glitter eyes

I was one the ones whose hair loss did not seem to stop. My hair started falling at about month five and continue to fall out until quite recently. I am 17 months post op. From the beginning I got all my protein and vitamins in. All my lab levels were normal. I had started taking biotin about three months before surgery. I tried so many things and my hair continued to fall out and worse was that it was dry and brittle. About three months ago I started taking liquid silica and my hair loss dramatically improved. However, it was still dry, brittle and thin. About two months ago I began taking powdered marine collagen in my water and that has made the biggest difference. My hair is soft and starting to be shiny again. It is also getting a little thicker. The weight loss is so worth the hair loss, but it can be frustrating. I think the key is finding what works for you.

I had a brief spell of that in the beginning too. I also use to get grossed out at the size of everyone else's portions. It did pass. Now I feel completely "normal"

I did not have a catheter. I personally would not have been able to go back to work after five days. However, you might be able to do it. We are all different plus I am a little bit of a wimp and was on pain medication for about two weeks Good luck on your surgery!!

I can't tell you how much stuff/vitamins I tried to stop my hair from falling out. What finally worked for me was liquid silica and powder marine collagen. I add both to my water. My hair loss has stopped and the dry brittleness is going away.

I used to despise exercise. I still don't love it passionately. What worked for me was finding something I do love. I have found the love of kayaking and hiking. So what I do at the gym is use the rowing machine, treadmill and elliptical. This way when I am "trapped" in the gym I know what I am doing will help me be stronger when I participate in my hobbies. I also swim a lot during the summer.

@@Ashlegal where do you buy the Krave jerky. I have been ordering mine from a company bulkbeefjerky.com it is very tender too, but I am always open to try something new.

Congrats!! What an awesome job.

Welcome back!!! I remember you from when I first joined and always enjoyed your posts and responses. I was actually wondering how you were doing just the other day!! I was happy to see your screen name pop up this morning. You can kick those few pesky pounds to the curb!! I think a lot of us fluctuate a few pounds here and there as we enter maintenance. I had recently went from 141 back to 150. It is a slippery slope. My problems are the darn carbs too. Love me some sugar. I got back on track this week and what has helped me is I found a delicious Greek yogurt from Dannon- it's Carmel Apple pie. I have been eating that when I crave dessert and so far it seems to be working. This is definitely a life long learning process. Good luck!!

Congrats!! Hope you have a wonderful time- keep us posted

@babbs. Yes!! The good ole cereal with milk. First time I ate it I thought I was in heaven. It's like eating and drinking at the same time!! I eat it occasionally. Watermelon is kind of like that for me too- I love it because it's a watery food.

Wow you have done amazing on your pre op weight loss!! Congrats. I am almost a year and a half post Op and I started at 271 and I am now between 141-146. I am completely happy at this weight so I have been in maintenance for the last six months. My surgeon never talked about a goal with me and I didn't have a particular number either. I just waited until I felt amazing and was content. On my last appointment with my surgeon I told him that I should probably try and lose more and he said that I should be happy where I am at because I am healthy, fit and happy. So now I am chasing life experiences instead of a scale number. The point of all that rambling was to say.... You will probably figure out your goal weight as you progress. Good luck on your surgery!!

Some things you might could eat while driving or on the run: Beef/turkey jerky Cheese sticks Boiled pre peeled shrimp Tyson makes microwaveable chicken breaststroke strips that are easy to eat while driving ( I like their fajita flavored) Protein bars Protein shakes Sorry you don't get a chance to sit and enjoy your lunch, but hopefully you will get some good ideas here.

Like @@TealSister mine was reading. I love love love to eat and read. It is a very relaxing peaceful way to spend time. I would eat and snack almost the entire time I would read and I was an avid reader. I would read for hours a day- so I would snack a lot!! I have cut my reading way back since surgery as that can still be a trigger sometimes. Besides life is too fun to sit inside and read!!

OH NO.... I accidentally posted in the guys room. ????

@dub. One thing to consider about having the adjustability is if you ever develop reflux later on it would come in handy. I have reflux (I am on a PPI) and I cannot eat at least two to three hours before I lay down to sleep or I suffer. I work nights and sometimes when I get home I can't stay awake the two/three hours after I eat breakfast so I sleep either in the chair or recliner. So my next bed will be adjustable- even though for some reason that makes me feel like an old person. LOL. Good luck on your mattress quest....

My vision was blurry after surgery, but that was due to a side effect of the scopolamine patch (patch to help prevent nausea). When patch was off my vision cleared up!!

