Sometimes I get discouraged because I miss getting to just relax and enjoy a meal... I posted this blog today about it.

http://www.debbiedanthony.com/fighting-with-my-food/

I would love to know if anyone else feels the same way sometimes and how you get past it?

i am having the same thoughts as you are. i am not having a pleasant time at mealtime and am just wishing that i never get hungry again. but because i know i need food i keep trying and i keep doing all the right things. except how i feel about this whole dang thing is when something like this happens i ate dinner. had bbq chicken, i ate without getting stuck. yeah! soon after dinner i had a headache and took some medication that made me fall asleep. i was in my recliner so was not laying down. around 8 i awoke and knew i needed a Protein drink to get my protein in. i wasn't feeling anything abnormal from my pouch or band. i drank my Protein Drink sorta fast but wasn't gulping. and than i felt it ,knew it wasnt going through the band. i drank enough that i figured it would finally push through , well it didn't and it came up and before i could grab the trashcan it was all over the floor my slippers and clothes. my dog even ran from the room. poor thing. i didn't do anything wrong, oh but maybe i did. i took my headache pill and didn't make sure it went down. you would have figured that it would have moved on it's own or at least melted but i take pills with a small amt of Water so it won't get stuck. ha i just hate it when this happens. well on the plus side i did finish my protein drink and i didn't get the hunger night demons. no appetite at all. i am learning but man it can be painful.

I fought the band...and the band won....

Eventually, I got used to it...a lot has to do with the fact that hunger and cravings, including head hunger, are all under control...so food is not an issue with me....

Only complaint I have is finding foods that are appealing....but that is more mental than anything else...

I can walk around a grocery store and not find anything I want....again, it is because I no longer have an interest in food...and I am not interested because the band tells my brain I am satisfied, full, whatever, and I don't need it it....

But that's just the way it is for me...not everyone else...

i am having the same thoughts as you are. i am not having a pleasant time at mealtime and am just wishing that i never get hungry again. but because i know i need food i keep trying and i keep doing all the right things. except how i feel about this whole dang thing is when something like this happens i ate dinner. had bbq chicken, i ate without getting stuck. yeah! soon after dinner i had a headache and took some medication that made me fall asleep. i was in my recliner so was not laying down. around 8 i awoke and knew i needed a Protein drink to get my protein in. i wasn't feeling anything abnormal from my pouch or band. i drank my protein drink sorta fast but wasn't gulping. and than i felt it ,knew it wasnt going through the band. i drank enough that i figured it would finally push through , well it didn't and it came up and before i could grab the trashcan it was all over the floor my slippers and clothes. my dog even ran from the room. poor thing. i didn't do anything wrong, oh but maybe i did. i took my headache pill and didn't make sure it went down. you would have figured that it would have moved on it's own or at least melted but i take pills with a small amt of Water so it won't get stuck. ha i just hate it when this happens. well on the plus side i did finish my protein drink and i didn't get the hunger night demons. no appetite at all. i am learning but man it can be painful.

Terry...I am going thru the same. Only I have to take about 33 pills a day. They're divided out four x a day. I feel in my throat they get stuck. I feel like a heartburn feeling and get god awful pressure in my chest and then a powerful unrelenting headache. Yesterday I ate about 8 took my pills about 10 and it finally went away almost 1 pm. Time to take my 1:00 pills but didn't take them until 4 so I would have a slight repreive. But I had a protein smoothy for lunch about 1:00 after "the feeling" went away and I had a hard time getting that down. And I also get chronic headaches on a normal basis and have to take those prn. They go down okay but still feel a little pressure when taking one pill. I see my band dr next week and have outlined this for him. These are pills I must take to keep my bipolar and headaches and OTC's for band and diabetes in check. Just venting. Thx for listening.

