I am going in for my 4th and final nutrition appointment and submitting all paperwork to the insurance company at the same time. My question is...I've been feeling a little guilty lately because I feel like I'm not changing enough habits before I get the band. My nutrition appointments are meant to help me learn and practice these changes before I get the band and I have made some and working on others. I will have a 2 week pre-op liquids only diet and I am planning on making this my time of change. I know I can do this once I get banded I just don't know why it's so hard to change now. Please share your pre-op habit changing experiences. ~Thanks for the advice!!

I am going in for my 4th and final nutrition appointment and submitting all paperwork to the insurance company at the same time. My question is...I've been feeling a little guilty lately because I feel like I'm not changing enough habits before I get the band. My nutrition appointments are meant to help me learn and practice these changes before I get the band and I have made some and working on others. I will have a 2 week pre-op liquids only diet and I am planning on making this my time of change. I know I can do this once I get banded I just don't know why it's so hard to change now. Please share your pre-op habit changing experiences. ~Thanks for the advice!!

Well..you have to remember, if we could change our habits pre band, we wouldn't need to be banded in the first place. I'm not advocating you doing what I did, this is just my experience but I ate like there was no tomorrow before starting the pre-op diet. I figured I'd never be able to eat to excess again so I ate that way for weeks.

But...and this is a big but....once I started the pre-op diet, I followed it to a T. and post op, I did the same. As I started to get back to regular foods, I still followed the rules by eating slow, and small bites and chewing to a pulp. During this process, I was able to realize that by doing that, I could feel satiety enough to eat band sized portions and not overeat. Also...because I am no longer ravenous, I find I can make good choices with my food as well as eating smaller portions.

What I'm trying to say is that while it is good that you are trying to be compliant before getting the band, it's a lot more important to be compliant just before and then after you are banded. Good luck and wishing you well on your journey.

Ditto. Once you get banded the reality sinks in(for most of us)and we start to pay closer attention to what we eat, how much we eat, how we eat. Before being banded I was a slob up to the day before surgery.

I have found in my Lap band experience, that the habits [- RULES...are not put in place for me to loose weight...they are taught even before being banded, because there WILL come a day, if you're not one of those to back down, that it will be the ONLY way to co-exist with the bad and be successful.....loosing weight was only a indicator to the staff whether or not I was trying to learn these rules....the REAL weight loss will come with the band the band.....

I remember saying to my Dr. and NUT that a lot of these rules were silly.....and they just smiled at me and said "You just wait"

My first real stuck episode I knew exactly what they were smiling about.....

I also did not follow these rules to the "T" early on.....then after my 3rd fill.....it all fell into place...and even to today I have to follow them....however, these "Rules" eventually become 2nd nature...a part of me to the point, as where I am now...it all happens naturally and I never even think about what I am doing...I just live a normal, easy day to day life, as though being banded was having my appendix out a few years ago......

There is some routine Maintenance things I do, but other than that.....

Well..you have to remember, if we could change our habits pre band, we wouldn't need to be banded in the first place. I'm not advocating you doing what I did, this is just my experience but I ate like there was no tomorrow before starting the pre-op diet. I figured I'd never be able to eat to excess again so I ate that way for weeks.

But...and this is a big but....once I started the pre-op diet, I followed it to a T. and post op, I did the same. As I started to get back to regular foods, I still followed the rules by eating slow, and small bites and chewing to a pulp. During this process, I was able to realize that by doing that, I could feel satiety enough to eat band sized portions and not overeat. Also...because I am no longer ravenous, I find I can make good choices with my food as well as eating smaller portions.

What I'm trying to say is that while it is good that you are trying to be compliant before getting the band, it's a lot more important to be compliant just before and then after you are banded. Good luck and wishing you well on your journey.

well said GF.......well SAID

This is so helpful for me -- very glad to find this post. I am a month away from surgery and have been trying to get in the slimming mode but this is bringing up all the diet failure cycling for me. If I could diet successfully I would not need the band. I have been trying so hard, failing, beating myself up, trying some more.....and all the while I'm doing pretty well but not able to hold to the strict calorie intake it takes to drop some pounds. Guess that will happen on the liquids phase and later once band is working.

