Thomas CPA

Agee with prior poster, no relation of bmi to hair loss. No sense in fretting over it, it will likely happen. My started thinning at month 3 and started taking Biotin to slow it down. Truthfully, I have a friend who got hit with a freak disease that caused all his hair to fall out at once so he found a great wig maker and I am making plans once it thins enough to just cut it all off and put on a quality wig.

Does not sound normal to me, only pains I had was from staples pulling skin tight. No stomach pain.

Stalls happen and gaining a pound here and there once in a while happens. I went up three pounds then started down again. I have lost a whopping 1 1/2 pound in the last three weeks. Sometimes upping the calories gets you out of starvation mode then drop the calories and you lose some weight. Hang in there, you will break the stall soon enough.

It will not happen fast. Losing the weight was fast but gaining muscle takes time and I have been at it over a year with a personal trainer. For the upper arms you need to work biceps, triceps, shoulders. I really suggest getting a trainer who can help you work areas, you need to work all areas. When I first started back at gym it took 3 weeks to get back to normal without getting tired out or overly sweating. Take your time and realize all those ads with the lap band people, they rarely wear anything but long sleeves and clothes that cover the stomach etc. Short of various plastic surgeries, you are not likely to get rid of all the flab but toning your muscles is always a good idea.

You need to add new items slowly and see what settles. What doesn't settle now may in a few months. Avoid things like cherrios and bread, they expand and don't settle well for a month or so. I agree with a prior poster, stick to soft mushies probably avoid milk until you are in month number 2.

Just keep in good with pediatrician. I suspect you should not worry about losing weight at this point. You already had two children so you know the baby will take their nutrients from you, you probably can't afford to lose nutrients or weight. However, I would rely on what your doctors say. Congratulations on the pregnancy. Hope it goes well and you both come out good. Have a safe pregnancy.

Pre surgery is to prep you so they want you to start Vitamin regiment. I am now starting month 4. Vitamins consist of daily Multivitamin (women's one a day has iron), B12 (every other day), B1 (every other day), Calcium (3 x 500 mg daily), Vitamin C (every other day). For first two weeks post you will not get fruits in except what you can do is on Protein shakes add some banana. Avoid things with seeds for 4 weeks (you don't want seeds getting into the staple area until it mends). Weeks 3 and 4 you will have mushies including smashed peas, mashed potatoes, pureed soup (yes puree the chunky Soups that have vegetables). Fruits in Protein Shakes. It is easier once you get going, you will find lots of things to eat.

I am just barely into month 4 and loss is moving slow, only a pound here and there. This is normal. The body keeps adjusting the metabolism. I swear by eating more I have lost weight. This last week I have been bad nibbling on a couple of pieces of excess halloween candy, Pasta etc and lost 1 pound and haven't been to gym in a week. Hang in there, you will move the scale other than to the closet

forget the carbs, drink the milk. It is calories and Protein that really count at this point. You might try the Protein shakes using milk and a half banana or some other fruit. Also try cheese, turkey, beef. I find Protein Bars to be good source and filling.

I started at sleeve at 235, now starting 4th month at about 190. Sort of leveled off about a month ago, hovering between 190 to 193 for last few weeks.

You should be able to sign the release forms at the doctors office and get the records immediately. At Kaiser if I sign the release I can get copies of xrays, ct scans etc put on a computer disk the same day. Many doctors have the information on computer systems. I know kaiser does and can can pull down all my blood work. If you are going to do self pay, just get Kaiser insurance - as long as they deem a medical necessity and you take the two month course you will get surgery. I had good policy and had zero copay. Didn't even have to pay to be in hospital. All I paid for was the antacid medication at the pharmacy. Don't let the medical offices fool you, they can get you the records without it taking 30 days. They can get in in 24 to 48 hours.

Starting month four now and I am eating regular food. Only got sick from spicy shrimp and trying untoasted bread to soon. You should be fine barring any other problem like leakage. Just be wary of the type of food ordered and how they prepare it. In Holland they tend to undercook chicken, Germany you have spicy sausage, England (what can I say except that I found the nearest pizza Hut) Don't forget a pepperoni pizza to the Europeans is made with Hot Peppers not American Pepporoni. Last bit of advice, try to avoid the alcoholic beverages they tend to be a bit stronger (hide the bad taste of some foods no doubt) and with smaller stomach you may be a buzz a lot quicker. At least go slow to test drive the stomach and system first. Enjoy your trip!