Terry...I am going thru the same. Only I have to take about 33 pills a day. They're divided out four x a day. I feel in my throat they get stuck. I feel like a heartburn feeling and get god awful pressure in my chest and then a powerful unrelenting headache. Yesterday I ate about 8 took my pills about 10 and it finally went away almost 1 pm. Time to take my 1:00 pills but didn't take them until 4 so I would have a slight repreive. But I had a protein smoothy for lunch about 1:00 after "the feeling" went away and I had a hard time getting that down. And I also get chronic headaches on a normal basis and have to take those prn. They go down okay but still feel a little pressure when taking one pill. I see my band dr next week and have outlined this for him. These are pills I must take to keep my bipolar and headaches and OTC's for band and diabetes in check. Just venting. Thx for listening.

Also fogot to mention that since my first fill ofc3 cc I can only eat 2-3 bites then it comes up. But usually I can then eat the rest of my food. This happens at almost every meal. I am not as excited with this fill as I was before it. And I take a few weight gaining pills for my bipolar and even with the fill I am losing very slowly...almost too slow. I try to watch what I eat but when I get really hungry I eat whatever will go down the easiest. Bad choice? And my hair is falling out. It was thin bc of hypothyroidism but now have a few balding spots. I see my endocrinologist today so maybe get my thyroid in check and maybe with eating more protein my hair will start coming back. There's alot more but I'll leave it like this. Thx

Sometimes I get discouraged because I miss getting to just relax and enjoy a meal... I posted this blog today about it.

http://www.debbiedanthony.com/fighting-with-my-food/

I would love to know if anyone else feels the same way sometimes and how you get past it?

i love eating

as do most people who want to live......but i lived to eat and hence why i was supersized....i was told early on on this WLS process to learn to change what/how i eat.....it took time.....i now by habit, eat very slowly, take wee bites and let one bite go down before moving on to the next.......(case in point last night, i had the cold ASS supper last nigh....i made hot chili and due to me eating so slow, its cold not long after i start) and that is how it is for me now.....my food gets cold..

its just something we need to learn to do and def let your band or whatever WLS guide you on eating.....the signs are there (to stop, you had enough or slow it down).

great blog. i try to read it often.

Reading this thread I understand what your saying about not "enjoying" meals like you used to, but for that I am very happy. I still love to share and eat food. When I am busy and on the run, I often have to remind myself to eat something before my blood sugar crashes. That said, I love to enjoy meals with my husband and events where there are "special" foods like holiday's or weddings or other big parties.

Today I truly enjoy the food. I sit and I savor my meals at those times. I take wee bites like CG said, and I take the time to chew and swallow before putting the next bite in and I listen to the dinner chatter. I share in the conversation, I learn so much about those around me mostly because I am not only focused on shoveling food into my face.

When my food gets cold or loses my interest or I have that soft stop sign I will often push it away from me. Occasionally I will be more hungry then not, and take one bite more and then I know the band man said enough and that will suffice until the next time.

I no longer sit with a bowl of anything to make me feel better. I am so happy about that. When I am feeling a bit out of sorts, or just want some comfy feeling I will make a nice cup of coffee (decaf) or tea and just snuggle up with that and it's enough for me and helps me set my self to rights again while I sip it. I try to unwind whatever it was that had me wound up and I relax.

I'm happy not to gorge on food, I enjoy eating out with friends so much more now and I don't feel the need to clean my plate every time even if I am paying for the meal. If need be I will wrap it up and have it for lunch the next day or dinner that night if it's lunch.

I am in the green zone, where I am not hungry between meals. I eat smaller portions but I am not so tight that anything gets stuck or comes back up not even my pills and I take a few of those monsters too.

Reading this thread I understand what your saying about not "enjoying" meals like you used to, but for that I am very happy. I still love to share and eat food. When I am busy and on the run, I often have to remind myself to eat something before my blood sugar crashes. That said, I love to enjoy meals with my husband and events where there are "special" foods like holiday's or weddings or other big parties.

Today I truly enjoy the food. I sit and I savor my meals at those times. I take wee bites like CG said, and I take the time to chew and swallow before putting the next bite in and I listen to the dinner chatter. I share in the conversation, I learn so much about those around me mostly because I am not only focused on shoveling food into my face.

