Just curious....I have not been banded yet....I only have a few things left before I get my surgery date...looks like this is really going to happen. I wasn't sure there for a while. I think that people who over eat obviously have food addiction issues. I am wondering if people have experienced trading or passing off of addictions after the Lap Band.....example.....more indulging in alchohol or sexual activity, etc. I know this is kind of a personal question but it has been an issue I have been wondering about. We are addicts....many of us....not all of us.....what do we do with our addictions once we can't eat??

i exercise and i shop ...

i was SO not into exercising pre-band, but once i saw the results, it became an addiction of sorts... i HAD to go work out...

now that my clothes are falling off, shopping is one of my most fave activities... that can get scary (expensive) ...

I agree with wasabubble,

I watched that Oprah episode and actually sent an E-mail to them regarding a statement she said something like "Getting bariatric surgery now is as frequent/easy as having your teeth cleaned" How crazy a statement is that???

I plan on replacing my food thoughts with thoughts of ME. Going to concentrate of my needs for a change whether it be treating myself to a new outfit or getting a pedicure.

Don't worry ...you'll be fine.

I did switch to exercise but like Jack I focus on so many things to do instead of eat!!! It's a good thing for me and my life.

edie

Edie,

I commend you on your weight loss! What an excellent inspiration! :clap2:

Wow...I can only hope to do as well.

This is a little funnt to me....

Right after I got banded, I would cook like crazy for my significant other. Mind you...I neither like cooking nor do I do it often. It just made me feel better to do that.

I've since calmed down and back to my ole rarely cooking self...LOL!

Thank you all for your thoughts.....great to know that the band has taken away more issues than added them! AWESOME!!!!

I've never heard about or seen the Oprah episode everyone is referencing, but I have wondered about replacing addiction, too. I am SERIOUSLY addicted to carbohydrates. I love the rush of euphoria at around the end of the first bite of a dessert. I've been known to giggle uncontrollably in public while eating much-craved chocolate or ice cream because the pleasure rush is nigh uncontrollable. Honestly, though, I doubt that I have an addictive personality. I really think I am just addicted to food. I do tend to get intense obsessions that last weeks at a time, like watching House episodes back to back on DVD, or quilting into odd hours of the night, but once the desire for food is gone I doubt I will find something else destructive to replace it.

And hey, how bad could being addicted to sex really be?

I work in the medical field and I have a wonderful friend that is a doctor. He has a patient that has had Lapband done and did trade one addiction for another. She went from giving up food to drinking, doing drugs and he doesn't even like to talk about her. So, I would say that it is possible to trade one for another. The thing to do would be to determine if you have an "addictive personality." Did you trade something for eating? In America, we do a lot of social eating. I wouldn't call that addictive. I would call that entertainment. Do you eat because you love the way food tastes? Or do you eat because you can't stand not to have something in your mouth? Do you feel the need to always feel full? Those questions are asked a lot in the Psych Eval.