I have been banded since March 15, 2007. I have lost over 50lbs. But, I still have the horrible eating habits. I can sit down and eat 1/4 gallon of ice cream with no problem. All the good stuff goes through my band with no problem. What can I do to help this tool help me. Nights are the worst for me. I have lots of things that I can do but I always turn to food. I do exercise. Any suggestions? :confused2:

You need to find a hobby to occupy your hands. I draw, or crochet, something like that. Unfortunately, we have to have a certain amount of our own control (something I'm struggling with lately myself), so a distraction is what I find works best for me.

If you play video games, something like that might help too. If I'm entranced in a challenging game, time passes quickly in the evenings and it's time for bed before I've eaten too much.

Ohiobluegal, put down the ice cream!

50lbs is excellent weight loss! You can do it and take off the rest!

Of course the band will only help you so far. You have to put in the other effort.

I understand where you're coming from. I love ice cream and I eat it every day still. But the difference is that I only buy pre-portioned ice cream.

My first action would be not to buy that stuff at all. OR only by pre-sized small cups of ice cream (2 at a time) so that if you do have to have some, you can, but you can only eat what you have. There are a couple weight watcher brand ice creams that are good, plus they are pre-portioned.

The second (or maybe this should be first?) thing is that you should figure out WHY you are turning to food at night? What's really bothering you and you should direct your emotion at the person/situation or deal with it in another way beside turning to food.

Good luck!

One other thing... I noticed a thought process you currently have and probably don't recognize -- You called ice cream and, I am assuming, the like as "the good stuff" yet it really doesn't have any nutritional value and is not healthy for you. It should definitely be a thought-changing process as well! Good luck to you and congratulations on the 1st 50 pounds!

As long as you can control those urges to a reasonable degree it doesnt hurt to indulge occasionally.

I just ate some leftover cheesecake that was in the fridge. I dont know why. I wasnt hungry. It was just there. Had been since Sunday. Sigh. It wont hurt, everything else I've done today has been spot on.

But really, why? I dont know. Normal weight people do that too. As long as you are in CONTROL of it and it doesnt happen 100 times a day I think you just have to put it behind you.

First of all, congratulations on the 50 pounds. You have come a long way and have positives to show for it.

Secondly, perhaps it is time to analyze some of the behaviors that cause you to turn to food and eat around the band. Seeking some counseling may be helpful and allow you to dig into the root of the behaviors so that you can make an adjustment. If you are regularly eating 1/4 gallon of ice cream, you may be sabotaging the level of success you can attain with the band.

You have already recognized the behavior and have already made steps to address it. Journaling is another means to help you uncover reasons why you make the choices you make. Distractions as previously mentioned are always helpful.

For me personally, the most effective things I do if I have a craving that won't go away works three fold.

One, if I make a decision to indulge in something I know is not healthy I make myself wait 30 minutes to see if the craving will pass. Usually it is the impulse that I have to have something nowww that allows me to make an unhealthy choice. 30 minutes is also plenty of time to get distracted if you know what I mean :0)

Secondly, if I decide to go ahead and eat whatever it is that I am craving, I eat something healthy first. I prefer whatever I eat first to not be too soft so that it helps to really fill me up. This way I am limiting on quantity but still able to indulge if I really need to do so.

Last, I don't allow myself to feel guilty about it. I made a decision, took the steps I promised myself I would take and followed through. Everyone can indulge occasionally, it is making the conscious decision to control the situation instead of allowing it to control you that makes all the difference.

Best of luck to you. We are all on this road together and dealing with the same issues. I know you can do this, 50 pounds lost is already showing that you have made a lot of great choices since banding. :0)

Old habits die hard, dont they?

Before I had the surgery I was, and I kid you not, up to a half gallon of ice cream a night. It was my thing at night. why? I think becuase it was the only way I could treat myself after busting my ass all day working, taking care of three kids under the age of 5 and husband and a house, so after everyone went to bed it was my way of unwinding. Instant gratification. And I havent ALWAYS done that ritual- just when surgery was getting closer. And I think it was because I knew I wasnt going to be able to to do that after, so it was feast or famine.

My social worker at my Dr. told me to come up with three 'coping skills' to replace the ice cream, such as 'kitting', and I nearly fell out of my char becuase I would rather poke myself in the eye with the knitting needle than actually knit. EASIER SAID THAN DONE.

However I did find some things - first I picked up sketching and atwork- again. I went to a prestigous art college right out of high school, but never finished because I though I wasnt good enough to keep up with all these other students- and for the first time I was PROUD of my work. I figured - hy Im 30 years old, no one is here to scrutinize or judge my work, and if I mess up SO WHAT? Ill start over!

Then I started writing. Letters to each of my parents and stepmother about how unfair it was of them to never let me have a childhood because of their immaturity and selfishness ect. Way too much to get into on here, however letters that I dont send, just write it down and DEAL with the anger.

And finally I took up amateur photography which takes up the most of my time.