When my food gets cold or loses my interest or I have that soft stop sign I will often push it away from me. Occasionally I will be more hungry then not, and take one bite more and then I know the band man said enough and that will suffice until the next time.

I no longer sit with a bowl of anything to make me feel better. I am so happy about that. When I am feeling a bit out of sorts, or just want some comfy feeling I will make a nice cup of coffee (decaf) or tea and just snuggle up with that and it's enough for me and helps me set my self to rights again while I sip it. I try to unwind whatever it was that had me wound up and I relax.

I'm happy not to gorge on food, I enjoy eating out with friends so much more now and I don't feel the need to clean my plate every time even if I am paying for the meal. If need be I will wrap it up and have it for lunch the next day or dinner that night if it's lunch.

I am in the green zone, where I am not hungry between meals. I eat smaller portions but I am not so tight that anything gets stuck or comes back up not even my pills and I take a few of those monsters too.

I usuallt take smaller bites and stoo while the food goes down. But the pills how are you able to get them diwn w/o too much trouble? Also I've found if I drink a few swallows of something that it rekaxes my throat.

I usuallt take smaller bites and stoo while the food goes down. But the pills how are you able to get them diwn w/o too much trouble? Also I've found if I drink a few swallows of something that it rekaxes my throat.

When I wake up in the morning the first thing I have is a cup of hot coffee. I drink about half the cup which has now opened and relaxed my stoma enough for me to take my pills. I take them one at a time each with a nice sip of warm coffee.

I feel them go down and through the band and I take the next one. That is how I take all my medications, for Vitamins I use chewable gummy mulit vitamins and sublingual (melt in your mouth) vitamins for the special things like B-12, and Vitamin C.

When I take my pills at night (cause yes there are more that I take at night cause they make me drowsy) I also take them with a nice cup of decaf about an hour before bed. I use a chewable pro-biotic and a chewable Calcium supplement.

Sometimes I get discouraged because I miss getting to just relax and enjoy a meal... I posted this blog today about it.

http://www.debbiedanthony.com/fighting-with-my-food/

I would love to know if anyone else feels the same way sometimes and how you get past it?

I don't often read the external blogs people post, but did read yours. I suppose the title caught my eye. And I'm glad I did! Very well written! I'll offer a couple suggestions/replies to your quotes.

" Every meal now seems like a chore and I’m starting to dread mealtime…"

I'm guessing PART of the reason you feel this way is you're only 4 1/2 months post banding. For me it just got "normal"....after some period of time.

"I will remind myself daily that this is a process that will help me learn to live a healthier life" YES THIS!

There is no end date, no finish line, its our new life....

"And, I’m hoping in time, I will get used to this new lifestyle" YOU WILL!

Best wishes!

When I wake up in the morning the first thing I have is a cup of hot coffee. I drink about half the cup which has now opened and relaxed my stoma enough for me to take my pills. I take them one at a time each with a nice sip of warm coffee.

I feel them go down and through the band and I take the next one. That is how I take all my medications, for Vitamins I use chewable gummy mulit vitamins and sublingual (melt in your mouth) vitamins for the special things like B-12, and Vitamin C.

When I take my pills at night (cause yes there are more that I take at night cause they make me drowsy) I also take them with a nice cup of decaf about an hour before bed. I use a chewable pro-biotic and a chewable Calcium supplement.

I try to have a few sips of hot drink...but will do it everytime I eat....and I'll see if I can take pills with warm liquid. I have quite a few in the a.m. but will certainly see if it works. This morning eating my "atkins" like Breakfast I make it myself and put I freezer. Anyhow had some hot Water to soothe my throat...but I did take smaller bites and slowed down. No sliming. Hopefully this is a good beginning to my problems. Thx

Sometimes I get discouraged because I miss getting to just relax and enjoy a meal... I posted this blog today about it.

http://www.debbiedanthony.com/fighting-with-my-food/

I would love to know if anyone else feels the same way sometimes and how you get past it?

Nice blog post, Debbie -- and that wedding day is coming right up! So happy for you.....

