Emotional Eating

Pangaeus · April 15, 2009

Hi all,

I am thinking about getting the surgery done. I have discussed it with my therapist and she brought up a good point: if I am emotionally eating now, how will the surgery make any difference? I was wondering if there are any other people out there whose weight issues stemmed from emotional issues and if they could comment on this for me.

Thanks so much,

Pang

Bella8891 · April 15, 2009

Your therapist is right. The band does not help with emotional eating. It does, however, slow you down a bit so that you can become more aware of what you are doing. It will allow you to become fuller faster and dim your appetite a bit. Good luck with your decision.

BearSpiritGuide · April 15, 2009

I am only a week post op but here is my take...

The Lap Band does not prevent you from eating, it limits the amount you can eat.

So if you are eating your meals like you should you will be way to full to even want to eat.

In other words, the LB does not prevent you from eating it is a SHARP reminder that you have to know exactly what you are putting into your mouth at every moment.

Oh, and most of my weight issues have always been from emotional eating.

Hope this helps,

-BSG

Stephanie1972 · April 15, 2009

I'll add something to all of this. Yes, your therapist has a great point. The reality is that ALL of us are emotional eaters. We are using food as a void. The band will FORCE you to find another outlet because you will no longer be able to drown yourself in food. I would highly recommend doing some introspective research to find other things that may fill that void that are HEALTHY and that will help you with peace of mind and successful weight loss.

Catherine55 · April 15, 2009

The band really limits how much you can eat. I don't think that being an "emotional eater" should stop you from getting the band -- how much you can eat (emotionally or otherwise) is going to be significantly less! What you should focus on, though, is how you will channel that emotional energy in a more positive way (whether you get the band or not).

Oh, how I wish I could channel every negative thing into an impulse to hit the gym! :lol:

Best wishes for your decision to be a very good one for you!

Catherine

Pangaeus · April 15, 2009

Thank you everyone for all your insights. I've been in treatment for the past year and a half for binge and overeating. I'm better with the binge eating, but not to the point that I have reversed the 100 pounds I've put on due to it. I do want to get the band to help me with that but I also acknowledge that it can be viewed as a magic pill. I have been frustrated because I feel like I have been taking the hard route of facing emotions and identifying emotional eating, etc. but I am still having trouble with motivation when it comes to food choice and exercise.