Hi! Just wanted to introduce myself as I am new to the boards. I was banded on 5/1/08 by Dr. Arcand. After trying everything else with no success I looked into the lap-band and went through the whole program. It was the best thing I could have ever done for myself and my family. I just had my first fill yesterday and am getting used to the new restriction. I am down 28 pounds from 5/1 and I feel great!!!

That is great. Sounds like you are off to a very good start. You must be doing the right things. Have you been eating solid foods? I have just been banded a week and I am still on liquids. Looking forward to the next stage. Keep up the good work.

hello my name is reeda i was banded on the 5th of may 2008 did great the 1st month then bam! gain 5 pounds in week then lost 3 back 2 just up and down i have no idea what the deal is i went from 310-298-278-269-back up to 274 im not gettin on the scale im scred i might go into depression my walking went up from 30 mins to an hr from 1 mile to 2.5 miles drinking lots of water can anyone tell me whats going on my doc out of town til next monday. i hope its muscle but never heard of gaining that much in a 5 day period (( no junk))

Hi! Yes, I have been eating solid foods for a little while now. With the program I was on, I could eat jello, pudding, cottage cheese and yogurt the day after I got home from the hospital, which was the day after my surgery. After two weeks I got to eat all that plus any meat, fish, and poultry with the exception of red meat. After 6 weeks she bumped me up to eating everything with the exception of red meat except on rare occasions. I love eating salad so that was a very long 6 weeks. The whey protein shakes and the protein water helped a lot though.

Hi Reeda, I have gone up and down also - depending on the day and not really on what I ate. My nutritionist told me to stay off my scale with the exception of once a week. Because your body naturally goes up and down each day, she said it would drive me crazy AND she didn't want me to become obsessed with the scale and the numbers. I know that when I exercise my weight seems to go up too. Not sure why that is???? Perhaps, you should just get on the scale once a week too....I know that my clothes feel better, so I am going to go by that now. Good luck and don't give up..you can do it!!!

The nurse in the office I go to said she was doing the daily scale thing and driving herself nuts. She said that she was going to once a week which was a better approach. She has a band and is doing well. It is hard cause you want to see inspiring results right away! So the scale seems logical! I think using the clothes as a measure is a great idea because sometimes the numbers don't match up to the way your clothes fit. I guess losing weight, like most thingsin life--not logical! LOL!

than kyou i seen my surgeon at the hospital i work in and she told me stay off the scale every week she see me at work she can tell im loosing and looking good and stay off the scale weigh in every week is asking for depression as long as im seeing results and buy smaller cloths dont worry what the scale says

You seem to be doing really well-------30 lbs so far! I am curious on how you are losing--all in your waist? Or are you seeing it come off in different places? Are you doing any special exercise plan? Keep up the good work!

i see it everywhere at 1st i didnt but too many people was telling me they see it in my face, hips all over gurl! then i got a size smaller jeans from 24w to a 20w and i be hot damn me they fit perfect not tight not loose but on my off days ( work 12 hr hospital hrs) i walk 2.5 miles i jog in place for 30 min every night drink 32oz of water small portions of food ( for me my small may be a extra large) example : 8am : 1 scram egg, 1 toast, 1glass of fat free milk

1pm : tuna salad or lean meat sandwhich, with reg mayo before each meal water hour after water,

Dinner : hamburger with all the fixing no sides ( half the burger ) sometimes i eat all. but thats the truth i told the doctor if i can eat what i want im not having the surgery. i have 3ml fill. im doing fine no hungery between meals

:thumbup:That all sounds great! That was my thing--I knew I couldn't do this if I couldn't (eventually) eat "normal" foods. I don't want to have to totally change everything--my tastes are what they are. I am willing to make some changes and not be a pig and all--but being able to eat basically normal is what I want to reach. Smaller portions of course!

That is reasonable! What you have listed sounds very doable and is encouraging! Thanks!!!

your welcome just make sure when you eat, to drink water ( 8oz 1hour before and 1 hour after) thats my secret of staying full through out the day. good luck keep in touch im gonna ween my self from the scale just weight in every 2 weeks and make healthy choices then after that weight in monthly my goal is 160- 170 what ever i reach by may 5th of next year i believe thats what i will be as long as the dress size get to a 18 reg im cool! ( be happy for beign YOU! )

Hi! Just wanted to introduce myself as I am new to the boards. I was banded on 5/1/08 by Dr. Arcand. After trying everything else with no success I looked into the lap-band and went through the whole program. It was the best thing I could have ever done for myself and my family. I just had my first fill yesterday and am getting used to the new restriction. I am down 28 pounds from 5/1 and I feel great!!!

Hi, congratulations! I'm sure it took a lot of thinking before you decided to have the lap-band. Why did you choose this method of weight loss? Did you know anyone who'd had it done before you? Thanks, Hyacinth

Hi and welcome Hyacinth, I decided on the lapband because I had know someone who had it done and was very successful with it and because it was less risky than the whole cut and paste as I like to call it. I had a couple of friends that did the GP also and were very successful but as a family we thought it would be best for me to have the lapband. I also had tried everything else, the last being Jenny Craig and after spending thousands of dollars there and gaining the weight back as soon as I stopped eating out of the box I figured that was the last straw. I started my program last Aug. and got my band on 5/1. Having the surgery was the best thing I could have done for myself and my family!