Hi everyone! my name is charnie, i'm 49 years old mother of six and grandmother of six. just got back to little rock ar. from dallas where i met with the lbs people in richardson tx and got approved for dr. benevides to band me 12/19.....am soooo excited and nervous! anyone else being banded at that time? my goal is to lose 80lb and get back to the cutie i used to be (and still am inside). i really look forward to starting 2008 with being able to FINALLY be successful at weight loss-it has been so long --20 years! it is so encouraging to read so many positive comments by the people that post here.....:nervous

Welcome Charnie! You are within the range that I was on losing. I think I was needing a total of something around 70 pounds. You should see some real progress with the band. My doctor says that folks who need to lose less weight REALLY go gung ho with the band and see results. My big concern is having you have help after surgery. You cannot be taking care of 6 kids right after this. You are going to need a few days to get back on your feet and you're gonna be kindof wiped for a while and it takes a few weeks to build up your stamina. Get your family on board to help you and understand that you're gonna need some "me time" after this. Good luck. It's the best decision I ever made for myself!