How do you face down the food demons and old, bad habits while shopping? I was recently banded (12/11/08) and am finding shopping a real challenge. All the sweets and salty treats I used to eat (and eat and eat and eat) are such a temptation. As I wander through the grocery store or Target I keep reminding myself of my journey and my destination. But, it is difficult to 'turn off' the old me, the old me who always bought candy bars and snack foods.

What tricks or suggestions do you have for adjusting to new habits? Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Wow...I still have some of those problems. Fortunately, since I've been banded for almost a year, I know my body shouldn't have some of that stuff (trust me, I've tried). I know I feel much better physically and mentally having this tool help me control my eating. I've learned that most things in moderation is okay.

Right after banding is very hard. You are still dealing w/ a lot of emotions that got you where you are in the first place. You have to trust me when I say "IT GETS BETTER!" I know this doesn't help you now, and I'm sorry about that. You have to learn what works for you!

Good luck to you!

Beth, thank you so much for your reply. It is good to know I'm not alone in this struggle.

Congratulations on your tremendous success.

Thank you for your words of encouragement.

It does get better - I never even think about buying that sort of food anymore. But it was hard at first.

It is hard! My last grocery trip was chaos. I tried to just skim over everything that wasnt on my list so I didnt even think about it. I also looked at ALOT of labels. I used to do this alot but stopped overtime. After reading the labels, my temptation to buy that product was gone. lol

BTW, I was also banded on 12.11.08!

Glad to see this post. I struggle too.. chips and popcorn are my big downfall. I think pre-surgery I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to eat much, I had read so much about people barely eating 1 cup of food at each meal. I didn't realize that the bad carbs would still go down so easily. I'm cutting out caffeine to see if that helps with the cravings. Some days I win the battle, some days I don't. I just try to do my best every day. I'm happy to see that eventually it gets easier.

I never had this problem pre-band or post band, because I eat a meal before going shopping. When I am full I am satisfied and when I am satisified I am not tempted.

What tricks or suggestions do you have for adjusting to new habits? Thanks in advance for your assistance.

i really struggled early on getting restriction & relying on will power. my dr suggested that i carry some raw nuts (walnuts/almonds) or Jerky (i like ostrich) with me. most often i did not need anything while out & about - but those little Snacks helped me when i was very hungry & was likely to make a poor food choice.

good luck - ! -

After my surgery, I was scared to try a lot of snack foods. Most of my favorites are pretty bread-like and I was afraid they'd get stuck.

Grocery trips are a family affair in our house. We plan our meals, make a list, and stick to it. Also, I don't go into the snack aisle at all. My husband and son know what I shouldn't eat, so they don't usually let me sneak it into the cart.

We try to keep the snack food out of the house. Fortunately, the boys like Snacks that I hate. So we've got cheetos and pork rinds in the house, but no tortilla chips or ice cream.

I also was scared to try a lot of things, but once I discovered the sneaky snacky foods I COULD eat- major problem.

Now I know if I buy them, I need to get rid of them ASAP! I bought Cookies, ate 2 small ones and brought them to work and gave them away.

Last night I had a party and we had chocolates out. I gave everyone a baggy of chocolates as they left so there wouldn't be any more for me to eat.

I learned I can have SOME of those things but I really need to watch myself and monitor what I'm doing! it's a process and we are all going through it.

If you can resist, do it. if you really, really want something, see if you can buy a single serving size and split it with someone (a friend or kid or something.)

Avoiding forever seems like a great plan, but for me it hasn't been. I do better learning from my experiences, which means sometimes breaking the rules but learning from my mistakes. I am doing very well now with avoiding the junky stuff, but it's taken practice!!

I too was just banded on 12/10/08 and I have have had major cravings for the foods that got me in this mess. I sat through a pot luck at work while still on my liquid stage-talk about torture. Everyone ate lots of things I like and the smells and I drank my darn slim fast it was hard. I saw my surgeon the same day and had lost 10 lbs since surgery so I know that the fight was worth it and he let me go to my mushy stage which is a bit more sustaining. I argue with my mom alot who keeps reminding me that in the end it will all be worth it and I need to change my thinking now of being deprived. For me I still think it is early for me to change my old thinking but I have to fight through them.