So I was banded on December 23 (Christmas gift to myself!) I'm doing pretty well overall. I'm still a little bit sore but generally I'm feeling good. I am on stage 2 of my diet (Protein shakes plus clear liquids) which my surgeon told me to start on day 2 of post-op.

I weighed myself yesterday for the first time to discover that I've lost 10 pounds since surgery! I was stunned! I figured I'd lose some weight...but 10 pounds seems huge! I weighed myself again this morning to discover I've lost 13 pounds total (3 more pounds since yesterday)! (I went into surgery at 270...I am now down to 257). I knew rapid weight loss was possible--but 13 pounds in 4 days?!?! I've been following the diet as recommended by my dietician--3 shakes a day with 2 scoops of whey protein plus other Clear liquids in between shakes. Has anyone else experienced such rapid weight loss? Do you remember how much weight you lost in the first week? The first month?

I don't mind the Protein Shakes I'm on. However, I would love to get a little more creative with the shakes. For example, a chocolate shake blended with banana and Peanut Butter sounds so wonderful right now. Are we allowed to do that so soon after surgery? Or did you stick to plain old protein shakes? (I'm using Atkins Advantage shakes). What do you fellow bandsters use to spice up protein shakes? :-)

I lost 21 lbs in the first month that I was banded but only 6 since the beginning of November. I was told by my doctor that it wasn't about the amount I lost but how things are fitting.

Well aparently I'm just a mutant. I was banded on the 23rd too...and I'm up 1 pound. I have no idea how this is remotely possible since I'm only drinking 600 calories a day! I'm not totally freaking out about it, but just don't understand it.

i was banded on the 16th and had my follow up on the 23rd. I followed the liquid exactly and was up 4 ounces at the checkup. My doctor told me that was great because he had used over 6 pounds of liquid during the surgery and everything would be fine. I hope so

I lost 18 lbs after my first week. I must have stepped on and off that scale several times within a 10 minute period to make sure my eyes wern't deceiving me. As for those who gained or haven't lost weight.....it will happen. Don't dramtically cut your calories! You will put your body into starvation mode and you will lose absolutely nothing. You have to learn to "trick" your body into thinking its getting more than you're giving it. In fact, when I hit my first major plateau, it was suggested that I should in fact INCREASE my calorie intake for awhile. I thought that was crazy but I tried it and all of a sudden I started dropping again. The band works differently for everyone and you need to remember that its a tool. The band doesn't lose the weight for you. You HAVE to be commited to changing your eating habits and slowly incorpating exercise into your life. Please remember that. I see way too many on here that get the band and whine and complain that they haven't lost weight and they have done nothing to change their lifestyle. Make sure you find a support system. EIther through your surgeon or maybe you can find one through social website like Facebook or MySpace. Good luck to you!

I just want to clarify on the 600 calories. My post op diet is 1/2 cup full liquid every 2-3 hours, with a protein goal of 44-55 grams. I'm making the protein goal, but this comes all with a pretty low calorie result. I feel like I should be getting 1000-1200 calories, but I don't know how to make that happen within the limitations I've been given. I've been using cream soups mixed with fat free milk (to add protein), protein shakes mixed with fat free milk, cream of wheat mixed with fat free milk...I'm within their guidelines but it's just making for an overall low calorie day. Not sure what else I can do to change that. Maybe I should use a higher fat milk than what they recommend?

Do you remember how much weight you lost in the first week? The first month?

I started my pre op diet on 11/24 and lost 22 lbs before surgery on 12/9. On 12/14 I was down 3 lbs and as of today I am down 15 more for a total of 40 lbs since beginning the journey. I am on mushie foods and begin "normal" food on Friday.

I am actually a little worried that I have to start eating regularly because I am so happy with the results thus far. However I have a 800-1000 diet to follow in order to stay on track. I have over 100 lbs left to lose.

I got my band on 12/22 and as of today I'm down six pounds since surgery. I started my pre-op diet in July and I'm down thirty-five pounds total since then.

Honestly, I've read such a wide variety of weight loss responses on here that I'm not too worried about it (I wasn't going to weigh at all, but my doctor told me he wanted me to weigh every morning). It seems that some people come out of the hospital with extra weight from fluids while others come out weighing less. My doctor told me to shoot for 1,000 calories a day with 50 grams of Protein, plus 45 minutes of exercise a day with a heart rate of 120. I figure as long as I'm following what he says, I'm happy. I'm not as concerned with how fast the weight comes off, but that it comes off and stays off.

Don't sweat it, follow what your doc says, and call him if you have any questions.