Hey everyone!

Getting banded this Friday whooohooo!!!

My concern is this:

I usually eat big meals with lots of people who pig out. Pre-band I am able to enjoy the food with them and dig in along with them, but I'm so scared that after the band I will be watching them eat yum foods and i'll be sitting next to them miserably wishing that i could be eating too.

Of course I have read on here that people simply don't have the appetites post-band that they had pre-band and that they don't desire as much food as before but this is something I can't seem to wrap my head around.

**BTW, I'm thinking of dinners/family get togethers where we eat lots of fatty delicious foods like pepper steak, lasagna etc. What if I just simply can't stand to watch everyone wolf down food knowing that I can't?**

Does anyone have insights/tips to share?

Ok' date=' so, I got banded on the 8th of Dec and was just starting to eat mushy/solid food on Christmas Day! Can you imagine! Because everyone knew about my surgery, no body tried to push food at me. Nobody made a big deal about how much I didn't eat. I ate off a bread plate and took a tablespoon of everything that was on the table. Before the meal, I had some cheese off one of the many platters, and I even ate a cracker or two. Tiny bites, chew chew chew. I didn't go nuts, but I didn't deny myself. I did the same thing recently when I took my neice and nephew to the state fair. I knew I could never eat a corn dog, so I shared one with my neice. In fact, we shared everything that day. Moderation is the key. Please never hesitate to message me if you need help, we are all in this together! Good luck on your journey![/quote']

I was actually banded the Tuesday before thanksgiving it was torture.

I was banded right before thanksgiving too, in 09. It went much easier than I thought it would. I was on mushies and knew I had to do the right thing for my band to heal. The next thanksgiving I did ok, ate mashed potatoes and stuffing with my turkey but no pies. Last year, ate whatever I wanted. There is deffinately a progression there lol. I have actually already been thinking about this year the last few days. I have struggled with some weight gain and am finally back to excersise and a low carb diet. My whole family gets together for 4-5 days, including my grandma and uncle from Illinois (I live in Florida). Anway, lots of big meals starting with breakfast. My mom always makes my favorites. I have come up with a plan, one cheat day on Thanksgiving, including a special breakfast. No left overs the rest of the visit. I will bring food that is on my plan. I am going to ask my mom to stick to breakfast items I won't find too hard to resist. I think starting off the day right is a good thing. I will focus on enjoying the company of my family- including 2 nieces and 2 nephews I love playing with.

Back to the topic of how to handle these once a week pig outs- why not bring a think or 2 on your plan so you will have band friendly food available. Good luck!

So far...I just let everyone else know they look like pigs and they should come up for air! LOL

Deb32 I hope you are joking. As my mother always says there is nothing worse than a reformed fat person or ex smoker. I would never in a million years comment on another adults food habits.

Deb32 I hope you are joking. As my mother always says there is nothing worse than a reformed fat person or ex smoker. I would never in a million years comment on another adults food habits.

Not joking....I'm speaking in regards to my friends and you would have to know my sense of humor. I'm by far a reformed fat person...

Sorry, I guess I did the band for myself to get healthier and for me to eat better. I can't change this feeling now after I've gone through pre-op,still on post-op (liquids) and then one day try to eat foods that I should NOT eat.

I won't have any problem telling host/person/family/boss Why? If this sounds selfish, Sorry again. To much in my past, I probably ate extra food at an outting to apprease my stomach and look good to someone's effort in the kitchen. Not no more! If they can't handle this, cross my name off the list.

Best Wishes

Sorry, I guess I did the band for myself to get healthier and for me to eat better. I can't change this feeling now after I've gone through pre-op,still on post-op (liquids) and then one day try to eat foods that I should NOT eat.

I won't have any problem telling host/person/family/boss Why? If this sounds selfish, Sorry again. To much in my past, I probably ate extra food at an outting to apprease my stomach and look good to someone's effort in the kitchen. Not no more! If they can't handle this, cross my name off the list.

Best Wishes

You are so right. This should be the reason that we all get the band. Not for show or someone else, but for us. The 1st time I wen to and saw what others, and probably myself before lb, put on plate, it grossed me out. Eat what and how much you are comfortable with and let the others eat and be stuffed. You will enjoy life more not being stuffed! And maybe, you can start a new tradition of going out to play with the young folks! Karen

Deb32 I hope you are joking. As my mother always says there is nothing worse than a reformed fat person or ex smoker. I would never in a million years comment on another adults food habits.

I wish my father felt that way. He makes comments out of love and concern. I have tried to tell him they are not helpfull but I think he just can't help himself. He is one of those reformed people that has become judgemental of others who do what he used to do. Don't get me wrong, I love him to death. Just wish he would mind his own bussinesse sometimes.

Deb that is funny! I went to a couple of bariatric meetings in our town and this past week they had a psychiatrist who does the pre band exams and he calls that COPING with the obstacles in our way of our weight loss. As I lost my weight I coped much differently than that. When my co-workers stuff their faces with doughnuts and they say can't you have just one? No thank you, I really do not want to get up to 300 pounds by eating that and usually it cures them of asking. I usually go for a walk and when I get back the doughnuts are all gone. Talk about vacuum cleaners. I also am a reformed smoker who quit 12 years ago and I absolutely hate being around smoking and smelling that smoke on people's clothing and hair. I copy with that by standing far away from them because like doughnuts, smoke gets me sick to my stomach. We all have our coping mechanisms and you need to do what you need to do. As you lose weight and become happy with yourself, you will find that it does not bother you as much and you will just walk away like I do. It does get better as you go along, trust me you will be so thrilled by the weight you lose and nothing will matter at that point.

One month after being banded I had my first big outing with a huge group meal at a restaurant. They served a soup course first, so that was good, I just had the broth part, not the solids. They had salad next, which I picked at. The main course was a choice and I chose chicken marsala. The chicken breast was ok, I focused on the more tender parts, very small bites and chwed well. Luckily the mushroom were plentiful in the dish and I feasted on those!They were yummy and I still cut them into small bites. I didn't drink during the meal. At dessert, I picked at the cake, moved it around my plate.

To be honest, no one said a word about how I was eating ! Were all too busy talking and laughing!

I'm sorry but are you hiding that your intend to have the band? If not then shouldn't those people be supporting you. Just sayin.

I would never advise you to stop celebrating life with a meal. what I want you to do is be a bit more selfish. be selfish for you' date=' you want this weight loss, you want this new health. this of you for the next months, you are worth working hard for. as the weight starts to come off, you will see a new person. a person you knew to be lost, but now is found. love the new person as she develops again. you are worth working hard for, remember that at the table with all the food and festivity.

you will be surrounded by food for ever more, it doesn't have to be an enemy. keep posting on this forum, be honest, we are all here to help each other in succeeding together![/quote']

Amen!

I have one question, where do I find all of these people who don't notice what you eat????? The people in my office where I work, always ask, is that ALL YOU ARE EATING after staring at my plate throughout the whole meal. I never hear them say anything about the piglets that stack their plates a mile high, but they are so concerned with the little bit on my plate. I do not do their luncheons anymore, I go out to lunch and if it is something during the day with doughtnuts or cake, I keep far away. There are, however, some people who have supported me and say wonderful things how great I look because of this.

simple answers seem to be the best for me.... are you not hungry ? No, just full.

is that all you are eating. yes

don't you want more ___________? no

I think you solved the issue of plate watchers and eating watchers by avoiding them altogether. Bravo !

My appetite and want for food is still here!!!! I still have the want.... But I have to think about where I want to be!