Newbie ? For Those That Were Binge Eaters

[speck 1]

did the surgery help you with that or do you still struggle with it.

I know several people who have had the surgery but because they are binge eaters they still struggle with the weight.

Any feedback is appreciated.

[Lisa99 1]

Helped tremendously! On a binge I could eat a whole pizza, follow it with a pint of Ben & Jerry's, move on to some Reese's Peanut Butter cups all washed down with a ton of soda.

This just doesn't happen any more. I had one small slice of pizza last night and was satifsfied. Ice cream and Peanut Butter cups are my downfall so B&J (or any other kind of ice cream) and most candy has been banished from my life for now. I do have one of the little 1" square Dove chocolate candies on occasion though

[Carlene 12]

You will still be able to binge on the slider foods...ice cream, candy, chips, etc. You will have to keep far, far away from those. Other foods won't be much of a problem. You can't over-eat on solid food with the band.

[speck 1]

Thanks Lisa

It's nice to know that a binge eater can recover.

Sandra

[Teresita 0]

Yes mostly fast food, after banding sun chips for a minute then ice cream. Now I still eat ice cream but notas much or as often. I like seeing me getting leaner.

[*susan* 1,709]

I think most of us are probably binge eaters, that is probably how we got to this point. It definitely helped me. My band simply won't allow me to eat the quantity of food I used to eat.

[JulieNYC 4]

It has stopped my binging completely (knock on wood). I can't even binge on icecream (extreme cold makes my stoma tighten) or chips (they gum up on me after about 3 chips). It hasn't COMPLETElY stopped my emotional eating in smaller quantities, but that's greatly reduced as well.

Get banded. You'll be amazed.

[Barry 0]

Your days of binging on solid foods are over. I used to eat so much late at night and now I don't, it's great. One thing I decided was that I wasn't going to deprive myself from having a bite of something every now and then. For example I might have one or two cheese puffs of something like that. I chew them well and it satisfies me and then I'm done. I haven't had bread or carbonated drinks since surgery, Oct 23rd., and don't miss them one bit. It's funny, I thought I would miss so many things food related but I don't. I guess what it boils down to is by eating all those bad foods, I missed so much more of life by not feeling good enough about myself to go out and do them. Knock on wood, this is the best thing I've done in a long time. Good luck!

[Parvathi 2]

Whilst it helped with the physical side of binge eating (ie, I can't fit a whole pizza in anymore, or a bag of chips), it didn't help with the emotional side of binge eating (ie, if my band weren't tight enough, I'd still do it).

As many before me have said, I wish they could band my head.

[Fauxnaif 1]

I regained about 20 pounds 3 years into my banding journey. It was binge eating. It stopped when I left that crazy job. :clap2:

I recommend therapy to anyone who is a binge eater. The band absolutely WILL NOT take care of it on its own. What it will do is help you think about food less and not get ravenously hungry. Those things sure contribute to bingeing.

OA might also help. Some people are into that.

[sleepyjean 0]

Getting banded turned my bingeing off like a switch. I had always always binged when upset or angry, which was all the time. My obesity is 99% related to emotional eating and diagnosed depression. I feel blessed that I had good restriction from day one. After the surgery, during the month of liquids and semi-solids, I couldn't have stuffed my face even if I wanted too. I had to learn to live without my crutch and pretty soon didn't need it anymore.

The other thing I thank God for is finding a really terrific therapist. I've been in and out of therapy for over ten years and I finally found a great doctor who is very focused and goal-oriented. I started seeing her about six weeks before my surgery and it helped tremendously during a time when I had to develop entirely new coping skills. I have noticed big changes in myself since last spring, but I still see my doctor on a weekly basis. Knowing I have that time every week to use as an emotional outlet makes surviving the rest of the week easier. Besides, in some ways, the worst is yet to come for me. I am someone who likes to fade into the background. I hate being the center of attention. The more weight I lose, the more people are going to notice and I am dreading that. In the past, whenever I got down near my goal weight, I always went back to bingeing because I just couldn't handle the entire world treating me differently and having different expectations of me. It was too scary and so I coped by eating myself into oblivion. But this time, with my two secret weapons - my band and my doc- not only am I able to avoid bingeing, I'm rarely even tempted to do it. I thank God for that every single day.

~sasha

[BandaCat 1]

I'm only 6 wks post-op and 1 week into my first fill, but so far it has stopped my binging completely. I'm not "dieting" like most of the people on the board seem to be. The band has just completely cut down my portions, so it makes binging near impossible. I have found that sweets go down really easy even when nothing else will. But now a binge consists of 3 pieces of chocolate instead of the whole bag, a pint of ice cream, and a huge burrito. I've been more moody at times because I just want to eat but can't. I am having to find new ways of dealing with my emotions. So far I'm happy with my progress. Especially now that my fill seems to be working so well.

[Terrilen 0]

I can still binge with the band just not with the exact same foods as before. Where there is a will there is a way! It truly has so much more to do with the mind than with the stomache. The only way I will ever stop my compulsive over eating is with continued therapy and the help of my band. It's all about my choices in the future.

[Arcael 0]

I used to be a "Power" eater, this surgery helped me alot because I don't eat nearly as fast and I choose things that aren't just empty calories.

[ItsGottaGo! 0]

I have restriction, and I know that I can definitely still binge, on certain things anyway, if I wanted too. I am sure I would have no problem downing an entire bag of Peanut Butter Cups if I tried. I don't think I could binge on Ice Cream anymore, it seems that extreme cold tightens me too, as someone upthread mentioned. I also don't think I would be able to eat an entire pizza ever again either! I guess it all depends on what you decide to binge on. I wish I could say the band has taken away all of my cravings, but, alas, it has not. I, too, wish they could band my head!