Help! How do I stop the cycle of binging?!...

Hello guys, I am extremely frustrated because I will do very well for a week or two, or maybe even three, and then I will go off the rails and cheat. I will have chocolate and milkshakes, ice cream and chips that slide down easily. I'm so annoyed with myself at the moment as this seems to be a cycle I keep repeating.

My band originally was only at 3 cc's, then I just had it filled and put up to 5 cc's. Sometimes it was tight and I felt satisfied, but I noticed that I was getting hungrier and hungrier as each week passed after my fill. I have an appointment this Thursday and I am going to get it filled another 1.5 cc's, so that will put me up to 6.5 cc's. I am hoping that will do the trick where I will not feel as hungry after I eat.

I am just really concerned that it is emotional or something else as to why I binge after being successful for 2 or 3 weeks. I do not understand it because I really want to get the weight off. I don't want to be the type of person that just says it but doesn't do what is required. I'm really struggling here. I find that I really struggle with consistency. What do you do if you're not a very consistent and disciplined person to begin with? How do I grow in this area?

Has anyone else struggled with derailing their own efforts and how do I stop this? Is there some careful planning that I can do to overcome this? For example, if I eat too healthy then I go crazy... I crave sweets and my body wants something it shouldn't have. How can I maintain a balance?

Are there foods I should avoid to keep cravings at bay? Do I eat whatever I want at meals in just smaller portions or should I eat healthier meals (and eat something separate from what my husband is eating)? How do you manage cravings to not slip and overeat?

I'm just really feeling discouraged because I don't want to fail. I do not want to give up and I don't want to consider having another type of surgery. I need to learn how to have success with the band. Any tips at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. Renee

Have you considered counseling or your local Overeaters Anonymous?

As you will read on here time after time, the surgery is only on your digestive tract, not your brain.  Unfortunately, when you binge eat, it isn't at all about being hungry, so there isn't really any way to eat foods that will help keep you from binging.

Also, having another surgery wouldn't help, even if you wanted to do it.  There are ways to eat around EVERY surgery including the DS.  What I can guarantee WILL help, however, is seeing a counselor who has experience with treating eating disorders.  (I'm not saying that you actually have an eating disorder because I cannot possibly know just from one post, but a counselor who has a lot of experience with disorders is probably best equipped to deal with your urges to binge.)

MANY people all across the weight loss surgery spectrum find that counseling is absolutely essential to their long term success (and sometimes short term success as well).  There is no shame in seeking help from a professional.  Your surgeon may actually have someone to whom they can refer you.

i would tell you that absolutely should NOT "eat whatever I want at meals in just smaller portions) and you MUST eat something separate from what your husband eats if what he is eating is high in fat, calories, or carbs. Your surgeon should have given you an eating plan to follow.  If they did not, call their office on Tuesday and ask for one! You cannot be successful if you just kind of stumble around in the dark on your own.

Lora

The problem is we can eat round any surgery! And banded people can always eat soft foods! I wonder of some sort of counselling might help? All I can do is tell you what has worked for me over 8 years of being banded.

The correct fill level. We should always be able to eat most foods, although some may need care. We should never have the band so tight it physically prevents is eating. So that's the first thing -getting the adjusment right.

Now what follows is what works for me! It might not work for other people, in fact I know others on here will say for them it would be disastrous, but it worked for me. And still does when I need to lose regained weight every now and then.

Every meal starts with dense protein, then crunchy veg, then carbs if room left. I don't measure or record but I do make very sure I know the nutritional value of my food and every few weeks I measure to make sure my portions are not getting too big. I eat what is on my plate and then leave the table.

If I am hungry, I eat! That may sound daft but as far as I am concerned it is totally irrelevant if the hunger I feel is "real" or "head" - they both make me want to eat. But I don't graze. If I feel hungry, I get busy. If I still feel hungry, I have an extra meal. I define a meal as something around 150-200 calories. Depending on where I am, I might have two boiled eggs, crackers and cold meat, three small fish fingers (think you call them sticks).

In my losing stage, over 6 years ago, I never deprived myself of any food group. I made healthy choices 80% of the time. But if I ate something way out of my plan, then that day I would count calories to compensate at least partly. On special occasions, I forgot my plan altogether for the day and didn't make any effort to compensate. 

I avoided foods I knew would led to binging. So cookies didn't enter my house! I did buy individual pots of desserts because they are a defined size. But I didn't buy mulit-packs!

How long have you had your Band? (If you put your surgery type and date n your profile it will show up each time you post.)

How much weight have you lost? How much more do you want to lose?