I"m new here -- Have posted this on the other part of the forum.

 

Hello.  I'm new here.  I could use some help.

I had my lapband surgery June 14, 2012.  I did just fine with it and lost 35 lbs by September.  Then in September, I had an abscess on the port and had to have surgery to remove it and the port.  I got a new port in December and the first fill for it in January.  By that time I gained over 50 lbs.  My eating had been out of control.  I ate everything and anything.  

My problem is that even though I've had a couple of fills now, I'm still eating like crazy.  It's like I have no control.  I don't seem to get full and I seldom throw up if I overeat.  

 

What do I do?  How do I get back on the wagon?  I'm a compulsive overeater.  I just can't seem to say "no."  Where do I go for help?

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Did your doc do extensive testing on your stomach?  Usually and abscess/infection of port can be a huge signal that there is an erosion of the stomach. In that case (I will look, I may be wrong) you wouldn't have restriction. 

 

If you are okay, give yourself a chance for your fills to work.  Of course you will have to work with your band.  I found WW to be very helpful for accountability.  You must especially if you are eating compulsively follow some sort of program/structure.  Get a food journal or log your food on something like Myfitnesspal.com.  Write your feelings down.  Exercise - do what you can.  You need to be proactive or you will remain stuck.  You had this surgery to lose your excess weight.  If it doesn't work, it doesn't work but you can't go down a non-participant.  You must fight with all surgeries.  It's no magic carpet ride.

 

All best,

Layla

Hi momo

First. It can take a couple of fills to get to your spot. DO NOT rely upon your TOOL to stop you. Out Bands are just to dim our appetite , do not rely upon a HARD stop ( pain discomfort, throwing up, stuck episodes). If you must use a timer set it for 30 minutes. Bite, fork down, chew, breathe deeply, and proceed. We obese folks never understood how to eat until we were satisfied, so for now weigh and measure accordingly, until you learn what a proper portion should look like for YOU. I still weigh and measure and journal my foods on a daily basis!

Second. Be sure to eat your DENSE protein first! Dense? Chicken breast, salmon, mahi, turkey. Not turkey and chicken breast from the deli, something thicker.

Third. Post to the daily what are you eating post here on the lapband board. This will also allow you to view what other folks are eating and give you ideas.

4. Get into professional counseling for your eating . I see a counselor who deals with eating disorders, which so many if us have. WLS does not address emotional eating!

5. Attend your doctors support group meetings! Very important to have others walk along side you on this journey. Me personally, a friend and I formed a walking group and we had o. The average 4 to 5 people weekly meet and walk on the beach ( we shared tips and after a while we shared our personal lives with each other as well).

6. Snacks? Some doctors do not want you snacking. But I do as I exercise quite abit o. A serious level. When ever you have a piece of fruit ALWAYS have it with a piece of protein. The protein will neutralize your taste buds and prevent an insulin spike so you do not fall into cravings!!!!

7. If you go to my profile page, I have a post on "8 signs of Emotional Eating" I recieved it from my doctors support group and I have it posted at work and other places to double check myself. The list applies to any one not just WLS patients.

8. Are you exercising? I have purposed to exercise everyday! It's not optional! I began with walking, I did a couple of half marathons ( all walking) and several 5 ks.
I do 3 -4 miles if walking daily. You can break it up, 20 here 20 there whatever fits your acheduales. I train with a trainer 2x a week, i do spinning 2 x a week (spinning is easy on the joints, just get a cushy pad). I also do kick boxing and that is fun!!! Just some ideas, if you can't because of physical limitations try exceeding in the pool! I do that if I am injured : 0
But I enjoy my walking the most!!!!
It is my quite time my CHEAP therapy!!!
*i do the elipticle every Morningstar the gym, I watch the morning news and head off to work. I don't do it intensively, just relaxed, and I enjoy watching my morning news. Ex. Good morning America is commercial free for the first 20 minutes! So after the 20 minutes is over, I tend to leave! Better me doing something productive in front of the tv.
Also audio books for walking or music, time goes by faster!!!!

I hope this helps!
Prek3

Layla & Pre3k have given you good responses. I just want to add that it's fairly common to find your band responding differently to fills after an unfill or other event (like your surgery). It's almost like starting all over again in terms of learning your new stop-eating signals. When I started having fills again after having surgery to reposition my port, my experience of restriction was quite different from what it was the first time around.

Also...please don't take this as criticism, because I have walked in your shoes...once I get into a bad place with out-of-control eating, I can't rely on my weight loss surgery to get me out of it, because so much of that kind of eating is an emotional, behavioral thing. It might help to have a heart-to-heart talk with your surgeon or dietitian about what's been going on. They can probably give you a referral to a counselor experienced with bariatric and eating disorder patients.

And there's always OA (Overeaters Anonymous). Our local newspaper publishes info about area 12-step and other support group meetings once a week. If you don't have access to something like that, you can go to oa.org to look up OA groups in your area.

Good luck!

Jean