How to cheat on your band

[bsellis 105]

I think patient education is just as important as the actual procedure of having the band placed. We were given 'rules' to go by and were told if you don't go by the rules you won't be successful. (The top rule being no drinking your calories.) It's easy to cheat but my thinking is why would you want to? Why would you go to such drastic measures as having wls just to abuse it? I totally see the point of your post but I knew this before I even had the surgery. Unfortunately this isn't always the case. I would just encourage people who are looking into wls to research surgeons and find one that offers a lot of education and support.

[Jim1967 3,569]

Sorry, I for one definitely misunderstood and I came off as lecturing. I need to work on that.

I did a lot of counseling on my addiction and twice attended a binge eater class called "Hungry Head". It is a class my weight center put together and is lead by the Psych Counselor. In this class we covered various topics ranging from trigger foods, different types of eating whether it be emotional, boredom to a closet eater. It was a 6 week class and I found very helpful and it really opened my eyes to my own addiction with food. To this very day I do avoid Cheez-Its as they have always been my food of choice to binge on. When I was a little kid the Nabisco guy on the box was my imaginary friend. I wish I were joking about that but I am not. I remember it quite well being very young sitting in front of the t.v. with a box of Cheez-Its talking to the box.

I have to say since finding my sweet spot I am no longer enticed as easy and I feel like I am in control of myself for the first time in my life. I eat 3 meals a day and hardly snack. Honestly I am not sure if it is my band taking care of me or perhaps I really do have my head in it. I still fear that the tide will turn and I will go back to my old behavior. I feared that when I started the process and I fear it now 2 years later.

I found talking to people whether it be a Counselor or someone at a Support Group who is going through the same thing is quite helpful.

[Thyatis 15]

Ok so going by this, were you able to eat cheez-its with the band, i am going to take a guess yes. I am also going to take a guess that since having the band you have eaten cheez its, and you have to make an effort not to eat it. I will also guess that you have caught yourself just eating them with out thinking?

I wasn't saying you were lecturing but pretty much every post here everyone is don't do this , i would never do this etc... when everyone knows they have done it, and if they haven't they most likely didnt' need the band in the first place and could have done it mentally themselves.

What i have found is that the band doesn't stop the bad foods, it stops anything that is a "good" food. For example, it is a cruel world that you cant' eat chicken breast BUT you can eat as much chocolate as you want.

[Jim1967 3,569]

My answers in bold...

Ok so going by this, were you able to eat cheez-its with the band, i am going to take a guess yes. YES

I am also going to take a guess that since having the band you have eaten cheez its, and you have to make an effort not to eat it. YES and I don't know. I have eaten them but I don't keep them around me. I would like to think I can control myself but I am not in a place to trust that I can.

I will also guess that you have caught yourself just eating them with out thinking?

NO. I do not keep them in my house but they are the only food I worry about losing control with. I have not had them in well over a year and the last time I did have them it was a vending size bag that I split with my Wife. See I even remember the details of when I last had them....sad.

I wasn't saying you were lecturing but pretty much every post here everyone is don't do this , i would never do this etc... when everyone knows they have done it, and if they haven't they most likely didnt' need the band in the first place and could have done it mentally themselves.

No, I said I was lecturing after I re-read my first post I recognize that. I am not making excuses but we are all communicating by a text medium. It is easy to misconstrue tone and meaning and it could be a matter of comprehending the post.

What i have found is that the band doesn't stop the bad foods, it stops anything that is a "good" food. For example, it is a cruel world that you cant' eat chicken breast BUT you can eat as much chocolate as you want.

Agreed. I too was surprised when I found out how easily Tostitos went down compared to something like bread or a piece of chicken.< /strong>

Now that my band is properly adjusted I have not had the cravings outside of an occasional want for something sweet and when that happens a teaspoon of Peanut Butter satisfies me. I eat 3 meals a day and I can go easily 5 hours in between without getting hungry.

[Jim1967 3,569]

I agree with Hazel and Jim.

I think our poster was trying to say that they have "cheated" the band themselves what have you and more then likely because of food addiction did not clearly notice that they were "cheating" themselves or eating around their band.

In another post today, I explained that I'm a Sweetie! I love all those yummy sweet things. Would I throw them in the blender to have them...no (the visual makes me sick...and cures of of the want to eat it! so that's a good thing!)

When I am in the middle of an emotional turmoil (today would be a good example!) I can eat things and not even pay attention to them. I'm hungry I eat. If the food item makes me "feel" better for the moment even better.

I don't want to cheat my band or myself, that's not why I had surgery or why I am here. Yet it happens sometimes, and because I know it and I am aware of it I can make a change and make a different choice next time before I start mindlessly eating.

I think our original poster was just trying to bring that out to the light, and ask others to share what food items trigger that mindless eating for them, that in affect "cheats" themselves by eating around their band.

Lisa, thanks for straightening me out. I completely miss-understood the original post...

[NaNa 878]

Oh god I was feeling so bad and worried and now I can see I'm not the only one. I have a 14cc band and only had my first fill (4.4cc) a week ago.

At first I thought the fill must have not given me any restriction as I was able to eat just a day later and I have eaten big meals too. I know it sounds crazy but a few times I even forgot I had a band on. Yesterday I didn't eat or drink all day as I was so busy with the wedding (my brother got married on Monday) and as I gulped my dinner down (dry chicken n rice dish), I got an acute pain in my chest as if the food was stuck half way to my stomach. I had a feeling of needing to throw up but couldn't. That was only after eating about four or five big spoonfuls. I was in shock n panic.

