Please post some things you've been able to make peace with in your life because of the band. For example:

• I never feel the need to clean my plate.
• I used to have this nagging feeling that I had to eat a certain food or I'd never have another opportunity to have it. I could never say no. Foods will always still be there the next time I may want it (but I don't really want it anymore!)
• Exercise/sweating is wonderful, not punishment.
• The feeling of hunger (and if you've been thru the pre-op diet or bandster hell you know) won't kill me and doesn't bother me that much anymore.
• Thin really does taste better than any food.
• I was spending a ridiculous amount of money on food. Now I can use that for clothes. LOL

What are things you've been able to put in the past?

I'm no longer addicted to carbs & I no longer crave pop.

1. I don't NEED pop and I no longer crave it.

2. Water actually tastes good.

3. I don't NEED sugar and I no longer crave it either.

4. I can survive on a lot less food than I ever dreamed possible.

5. I don't need a snack in hand when I'm watching tv.

6. Eating healthy does taste good.

7. I don't have to clean my plate.

8. Smaller plates are better than larger ones.

9. Food isn't a good coping mechanism for those times when I'm frustrated, angry, hurt, etc. However, exercise is a great coping mechanism and always makes me feel so much better!

1. Realizing I do not have to eat as much as I thought I needed to., and if I miss a meal...so what...

2. No longer subject to hunger, food addiction, crazy food cravings, and the torture of head hunger..

3. Not constantly worrying about calories, carbs, etc etc....everything in moderation now, if I even want to.

3. Knowing I now live a normal life with normal weight and excellent health, and never have to worry about diets and trying to loose weight again, and I have no fear of ever gaining any weight back like I did with diets...

All That has been DEFEATED once and for all from my life !!!

It just doesn't get any better than this......

I'm at peace with food and no longer in the clutches of appetite. I'm not beating myself up daily, hourly, for eating too much or making poor choices. I'm not negotiating with myself about whether I'm on or off a diet or what the diet consists of at that time. I'm no longer on a diet. Hunger isn't my enemy. In fact I hadn't been really hungry for so long that it took me a while to locate that sensation. I'm making friends with my body's signals and learning how to respond appropriately. I'm not using food to quell the whirring of anxiety inside me. I'm listening to that instead and finding it's not so bad. I am feeling strong and capable. I'm no longer doing things I don't want to do or caving in to other people's agendas. I am clear. I like myself and this freedom -- it is a new lease on life. I feel full of possibility.

1. Losing weight is better than any food that I've ever eaten!

2. Getting on that scale and seeing those pounds come down is better than gorging and binging on food!

3. Losing weight during the holidays!

4. Being able to eat small meals and being satisfied!

Those are the main things being banded has done for me! And I definitely feel better emotionally and physically!

Throwing food away. That one last bite can go into the trashcan, and not my mouth.

I am no longer a member of the "clean plate" club and that is OK.

I can say no to dessert.

My 90-year old grandmother understands she can no longer show me love by making me biscuits, gravy and a pound of bacon. She makes me veggies and healthy Protein instead.

It's ok to skip a meal if I'm not hungry.

It's ok if the scale has a little uptick or it doesn't move at all.

And the biggie....I respect myself again.

Someone mentioned throwing away food. I have come to peace with the fact that I can't finish a whole meal and when I can I divide it up and bring it home & eat it for the next meal. Sometimes I'm not able to - and I'm making peace with that too.

1. Realizing I do not have to eat as much as I thought I needed to., and if I miss a meal...so what...

2. No longer subject to hunger, food addiction, crazy food cravings, and the torture of head hunger..

3. Not constantly worrying about calories, carbs, etc etc....everything in moderation now, if I even want to.

3. Knowing I now live a normal life with normal weight and excellent health, and never have to worry about diets and trying to loose weight again, and I have no fear of ever gaining any weight back like I did with diets...

All That has been DEFEATED once and for all from my life !!!

It just doesn't get any better than this......

Not keeping track of everything to a tee must be wonderful. When I decided recently to go ahead with the Lap Band, a switch had flipped in my head--after spending approximately 6 years on Weight Watchers with minimal results, I realized I didn't want to be writing down everything I was eating or drinking for the rest of my life just to stay on track. It was like a homework assignment or class that never, ever ended. Anyway, this was one of those bells that went off and made me look in the direction of Lap Band.

I thought of a big one for me: I have come to peace with the fact that I have to exercise