Lap Band Success - Avoiding Emotional Eating With A Lap Band

So I was hoping that once I got my lap band and got my weight off and my eating habits under control I would no longer have to deal with emotional eating. Guess what? I was wrong! The last few months have been a particularly stressful time for me and I have found myself reaching for food as a crutch on several occasions. I have given in to the incredible "call" of carbs to help me "feel good" and stuff my emotions. I've found that not only do they not make me feel good, but I actually have to deal with feeling bad physically as well as emotionally when I do give in. Add this to the sleep disruption that stress causes and it is a recipe for disaster.

Let me give you an example of what happens to me:

I give in and eat a cookie, or two, or three, or five (it could just as well be chips, ice cream, or whatever the "craving" of the moment is):

First I feel guilty for having eaten too much of the "forbidden" food (after six years none of this is forbidden, it is just extremely limited in both quantity and frequency);Then, a short time later I am hungry when I shouldn't be. Guess what, my body has the last laugh having created the "need" for more carbs once I give in to them;For the next few days I am dealing with that craving for more highly processed carbs, my digestion gets upset, and I am generally too focused on food.

So you see, there are definite physical and psychological reactions to giving in to "binges" no matter how minor they are. I can assure you that with my lap band I can no longer eat the entire box of cookies or bag of chips, but, if I try, I can certainly find a way to eat "around" my band, and any quantity of these highly processed foods have too many calories with very little value. Self sabotage of the first degree! This is definitely not an ideal situation.

How do I deal with this emotional craving for foods that will have this negative result? As best as I can each time I am faced with the issue, which is frequently during times of stress. Here are some of my coping techniques:

If the foods are in front of me (as in the supermarket or at someone else's house) I walk away from them, or look for a food that would be a healthy alternative with fewer calories and higher protein if possible. I also try to use a food that will "fill" me up, like fresh fruits, vegetables or jerky. Looking at this from best case scenario a piece of celery would satisfy my need to chew on something and definitely fill me to the point that I could not eat anything else, while providing virtually no calories. If I have this with a little salsa I get to eat something that is tasty, crunches and fills me up. Worst case - I buy the bag of chips, eat some and then put the rest in the trash, and by trash I mean the big smelly can outside. I avoid having these "trigger" foods in my house.If it's just a craving and the food is not right there in front of me I try to change what I'm doing to try to distract myself. For example, if I am sitting at my desk writing a blog and suddenly find the need to munch on something that is not in my plan for the day, I will frequently get up and change what I am doing, even if it means going for a short walk outside, calling a friend, going to the gym, or emailing or calling for help from my support people.If I have "fallen off the wagon" and made some bad choices I work very hard to not beat myself up (Not beating myself up is different from allowing myself to consistently eat highly processed carbohydrates on a regular basis). The best way I have found for dealing with this is to have a conversation with myself that goes something like this: "Ok, so you ate some of the _________. You didn't want to, but you did. Now what? Are you going to gain back everything you lost just because you ate this once? Nope, now just don't do it again. This is not like when you used to be on diets, went off and just threw in the towel and lost all control. You have a tool and a group of people dedicated to helping you continue your success. Use your tool and use these people and your next choices will be good ones." This works for me because it gives me the permission to have acted in a human fashion and made a poor choice, but reminds me that I have the ability and opportunities to make good choices and should plan my next actions.

In summary, I am not perfect, my choices are not perfect nor have they been throughout this journey. My lap band has given me the opportunity to learn that I don't need the "whole bag of chips" to be satisfied. I have learned that I can taste one chip, or one cookie, or one bite and enjoy it and be done, or better yet, not have any at all. Any more than one I don't taste, so why bother, since all I am doing is stuffing emotions and wind up feeling bad physically and emotionally. I can choose alternative behaviors to eating sweets or carbs and be just as happy, and even healthier.

DISCLAIMER - This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, and is not a replacement for medical care or advice given by physicians or trained medical personnel.