Be flexible. My original doctor said 150 based on height and bmi of normal weight person. Okay, I am 25 years out from college and 150 was inane. I set original at 170. Now at three months I am at 190 and my new primary doctor and I both think 180 is the limit. I am happy with the person I see in the mirror and now that I can feel pain in the tail bone while sitting due to loss of cushion and can feel my ribs and shoulder blades quite easily - yeah anything much below 180 will make me a skeleton. Be flexible, be willing to adjust goal as you go. Don't just stick to some arbitrary goal, like high school graduation weight, a dress size, bmi index (though we all want to get rid of obesity diagnosis). My goal changed twice since it was originally set. Enjoy the change and stop when you are comfortable.

Try some lotion, sometimes a little alcohol swab helps, else just try not to bother it, my staples came out two weeks post and itched like crazy for a another week but once those scabs fell off I went to town scratching - felt good.

Try the best as you can to grab a glass of Water instead of food. Don't go grocery shopping when hungry, keep food out of the house. Do the usual affirmations in the morning. When you get the emotional hunger, I do all the time and lose sometimes, get up and do something - I find picking up a crossword puzzle book, soduko book, browsing this website, anything to keep mind active and emotions at bay.

sliders are more of a liquid/liquid-like item - ice cream, pudding, soup. Forget the carb red herring, it is those things that don't need a long digestion in the stomach. Technically, water is a slider, it doesn't stay in stomach long and can be a slider catalyst by drinking water while eating or soon after, it can flush the food out of your stomach and into the intestines.

Classes of doctors are different. Mine said yes get the 64 ounces in if you can, try to at least get 32 but he knows many can't drink that much like me and I tried Water cold, warm, hot and found it needs to be iced cold for me. During the first two weeks I had Protein shakes, broth, apple sauce, Jello, pudding, juices (though you should avoid these). By the way gatorade does not count as water, neither does tea. Only pure water counts as water. You need protein, you will lose a good portion of muscle mass along with fat in rapid weight loss, you need to get your 50 to 70 grams of protein per day.

I have a couple of prescription medications, none of which can be made into a liquid and if chopped will through off my dosage. I had and still have no problem taking them whole. While in hospital they gave me 8 - 25 mg pills instead of my usual 1 - 200 mg pill. I think some doctors think the amount of Water you take for a pill may be to much at once or disturb the stomach. Try a regular pill and see how you feel. The worse is you throw up?

I am three months out. Yes, you should be having liquids first week or so including protein shakes, water, jello, apple sauce, tea, chicken broth. You will lose a lot of muscle mass along with fat in the first couple of weeks. it is important to keep protein up.

You should be able to eat a regular meal. At two months I was eating a full five in plate of food. One night I had a regular size piece of lasagna and a small salad. I am at three months and for lunch I had half of a hamburger patty, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 3 slices of canned peaches, 2 tomato slices and two saltine crackers. Some typical breakfasts are 1/2 grapefruit, bowl of Cereal, and a cup of fat free milk another version is an omelete of 1 egg, some diced tomatoes/mushrooms/garlic, slice of fat free cheese, slice of toast and cup of fat free milk. My dietician and physician assistant (this is all they handle is bariatric patients) says to make Protein shakes the inbetween meals but that Breakfast, lunch and dinner should be regular meals.

Hey, I am with you. Around day 8 I was eating well chewed solids. Still at 3 months can't drink enough Water so I get some through fruits high in water content. The gas is normal and you will have it for awhile, just learn to live with it. Hang in there, we all have our off track periods, just don't let it take over. Do try to avoid fried things like pork skins, all fat no nutrients. But, if you only have a little once in blue moon don't sweat it, we are human and have the same cravings after surgery as before surgery. Mostly it is head hunger from smells than it is tummy hungry.

Nothing wrong with a treat once in awhile. I have Peanut Butter and crackers and lord knows a couple of pieces of candy for Halloween. My dietician said to have real food Breakfast, lunch and dinner - I am ending third month postop. He said use Protein Drinks and bars for the mid morning and mid afternoon Snacks but to eat real food for the three meals - 1/4 Protein, 1/4 vegetable, 1/4 fruit, 1/4 carbohydrates. So, there is nothing wrong with Pasta or potato with dinner, you need you carbs to burn energy instead of protein and muscle.

I shop around, Albertsons and Walgreens typically have a two for one on some brands like Nature Made. Costco has some decent prices. Look out for coupons.

The purpose of all the Water is hydration. You cannot drink a bottle at a time so you drink throughout. Also, unless you like hard stools you want water to keep them soft. Water is water. coffee, sodas, juices do not count as water. Yes, you can add flavorings and have it count as long as it is water.

Chances are at this stage your solid foods will be mushy - apple sauce, mashed potatoes, anything blended (my dietician said one person put a bacon cheeseburger into a blender), things that can be mashed with a fork like peas, yogurt, cottage cheese. Be careful transitioning - you really should avoid fried/battered food like LJS - the battering is just hollow calories and you get less Protein when you eat stuff like that because it fills your limited stomach space.