I am so angry with myself and if I could kick myself, I would. I have been trying to stay on the Pre-op diet of 2 protein shakes (breakfast/lunch) and a lean protien with a dark green veggie for dinner. so far I have been able to do the protein shake for breakfast no problem but when lunch comes, I am back to the same old fast food tricks and then I go home and pig out on whatever I cooked. I keep saying "tomorrow will be better". Well today was the worst! I started out with a protein shake followed by some black beans as a snack and then a couple glasses of tea and 1 cup off Hot and Sour soup. I was somewhere between 400-500 calories. Then when lunch came I was starving so much that I had a spicy ittalian sub from subway and then ran to walmart to get a couple things for the house. While I was at Walmart I passed donuts...did a u turn and just grabbed the box. When I got back to work, I scarfed down 4 of them like a mental patient and then read the back of the box to see the Carbs....because I am a diabetic. I consumed over 1100 calories just in those 4 donuts...I want to cry and I am wondering if the Lap Band is really going to work for me. Can anyone help....I have been watching Dr. Oz and doing the Chia seeds and Red Tea....but it does not work for me. How do you find the will power to control the cravings? Grrrrrr

ok, so you had a rough day. you fell off the horse, now dust yourself off and get back on!! you can do this!! try to remember this feeling. when I mess up, I always feel terrible. the next time I want to grab that box of donuts, I try to force myself to remember that guilt. don't throw everything you've worked for down the toilet just because you had a bad day, you are human!! visit this site, vent, and let us help you get back on track! that's what im going to be doing when I mess up!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!

Hi ollie...here's your motivation...if you do not stick to the preop diet, you might wake up in the hospital the day of surgery and find out you were not banded. If your liver doesn't shrink enough, the surgeon will not place the band. I'm sure you would be unhappy beyond belief to have to do it all over again because you were not able to follow the preop diet. I know I found this to be a great motivator while I was on the horrible preop diet. Also...remember that you are on liquids for a time post op as well. At some point you will be hungry after surgery and will have to wait to eat so this is a good time to resolve yourself to following pre and post op directions. Good luck and get back on track.

Come On Girl you can do this.. I was diabetic so it doesn't take much to get you off track.. carbs and sugar will trigger cravings.. I never felt like I was ever full... or satisfied.. I would eat bags of cookies with gallons of ice cream.. but once I made up my mind to get the band, I decided nothing was worth me losing my legs, eyesight, kidneys or life ...don't let one bad day deter you from your goal... praying you will stay focused..

To quote CG's husband, Woman Up. If you want it that bad you will be good. I was perfect because I was totally afraid of what could, would happen if I did wrong. Not worth it. Maybe you are just not ready for the band at this time. Call your doctor's office and maybe they have someone you can talk to about all this. The doctor's staff have seen and heard everything, you are not alone.

​When I got the band, I stopped all my prescriptions and I took a lot of them. Now it's vitamins and minerals. Well I do take Colace in the am and Miralax in the pm because I have BM problems, but that was also before the band.

I am not trying to be mean, just honest.

Good luck. Tomorrow will be better, if you want it to be.

Arlene

The best advice I can give you is a scare- not to be mean but to try to make you understand how crucial your pre op diet is.

The bottom line is, if you don't follow your pre op diet and shrink your liver, there is a very real chance you could wake up from surgery with all the scars and pain but no band. If your surgeon gets inside and your liver isn't small enough to safely complete the surgery- he'll simply close you right back up without placing the band. It does happen, and if you search these forums you can even read about it first hand.

Next time you're tempted to cheat, ask yourself: Is cheating on a brief 2 week pre op diet worth throwing away your chance at a healthy future with the band?

Best wishes.

All I can say is, bad carbs lead to craving more bad carbs.

Stick to Protein.

I'm on my pre-op diet and I know what your going through but be strong don't let the food win! I am a very competitive person and I will not let FOOD beat me I will succeed! I eat a protein shake in the morning sugar free pudding for a snack the little Campbell soup cups for lunch (slowly) and baked fish with a salad at night. At night when I finally get to eat I EAT but its because I save a lot of my calories for my dinner so I can get full and satisfied and since I'm a night time snacker it helps me curve those cravings I'm here if you need anything! Oh another thing when you feel like your about To cheat take an extra minute and THINK not with your mind but your body. I literally talk to my stomach and ask it if its hunger I wait a minute and each time the craving goes away I become stronger each time I win a food battle. YOU CAN DO THIS!!

