hi

i was wondering if anyone else has had this problem. I had my band done dec. 4 2012. So far my weight loss has been good and i am starting to feel better about myself but am having to work VERY hard to not go back to my old ways. You see i am a compulsive eater and need to know how to stop as the band is only a tool to use to lose weight. I am very glad i had it done but am concerned that i am having these (cravings ? ) i guess you can call them.... any advise? I did make a call yesterday to an overeaters anonymous meeting leader but havent heard back. We live in a rural area so they are few and far between lol.

you will have this problem until you get your band with some fills in it. Most of us have to get over half of it full before all those thoughts stop. I have a 10cc band with 6.5 cc in it...go in for a fill

I think most of use here are/were compulsive over eaters.lol Until you receive adequate fills for restriction you will still want to go back to your old way of eating, it's what we call "bandsters hell". It's like your title says, right now it's mind over matter. It's the time we have to make up our mind not to over eat.

My Dr promises me, that when you hit the green zone(enough restriction) , the band will help us with our problems.

I think it is good to check out OA until you get a handle on this. Also come here and join this support group regularly. We'll talk you off the ledge.lol

Good Luck on your journey to good health!

I am not familar with food disorders. I assume I had one since I allowed myself to balloon up to 377 lbs but no one ever identified it. I just chalked it up to overeating, eating the wrong food, not exercising and basically not paying any attention to what I put in my mouth so it would be easy for me to tell you to suck it up and start counting your calories, tracking your portions and just lose the weight becasue that is what I did. I beleive for me it was mind over matter and did I value gastric wreckless abandonment more that I valued my life?

However if you have a real problem which needs medical or mental advice I would say to seek it anyway you can to get that problem under control. I would suggest starting to track your calories and when you have eaten your daily allotment...stop eating. Find something else to do, stay busy and keep telling yourself it will all be worth it in the end. Hopefull by doing that and getting the help of a professional or a support group you can be successful.

I wish you all the best in your journey.

My surgeon calls it head-hunger. You aren't really hungry, but you mind an head thinks you are. I agree with floridays. You my need to seek help, I see that you called for support from OA. that is good. Keep busy and try not to let yourself get bored. Boredom can cause head hunger. Goodluck( by the way, I still get head hunger at times even after 3 1/2 years). KAren

I really recommend speaking with a therapist specializing in eating disorders. Yes at restriction I feel satiated on less food; and have less interest in Snacks between meals. HOWEVER the band will NEVER stop you from eating candy, ice cream or Cookies. Mental/head hunger has nothing to do with physical hunger.

Personally I think insurance companies should require therapist sessions during those 6 month supervised diets. Until someone's head is in the game; and I am not saying yours isn't; the band full or not will be useless.

Call your doc and get a fill! You will be shocked at how you feel with the right fill promise.

thanks everyone,

I found a meeting to go to about an hour away. I know that i can do this. I just want to cover all my bases to make sure that i will be successfull.

Hi Ardith,

Here is a link to Overeaters Anonymous: http://www.oa.org/membersgroups/find-a-meeting/ They have online and telephone meetings where you can connect with people from all over the country. And of course, this Lapbandtalk.com site is tremendously supportive. I log on here several times a day. Good luck. :-)

My mind and matter are struggling over a plateau. So, I can relate...

Intellectually I understand the calories in, calories out theory and can see it needs time to make a difference. My body doesn't seem to be good at that math. I worry a little that if my body can't seem to let go at this caloric need level for my weight, what is going to happen when I weigh less? If your caloric needs go down with your weight, then I'll be needing to eat nearly nothing to keep losing. I got down 30#s (total with pre-surgery work and initial post-op) and then went up 3 - now I'm hovering in that range and not really losing. I'm 5 weeks post-op and not due for my first fill for another 2 weeks. I was doing fine, until I returned to work. OK - I probably got back to some old snaking and habits the first week. This past week to 10 days still no budging. I have been tracking my calories, increased my activity, working on my mental game. I'm stuck and frustrated.

I know there is nothing anyone else can do, I'm venting and glad to see I'm not the only one.

One thing I did when I first started on this journey was to keep a journal. Every day I would journal how I was feeling that day, happy sad, etc... How I felt when I ate. Was I bored, sad, mad, happy. This helped me identify my head hunger and its triggers.

Now, I know the triggers and I've replaced the food with other things like going for a walk or having a cup of hot tea, etc...

Hope this helps.

well, anyone who overeats (and has WLS) has issues. i loved eating a large amount of food and i also ate alot when i was upset or angry or whatever the case..i know the band doesnt help with cravings..things happen. life happens. but just keep going forward. you are a wonderful person, inside and out...just because the scale is not moving (does not mean the band is not working). AJ was dead on with the journal. i blog on here (this forum) alot and it helps me deal with things...but i found what also helps is giving myself alittle credit. look what i did. i sought help and i was honored to be able to get this little tool to help me lose weight. what a wonderful thing that is. i carry this tool with me everywhere i go. it aids my confidence and my want too attitude.

eating is not bad. just overeating alot and of high fat/highly processed foods is...so if you are craving something, or if i am, i eat a little bit of it. life is to be enjoyed. there is not a need to diet anymore.

hang in there

what an awesome group of people. I did have a psych eval during my six month diet. If i had waited to get the lap band untill my head was in it i may not have ever done it. It is definately a day by day thing. If one day i fall off the wagon i make sure i climb back onto it lol. Good luck to everyone on their journey. I have downloaded the app c2k, it basically teaches you how to slowly learn to jog, started it today and it felt great.