I just joined the site yesterday. I am going to have my surgery on May 25th. I am scared to death about not being able to eat things!!! I am scared to death about what it will feel like. I am scared to death that the whole thing will give me a huge panic attack. At any rate, enough about me.... I just posted this in some other topic in response to this gals problem with missing the way she used to eat. I know I don't know anything about any of it.... yet.... but I sort of thought this might help someone (myself included) think about what we are getting ready to do or what we may have already done.

Here goes....

Me and food have a pretty dysfunctional relatinship in general, but I too wonder what it will be like to have certain items that I just can't eat.... EVER. I am getting my band in May. I have been over and over the choice for over a year now and keep coming back to the band option. I watched this youtube video by some Australian doctor called "the 8 golden rules" and thought to myself, "Self... you can do all of that.... without a $16,000 dollar leash for your out of control appatite. With that.... I decided to grab some baby forks and spoons and eat on a tiny plate following a modified version of the Atkins diet (75g of carbs per day). Here I am, about a year later, still eating on the tiny plate with the tiny spoon, but I have not been able to keep up the full low carb routine on my own and....drum roll..... there is nothing stopping me from filling that little saucer over and over and over and over!!! I have managed to lose about 10 pounds in the last year, but that is all. I think the idea with the band is supposed to be that "we" have a maladaptive way of eating and "we" need something to help us out. I have been trying to think of it like a governor on a vehicle. The governor keeps the vehicle from exceeding a certain speed.... no matter what. The band is supposed to keep us from overeating.... no matter what (more or less). You still get to drive your vehicle, you just can't go fast. You can still eat food, you just can't be a total hog about it. The governor keeps us from getting a moving violation and the band keeps us from developing obesity related illnesses. I just keep reminding myself of this......

Hang in there. You should pick up Jean McMillan's book Bandwagon. It will help answer some questions and (hopefully) motivation. I have mine with me at all times!!

I am at restriction and the only foods I can't eat are plain raw carrots and cheap white bread. My doctor does not want me to be so tight that I "can't" eat certain foods. I highly recommend meeting with a pychologist who specializes in eating disorder ie overeating. These sessions were really helpful to me.

While you could see the band as a regulator/governer for your eating; until you get restriction you are on your own. It took 6 months for me to get restriction; and that entire time was a willpower diet. I wish doctors were more upfront about that.

Until you get restriction plan on using a digital food scale. I am at restriction and still measure out 3 oz of Protein per meal. When the food is gone you have to stop eating. Yes, this will be hard. See previous paragraph about this being a will power diet for a while.

Here's another biggie. The band will NEVER stop you from eating candy, cake, crackers, ice cream, McD's shakes. NEVER-EVER!

I'm not trying to be negative or anti band. The band was the best decision of my life. For warned is forarmed!

I am right there with ya Honk on the carrots! Had either 4 or 5 baby carrots earlier this afternoon. I guess a little too fast because it took 2 hours for them to completely make their way through. I hadn't had them in a long time until this past weekend when I tried them again with about 1 T dressing and they went down fine. Not so fine without the dip!

Honk... nice name, by the way.... I have sort of figured out the part about it being a will power diet in the begining for a lot of folks. It seems that there are others out there who report having restriction right off the bat. My doctor explained to me that it will be different for everyone, but he did mention pretty much exactly what you just said about measuring food and being prepaired to have to have some fills before you really start to notice that a lot has changed. I guess that is why it is going to be so important to keep up with the fills and to look for the signs that you need one. Right?