I recently attended a LB support group. I listened as I heard stories of how many still have just a shake for breakfast/lunch. I got out of that habit some time ago. I then questioned those that did this if they were the cooks or the caretakers in their households.

Well the ones that were shakes only with one meal per day were all single. Those of us that tired of the shakes eventually had mouths to feed, groceries to buy, sandwiches to cut.... etc.

Frankly, IT IS MORE difficult no matter what anyone sez. I'm not using it as an excuse, but I would love some kind of support group or help. I mean if an alcoholic had to touch, handle liquor all day long... would he be able to stay sober?

In my dream world, I would wake up, have a shake, do my day, have a proti-Protein Soup for lunch. Throw in a healthy snack or two, go to the gym, and make a healthy dinner, and go to bed.

My friend, a father of 5, leaves all of the above to his lovely wife. He agrees that if he had to touch, shop for, cook, taste, etc, ... food all day he'd not have gone quite so far.

NOT an EXCUSE... but @%#! :wink:... man I'd love a break from all this food handling.

LOVE my dh and kids and wouldn't change my life for all the pounds in the world, but really would like a clue... any ideas ?

Gotta go make the lunches. <sigh>

Anyone else go through this?

I can commiserate with you. The moment I leave the kitchen someone wants a snack, it brutal. Lately I have been making hubby's lunch the night before. I should make it at dinnertime, but I forget. So 9 or 10 pm I have to brace myself to just go in, make his lunch and leave. It is SO hard. I ended up eating a little snack tonight, not planned, I wish I didn't. From now on I will try harder to get that lunch made much earlier.

This is a huge concern for me. I am trying to figure out how this is gonna work for me- getting banded on April 16th. So I do share your concerns and my biggest hope is that everyone in the family will eat healthier because of the lapband- not protein shakes per se but healthier foods.

I am not a mom but have a teenager, an 8 year-old, a 6 six year-old and a four old, and share feeding duties with my wife. I also work in a reception center which features home baked cheesecake, apple pie, chocolate chip Cookies and milkshakes. Suffice it to say that I spend many hours around food.

I agree that this is not an optimal situation, but in the long run we do not learn anything from insulating ourselves from situations involving food. I want to share some strategies I have developed:

1- The band is helpful because I know that both at work and at home with my kids, there are some foods which I can no longer eat, period. If I impulsively bite into a PBJ sandwich at home or a slice of apple pie at work, I will pay for it by getting stuck and being miserable. Gotta love that band!

2- I remind myself that I am not a napkin. Licking spoons, fingers and picking up leftover crumbs might seem to be the most natural thing in the world, but I do not have to do it. If I was a carpenter, I would not feel the urge to nibble on the sawdust I sweep up.

3- When I am preparing food for my children or clients, I am like a potter preparing a bowl. Under no circumstances would I feel tempted in this situation to take a big mouthful of clay. Food is a product that I am preparing for someone else. I say to myself, I do not eat clay.

4- [for mature audiences only] I imagine that the food I am serving is sh-t (I don't do this with my kids, obviously, but at work sometimes this is perversely satisfying) which has been cleverly processed into whatever I am dishing out. In a pinch, this strategy can be a big winner.

5- I say to myself, by haveing abused food over the years and reached the point where I needed an operation to get my weight back under control, I have voided my right to eat whatever I am coveting. I have simply had my life's share of ice cream, cake, cookies, pizza or whatever. Enough. That's it. Accept it. Live with it. That is no longer mine.

6- [a more positive variation on 5] After years of selfish behavior around food, the band has helped me to reach the point where I can leave whatever it is that I want for someone else. I have found it very gratifying when I come across one of my kids eating something that I was about to eat but put down. In a sense, that is sort of an anonymous gift from me to them. I say, I won't eat this and I'll see who else will.

None of this denies that being with young children and demanding spouses is easy. Asking for support at difficult times is definitely an option, but ultimately we have to rely on ourselves. With a little creativity and humor and a lot of patience, it gets easier. Good luck to us all,

Edited April 2, 200917 yr by bandpal

I can commiserate with you. The moment I leave the kitchen someone wants a snack, it brutal. Lately I have been making hubby's lunch the night before. I should make it at dinnertime, but I forget. So 9 or 10 pm I have to brace myself to just go in, make his lunch and leave. It is SO hard. I ended up eating a little snack tonight, not planned, I wish I didn't. From now on I will try harder to get that lunch made much earlier.

Haha! I do the same thing. I've been trying to make his lunch while I'm doing dinner dishes... but I too often forget.

None of this denies that being with young children and demanding spouses is easy. Asking for support at difficult times is definitely an option, but ultimately we have to rely on ourselves. With a little creativity and humor and a lot of patience, it gets easier. Good luck to us all,

Very nice post. However, I don't think I'm where you are ... I work towards that ideal way of thinking, but I think I must be a very weak person. :wink:

Thanks!