Easier said than done, beleive me I know. Give yourelf some time to find YOUR thing. Try to figure out why the ice cream makes you feel so good. I still would down a half gallon of it was put on front of me too, and dont think for a min that I havent thought about stopping and buying some. Something stops me, and I know someday maybe Ill give in and buy it. But its OK. We are human beings and we all 'screw up ' sometimes. Its OK- I think not beating yourself up and feeling guilty is a good first step in stopping the process...50 pounds is a small child so make sure you are giving yourself the kudos for that. I beleive you can do this and I think you do too...

Hang in there!

I think the key is portion control. I think sitting with an entire container or package of anything that is not deemed ONE serving is only asking for trouble. Its just to easy to go overboard. I agree with one of the above posts that suggests having something to occupy your hands. Even to the point of carring around a bottle of water. Good luck to you!

I have been going through the exact same thing. I've been eating around my band and making really bad food choices. I'm not dealing with the issues that brought me to the band in the first place. It helps just being on this forum everyday and seeing everyone buckle down and do what they are supposed to. It's very motivating. I think I eat out of loneliness. I like what someone said about "coping skills" I think I'll try the letter writting thing. Thanks!:biggrin2:

I find that I have a "fat head" even if I am losing weight. I am trying to think like naturally thin people. The food will be there, I don't have to wolf it down. I can have a little bit of desert to get a taste and savor it slowly and not have to eat the whole thing (without really tasting it). Years of bad habits and not coping with issues won't go away in a few months. Don't beat yourself up. Try to not put yourself in situations that are hard for you right now. Plan your dessert for after you eat your meal. Eat proteins because it curbs your hunger. Buy portioned ice cream so it is premeasured or go out for ice cream. Find hobbies or classes or go for a walk in the evening.

Leave the kitchen. All of the things that we have been taught thru all the diet programs are useful. The thing is now we can have more success because we have a tool to help with the hunger. Good Luck to you and me too.

I have the same problem with the "good stuff". I found myself eating compulsively. Even though I had the Magic Band installed, life was not Happily Ever After. I lost a bunch of weight, then stalled out for five months. The thing about "trigger foods" is that I just can't control them. Once I put that first bite in my mouth, the compulsions take over. I started going to OA meetings. Now I have the band and I'm working on my behaviors. It's made all the difference! I broke my plateau, and my guilt and self-loathing are starting to fade. I don't think I could have done any of this without the band, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Hugs,

Donna

"Trigger foods" indeed. There are certain foods that I'm just going to have to learn to abstain from. I am a food ADDICT. So I can't just have a taste of certain things any more than an alcoholic can just have one little drink. It's all or nothing with me. That is one thing I'm grateful for with the band, I can no longer have a huge binge. But boy, do I want one sometimes. They define addiction as something you continue to use even though you get negative results from it's use. That certainly applies to me and food. I have made a new rule for myself. No eating in front of the TV. That is just the worst. I totally zone out. If I stay at the table I'm mindful of what I eat. The TV really ties in with emotional eating for me. I have tried OA before but it didn't seem to stick. Maybe I'll give it a try now that I'm banded.

I found myself in a similar situation I would try to snack during the day and then it hit me I didn't have the right restriction so I went in for a fill and wow does it work. I can no longer eat around the band. I can't consume more than 4 ounces (which I love, I couldn't wait to get to that point). If I try to over eat I get sick and I hate that feeling so I don't over eat. I also got to the point where I started writing down what I ate on a daily basis through sparkepeople.com (it's free). I then decided to incorporate some exercise to see if I could get the scale to move and you know what happened (the weight is starting to come off). Before my last fill and eating around the band I almost never lost weight now I am losing no less than 2 pounds each week. I've now made exercising and journaling my new best friends. I keep sugar free popsicles or sugar free ice cream in the house but again I can't eat much. The band doesn't protect us against sweets but I eat my food first so that way I'm already full and can't eat the goodstuff (sweets).

I agree with everyone that said find something to do at night like reading a good book or checking out what everybody else is doing on this site you would be surprised how the time passes by. You will do fine and that 50 pound lost will turn into 75 right before your very eyes. Think small (a thinner you) it always helps to motivate me. Try exercising at night. There is something that will work for you, its up to you to find out what it is. Best of Luck!

Ohio? Where in Ohio? I'm in Columbus.

I know what you mean about eating at night and the heavy duty calorie stuff too. I have to keep it out of the house or I eat it. I can stay away for a few days then I cave. It's just torture, better to not have it in the house at all.

Hope the tips above give you some hope. They are helping me too.

Just love LBT!

Try substituting one treat (the bad one) for another. Now at night I don't have ice cream, I have sugar free/fat free pudding (Jello packages, instant with fat free milk and they come in all flavors) with a couple of dollops of Cool Whip on top. It's absolutely decadent and only between 10-12 carbs (if you count carbs). I make sure to have a bowl if I behaved myself particularly well during the day and I have room to allocate for the carbs. I really feel like I'm being bad but I'm not.

Give it a try

I am totally feeling you (OP). To compensate not being able to eat for comfort or boardom, I went back to smoking. Now, I have stopped smoking, and I am just nervous all the time and want to eat!!