Djmohr

There are a couple of things I would say about this topic. - Prior to my weight loss people would look at me especially when i was either sitting on the airplane or coming down the aisle. It might have been me (LOl) but it always felt like they were saying a small prayer that they would not be sitting next to me. This never happens anymore.....in fact I can sit in a middle seat as comfortable as one might get in a middle seat. - The look i would get from a flight attendant when asking for a seatbelt extender......that never happens anymore. - My family treated me as if i could not do anything for myself and it drove me nuts and did not help my situation any. Now, i do get that they were always worried about me and it was meant with the best of intentions. - Now i get noticed. Sometimes that can be offputting like when i go to my local pro health club swimming. I am usually the youngest in the pool, usually the most slim and for some reason and the elderly gentlemen flirt with me. YES, they flirt with me. Once several of them backed me into the corner. And, every woman in the pool gave me the stink eye. It has happened a few times now and because of it, I have been avoiding the pool. I really need to get back there because swimming helps my joints and this is the only warm Water pool around. - People that have not seen me in some time are shocked and they stare alot until they get used to me. - My father n law and sons both think I am too skinny and are always telling me that. I dont mind that at all. They are just not used to the normal me. - My Dermatologist who is my favorite doc of all time, sees me every 10 weeks and is still shocked at how i look but in a good way. He saw me at my absolute worst. He literally once saved my life! So for him, he is absolutely thrilled at my weight loss. I owe alot of my current situation to him because he is the first doctor that gave me hope and it snowballed from there. I saw him yesterday and shared that I am getting my tummy tuck and breast lift with augmentation done in January and he was so excited for me. In terms of being treated differently.....I honestly don't think that has been the case. Most people who never knew me dont see anything different and therefore I am not treated any different. Its like I am not even there and that is ok with me.

False statement? I hate to sound mean, but you have a reading comprehension problem. I never said there weren't other causes, I just mentioned that a lack of protein can cause problems. Instead of calling me a liar, you might do some web searches on the subject of hair loss and protein. How your body reacts to surgery relates to your case, but their are others who would have done better had they followed the recommended diet plans. No where did she call you a liar.....at least I certainly did not see it or read it. you have to remember that many many people read these posts. The concern is that they get all of the information and your statement only gave a small portion of the picture. Also.....There are many on this board that would argue about getting 70 grams of protein from the very beginning. 1 shake in a day can give you 30 grams all by itself. And yes, dense meats will give you great protein but so will Beans, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, luncheon meat, etc..... Maybe the first week or two is difficult but after that you should be able to get to your goal every day. Not getting your protein should not be the reason your hair falls out. there are several other reasons or any combination of them that can cause this. I am just trying to clear this up for people who may not know or understand. I know there are alot because the hair issue comes up several times a week and there are probably 1000's of posts on the subject.

@@labwalker This is simply NOT true. I know this because i hit my protein goals from the beginning, had my nutritional panel tested and was perfect. I lost 2/3 of my hair volume and saw several doctors who told me the following: 1. Some people react to surgery by loss of hair (I am NOT one of them, have had more than 10 surgeries in my life and never lost my hair) - it got dull but never fell out 2. Massive weight loss can cause hair loss and the hair loss will not stop until the massive weight loss slows down - This is exactly what happened to me according to several physicians 3. You can see some hair loss if you are not getting proper nutrition including protein. 4. If you are going through menopause, this can add to the hair loss issue - I am going through menopause Everyone is different.....for me the good news was all of my hair came back, i swear it is even thicker than it was before and my hair was quite thick and my hair came in very very curly. My hair started falling out around the 3 month post op and progressively got worse as time went on. It stopped at around 13 months post op but the whole time new hair was growing in as well. Please do your research and understand there are many things happening to your body at once. You may or may not experience this. If you do, dont freak out.....your hair will grow back. Also know as long as you are getting proper nutrition, there really is nothing you can do to stop it from falling out. You can take Biotin which might help with regrowth. (i am not conviced of that nor are the physicians i spoke to.)

I do find that snacking leads to stalls and or weight gain for me. I have to be very careful because I also get reactive hypoglycemia so i pretty much eat very small meals all day long. That is a slippery slope and can feel much like grazing which is the worst thing i can do. Early on while in weight loss mode my nut had me drink milk for a snack. it gives you added Protein, turns to a solid keeping you full for quite a while. And.....best of all you can add different types of tea to it. My favorite all time snack especially in the winter is chocolate chai tea. I use the loose tea version from teavanna and steep it for 3 minutes. It is especially delicious, hits the spot with NO added sugar other than what is in the milk. I use lactaid because i still have a lactose intolerance. If i dont have that, i will eat full fat cheese, pepperoni, shrimp, almonds and sometimes bariatric pal hot chocolate or bariatric pal vanilla capacciono.

