I am about 13 days from surgery and I am beginning to get beyond nervous and freaked out....I am worried the surgery won't help me.

I think it would really help me if I knew what other people's eatting habits were before getting banded? The reason I ask is I guess other people's negative comments have begun to eat at me. They say that I don't over eat all of the time and binge eat when emotional (upset, sad, angry, etc) and that the surgery won't really help me.

I do admit that I use food as a punishment & reward. If I don't eat breakfat & lunch then I feel like I have "accomplished" something but then for dinner I over-eat, not junk but a bigger piece of meat, extra potatoes, etc because I am so hungry. And then I feel bad and start over again the next day.

I hate to post such a sensitive question but I really need to know please! Was anyone else like me? And if so has the band helped you?

BTW I am 5'2" and weigh 203 and want to lose 80lbs.

Thanks

Jes

Oh, my eating habits were hilarious.

1 2-liter of Pepsi per day

2x take out (Two EggMcMuffin sandwiches for Breakfast, then something like a #2 at Wendy's for lunch (small size, of course, I didn't want to be a pig!)

dinner....sometimes at home, sometimes out. Always regular pop.

Add on top of that the occasional ice cream, Cookies, and other crap and it ends up around 4,000 calories per day. Good thing, at 476 pounds I naturally burn around 3,500 per day.

Today, it's pretty straightforward (pre surgery, post surgery it will be even less).

Breakfast: One egg, with a touch of milk, one slice of real cheese, and two thin slices of ham on whole wheat toast (tastier & faster than McD's). Add one fruit.

Lunch: Meat/protein/whatever plus more fruit.

Snack: Occasional pretzels, but also more fruit.

Dinner: 30 minutes before we eat, more fruit & Water. Then, Small portion of what the family is having.

I'm am NOT a salad fan, so no fresh veggies in there (my nurse is freaking over that, but my mom can testify that I couldn't stand them since I was born.

I am in the same boat as you are. I'm 5'2" and 208 LB and I don't know if I will be able to stop my bad habits such as pizza, chips, candy bars and other food that has made me this way.. I guess that I am in denial that I will be able to stop my bad eating behaviors. My surgery isn't for a few weeks. I haven't started my pre-opt yet, that will be a true test..

Remember, the lapband doesn't PREVENT you from eating those things. It just prevents you from eating LOTS of those things.

My mom still enjoys pizza and all the other things, just in much smaller doses.

I;m going to remember that I really hate to throw up so I won't want to eat to excess. I don't feel like I eat all that much, at least at regular meal times. It's the bad stuff that I eat. I love candy!! Or course cookies, cakes and Pepsi are good too. On a work day, I do really good with my food until I get home from work then it's some of this and some of that. And since I'm single and live alone, it's easier to pick up something for dinner than it is to make it. It's usually not the best choices either. Tonite after I was done running around and going to the store, I had the following, king size 100 grand bar, 1 can pepsi, shortly after decided it was time for dinner and had 3 slices of left over pizza hut pepperoni pizza, then knowing that I was pretty full, I still had a brownie. I don't seem to stop and think. I am majorly full now. Also I feel terrible, like what an out of control person I was. SO that's how my eating is. But I figure it can only get better from here. :thumbdown:

Everyone thank you so much for your messages. I love all the wonderful and caring people on LBT.

But I think I didn't pose my question correctly. I wanted to know how you ate BEFORE your band and BEFORE any pre-op diet ?

I want to get the band I am just worried it won't help with the binge eatting that I am horrible about doing.

