Not sure if you still have lil ones in the home but if you dont...just dont keep fatning foods around......or have one place for just YOUR foods....and when your head thinks you hungry know you can only pick from them...maybe one see through container with cut up peppers....carrots....WW chees sticks....fresh fruit all cut up.....

Have you thought about maybe a small fill....?

Good Luck....hugs

sorry just re read your post guess you just had a fill......

Please don't listen to the idiot troll Awanda, she/he/it is hitting every thread on here talking complete BS.

Overcoming emotional eating and grazing is hard. I know that's something I've always struggled with too. I find distracting myself helps. I know this is going to sound weird, but night is my hardest time, so I've kinda "trained" my brain. Every night I brush my teeth and take a hot bath when I feel the urge to graze. Now, it's like a signal to my brain "oh it's bath and clean teeth time, we're done eating for the night". I know it sounds weird but it's worked.

I also find keep safe food around for when I just have to have something. I really like both dill pickles and cucumbers. Both are zero calories, so when I need something I grab one.

Hang in there.

Thanks for the advise. Our grandkids we are raising at 17 and 12, the 12 year old has Down Syndrome and they are both great kids. Just the stress of raising another set of growing busy kids and daily life I eat without even realizing I do it. Thanks Missy sounds like a great idea, will give it a shot. You all are a great inspiration to me.

I know a successful bandster, been banded and at goal for over 5 years now....and all she does is Graze all day, or another eway is to say she has 5-6 small snack meals a day...

you have to look at the TOTAL food eaten within a day...not always the traditional 3 meals a day....

I tend to graze now and then...especially weekends stuck in the house on cold days.....but when I do, I do not have any meals either...so it all evens out, if not coming out ahead...

I am a successful bandster and have been at goal for 6 months. The head hunger game can really be an issue all along the journey. I eat small high protein meals all day long. It is actually kind of funny, because on the days I do my best I am constantly eating about every 3 hours. I only eat protein for snacks, peanut butter, sliced turkey, nuts, soy nuts, etc. I do try to eat at least 1-2 small pieces of fruit a day, usually a small banana, cutie or small apple peeled and sliced but when I eat the fruit I always add a small amount of protein. I eat very little zero or low calorie foods, like lettuce, cucumbers, carrots,( I call this rabbit food) To me I think of this as diet food and I am not dieting. I do count calories and I do measure and write down all food intake, I have done this my entire journey because it helps me stay focused and honest with myself.You say you have busy days, I would suggest you start your day with a very good high protein and carb breakfast and energy. I know a lot of people frown on carbs but they give you energy and fuel and if balanced with complex proteins you will stay full longer. My typical day of eating.

Breakfast daily is 1/2 cup oatmeal dry oats cooked with 1 cup water, 1/3 cup egg whites, and 2-3 tablespoons of SF Brown sugar syrup. I add 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/8 cup chopped apple, 2 pecan halves and 1 teaspoon of raw sugar. It takes me about 30 min to eat this and most days I can only eat about 3/4 of this. It is less than 300 calories and very nutritious.

Mid morning I usually have a protein bar that is around 180-190 calories with 9-12 gms of protein or if band is tight I may drink 1 scoop of protein powder which is 140 calories and 25 grms of protein

Lunch consists of 3-4 oz of protein(usually chicken, turkey, fish, or lean pork), some green veggies, lettuce, green beans, zucchini a splash of olive oil and vinegar and some days I add half a sweet potato, no butter or additives. (I have used a few of lean cuisines salad creations lately and they are around 19gms of protein less than 300 calories and I use about 3/4 cup lettuce)

Mid-afternoon, I have a small apple or banana and 1-2 tablespoons of natural ground peanut butter.

Dinner: Lean protein 3-4 ozs and veggies

On days I work out I always have an additional dose of protein by drinking a shake.

I eat about 1200-1500 calories a day.

If I am starving at night, I drink more liquids and rule is after 8pm I do not eat.

to help me stay focused I have kept a picture of fat Diane on the fridge beside thin Diane. A picture is worth a thousand words and I am trying to never go back wards.

I do have grazing days, they are usually Sunday's but I tend to eat same amount of calories and my protein intake on Sunday's usually sucks.

Do not get discouraged, this is a life style change and it takes time to change bad behavior.

great post lovethenewme very encouraging.

I came here today after a 4 year hiatus. I was an early adopter to the band back in 2005. I lost some weight but never gave up the bad habits and even found some new bad habits and behaviors. Gained all the weight back and this week just reapplied myself and began tracking my food and "obeying" my band, not eating through it, as I call it, burping, barfing, hiccuping, not carb loading, not eating soup to ease up the band, not attempting to eat pizza and stopping just before I am full. Its amazing I'm down 5 lbs already and it hasnt been hard. I think the hardest thing is sitting down for a meal and eating so little when others are eating so much. Creating new habits - good habits is important and that is what I'm after now. I agree with you, after 8pm eating is done also eating slow and stopping between bites keeps away the wonder of am i barfing because I full or because food is stuck. All a horrible mind game that I am much happier to avoid. The band is a tool the rest is a lifestyle change and change is never easy, but possible. Thanks again for the good post and encouragement