Last night I just wanted to eat. Eat, eat. You know, like the old days. I tried to analyze it a bit to figure out where that was coming from. The cold, perhaps? It's so cold and maybe our bodies are designed to store food for just this kind of weather. Also I had a Protein bar in the afternoon and I'm sure it was full of all kinds of chemical crap that I don't usually put in my body. I get the kind that are 200 calories and 20 grams of protein -- need to go read the labels carefully as I think sucralose and the like may be a major problem for me -- there are studies that for some people artificial sweeteners tell the brain food is coming. Did I set myself up in the late afternoon for wanting to eat, eat, eat? I know I can be chemically-sensitive. I didn't overdo it -- I just kept going back for a bit more of something (I was such a grazer). Had leftover oatmeal from the morning, went back for chunky applesauce, had a yogurt (100 calorie Chobani with fruit has a lot of sugar in it and I was probably going for that). Finally I found a couple of rice crackers and I chowed down on those. I think I needed something to really crunch and chew on -- that it was a mental thing.

Thanks for the reminder about tea, Lisa. I drink a lot of tea during the day but I'd like to have some ritual tea for evenings -- something different and maybe a little full-bodied. That might really work for me.

On another thread about the band being tight in the mornings some one commented on how great it would be if our bands would be tighter at night. Truth!

I guess from all of this you can deduce that I still love to eat. And I want to love it -- just in very small portions at appropriate intervals. For me, this means not going looking for a little something else.

One thing I'm really noticing is how interesting it is to be with other people at the table and watching interactions and just "being" in a dining situation now that the objective is not to clean my plate. I kind of push the food around and listen a lot. I watch what others are doing and am so glad not to be shoveling my food down like that anymore. And you know what? No one ever seems to notice that I'm eating such a small amount. It's amazing. When I'm being served it sometimes comes up -- "is that all you're going to have?" from the host. I am responding with something like, "I'll come back for more but for now I'm really trying to watch my portion sizes."

Sometimes I get discouraged because I miss getting to just relax and enjoy a meal... I posted this blog today about it.

http://www.debbiedanthony.com/fighting-with-my-food/

I would love to know if anyone else feels the same way sometimes and how you get past it?

Nice blog post, Debbie -- and that wedding day is coming right up! So happy for you.....

Last night I just wanted to eat. Eat, eat. You know, like the old days. I tried to analyze it a bit to figure out where that was coming from. The cold, perhaps? It's so cold and maybe our bodies are designed to store food for just this kind of weather. Also I had a Protein bar in the afternoon and I'm sure it was full of all kinds of chemical crap that I don't usually put in my body. I get the kind that are 200 calories and 20 grams of protein -- need to go read the labels carefully as I think sucralose and the like may be a major problem for me -- there are studies that for some people artificial sweeteners tell the brain food is coming. Did I set myself up in the late afternoon for wanting to eat, eat, eat? I know I can be chemically-sensitive. I didn't overdo it -- I just kept going back for a bit more of something (I was such a grazer). Had leftover oatmeal from the morning, went back for chunky applesauce, had a yogurt (100 calorie Chobani with fruit has a lot of sugar in it and I was probably going for that). Finally I found a couple of rice crackers and I chowed down on those. I think I needed something to really crunch and chew on -- that it was a mental thing.

Thanks for the reminder about tea, Lisa. I drink a lot of tea during the day but I'd like to have some ritual tea for evenings -- something different and maybe a little full-bodied. That might really work for me.

On another thread about the band being tight in the mornings some one commented on how great it would be if our bands would be tighter at night. Truth!

I guess from all of this you can deduce that I still love to eat. And I want to love it -- just in very small portions at appropriate intervals. For me, this means not going looking for a little something else.

One thing I'm really noticing is how interesting it is to be with other people at the table and watching interactions and just "being" in a dining situation now that the objective is not to clean my plate. I kind of push the food around and listen a lot. I watch what others are doing and am so glad not to be shoveling my food down like that anymore. And you know what? No one ever seems to notice that I'm eating such a small amount. It's amazing. When I'm being served it sometimes comes up -- "is that all you're going to have?" from the host. I am responding with something like, "I'll come back for more but for now I'm really trying to watch my portion sizes."

