? how life is after

[Angiekate 4]

So I'm hoping to get banded soon. Only a few more steps . But i have a few questions? Mostly what's life like after ? And i feel like no one talkes about missing food , i know to be healthy and lose weight is the best reward but i cant lied im scared ...... Very scared !! I mean if i cant do it now, how can i do it with the band ? I dont know i just dont want to wake up one day and be so unhappy cause i let fear stop me from getting the lap ........... Feeling just a little overwhelmed

[B-52 7,113]

The reason we get the band is because we "Can't do it now" on our own...if we could, we would not need surgery....WLS for me was a Last Resort...I failed time after time at traditional dieting, and my health was suffering because of it...it was time for "Corrective" surgery, or else!

As far as life after, it all depends upon how far after....there are different phases...I am 2 -1/2 years out, and my "life after" may sounfd like science fiction (too good to be true) to those who are still starting out or trying to find their way........

[mrsto 2,925]

Yep - I'm with B52 on this... If we could do it without the band, we would have done it. And many of us HAVE done it.......over and over and OVER again! It's a vicious cycle; big losses, even bigger gains. For so many of us, the band is a way to stop the madness.

For me, in the beginning, when I was back on mushy/solid foods, I was frustrated that I couldn't eat more. Though clearly I was "done" on a very small amount, my head yearned for more. But I'm very happy to say, that 3.5 months out, that feeling has subsided. Now, when I go out to eat and a huge plate of food is put in front of me, it somewhat grosses me out. I order what I want, and pick through, eating what I can, and then either leave the rest, or box it up to take home. But the restaurant portions now look so inflated. I'm used to smaller portions, and I enjoy every single bite; SO much more than before the band.

Head hunger is our biggest obstacle with the band….or any WLS. I go for a few days where I'm fine, and then I'll have a day where I just want to EAT! On those days I have to be more strategic with my daily calories. Maybe I'll allow myself 1,200 instead of the 1,000 I'm trying to stick to. And I'll plan little Snacks in order to satisfy that need to "hand to mouth" it. I'm at a stage in life where I've accepted that I will not break certain habits, and I’m totally okay with it. I've made SO many changes since surgery, and I continually reap the rewards for doing so.

Your concerns and fears are completely normal. I went through SO many emotions prior to surgery, and when I finally settled on the band over other WLS choices, I was completely ready. But it was quite a roller coaster ride getting here, and I haven't regretted it for one single minute. I love my band, and finally feel that my life is coming back. That would not have happened on another f-ing diet.

[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

You concerns are very normal. And all of us here needed the band as a tool to help up. I am out 20 months, and my normal is smaller portions, but I can eat anything I want. Keep the faith, you can do this if you want it!

[gowalking 10,790]

So I'm hoping to get banded soon. Only a few more steps . But i have a few questions? Mostly what's life like after ? And i feel like no one talkes about missing food , i know to be healthy and lose weight is the best reward but i cant lied im scared ...... Very scared !! I mean if i cant do it now, how can i do it with the band ? I dont know i just dont want to wake up one day and be so unhappy cause i let fear stop me from getting the lap ........... Feeling just a little overwhelmed

I'm banded six months and have lost over 70 lbs. If you listen to your band, you will be able to distinguish between hungry and not hungry. You have to eat slow and small bites and that means you can't mindlessly eat anymore. I would wolf down a bowl of Pasta and get a second helping without even thinking about it. You will learn to eat differently and the sadness from not eating to excess will not compare to the pleasure of your successes like getting off meds, or buying smaller size clothes, or getting compliments, or all the non scale victories you will experience like fitting into plane seats, fitting into a booth in a diner, putting on only one gown at the doctor's office..not wearing two to cover everything. The list goes on and on.

Good luck on your journey...read these posts, ask questions, and help mentor other newbies once you become a veteran and realize all your fears and worries were just based on the unknown.

[GoingforGoal 1,734]

_{Hello. All of us struggled with the what ifs prior to getting banded. It's all very new and it's hard to grasp it all until you are finally banded. B52 is correct. You will go through transitions after being banded. Fastforward past the postop healing phase and to your first fill, you will begin to understand how the band helps with Portion Control. Initially you will eat super healthy, emphasis on Protein, low fat etc. You will maintain this until fill 2, 3, 4? until you reach green because you don't want to sabotage your wl you already achieved. When you get to green, you will have to experiment with your foods and relearn your band (as you do after each fill) and figure which foods are problematic and which are not. From there, you get creative. You experiment with new foods, new meals. You become much better at estimating cals, portions etc. You are forming solid healthy habits. Now is when you understand that having an icecream today is ok... or maybe today I will eat out and enjoy something I use to love (but don't be surprised if you leave 80% of it on your plate lol). If you are motivated by your wl and protective of that success you'll balance those occasional 'cheats' with your healthy habits and 1) not sabotage yourself and 2) feel satisfied. I am near 4 years out. The only things I don't eat is Pasta, rice and bread because those are no-nos for me, but I don't miss them. Everything else like high cals meals, treats etc I have on occasion (once a week?) and I feel completely satiated because I don't feel like I'm craving or restricting myself. The band is such a tremendous tool if used properly.}