My hair loss started at about month six post op. All my lab work was normal. I had started taking biotin prior to surgery. Always got my protein in and still my hair fell out. I probably lost about 2/3 of my hair and what I had left was dry and brittle. My weight loss stopped at around month 10 as I was at my goal weight. Even when my weight stabilized my hair fell out like crazy. Huge clumps in the shower and hair all over the bathroom floor. I tried so many things: coconut oil, emu oil, essential oils, different shampoos, raw vegetable juicing to increase my nutrients and antioxidants, folic acid, scalp massage... The list went on. What finally worked for me was I began taking liquid silica added to my water once a day. That slowed the loss down considerably. My hair was still thin and brittle. About six weeks ago I began to take marine collagen powder added to my water and it has been my miracle cure. My hair loss has stopped and now it's shiny, soft, and growing back. Yippee!! Even with the hair loss this surgery has been so worth it!! Good luck to you.

First of all I know you must feel awful, but 15 pounds is not that much and I am certain you can lose it again since you have already been successful and know what you have to do to make it work (even though I know sometimes that's easier said than done) Second, I haven't been resleeved so I can't speak from a personal experience. However, I have a close friend who has been resleeved. She is actually the bariatric coordinator for our hospital and surgeons office program. There are two surgeons in our program. After about two years she was talking to the other surgeon and said that she felt she should have lost more weight and didn't feel like her restriction was what it should be. He did some tests to look at the size of her stomach and told her he felt that the other surgeon did not make her sleeve small enough. He offered to re do her sleeve and she agreed. She had the surgery and did just a great with the second as she did with the first and went on to make her goal weight. I don't think it's that common but it does happen. Good luck with your decision. In the meantime take a shot at going back to basics and doing what you can.

So far I have been able to just eat one of something and it not start a downward spiral. During my weight loss phase I was super strict and only ate protein and veggies- didn't cheat once. Now I am in maintenance I have found that I am able to occasionally indulge in almost anything and still stay on track. I log all my food and account for my unhealthy choices. I even had a week long vacation where I ate horrible (I chose to do this) and was able to get back on plan when I returned home without any problems. I think for me the key is to weigh every day or every other day and if I see the scale go up by even a pound I start cutting back. Usually one bite or a half of serving is enough to satisfy and cravings I may have. We are all different and the key is finding what works best for you!!

I am posting my starting weight a day early.... Starting weight- 150 Goal weight - 145 Would love to make it through the holidays with a five pound loss!!! Thanks doing this challenge for us. Good luck everyone!!

I am in maintenance and when I am craving something sweet I occasionally eat it. I just make sure to log it to account for the calories/carbs. Or sometimes I can plan ahead so my treat doesn't wreck my totals for the day. Of course if I eat sweets too frequently the cravings start and I have a few rough days until they are gone. It's a balancing act. So far I have been able to occasionally indulge and keep my weight the same. At least with our sleeve we get full fast so with a cupcake half usually works for me. Unfortunately, the Krispie Kreme doughnuts I can eat a whole one

I have tried the coconut pulling and I couldn't stand the oil in my mouth, my husband does it occasionally. I use coconut oil on my hair all the time and love it!! Use it on my skin too. I have tried the baking soda mix and it did seem to whiten my teeth. Haven't tried the Vasoline on my lashes, but add a few drops of high quality lavender oil to my mascara tube and my lashes have never looked so great. Longer and thicker.

Welcome!! Congrats on deciding to have weight loss surgery. I know for most of us it is and was a hard decision to make. I know how difficult waiting is. My plan had a six month wait. I tried to stay focused on researching, trying different protein shakes, and reading a lot on this forum- which really helped me be prepared for a lot of post op stuff. Reading people's success stories kept me focused. I had my sleeve surgery on June 23, 2014. My weight was 271. I am now at 145-148. It continually amazes me how life changing this process can be. I have lost weight before in the past, but for some reason this time around utilizing weight loss surgery I feel so much more free. I have a new lease on life and I am so much more adventurous and I am constantly living outside my "box". It's a great feeling. Stay focused and your turn will be here before you know it!! Good luck

Congrats!! I know that must be a great feeling leaving the diabetes behind. Good job????

@ WL Warrior. I literally laughed out loud at your "beaver tail" comment!!! I will never look at my saggy boobs again without thinking of beaver tails!! I would like to have mine fixed too, but my kiddie is headed to college soon so until I get her off my payroll it's saggy beaver tails for me too. Hey- at least we can all have our sense of humor; pancakes on chest and rock in socks!!