So, my therapist and I met the other day...I see her for regular issues, but lately we have been discussing the LB and my weight issues so she can do my psyche eval. Anyway, she said her main concern is that I think of food is love and love as food and how will I deal with this when I am banded. My thoughts were that I will replace eating with other activities. I also told her that I think that since I will get that full feeling more easily, that will help me deal with it psychologically, is this true? How do you deal with the emotional side of things when you are so used to eating to numb things?

Thank you...that is good to hear. I will pass that on to her. I understand her concern and it is hard to predict the future and it is great to hear how it has gone for others!

After being banded for almost two years, and loosing 115 pounds and having had tt a few weeks ago, I still ache for food. The band helps the physical part of this addiction, but the mental part is so deeply engrained that it is hard to deal with. I am very careful, but sometimes it is so hard. I wish there was something to "band" the sensors in the brain that require us to indulge. I know there are drugs to do this, but wish to not go that route. The band as I was told is just a tool, and the real "nut and bolts" of this journey has to come from us. I wish you continued success and good health.

Frna

I went through counseling for a year before I got banded, this helped me realize I used food as a numbing agent to all the problems in my life. She has since helped me through some of the issues, while some are still there, but not as bad. I was banded March 24 of this year and will go in for my first fill today (excited!). All I can say from my experience is the band has help in taking the physical hunger away, but does not take the mental hunger away. This comes from within ourselves, however we find the means. My has been sewing, puzzles, and yes even watching TV. I use my DVR so I can just race through all the commercials. (Thats why I got it.) I really planned a lot before the band. I have also found that my energy level has shot way up there. I am almost 6 weeks out from the band and am now walking 3 miles a day and have introduced some cardio exercises into my life. I was up to 303 and now down to 257 as of today. We just need to find the things that bring us joy and happiness and that can no longer be food. I wish you great luck in you journey.

I am so glad I am reading this because I am scheduled to be band on May 13th and I still have a fear of the mental games. I know this is tool and the work is up to me but I guess my fear comes into play when I think of all the past diets and failures and that thinking puts me down the wrong path. Reading your responses helps me to see what the future and that I must stay ontop of my thoughts of food and don't let them get the best of me.

Hi Travelen,

It sounds like you have a good handle on the situation so far!

I was thinking just yesterday that pre-band I used to "self-medicate" with food and the side-effect of that food/medication was weight gain. Then I started thinking, well, isn't that the same thing as other meds causing sides effects, such as weight gain. My self-medication (food) was making me fat.

Now, with that taken away, yes, it is something I have to recken with every day.

I wish I had a magic answer for you, but I am struggling right now with working from home, getting overly stressed out with my job, and having food readily available to me. Being alone and not in an office invironment ( with other people watching) takes a lot of discipline on my part.

Every situation is different, but yes, I agree with the others that there are replacements for food and you have to embrace this new healthy lifestyle and remember this is something you are doing for YOU!

Good luck. You sound like you are on the right road!

I still want to eat, even when I know that I am not hungry, just because I am so engrained in the habit of eating every time I even think about food. I use distraction (go on the web, get a drink of Water, call a friend, exercise) in my trouble times (early evening right after dinner).

For me, getting over the habit of using food for every mood is a key to success, and is way easier said than done, and as many people have said before me, we get our stomach banded, but there is no band for our brain.

A couple of other things that I do:

I plan what I am going to eat on a daily basis (I used to just eat without thinking and planning).

I have a little notebook where I write down every single thing that I eat - no matter what - I also include how much. Again, this makes me very conscious of what I eat and also conscious about the choice to eat. I find myself questioning my choices and 9 times out of 10 I make a healthier choice, or maybe even choose not to eat anything.

As part of my planning, I have food in the house that satisfies me, so that I don't feel deprived (favorites of mine turkey pepperoni (50 calories/stick), 100 calorie popcorn packs, vita muffins (the chocolate are excellent - 2 oz - 100 calories). I plan for at least one evening snack.

I still enjoy the foods that I thought would be forbidden (pizza, cake, Cookies, chinese food, etc). I just plan to eat them, the quantities I am going to have and have them occasionally instead of all the time. In other words, I am trying to train myself to be like a "normal" person, I eat everything, but in moderation.

I am looking at banding as a lifestyle choice where I am building my eating behaviours around eating in a healthy way, rather than banding being something to be endured until I lose all the weight, and then I can go back to my life. This IS my life now, and I find this attitude really helpful in coping with some of the emotional aspects of wanting to eat.