help I binged big time

[jaylow 1]

I am feeling so sick. I had my first fill on Friday. It has not done one thing for me. I am feeling so bad for myself and I ate 2 sandwiches with chips two candy bars and a huge piece of cake. I feel so sick now I can't tell you. Has anyone else done this? Do you think I did huge damage to my band. I really feel ill. Thanks for any help

[Froggi 4]

I'm sorry you felt bad and binged. I am not banded yet but I would say you are ggoing to be in pain and sick for awhile. If you have pain after you're not sick anymore call your doc and get your band checked...eating that much food after a fill probably could cause a slip. Relax and try to drink some Water to help wash the food out of your pouch would be my guess.

[kcispy4 0]

Don't feel too bad. I had very little restriction until my second fill. Just be careful not to do this again if you can avoid it because you could cause stretching of your pouch. Most of the food must have passed through the band or you NEVER would have been able to eat that much. I'm sure you are OK, but don't wait too long to go back for another fill. Just call the doc and tell them you don't feel any restriction. Good luck!

[OH Juli 15]

Don't drink anything and don't put another damn thing in your mouth until you feel better.

Which might not be until tomorrow; then be kind to your body and do band friendly foods.

Were you testing your band?

The reality is with banding you can eat like you ate and never lose a pound. A huge part of the equation is your behavior. Please don't say you were hungry...you were eating candy and cake. There are emotional things at play here and you need to get a grip on those if you want to be successful.

Do you have a therapist? Are you honest with them?

I know this sounds harsh, but you had surgery to lose weight...that's no small thing. The responsibility lies entirely on you at this point if you are going to lose the wieght or not.

Be kind to yourself and work on the root cause of why you ate like that...it's not just becuase you could, there is something more to it.

[Guest ZenGarden]

I am feeling so sick. I had my first fill on Friday. It has not done one thing for me. I am feeling so bad for myself and I ate 2 sandwiches with chips two candy bars and a huge piece of cake. I feel so sick now I can't tell you. Has anyone else done this? Do you think I did huge damage to my band. I really feel ill. Thanks for any help

First off, try and relax....but most importantly, try and get control of your eating. Trust me, I'm still struggling with restriction issues (or lack thereof) and am 14 months post-op. Your restriction will get better with each fill, but it might take some time. Until then, if you feel as if you are going to binge, at least do it with healthy foods such as fresh fruits and veggies. I know it is really hard to resist the junk food, but you really need to try and stay away from it as much as possible. Also, remember to drink fluids throughout the day in between meals as this will help keep you hydrated as well as keep your hunger level down.

As far as damaging your band, highly unlikely. If you were able to eat two sandwiches, chips, two candy bars, and a huge slice of cake...without vomiting it all back up...then you are fine as far as not injuring the band itself. My suggestion is to try and do the best you can with willpower and get back in as soon as you can for another fill.

Best of luck to you and hang in there.

[NANAbanded 0]

I agree with kcispy4, most of the food must have went thru. I just had my 2nd fill and unlike my first I can really tell the difference this time. After my 1st fill-I felt as if this was just not going to work for me. I could eat about anything that i wanted. But the 2nd fill has been totally different and i am unable to eat half as much. You are probably okay-I got sick once after eating way too much & my band is still okay.

[Hastings 3]

I think that this thread shows people need to deal with their issues with food. Just getting a band and "eating like "normal" people do only tiny amounts" isn't necessarily the answer for everyone. Work on your issues. It's only food, for crying out loud. Being hungry or not eating is NOT an emergency.

[HeatherO 7]

Don't be too harsh on yourself and try not to feel too much guilt about what happened. I think almost all of us have had some sort of binge behavior at one time or another before we reached any real restriction after we were off liquids/mushies and onto regular food. This is a vulnerable time because we are still int he stage of relearning the behaviors that caused our weight issues in the first place. The most important thing is not that you had the binge, but how you choose to move forward from here.

So it happened, you survived it . . . now its time to move on and get back on track. Someone suggested that you eat healthy foods instead of turning to Cookies, cake, candybars, etc. I agree 100% and have found this to be an effective tool for myself. How often do any of us struggling with weight control issues binge on carrots, celery, broccoli, etc??? Almost never because they are filling and healthy and you don't have the same blood sugar responses.

I have found both pre and post banding that I have a carb addiction. If I eat something sweet, give me another half hour of so and I will have a HUGE craving to have something else sweet. Part of it is the blood sugar response. Now I choose not to eat these things and I don't allow my thoughts to dwell on them.

Avoid highly processed carbs at all costs, especially those things laden with sugar and fat. These things slip right through the band even when you have good restriction. The band can not help you if you eat the wrong foods. If you really desire something sweet, have some fruit so that you can get some health benefits from it.

Talk to your doctor about more aggressive fills as well. Perhaps you can shorten the time to the next fill. Most of us do not experience much restriction with the first fill.

Last but not least, most of us here deal with some form of emotional eating and binge behavior that got us here in the first place. Read as much as you can about this behavior and ways that people have found to successfully combat it. A little information gathering, soul searching and behavior modification techniques can do wonders in finding ways to move away from self sabotaging eating behaviors.

[aimlagana 0]

My advice...... Accept yourself for your imperfections and cherish them as they make you, you. We all fall down. The wonderfull thing is that we have a chance to get back on the horse tomorrow and make different choices.

Weight loss is a battle. There's nothing easy about it. On the days that you forget to wear your armour, reach out to friends and family. They'll help get you through. Once you are properly restricted, you'll find these inclinations will be much less.

Take care and be well.

Edited June 16, 2008 by aimlagana
spelling error

[jaylow 1]

Thank you to everyone who wrote back. I am usually very good. I am going to call my therapist and stay on Clear Liquids till I feel better