I grabbed some coke and thought I'll either vomit or it will go down but at least I won't be in pain. The food went down. I wish it hadn't.

We had a family meal for lunch today n I kept reaching for the diet coke so that the food would go down n I could enjoy the meal with everyone else. Then I did the same for dinner. I am getting frightened of myself now. I paid for this surgery as I wanted to lose weight. I looked at the wedding pics and they make me hate myself even more. I have stopped weighing myself. I am scared that if I find out I have put on weight I will give up completely like I used to when dieting in the past.

I promise myself to be good from tomorrow. I have to do this for myself. I can't keep risking a band slippage or any other complications. I won't be able to forgive myself as there is no one else I could blame. I am so afraid right now as I didn't think that I wouldn't be able to control myself and behave this way. I am afraid I will do this again. I hope I won't allow myself. Could someone give some harsh warnings about what I have done to discourage me from repeating this please.

KoolNor -- you asked and you will receive!! :wub:

Did your surgeon say Coke or carbonated beverages was part of your post op diet plan? There are speculations that drinking carbonated beverages WILL stretch your pouch -- which CAN cause band slippage.

You don't want to damage your band before you lose all of your weight, if you paid cash for your surgery, remember it cost about the same or more to get a new band or get it removed....sometimes being "scared" straight will help you follow rules and stay on track.

Remember why you did this! You can do this, follow your dietitian or surgeons post op diet plan. We are not perfect dust yourself off and start over, it's a learning process.

[mrsto 2,925]

I think that the thread header "how to cheat on your band", sounds more like a lesson on how to eat around it & do everything we were trained not to do. The header is misleading, and I go back to what I wrote in my original post..... I wonder where everyone's head was at in their education classes. If this is more of a thread about choosing not to make the best choice in any given moment, then YES, I think we've all done it. I find it hard to believe that after an entire life of failed diets, that someone goes through this surgery & doesn't know what's loaded with sugar, and what isn't. Not to mention pureed pizza and whatever else.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

16 months banded....i have not had any desire (to eat what and the way i use to)..not for one moment have i came close to devouring nacho's and robbing mcdonalds.....why?

because i am losing weight/inches...and that feels/tastes/IS better than anything.....i dont run from food nor hide from it.....to cheat is to diet...i dont diet....i eat to live not live to eat...

i now choose to eat different things.

[bsellis 105]

Hi

Well here's an interesting thought. Speaking of cheating the band...sometimes don't you think the band cheats us? (smirk). So in my post I spoke to 'tricks' I use when I need to consume healthy foods like chicken. I simply add Tomato sauce for instance. Nowhere in bandland rules does it say you can't add flavor, you can't have foods that could be labeled sliders on occassion etc. But it does say, get your Protein in. So on those terrible days when the band is just naturally tight I get creative. Again, like chicken with tomato sauce to help moisten it instead of risking getting stuck.

There's a huge difference between cheating the band to get all your fav foods in, and than cheating the nature of the band when it prevents healthy eating. I also believe, any extremist who thinks they are going to maintaing a 100% pure diet for 10, 20, 40+ years is unrealistic. In the beginning we run high on idealism. It makes zero sense why you would go thorugh this operation simply to sabotage yourself. However, years into the band you recognize that moderation is the actual answer and can be accomodated in your normal diet. ie a handful of m&m's.

Again, we are talking food choices. Not other habits like overating 2+ cups of food, drinking your meals (ie milkshakes and cookies) etc. I just want to make that clarification because "cheating" can be implied in different ways

Moderation is the answer... Thank you for saying that! I'm doing excellent on my weight loss so far and guess what? I eat carbs and occasionally snack. Just last night I had a skinny cow ice cream bar but it was after I walked 2 1/2 miles. I've had chips but it was a single serving package and it was the baked kind. I've had pizza but it was just one piece. I still stay between 850-1000 calories a day but I'm not going to be miserable and deprive myself of everything that I like. I know the chips are sliders and pizza is not the best choice but I feel like I'm working hard so occasionally (not all the time mind you) I can make that choice. And the best part? I don't feel guilty at all. This is a lifestyle change not a diet and that is how I've approached this process. I will not drink my calories though. That is something I will not budge on right now but maybe when I'm in the maintance phase I will go get something from Starbucks. Who knows?

[mrsto 2,925]

Moderation is the answer... Thank you for saying that! I'm doing excellent on my weight loss so far and guess what? I eat carbs and occasionally snack. Just last night I had a skinny cow ice cream bar but it was after I walked 2 1/2 miles. I've had chips but it was a single serving package and it was the baked kind. I've had pizza but it was just one piece. I still stay between 850-1000 calories a day but I'm not going to be miserable and deprive myself of everything that I like. I know the chips are sliders and pizza is not the best choice but I feel like I'm working hard so occasionally (not all the time mind you) I can make that choice. And the best part? I don't feel guilty at all. This is a lifestyle change not a diet and that is how I've approached this process. I will not drink my calories though. That is something I will not budge on right now but maybe when I'm in the maintance phase I will go get something from Starbucks. Who knows?

I'm so with you on this..... If I say to myself that I'll never have "x-y-z" again, I'll sabotage the whole thing. Though eating after dinner is a huge no-no, I have to be realistic on what I'm willing to give up. An evening snack isn't one of those things. I plan for it, enjoy it, and it helps keep me sane (if that's at all possible) - LOL!