in a devious way.

Dont be too hard on yourself with one fill nothing is really doing anything yet. You may need around 3 or 4 fills to get the full benefit of the band. You need to do something that takes your mind off food. Exercise is great for doing that and maybe everytime u are hungry drink water ro a hot drink like tea or weak coffee with skimmed milk.. some of what the band is capable of depends on you too so be pro-active in making it work

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words. It has really helped. I made myself a binder with several tabs: daily food journal, exercise log, my thoughts (for when I'm struggling I can just write what I'm felling), quotes (thanks for my first quote in my binder "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!"), and a weight chart. So far this has helped too. I'm really glad I found this blog to help me with my struggles. My mom tries to help and encourage me too, but she just doesn't understand exactly what I'm feeling because she doesn't have the band. Yall know what I'm going through because yall have experienced it too. Again, Thanks!!!!!

we all help each other! that's why it works!