Am trying to eat more post op even though I am pre op but I know the AMOUNT will drastically be reduced post op. It's hard for me to wrap my kind around this and it's what I'm most worried about. I like to eat...a lot of food! I know this will have to change but looking for perspective from someone on the other side of surgery. Does this come easily...coming to terms with eating less? Thanks for all responses.

Well I had the same concern- I haven't been able to find a diet that satiated me EVER But since I got my LapBand I notice that I don't have the ravenous MUST HAVE MORE urges. For example...I was feeling like I should eat something today, Then I ate 1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt with strawberries on the bottom--- (super high in protein). I became "full" feeling quickly. Detecting the "full" feeling has never been easy for me before my LapBand. It would usually come once my stomach was completely stretched and unpleasant. This is why I have so much hope for using this tool as a way to make healthy choices in foods and portion size. Have you ever looked at a label on anything and seen the "recommended service size"?? I used to think that those serving sizes were appropriate for toddlers, but not anyone above the age of 12.

Today has been a great day. I am finally taking action and doing something positively healthy for me. Hope this helps! We gotta stick together. Because only we understand. The "slenders" (you know the people that can eat a bucket of KFC and finish off a cake and never gain an ounce, they just don't understand what I'm talking about. But you guys here are "my tribe" I'm glad I made the choice to get a LapBand and found you guys in the process!

Rob in Utah

You may have a few misconceptions about WLS. With the band, you still have your stomach in it's entirety. You can still eat till the cows come home. But, for most of us, that desire or need is greatly diminished. But, there are some who never come to terms with their food addiction. In any WLS there are patients who simply continue to cope through their emotions by eating too much food or eating the wrong kinds of food.

Here's a quote/comment from another forum member from years ago that explains it quite appropriately:

"In my case, the most fearful thing I had to do in order to succeed with my band wasn't switching to skim milk, surviving a liquid diet, or giving up bread. The most fearful thing was giving up my emotional attachment to food. In the nearly 5 years since I was banded, I've made a lot of progress with that, but the attachment is still there. It forms one of the innermost layers of my turtle shell. Working on that layer will probably be a lifetime job for me. At times I'm not even sure I truly want to get rid of it altogether. At times I'm afraid that if I shed my shell completely, I won't be able to survive. On the other hand, I seem to be doing fine without that thick old bitch layer. So I'm going to pay attention to my dreams rather than my fears and pray for a miracle. And why not? It can't hurt to try!"

Pay attention to your dreams and not your fears seems to be the message here?

Once you get banded it's a new ballgame. You will be AMAZED at how a little food fills you up for hours. Depending on what I'm eating I can barely eat 4oz. Every now and then I can get up to 7oz ...not often. Congrats on taking the first step to a healthier you.

Rose

I still really enjoy my food -- maybe more than before because I'm taking my time and savoring it, chewing it rather than wolfing it down while thinking about more, more, more. I find I really appreciate what I am having in a really new way. And I am not deprived at all -- with my appetite dimmed I am satisfied after a small portion and I still think that is a miracle. I was a big eater -- well, obviously. You are not alone and I think many of us had the same worries. You will be surprised!

After surgery, you'll eat much less than you could before surgery! Some of that comes from the fact that you'll just feel less hungry in general (although some people say they don't get the appetite suppression like others do) and some of that comes from the fact that you physically cannot eat over a certain amount. Overeating with a LapBand is really uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful so you'll learn pretty quickly what your limits are. The problem is when people constantly push those limits. You don't want to constantly overeat with the band or you risk complications like stretching your pouch or band slippage. The band will also not work for you if you don't eliminate "grazing" behavior. The band works when you eat a healthy, but small proportioned meal because the food has time to sit in your little pouch and your brain gets the message that you're full. When you eat a little here and a little there, snacking away, it goes right through the band and your brain won't get the I'm full message like it's supposed to and you'll be hungry. So you'll be surprised how much you really can still eat after being banded if you don't follow the LapBand "rules."

Edited July 31, 201411 yr by BlissfullyBanded

Advice given here has really been good. Like all of the comments. Helped me a lot as well.