I did not try to change before my pre-op like everyone else said.. if we could do that successfully we wouldn't need band surgery... once I knew I was getting banded and I had the pre-op "liver shrinking" diet given to me.. I dug my heels in and followed it religiously.. I lost 10 # before surgery and have lost a total of 55 lbs since Jan.. the rules will become easier to follow with time.. I found that the band has empowered me to eat healthier and less food. Follow all the rules your Dr gives you and you will do fine..

I am one that ate whatever I wanted to before surgery up until the pre-op diet. It takes a special "mode" to get into and I did not want to start it too early on in the process. Sometimes this "mode" wears out pretty quickly (well for me it does LOL). Once you get the band, you have no choice but to change your habits and a promise to your self that you will change forever.

I am going in for my 4th and final nutrition appointment and submitting all paperwork to the insurance company at the same time. My question is...I've been feeling a little guilty lately because I feel like I'm not changing enough habits before I get the band. My nutrition appointments are meant to help me learn and practice these changes before I get the band and I have made some and working on others. I will have a 2 week pre-op liquids only diet and I am planning on making this my time of change. I know I can do this once I get banded I just don't know why it's so hard to change now. Please share your pre-op habit changing experiences. ~Thanks for the advice!!

Eating like you have the band before you have the band is freaking hard as heck. However, you may be learning a valuable lesson early on. Once you get banded you have an awesome tool to help you and there is a natural high from the weight loss initially. Eventually though you're going to have to start addressing many of the food issues that you are having now. You'll still be able to eat crap, just less of it. Realizing that you have a problem with food now may help teach you that while the band can address the physical aspects of hunger, it cannot address the mental aspects of it. After I hit goal I really began to realize how much I used food as a coping mechanism and it took therapy to really help me come to terms with that problem. You may also benefit from some form of therapy as you continue on your journey down the road. Good luck!

My hubby and I incorporated the mechanics of band eating early on before our pre-op and our surgery.

We started slow in the time that it took for us to reach the actual pre-op stage. We found that starting those things slowly pre-band, like giving up fizzy drinks and soda, cutting the caffeine, slowing down our eating to savor texture and taste. Eating with knife and fork and cutting things into smaller bits, all helped us as we reached our surgery date and have been invaluable lessons post surgery.

Pre-op we started replacing meals about 2 months out with shakes so that when we were on the full liquid diet for 2 weeks our system wouldn't be "shocked" and it wouldn't be as hard to stick to pre-band.

This is what worked for us, it was a little (I hesitate to say...)easier since we were doing it together and had the support of the other.

I think anything that you can put into practice before the band will be an invaluable asset to you post surgery.

All my best for a successful surgery and speedy recovery!

I am going in for my 4th and final nutrition appointment and submitting all paperwork to the insurance company at the same time. My question is...I've been feeling a little guilty lately because I feel like I'm not changing enough habits before I get the band. My nutrition appointments are meant to help me learn and practice these changes before I get the band and I have made some and working on others. I will have a 2 week pre-op liquids only diet and I am planning on making this my time of change. I know I can do this once I get banded I just don't know why it's so hard to change now. Please share your pre-op habit changing experiences. ~Thanks for the advice!!

Twinsmommy-how long did it take u to acquire your habits and how long has it been using those habits to get u where u are now? Yeah me too!!

Preop wasn't alot of fun but I kept to it and lost 10lbs. Got banded in august 2013. On liquid (clear) for 1 week ( swelling to go down ) then 2 weeks full liquid then 6 weeks soft foods which I'm still on. I'm having a few difficulties due to the fact I take 18 pills a day. But was on 33. But a few are weight gainers. I can eat some days other days it's hard. But that's me. I'm not starving. This morning had a wonderful omelet w/sausage Lt. An hour later took my 8 am pills with iced tea. I don't get hungry. food is Not the uppermost thought on my mind. I just finished 15 min of biking( stationary ). I haven't figured everything out and I'm sure it's a continual learning experience. So to answer your question your band is a tool only. You need the time and mindset to come to terms with the band. Remember its a journey not an overnight fix. Good luck. And by the way even tho I'm having troubles doesn't mean I made a mistake. I have to continually change my habits each day and someday I hope they become habit too. I would do it again. I've lost a little over 20lbs and haven't had my first fill yet. It'll come in time I have many years to work it out. Have a great journey.

Thank you all for your wonderful advice. Its great to be able to turn to people who have already gone through this. Makes things a lot less scary.