Banista, I will have a special tea or coffee or sugar free coffee creamer for those warm need some comfort snugly moments. It helps me to feel like it's something special, and I can relax and unwind.

I understand the grazing feeling sometimes on a weekend that will happen to me. I am usually going in 10 directions at once and on a weekend I might have a minute where there is "nothing" I need to be doing, and it's more difficult for me to gear down to doing less if I've been pulling at all ends.

What you chose to pick on was nothing bad, some days we may need a bit more calories and it's our bodies way of saying hey put more in here. I find that happens to me also when I am brewing a cold or feeling sick. The cold weather also makes me feel a bit more hungry at times especially if I am out in it for any amount of time or if I have done an especially strenuous work out.

Once upon a time a Dr. friend told me this parable:

Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a working man, and dinner like a pauper.

It meant to eat your larger meals early in the day and at night eat much less and lighter food. Oddly since being banded and finding my zone, this is what I find happens for me now.

My mornings are not King size, they are usually a Protein Bar and coffee but the caffeine, the sugars and other sweeteners in the bar burn off through out the day. My lunch, I usually will eat a good size portion, and incorporate a snack that I will have around 3-4:00. When I get home from work it's usually 7:00 at night and my dinner is usually a tiny bit of food and I'm good with it.

I might have half a piece of grilled chicken, or a cup of chilli, or even eggs. It fills me up, I have my coffee and I'm ready for bed. Now her parable makes sense and works for me! It never did before!

I fought the band...and the band won....

Eventually, I got used to it...a lot has to do with the fact that hunger and cravings, including head hunger, are all under control...so food is not an issue with me....

Only complaint I have is finding foods that are appealing....but that is more mental than anything else...

I can walk around a grocery store and not find anything I want....again, it is because I no longer have an interest in food...and I am not interested because the band tells my brain I am satisfied, full, whatever, and I don't need it it....

But that's just the way it is for me...not everyone else...

I really hope I get to that point soon...lol

i love eating

Sometimes I get discouraged because I miss getting to just relax and enjoy a meal... I posted this blog today about it.

http://www.debbiedanthony.com/fighting-with-my-food/

I would love to know if anyone else feels the same way sometimes and how you get past it?

as do most people who want to live......but i lived to eat and hence why i was supersized....i was told early on on this WLS process to learn to change what/how i eat.....it took time.....i now by habit, eat very slowly, take wee bites and let one bite go down before moving on to the next.......(case in point last night, i had the cold ASS supper last nigh....i made hot chili and due to me eating so slow, its cold not long after i start) and that is how it is for me now.....my food gets cold..

its just something we need to learn to do and def let your band or whatever WLS guide you on eating.....the signs are there (to stop, you had enough or slow it down).

great blog. i try to read it often.

Thank you for the compliment! It would be great if you would comment on the blog so my other readers can get feedback from someone who's really been there and made it thru to the other side...if you get time that is?

Sometimes I get discouraged because I miss getting to just relax and enjoy a meal... I posted this blog today about it.

http://www.debbiedanthony.com/fighting-with-my-food/

I would love to know if anyone else feels the same way sometimes and how you get past it?

I don't often read the external blogs people post, but did read yours. I suppose the title caught my eye. And I'm glad I did! Very well written! I'll offer a couple suggestions/replies to your quotes.

" Every meal now seems like a chore and I’m starting to dread mealtime…"

I'm guessing PART of the reason you feel this way is you're only 4 1/2 months post banding. For me it just got "normal"....after some period of time.

"I will remind myself daily that this is a process that will help me learn to live a healthier life" YES THIS!

There is no end date, no finish line, its our new life....

"And, I’m hoping in time, I will get used to this new lifestyle" YOU WILL!

Best wishes!

Thank you for reading my post and for the compliment!! I really only write something when I feel I have something to share that may help someone else looking into this or help me understand better what I am going through..

And the feedback I get from everyone is priceless! There is no better therapy or encouragement in the world than this group of people!!