Cookeeeeez

Immune system lowered by decrease in calories and trauma of surgery. get well soon!!!!

I lost a whole round chunk of hair the size of a hand on my head after pneumonia (two days in coma, five days in critical care unit). The resulting hair loss from surgery will probably be similar, called alopecia areata. A dermatologist will prescribe a steroid cream and may inject steroids into severely affected areas. The best thing is to eat healthy, keep vitamins up, boost your immune system pre- and post-op as much as possible and try to avoid any and all stress! 80% chance it will all grow back normally when you get healthier.

If you haven't had a child most gyno's in AUS will NOT give a woman an IUD! It can cause infections that lead to infertility!

I have always been told "Oh you have suchhhhhh a beautiful face! If only you lost weight you could be a model" My reply was "And how do you suggest I gain HEIGHT?!?!" I always know I "carry my weight well" and have had younger girls say im beautiful when all dressed up, so i've never been worried about appearance, this is purely health related! But, as i said- I hope i keep my boobs!!!!! LOL

Oh there is some suggestion it can also make losing weight a little more difficult, but that is the same with any hormonal option- your body is tricked into thinking it is already pregnant (so you don't ovulate) and thus the body goes into pregnancy energy storage mode... It doesn't cause weight GAIN though!

In AUS it lasts three years, and that is a maximum... remember if you gain or lose a lot of weight (because it is intramuscular) it can be a little tricky to remove,but it doesn't hurt at all since there is a local anasthetic... it creeps a lot of people out when I show them how to feel it in my arm but it is a GOD send!!! You have more chance of getting pregnant while on the pill using condoms than with implanon!

I agree, Implanon all the way... I am on my third, so that's seven years of birth control bliss! Its worth the investment and a try- some people have heavier periods or nasty pms but I have had neither!

Oh yes, Ive heard rave reviews about this book! Ill def. buy it! Thanks Pookeyism!

You can also mash cauliflower that has been steamed to death, it bulks out mashed potato and soup without ruining the taste!

I like parmesan cheese and garlic chives in mashed potato, They add flavour but not much extra cals... Try mashed sweet potato though! MUCH healthier and I like it better! Make a sweet potato, carrot, potato, & pumpkin soup with light coconut cream and curry powder! GREAT!!!!

The body does at certain times go into "starvation mode"... It basically clings to all the resources it has in case it doesn't get any more, hence all the calories you take in are being automatically stored for a little while until you push through the plateau! This is why diets always fail, you are always hungry and you can push through it until the scales start messing with your mind... This is why surgery helps, it reduces appetite so it takes less calories to make you full but the body is still storing wayyyyyy less than it would be normally! Be careful about making sure you continue to exercise at these stages as the body clings to fat and starts trying to burn off muscle!

P.S.... if you look at my pretend "after" pic, i too would love to look like Brooke Shields post op!!!!!

My hubby is fine with my weight and I'm usually pretty confidant about how I look BUT I just want to keep my boobs!!!!!!! lol!!! All the weight just seems to be coming off them, not my big cookie tummy!!!! Also, it would be great to keep up at the gym with my lil sis!!!!!!!

Awesome! I'll d/l it!!! I also just recommended an anti-diet book in another thread, it is a great help for me! If Not Dieting, Then What? by Dr Rick Kausman 'For anyone who's unhappy about their weight, confused about food and fed up with diets that don't work: finally someone making sense!' Kaz Cooke If Not Dieting, Then What?, is the winner of the Australian Food Writers Award for Best Nutrition Writing. The book explores how to: - enjoy food without feeling guilty - increase your eating awareness - improve how you feel about yourself - fit some sort of activity into your day - achieve and maintain a healthy, comfortable weight for you, without being deprived of food or quality of life.

Hi there, I have to wait another 11 months for surgery. In Australia I can pull the money for surgery out of my Supperannuation (retirement) fund but will still be a few thousand in the hole I'm getting the surgery because at 25 years young I was over 300 pounds, had my gallbladder removed, suffer depression and hair loss, spent five days in hospital with aspiration pneumonia because my sick body couldn't handle a simple cold, and to kick it all off have bulging discs in lumbar causing EXCRUCIATING pain all down my lower left leg CONSTANTLY... I have "dieted" since I was 13 and only ever put on more weight than I lost. Like quitting smoking, getting into the proper mindset to start making lifelong changes has taken many many many attempts. I now see a psychologist weekly to help me control the panic that usually surrounds my weight loss attempts. I always used to have to stick to under 1200 calories a day, usually preferring to be under 1000 (no wonder i started losing my hair)! Now the surgery is just another tool for me to get off excess weight in the future, for now i am focussing on what I CAN achieve! YOU CAN: Avoid drinking your calories... that is, avoid full cream milk, soda, iced teas, cordials. (I always have 1litre bottles of the Water in the fridge to alternate throughout the day instead). Avoid doesn't mean cut out, it just means find things you can swap them with! Avoid Take-out and/or chose the healthiest (and usually the tastiest honestly) options.. today I had KFC- A salad with two crispy strips- under 400 calories and tasted GREAT without the guilt... At McDonalds I had a Bagel for Breakfast. Make sure you are NEVER EVER hungry! I always have apples, oranges, pre-made fruit salads, tasty nuts (macadamias and almonds), yoghurts, healthbars, strawberries, olives, grapes, frozen vegie bags, pre-made salads ON HAND in the fridge for Snacks, I have at least 3 of these a day in addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Make sure you don't feel deprived! If you really want it, EAT IT! you are a grown person, no-one is going to take your food away from you, ice cream and soda and chippies will ALWAYS be there if you ever want them. If you know you are allowed to have it, and it sates you then you wont feel guilty and over-indulge. If you are less hungry from eating snacks you also won't need as much. You CAN enjoy "guilty" food like a "normal" person!!! Try some new health books that are not about fads or diets, even books about the surgery can boost your motivation: Try If Not Dieting, Then What? by Dr Rick Kausman 'For anyone who's unhappy about their weight, confused about food and fed up with diets that don't work: finally someone making sense!' Kaz Cooke If Not Dieting, Then What?, is the winner of the Australian Food Writers Award for Best Nutrition Writing. The book explores how to: - enjoy food without feeling guilty - increase your eating awareness - improve how you feel about yourself - fit some sort of activity into your day - achieve and maintain a healthy, comfortable weight for you, without being deprived of food or quality of life. or WEIGHTY ISSUES: Getting the Skinny on Weight Loss Surgery by Dr. Scott Cunneen. Dr. Cunneen heads up the bariatric surgery program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and has thousands of these operations under his belt, so if anyone has the answers to your questions...he does! Also, in regards to exercise- set achievable goals! Can you walk around your backyard once a day? Can you go to the air-conditioned mall and walk around for 30 minutes? Can you do a couple of sit ups while dinners on the boil? Can you wiggle your fingers and toes while watching tv? (this burns 100 calories an hour!!!!!) LOL If there is something you can do that is a little more than what you are doing now, why not try it! Finally, stay away from people who can't recognise the significacne of every new goal you reach! there are people out there who just ASSUME you should be eating a particular way or doing a certain amount of exercise and cant be happy for you when you do something that is an AMAZING achievement for you!!!!! Please keep up the good work, remember take small steps for a lifetime of health and happiness!!! Grover