[GoingforGoal 1,734]

Woah, sorry for the small font..I reposted in larger font:

_{Hello. All of us struggled with the what ifs prior to getting banded. It's all very new and it's hard to grasp it all until you are finally banded. B52 is correct. You will go through transitions after being banded. Fastforward past the postop healing phase and to your first fill, you will begin to understand how the band helps with Portion Control. Initially you will eat super healthy, emphasis on Protein, low fat etc. You will maintain this until fill 2, 3, 4? until you reach green because you don't want to sabotage your wl you already achieved. When you get to green, you will have to experiment with your foods and relearn your band (as you do after each fill) and figure which foods are problematic and which are not. From there, you get creative. You experiment with new foods, new meals. You become much better at estimating cals, portions etc. You are forming solid healthy habits. Now is when you understand that having an icecream today is ok... or maybe today I will eat out and enjoy something I use to love (but don't be surprised if you leave 80% of it on your plate lol). If you are motivated by your wl and protective of that success you'll balance those occasional 'cheats' with your healthy habits and 1) not sabotage yourself and 2) feel satisfied. I am near 4 years out. The only things I don't eat is Pasta, rice and bread because those are no-nos for me, but I don't miss them. Everything else like high cals meals, treats etc I have on occasion (once a week?) and I feel completely satiated because I don't feel like I'm craving or restricting myself. The band is such a tremendous tool if used properly.}

[mrsto 2,925]

Woah, sorry for the small font..I reposted in larger font:

_{Hello. All of us struggled with the what ifs prior to getting banded. It's all very new and it's hard to grasp it all until you are finally banded. B52 is correct. You will go through transitions after being banded. Fastforward past the postop healing phase and to your first fill, you will begin to understand how the band helps with Portion Control. Initially you will eat super healthy, emphasis on Protein, low fat etc. You will maintain this until fill 2, 3, 4? until you reach green because you don't want to sabotage your wl you already achieved. When you get to green, you will have to experiment with your foods and relearn your band (as you do after each fill) and figure which foods are problematic and which are not. From there, you get creative. You experiment with new foods, new meals. You become much better at estimating cals, portions etc. You are forming solid healthy habits. Now is when you understand that having an icecream today is ok... or maybe today I will eat out and enjoy something I use to love (but don't be surprised if you leave 80% of it on your plate lol). If you are motivated by your wl and protective of that success you'll balance those occasional 'cheats' with your healthy habits and 1) not sabotage yourself and 2) feel satisfied. I am near 4 years out. The only things I don't eat is Pasta, rice and bread because those are no-nos for me, but I don't miss them. Everything else like high cals meals, treats etc I have on occasion (once a week?) and I feel completely satiated because I don't feel like I'm craving or restricting myself. The band is such a tremendous tool if used properly.}

Thank you! I love your posts, but my poor old eyes were struggling to read them

[Mrs. Lee842 9]

I'm new at this and it was also scary for me. It still is because everyday it's something new but trust me you learn fast. The first couple of days when I was in pain ( I didn't take any pain medication) I kept asking myself " what did I do to myself" but now that its been around 3 weeks I'm glad I did it. To be honest I rather go through learning how to live with this new tool inside of me than suffering with health issues over my weight. I could not do it on my own! What pushed me to finally do it? My mother had a heart attack and about one year later she suffered a cardiac arrest. She had developed heart disease. My chances were up there to follow in her footsteps. Of course I don't know what my future will be like now that I have the lapband but then again I'm not giving up. Good luck to you!

[beanie80 146]

So I'm hoping to get banded soon. Only a few more steps . But i have a few questions? Mostly what's life like after ? And i feel like no one talkes about missing food , i know to be healthy and lose weight is the best reward but i cant lied im scared ...... Very scared !! I mean if i cant do it now, how can i do it with the band ? I dont know i just dont want to wake up one day and be so unhappy cause i let fear stop me from getting the lap ........... Feeling just a little overwhelmed

I was scared about missing food too, but I was surprised to see that I don't miss it. I still eat, I still get the satisfaction of eating, but it is not a mindless, fill up my emotions and soul eating anymore. You will be surprised with how much you emotionally DON'T need food. I used food as a crutch for when I was lonely, bored, sad, happy etc. etc. Now I actually interact with people instead and deal with my emotions head on. Best of luck to you. Anything new and uncertain is scary, but you will never know how wonderful life can be without taking a chance

[DetChatt 188]

I was completely ready in my head when I decided to go forward with surgery, so I was more than ready and willing to make the eating changes I knew I needed to do. You'd think being that ready, I could have done it on my own before, but if only it were that easy. I am one of those people who doesn't miss food now "after". I'm actually on the other end and have to force or remind myself to eat. I'm 2+ years out and have no real restriction in my band and am doing it pretty much on my own, but I worry all the time that something will change with the band or my head where I'll struggle again. The mind is a funny thing.