Thanks

Jes

screw other people. i was eating whatever i wanted before surgery...until 3 days before and did the slimfast thing and lost 4 lbs which was enough for my doc. the reason you are getting the band is because you have trouble controlling what you eat. you don't have the band yet - so you still have problems controlling what you eat. I did. i didn't beat myself up over it. i was happy i made the decision to take a huge step in the right direction!

you mean day to day eating habits prior to opting to have WLS? Me.... a typical day was 2 hardboiled eggs, 2-3-4 pieces of toast with jam, lunch was usually out with some kind of tuna salad sandwich or a chicken fiesta salad or some crap like that at Chili's. then if there was food to graze on between lunch and dinner i did. dinner was a big piece of meat, vegetables and baked potatoe with butter. dessert was a "Jethro" size bowl of cereal. so realistically what i ate, aside from the cereal wasn't too bad, but the volume is what kicked my a$$. i now eat 1 fried egg with cheese and a piece of toast for breakfast, a yogurt snack between bfast and lunch. lunch is typically 6-8 oz of chili, or jalapeno refried beans, or tuna salad, and dinner is 4 oz meat and 4 oz of vegetables. yogurt for dessert or an otter pop. does that help? i can eat whatever i want, i just eat it in a much much smaller portion. i have added a bit of each food that i like to see how i react, i can tell you that 4 skittles was not for me. i have great respect for my band and don't ever want to pb or slime so i am pretty careful to keep to the old 8 oz max rule. i am so glad i was banded, i wouldn't change it for the world. and LiseSeattle has a great blog you may wanna read for day to day life after surgery. g2s

That is exactly how I eat, I hope the lap-band will make me eat more sins able and I will fell healthy. Eat, binge fell guilty then do it again the next day.

i think i posted this somewhere else, but it is a vicious cycle. i hated not being in control of my eating and then i would eat more as a punishment for not being able to control my hunger. now is that crazy or what? i have a friend who does the same thing with work. he never feels that he has done enough and then he does more and then hates himself for not letting go and enjoying some time for him. the mind is boggling sometimes. so now i try to minimize eating as a highlight of my day and realize it is fuel and it serves one purpose. sometimes are easier than others, but hey, no one is perfect. g2s

awhhh - you are toooooo sweet!!! thank you!

and LiseSeattle has a great blog you may wanna read for day to day life after surgery. g2s

I have always been a grazer....snacker...power eater.

Just knowing I have the band in place has given me such a sense of empowerment......

I KNOW that I will not have a perfect journey, but so far, it's been great......I love the new feeling of CONTROL......

Pre band I never ate breakfast, would have a sensible lunch some of the time (one sandwich, yogurt and fruit), if I wasn't going out for lunch (if I was whatever everyone else was having). Heck, there were lots of days where I didn't actually even eat lunch.

The evenings however were right out of control. As soon as I got home, I would start eating and I wouldn't stop until I went to bed. Since I am single, I didn't often bother to cook for just myself, so I spent the evening grazing on high calorie, high fat "convenience" foods. I never thought about what I ate or the quantities, I just ate and ate and ate.

Where I first started getting control - I joined weight watchers and started journalling everything I ate (June of 2007- I was banded at the end of September). For me, a really important key was starting to raise my awareness of what/ how much I was eating and then starting to make choices (am I actually hungry or do I just want to eat? Can something else satisfy my need to eat?)

I will tell you, at least in my case, the band does not stop "head" hunger, but it does curb my appetite and I am not hungry for hours. To tell the truth, I don't really experience hunger in the same way that I used to (where I could eat a full meal and then start all over again). I still struggle a bit in the evenings, as I am still in a lifelong addiction to the habit of eating, but I am able to manage it quite easily.

I am not really restricted (at least by the definition of only eating 1/2 cup per meal and having difficult time eating many foods). As long as I take small bites and chew really well, I can eat anything. I still journal everything I eat (I really like Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate) and I try to keep my calories around 1000-1200 per day, and I go to the gym 4-5 days per week. I still eat cookies and other treats, but instead of a whole package, I eat 2.

Don't worry -- I think most of us went into this with bad eating habits -- either grazing, emotional eating, or the typical skip-breakfast, eat-OK-at-lunch, eat-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-at-night pattern.

You do have to work it and make better food choices if you want to get all the way to goal. I think you will definitely get partway to goal even if you are not 100% able to give up the junk food, just because quantity-wise you can't eat as much.

I do recommend making sure you have a plan in place for if you find yourself struggling with emotional, stress, boredom or other head issues down the line. Ask your band doc if they have recommendations for counselors/psychiatrists in your area who are experienced with working with bandsters on these issues. The Beck Diet Solution book has some good suggestions for dealing with head issues as well. And of course support from others is very helpful -- this board, irl support group, or someone who will hold you accountable.

