Old habits coming back

[sheavens 9]

Its 7 weeks Post Op for me. I have to admit that I am officially struggling with my emotional side of eating. :mad2: Even though I have read, been told by the staff and know inside personally that the band is a "tool" to weight loss, I somehow thought it would be alittle easier with eating side. Maybe I am jumping the gun alittle. (my 1st fill is this Friday )

But my old habits are trying soo hard to break me. :sad: I am good all day. I stay focused and eat my Proteins, etc do what I am supposed to do, BUT when night time comes, my emotional demon comes out!:mad:

Out of boredom, & habit, I want to graze which I admit I do. Feeling disappointed in myself for letting my old habits WIN :cry:

I have stayed in touch with the clinic , have had followup app#'s with the dietition & now have a referral to the Wellness coach for more support.

I am excited for my fill as I am hoping it will give me that sense of satisfaction that I am not feeling now and stay feeling full longer. (crossing fingers)

I need ideas & support on how to get past that sense of boredom, and habit of night grazing.

Thanks

[greytz 4]

Find something to do to keep your mind off of the food. It is perfectly normal to feel that way before your first fill. I get on the computer and read this site and post some threads when I feel the hunger taking over. It helps me get my mind off of the food and after awhile, I don't even think about it anymore. Also, if possible you may want to adjust your time schedule temporarily if you can. I started going to bed a little earlier so I don't have all that empty time at night. My husband goes to bed fairly early because he works really early in the mornings so it has really helped me to go to bed when he does. It took a few days to get used to but now it is second nature to me. The first thing I do when I get up is chew my Vitamin and drink my Protein. It gets me ready for the day. I starting writing. It might be helpful for you to either pick up an old hobby that you have let go or start one.

[nfl1 0]

My doc told me to go to bed early when I told him that I was having trouble at 9pm... I couldn't, sometimes I get home from coaching a softball game at 9pm, and try just to do a Protein Drink rather than other stuff at night. He also said to do the treadmill if I had to stay up - yea, THAT's what I want to do at 9pm after standing for 2 hours... but the point - I agree with trying to get your mind off the old draws from boredom...

[FailureIsntAnOption 0]

Sheavens,

You need to change your lifestyle patterns. I stay busy until it is time for bed whereas I used to sit and watch tv until bedtime. Especially since it is summertime and it stays light out until 8:30 or so. I go directly to the gym when I get off work, then my husband and I take a bike ride, then we go swimming. Once I am finished with all this I go to bed. NO time to think about grazing. Good luck! You are experiencing "head hunger" not real hunger. After you get a significant fill this should subside. If nothing else works, go to bed and wait til morning to eat bfast.

[katwmn63 0]

isn't this bandster hell? your first fill is coming up...you don't have restriction so you might just be getting hungry.?.?.?

[Chrisann 0]

I started journaling when I had problems. Carry a steno pad or small spiral book with you and write down every single thing you put in your mouth and the emotional state you were in when you do it.

You want to see if your eating has a pattern to it. Then you can be more focused on a solution.

You will learn the difference between head hunger and real hunger. It took me nearly a year, with lots of ups and downs, but once you figure that out, its great.

[IndioGirl55 32]

I am a nite time eat to - always have been - always will be...

I have a calorie budget/food budget and I eat within that budget - I was told 3 meals and 2 healthy Snacks which I would save for night time.

During my weight loss phase - my calorie budget was 800 - 1200 cal a day

BF would be around 150 to 200

lunch - 200

dinner - 250 -300

Snacks 200 to 400

The diff is now I am eating things like sf fudgsicle - sf choc puddings 100 cal snack pack popcorn - 80 cal yogurts

I feed my hunger - but within my budget

IMHO I think you gotta make this work for you - this is a lifetime change in our eating - we need to eat healthier - lower fat - lower sugar and lower starches.

I know in my heart that I am not going to be able not to snack at night - so I bend the rules to work for me...

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

Sheavens, they call it BANDSTER HELL for a reason. But that first fill, which is the first step toward your sweet spot, is right around the corner. Please don't expect that first fill to put you "there" -- at your sweet spot. What it will do is get you on the road.

I was told to eat exactly on plan.....1/2-3/4 cup of food, with 3 oz being lean Protein and the rest veggies at each meal. If I got hungry before 4 hours (and you likely will), EAT Protein as a snack. Low fat cottage cheese, low fat cheese, a little left over meat or shrimp. But EAT it; don't drink it. Solid protein will stave off hunger longer than anything else because it takes longer to digest.

Now, find yourself a distraction for the evenings. Here in Atlanta, it's not dark until 9:30. Go take a walk in the evenings and kill two birds with one stone ... time AND exercise. Get a hobby. Sounds inane but TV throws all those yummy looking food commercials at you at night and it makes it more tempting to go graze. Do something that doesn't throw those temptations in your face.

[TopTier 0]

Indiogirl, that's a very wise suggestion!

I like the idea of the SF fudgesicle since it usually takes me quite a while to eat one of those, compared to the puddings. . .

[IndioGirl55 32]

Indiogirl, that's a very wise suggestion!

I like the idea of the SF fudgesicle since it usually takes me quite a while to eat one of those, compared to the puddings. . .

It worked for me - this is how I lost my weight and have been able to maintain it..

I feel that each one of us has to find what works for them cuz this is a lifetime lifestyle change - this isn't a diet.

I can't do pure Protein - I have to have some carb - starches as I call them - I don't eat many during the day but every night with dinner I have rice or Pasta or tatos.

Prior to banding I ate very high fat (went thru a tub of butter in a week now it last a month and I use I can't beleive it's not butter spray) and sugar and way too much food period and was a total slug bug.

Now I eat low fat - limited sugar (mostly sf) and limited carbs/starches and in 2 yrs I have recorded 306 days at the gym !!!!

Like my signature say - Eating healthy + Exercise + band = sucess...

[TopTier 0]

Absolutely incredible, and very inspiring.

I have issues with Proteins as well. I have some pre-kidney disease issues going on and Proteins aren't very well tolerated. So it's tough to tread that fine line on limiting my proteins, but getting enough to be healthy!