i was banded on dec 3rd and so many people have asked me about how i was dealing with not being able to eat the foods that i loved so much. up until TODAY, i had not really had a problem with it. in my mind, i know that i was not going to be able to eat them for a while, if ever again. a co-worker brought a red velvet cake to work this morning and i cried because i knew that i could not have any. how many of you have dealt with this and how do you handle it? i feel so stupid for crying over food, but i can't help it.

Don't feel bad! I had a complete meltdown one day!

I had a really bad day at work, and I was straving by the time I got home. I was on my mushies stage at that time, and I was having chili for dinner. I heated up my cup of chili, then I dumped a bunch of cheese on top and some sour cream! oh, but I did'nt stop there! I had a plan to drink water with it in hopes that I could have a second helping of chili! I sat down to my chili, and dam band would not let me have that second helping! boy was I mad, and I just lost it! first I got very angry, then the tears came. So don't beat yourself up, we have all been there. That day I realized that I was mourning my best friend FOOD! so let yourself cry, get angry, I think it's healthy and part of the process of our new lives.

Chin up :thumbup: and just think of that size 6 red dress that your going to blow away all your co workers with next christmas season, or about the wonderful new swimsuit you will be wearing this summer! :confused_smile:

Were all with you!

I was one week post op on Thanksgiving! I got upset, and I realized that it had nothing to do with the food. It was more that I felt left out, so it was the social aspect of food. We all get together on the holidays and what do we do? We eat, if you aren't eating you stand out, people wonder why, it's just hard.

Once I realized what it was, I was able to tell myself that it's all temporary. Now I have 3 days of mushies left and I am back on solids. So on Christmas I'll be able to have dinner with everyone.

It's hard, no doubt about it. Hang in there.

You're still in an emotional time, so those feelings will come. The best advice I can give you is... that red velvet cake isn't off limits forever. It is just until you can eat real food again. You won't be able to eat the WHOLE cake any more, but you sure don't have to cross it off your list forever!

You are not alone. I was banded on Dec 4 and about one week afterwards, I lost it. I am so tired of liquids, I am about to scream. I cried and cried and cried. I doubted my decision and wished I could go back. Like someone said, I was in mourning for food. I am over it now and glad I made it through. I know this is the best decision I could have made. Hang in there, like someone posted on my blog..."this too shall pass".

Write down how you feel, it helps a lot. I blogged about it and once I was finished, I felt better.

Nina

thank all of you so much for posting advice. isnt it funny that you dont miss something until it is gone? i never thought of food as my best friend until it was gone. i know that there will come a time when i will be able to eat again, but it is just taking alot to get used to. and doing this right here at Christmas is not helping either. i made the best out of Thanksgiving because i knew that i would be able to enjoy Chrismas meals. i just have to pick myself up, stop feeling sorry for myself and realize that i have done the best thing for me and this time next year....it will have passed and i will be a totally different person. thanks again for all of your responses. it is very comforting to know that i have so many of you out there to talk to. yall are the only ones that can sympathize, as you have been right where i am.

a co-worker brought a red velvet cake to work this morning and i cried because i knew that i could not have any.

What would help me in a situation like this is to accept a small piece of cake, take it back to my desk, not eat it at work, bring it home, wrap it and freeze it. Tell yourself that "someday" you'll have it - after you're on regular foods.

That's only if I feel I'll get upset over the "loss." Even better is not to bring it home at all, but just promise yourself that if you still want it when you're on solids, you'll go buy or bake some. By the time solids comes around, you'll probably forget you ever wanted it. And if you haven't, you can make that one of your occasional treats.

During my pre-op and post-op liquid phase, if my family ate something and I felt "deprived," I'd take out a portion and put it in the blender, and then freeze it to eat during my mushy phase. Now that I'm in the mushy phase, I don't even want that food anymore, and haven't eaten a single one. But at the time, it made me feel better and helped get me through.

It's hard to not be allowed to eat anything - don't add mental or emotional pressure to the stress. Telling yourself you can "never" have it again could make you cry, but it isn't really true. You can have it again, but not too much and not too often - and not right now. (((hugs)))

Edited December 15, 200817 yr by dietpeach

I was banded on Oct. 1, 08 and mourned food miserably for the first 6 to 8 weeks. I was depressed and cried a lot. My outlook was that it was gone forever! Trying to learn new ways to cook and learning to try new healthier foods was so overwhelming. I think that my emotions were very VERY edgy to say the least! lol I was so sore after my surgery also from the gas they used and that played a big part too. I did a lot of crying and praying. But the more weight I began to lose the better I felt. I was dreading Thanksgiving. I was thinking of all the food I wasn't going to be able to eat. But when the day came I was surprised by my self-control. I didn't really eat a lot ( and we had 2 family meals in one day!). I moderated myself but I did eat the "forbidden" food! lol I thought for sure I would have put 5 lbs. back on but to my delight it was only 2. The day after thanksgiving I went back to my "new" way of eating healthy, mostly protien, and i immediately lost those 2 plus a few more in a matter of a week. I have come to realize that food isn't my "best friend" or "comfort buddy" any more. I am finding new interest to occupy my time. Things I have wanted to do but thought I was to big to do them. I'm starting to live my life again! No more mourning! Just excitement! Don't look at it as gone forever! You can have it in moderation and once in a while! (And I had a small piece of red velvet cake at a christmas party last week! It is my favorite cake! Just use moderation and hang in there!

This might sound corny but a nurse friend of mine who is also into Indian methods of cleansing said that you will get depressed and emotional during rapid or large weight loss because of the hormones that circulate in your fat cells, apparently once you lose the weight, the hormones get all out of whack - take if for what it's worth, she is into some strange healing methods but she makes sense as she explains things...

I had 2 or 3 meltdowns in the first 1-2 months of banding.

It is normal. Not only are you saying goodbye to the old you, you just had surgery and rapid weightloss is putting extra hormones into your system.

It is like being pregnant and crying over spilled milk, lol.