Its a long time ago now.

I definitely did what you mentioned though, I'd diet all day, do really well and then jsut couldnt contain dinner to be a small enough meal to finish off well, so I'd feel I'd overeaten because althought it was healthy it wasnt diet sized and then think stuff it I'll start again tomorrow.

I also spend a lot of time doing the last supper thing, I was always going on a diet tomorrow or next week.

I had a hard time handling any eating out, I just didnt do it moderately, it was always 3 or 4 wines and a HUGE meal, and then a reason to eat poorly for the rest of the day/weekend/week until I started my diet again. I couldnt isolate any overeating event as just that, one event and get right back on the wagon, it sent me off on a spiral of binging until some predetermined point at which I was to recommence dieting.

Typical for a day might have been either somethign like 2 pieces of toast for breakfast (with butter or peanut butter) or often no breakfast, drop the kids off at school, straight to the shops for something carb laden like a huge muffin and a cappucino, then I'd eat junk for lunch, usually out of the freezer - a meat pie, chicken nuggets, or a couple of toasted cheese sandwiches, then I'd eat biscuits or other crap int he afternoon when the kids came home from school and a pretty big dinner - although dinner was always a fairly healthy affair.

I was not and never have been a nightime eater, my appetite does seem to shut off right after dinner.

I guess my diet wasnt HORRENDOUS by other people's standards in this day and age, I mean, I didnt stand out as eating that differently to many other people, and I couldnt really understand why I was so fat when others could do it and get away with it.

But by contrast to now, it was huge amounts, very stodgy and I was totally and completely sedentary. I thought a 5km stroll was good exercise for the day.

Just to add what my typical day looks like now:

I ALWAYS have breakfast. Weekdays I have an individual package of oatmeal (either low sugar or weight control). On weekends I will have 1/4 to 1/2 cup of egg whites scrambled, with some parmesan cheese on 1-2 slices of weight watchers toast. Occasionally I will have real eggs.

Lunch: some kind of protein - either turkey or chicken or lean ham,tuna or cottage cheese or cheese (usually about 2 oz), some kind of carbohydrate (crackers, or weight wathcher's bread), 100 g of fat free yogurt and a piece of fruit (I might save the fruit and yogurt for a snack). I may also have some raw veggies (although I am not very fond of raw veggies, so mostly not).

Dinner: protein (usually 3-4 oz) and lots of veggies. I love cooked veggies - some favorites: asparagus, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, brocoli, spinach, edamame beans, green beens. I don't use a lot of sauces, but I do use extra virgin olive oil, and parmesan cheese and some sauces (ie stir fry or salad dressing). I can still eat pasta and I will have pasta about once a week.

Evening snack: 100 calorie packs (popcorn is a favorite), turkey pepperoni (only 45-50 calories per stick :wub:), fruit, suagr free pudding (about 60-100 calories per 1/2 cup), homemade high fiber, low fat, muffin (under 100 calories each), or a vita muffin (around 100 calories).

I always plan an evening snack, even though I don't snack much during the day, because my real weakness is evening eating.

If I am going to have cookies, or cake, usually it is on the weekend and I have it and enjoy it immensely.

Despite my horrible eating patterns of the past, I am finding this way of eating pretty easy to maintain. I have been eating this way consistently for 9 months now (some slips - we won't talk about my trip to Europe last summer). I have never done this in my ENTIRE life for this long. I started this way of eating pre-band, but it is much easier to maintain since the band. Most of the time I actually have to plan to eat, to make sure I am eating enough nutritious stuff. That said, I still want to eat in the evenings, even when full :frown:

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to let you know that I am probably the poster child for dysfunctional eating and letting food control me (please note my highest ever known weight). I just want to let people know that if you are willing to commit yourself, you can and will be successul, but it is a lot of hard work that you have to do for yourself.

I read on a post in the last couple of days that someone said she looked at the band as a maintenance tool, but the actual weight loss was up to her. That statement really spoke to me and, in my case, I 100% agree.

Good luck and know that you CAN do it!:frown: