So I am 28 and was banded January 18, 2013. I started my journey weighing 319 lbs which was an all time high for me and seeing that number on the scale was a wake up call. I lost 23lbs prior to the surgery.

Surgery was painful ( who would have thought someone probing around and installing a foreign device in you abdomin would be painful? lol). That being said , I was up and walking around all night and day at the hospital, going above and beyond what that doctor ordered . I was paired up in a room with a woman who had had gastric bypass 4 days before my surgery and the pain she was in and her inability to move kept me motivated. I could see she was in too much pain to move but the fact that she wasnt moving was causing her pain to worsen. So my words of wisdom are to MOVE MOVE MOVE! Also I used the breathing instrument a lot, and continued to use it once I got home through the first week or so. It really helped get my lungs back in shape after surgery as the breathing tube they use is pretty harsh.

So here I am 7 weeks post op and I received 4ccs in my first fill March 4 at my 6 week mark. Getting adjusted to the banding since the fill has been challenging. Chicken, pork and beef are difficult to keep down. Also getting used to not drinking anything 30 mins before and after a meal is an issue for me. Ive made that mistake a couple times now and it has resulted in those ever so famous "productive burps"... ugh not fun. Im gonna keep on trucking though as I am down to 277 as of this morning which I am very happy with. There is definately a learning curve here but I'm positive I'll be able to ride it out. Keeping positive!

Congratulation on your success! Keeping positive is definitely important if you want to achieve your goals! Keep up the great work!

That's encouraging information - thanks for sharing. And welcome. I'm relatively new here, too, but find the support here incredible. Great group of people and lots of good information. I'm glad I wandered in here. . .