Hello everyone-

I am new to this forum however I get banded next Friday and to be completely honest I am petrified that I am going to fail! I want to lose 5 lb's before surgery and am having trouble controlling myself at night. I am afraid this is going to happen after my band and I am not going to lose! I am mortified! I thought I was prepared mentally but am already feeling like a failure. Oh, and I think my profile says I am male and haven't figure out where to change it. I am all girl! :laugh:

I know when I went to my seminar my surgeon presented various surgeries. One biggie he said about lap band was that snackers/grazers tend to fail because the point of the band is portion control, and snacking negates that. I'll admit I do snack, but I'm an evening snacker only. I can be home on the weekends, all day, whatever and no snacking until after dinner. I don't snack on trips. I never snacked at work. Just the evening. So I went for it. And admittedly I struggle with that still. I am going to a therapist and hope I'm learning new better habits.

I know life holds no guarantees, but I can't just post "OH you'll be fine it's normal to be scared" because I understand and can just tell you it's going to be a battle and you have to be willing to fight it.

Don't be discouraged because we all eat more than we should or we wouldn't need the band. At the same time remember, lots of people with the band fail so you have to be smart, get your fills, and do your best to eat sensibly.

I do not control what I eat like I should but here is my plan and it is working and everyday I am a little less likely to make bad choices. At meal time, I pretty much eat what I want and let the band control the portions. I try to get Proteins and veggies first but if the mashed potatoes or something fried is calling my name then I have a small spoon of it. I try to avoid Snacks or choose 100 calorie packs but if chocolate is calling my name then I have some (some not the whole bar). I have learned to eat just what I need to satisfy my want and then give the rest to my children or wrap it up for later.

This band is a tool and you have to use it effectively but it is a very good tool. I am not longer even tempted by things like bread and Pasta. I still love to smell them but I no longer put them on my plate. (This didn't happen overnite but over the past year.)

This is the best thing that I have ever done for myself. I still worry that I will not make it to my goal weight but I still loose. I weigh everyday just because I want to BUT I only track of lowest weight from Fri, Sat, or Sun each week.

Hope that helps your nerves! :tongue2: