So, I have decided I want to test myself a little bit to see what I am capable of. I went to a seminar to learn about lap-band yesterday, and then began perusing this page to learn more about it.

Many of you talk about having to be on a liquid diet for weeks pre-surgery, and then continued post surgery. You also have mentioned not being able to drink soda, which I think for me will be the BIGGEST sacrifice. Hearing all of this has lead me to want to try an experiment.

I'm going to try to "pretend" that I am having the procedure. I want to test myself to see if I can deal with the liquid diet and no soda. I'm also setting some exercise goals for myself, and I want to see how well I can cut it. I'm still researching the lap-band, and i know that would make this easier as it would eliminate so many of the hunger pains, but I want to make a challenge to myself to see if I can mentally/physically prepare for an "imaginary" surgery.

Wish me luck, and I will keep you updated with my progress/failure!!

I gave up soda 8 years ago when I did WW because I didn't want to waste my points on it. I bet I haven't had a dozen since then (and of course none since banding). I don't miss it at all, and even when I did have one I found it terribly sweet and disgusting.

I'm an iced tea drinker now. :w00t:

I haven't given up soda. I still enjoy a Coke 1 or 2 times a week. It doesn't affect me negatively in any way whatsoever. My doc recommends giving up soda because it may help with the weight loss...but he doesn't demand that his patients give it up for band reasons at all. It doesn't even give me gas pains like some people complain about. I do notice that I retain more Water when I do drink soda, which is why I limit myself to having them only as a real treat once in awhile.

I also did NOT have to do any type of liquid diet in the pre-op days. I only had 2 week full liquids post-op, 1 week purees and then 1 week soft foods. It wasn't that difficult, really.

I guess something about banding that I am worried about is all that chewing... I would just feel ridiculous I think... I have tried chewing things until they are a total paste, and it's just so weird to me!

I read that you only have to chew things until the consistency of applesauce. That helped me because I like applesauce. :w00t:

I couple months ago I told my doctor I was going to try to eat like a banded person and see if my weight went down without surgery. What I've discovered is:

1) I'm hungry all the time on regular person portions

2) I don't miss diet soda at all

3) Cutting my food up into small bites and chewing it thoroughly helped me enjoy the taste more and made me realize my love of spicy food was because it was because when you inhale your food you don't really taste it.

My adventures have convinced me to get a real band. #1 made me realize that there is something wrong with my body -- that it's not just about willpower and proper nutrition. And #2 and #3 gave me hope I could survive on a band diet.

I still have problems with forgetting and inhaling my food though. I'm hoping a real band will make that easier. Plus I still have months and months to practice.

I tried the "eat like a bandster" plan for a few weeks before I got given my op date, after which I had to go straight onto the pre-op liquid diet because there was only 14 days from surgeons's visit to hospital! While I found it hard to be satisfied on the smaller portions, I found that cutting the food up really small and having to chew every bite thoroughly really helped that.

So much of my overeating was because I would eat so quickly that I wouldn't know I was full until way past the "overstuffed" stage. I had spent a lot of evenings after dinner, lying back in the lounge recliner chair saying "ow ow ow, I ate way too much!" It never stopped me from doing it all again the next night though :eek:. Once I tried the bandster eating style, I could actually tell when I was full WHILE I was still eating and could stop before I got into severe pain.

Unfortunately, I have come to realise that some weird part of me actually likes that pain, so even now I do it. The good thing is though, that eating until I feel like I'm bursting only takes about 1-2 cups of food now, whereas before it would have been more like 6! I've had my second fill and I'm really noticing that now it is much more like 1 cup only and my portions have gotten smaller. I'm really looking forward to the third fill, which I think will be "the one" to get me to that "sweetspot" feeling on 1/2 - 1 cup.

I also had no pre-op diet. In my case it was because I didn't have a very high BMI. I only had to do liquids 3 days post op and went to soft proteins on day 4 - very doable. My doctor is not a proponent of protein shakes and wants us to get our protein (and all nutrition) from regular, real food. I was encouraged to quit all carbonated drinks and I was worried. But I gave up my diet Pepsi and now if I try a sip it tastes like chemicals. It is very hard to try to 'pretend' to have a band because you don't have the band helping you remember! But it's a good idea, and may give you some idea of how you will do. Just remember - the point of the band is that it forces you to make some changes in your eating habits that you may have been unable to make without the band.