I tend to be a stress or boredom eater..... I realize that this is something I will continually have to be accountable for even with the band. What tools have you used to help with these behaviors??

I appreciate all responses!!

I am definitely a boredom eater!! It doesn't go away after the band, at least it hasn't for me just yet, but I find a great way to combat it is to go out and exercise. If I'm getting bored, and food comes to my mind, I'll either go outside and walk around the block a few times, or I'll hop in the car and head to the gym if I haven't already been that day.

So far, that's the only way I've learned to get over my head hunger! I feel way better after I exercise than I ever have after binging on food when I know I shouldn't have eaten it...

So, you haven't had surgery yet? I binged for two weeks on everything I liked. Then just one week before surgery I really got serious and buckled down and lost 11 lbs before surgery.

I play video games when I get the head hunger or boredom. I also started scrapbooking and I reserved a huge amount of books at the library. I don't think I've read this much in years. I'm also redoing the backyard. I'm making square foot gardening on one half and planting a lot of bulbs in the other. I knew I would have problems with head hunger so I looked for ways of distracting myself before surgery so I would have every thing in place. Good luck!

This may sound mundane, but if I feel myself starting to obsess about wanting something from the kitchen when I'm not actually hungry, I'll start to clean a room in my apt or organize a closet or something to keep my mind off of it. It seems to help and my apt has never been cleaner :eek:

Hello, I'm new to the forum. I've just been banded on October 23rd. Feeling really gassy and sore. How long will the soreness last?

I find that the best ways to manage the head hunger and urge to binge are to distract myself and stay out of the kitchen/shop etc. I have got a pile of books and magazines that I will read or I will go for a quick walk outside. My urges to eat tend to only last for a few minutes and if I can get past that I am fine - till the next time.

I too am a boredom eater. But I find now that I just don't head for the fridge anymore. For one thing, pre-band you can make a career out of eating and you can make it take time. After the band, when you get good restriction, you'd literally have to be going to the fridge 200 times a day, because when you DO it....it's over with so quickly. I mean, 3 bites and you're done....none of the "grazing" like before. I just gave it up because it wasn't worth it. The satisfaction for it is no longer there at all. YEAH!!!!