If you have to cheat, cheat with lean protien.

Instead of donuts, east some plain grilled chicken or some plain greek yogurt. Instead of that subway sandwich, eat a string cheese and some Turkey pepperoni. Eat a boiled egg. Anything except for empty calorie carbs.

Or have another shake. You can't go wrong with another shake. The most important part is to get into ketosis so that you can burn the fat off your liver. You should hit ketosis by day three once you get in it, and as long as you stay on plan, you will stay in it through your surgery date.

Also, whenever you Get hungry, drink a bottle of Water. If you are still hungry then eat. Thirst masks itself as hunger.good luck.

Thanks for your encouragement..i am not on the 2 week pre op diet yet. I am on the pre pre diet the doctor put me on that is essentially to help me loose weight and learn self control..that is where i have been failing. The other day my blood sugar level dipped to 63 and i was sweating and shaking and could not recall my husbands phone number to call him. You would think that would have scared me enough. Anyway tomorrow is a new day and i am not giving up.

I'm on my pre-op diet and I know what your going through but be strong don't let the food win! I am a very competitive person and I will not let FOOD beat me I will succeed! I eat a Protein shake in the morning sugar free pudding for a snack the little Campbell Soup cups for lunch (slowly) and baked fish with a salad at night. At night when I finally get to eat I EAT but its because I save a lot of my calories for my dinner so I can get full and satisfied and since I'm a night time snacker it helps me curve those cravings I'm here if you need anything! Oh another thing when you feel like your about To cheat take an extra minute and THINK not with your mind but your body. I literally talk to my stomach and ask it if its hunger I wait a minute and each time the craving goes away I become stronger each time I win a food battle. YOU CAN DO THIS!!

I like your attitude. You will do great post op.

Best wishes!

Thanks for your encouragement..i am not on the 2 week pre op diet yet. I am on the pre pre diet the doctor put me on that is essentially to help me loose weight and learn self control..that is where i have been failing. The other day my blood sugar level dipped to 63 and i was sweating and shaking and could not recall my husbands phone number to call him. You would think that would have scared me enough. Anyway tomorrow is a new day and i am not giving up.

This is a good time to get into the LB basics, eating lots of high Protein foods, drinking a lot of Water or sf non carbonated beverages. Start slowly and don't beat yourself up. If you coukd do this on your own, you wouldn't need wls.

The key is PROTEIN!!!! Keeps you full longer. Sweets make you crave more. Choose cheese sticks over donuts.

You can do this!

the other posters said it all......cant add anything else.....but one thing..you are stronger than you think you are....

I mean this in an encouraging way so please read it in that tone. If you are having this much trouble pre-band then you will probably struggle post-band. That's not to discourage you from getting banded but to advise you to seek help now before you get your band. I too eat for emotional reasons and crave many foods that are bad for me especially when I'm stressed and the longer the day goes the worse the cravings get. If you can get into some therapy and serious support groups now perhaps you can get a jump on why you are having such a hard time with food choices. We've all struggled with the pre-op diet but it is important for two reasons, the first is to shrink your liver to make the surgery safer to perform, and secondly it's a good test to see if you can go a short period using your willpower to restrict your diet. Make no mistake, the band is not a magic bullet. You will still need willpower with the band. The band makes it easier to make the right decisions but it doesn't make them for you. Again, not to be discouraging, but if you do this on the pre-op diet you'll do it post-op and the sooner you can begin to explore reasons why you make poor food decisions the more effective the band will be for you. Good luck and don't give up hope! As everyone knows who's gone through it, the pre-op diet SUCKS and is HARD but necessary.

Really really really try to get past first 3-4 days of pure terrible. Push through it. I know when I started the 2 week pre-op diet I came home crying after work then realizing I was addicted to food. It was a miserable realization. After 3-4 days of lower carbs, getting the refined sugars out of your body and drinking a lot of water, you will feel better. It will then get easier. You'll even see some great side effects... more energy, sleeping better, better skin, etc. Some tricks I used was to brush my teeth after eating.. every time. Nothing tastes good after brush your teeth and using mouthwash. I also chewed a lot of sugar free gum for the same reason - nothing tastes good after chewing gum.