Everyones body adjusts along the way. Most surgeons provide a approved diet that goes up in quantity as time passes. For me from about 1 - 3 months it was 1/4cup of food which filled me up completely. I remember i could use one yogurt for 3 meals. Then around 3-7 months it was 1/2 cup and again, that kept me very full for many hours if i was eating the right things. from 7 months on i was approved to eat about 1 cup of food. Now it really all depends on what your eating. I can eat 1 1/2 cups of salad depending on what Protein i add on top. It might be less if it is dense chicken breast. It is normal but i would not advance it until you are told it is ok to do so. I think the most i can eat now is about 1 cup of dense foods and 1 1/2 cups of things like salad. Also, you will find slider foods......for me things like pudding and yogurt will fill me up but empty from my pouch very quickly making me hungry again sooner. I find this is true of some broth like Soups. But stews with dense protein like beef or chicken and veggies wills stay with me for hours. It is usually my head telling me i am hungry long before my tummy does.

UMMMM. Sad to say for me there is no happy medium. It is either horrible constipation or watery diarrhea. I will take the watery diarrhea over the constipation any day though. I am two years post op.

Congratulations! You are now on the losers bench!

@@cdeisroth You look fantastic! Congratulations on doing so well.

By the way, Biotin does not help with hair loss, it supposedly will help with regrowth. Many people never have the hair loss experience it just depends on the person.

Spoken to several doctors on this issue because I lost 2/3 of my hair volume. I was never Vitamin deficient and got my Protein up in the first few weeks post op. Some people simply react to the stress of surgery and the stress of massive weight loss so fast. For me, it began at what i thought was alot around 2 months post op and got heavier and heavier. I swore i though i would lose all my hair. My doctors, every single one of them told me that I would stop shedding my hair when the massive weight loss tapered off. For me, that was 13 months post op. My hair was thin, but i still had hair. It did not cause bald Patches, it just shed from everywhere. I took Biotin but am not convinced it really did anything for regrowth as they claim. the good news, my hair was coming in while i was still losing it. I used to have very thick dark hair with nice body. Now, I have even thicker, very curly hair. Yes, my hair went so curly that even my stylist is shocked. She said she has seen it happen with cancer patients but never ever so quickly. I have had to learn how to deal with very curly hair. In the beginning i would straighten it but honestly that is such a pain and it never really gets straight unless it is round brushed by a stylist. So, now I wear it curly and everyone is getting used to it. It is beautiful, shiny and curly and probably more healthy than it has ever been. you no longer see my scalp at all.

Amen..... So many people just really really dont friggin get it at all. They dont realize the short period of time they have to get their behaviors in order. They dont get that this is not about a short term diet, it is about a whole new way to live your life. Just today someone posted about getting home from the hospital, craving chocolate so they ate it. One day out......never mind you could cause serious harm but if that person doesnt understand "the article" they will never take the time to learn what actually needs to change for their long term benefit. Maintenance in my opinion is sooooooo much harder than the weight loss phase. 1. The incentive of getting on the scale and watching the numbers go down is no longer there, now you just hope they dont go up 2. You have to find your sweet spot when it comes to your nutrition so you are not losing and not gaining....not easy! 3. Once you do screw up and go off plan for a few days it really is hard to get back on the right path. To me it sometimes feels harder than when i did it the first time. I used to live to eat, now, I eat to live. Dont get me wrong i really still enjoy food and wine. We just have to learn how to live normally and indulge once in a while. And even then our indulging has changed. I know what I call indulging is not what it was when i weighed 310lbs. Indulging to me is having a glass or two of wine with dinner.....a rule i normally never break. Or having a piece of dark chocolate once in a while.

This is that time post op when everything begins to change. Firstly the first 6 months portions change from 1/2 cup to more like 3/4 to a full cup. In addition you begin to recognize slider foods. I am two years post op and usually consume 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of food depending on what I am eating. I can eat more salad than meat but meat keeps me fuller longer even though i eat less of it. The things that fill me up and keep me full longest is: Full fat cheese lunch meats Dense meat like chicken breast and fish Nuts - however just a 1/4 cup and no more Cottage cheese Raw veggies and full fat ranch dip Salad with Protein on top like chicken or cottage cheese Foods that seem to slip right through Yogurt Protein shakes Any carb items that I shouldn't have anyway and try to avoid pudding Every once in a while I have a bowl of Cereal and talk about being hungry again in 20 minutes.....i keep that to maybe once a week if that.

Beware.....scolding in progress. Here's the thing, you just had major surgery on your stomach. No matter how bad the head hunger is, do you really think eating chocolate at all is wise a few days after surgery? I am guessing your answer is no or you would not be on here in scared mode. Honestly you should be scared. You should pick up the phone and immediately call your therapist. Having WLS is 90% head, 10% if that surgery. You can eat around your surgery from day one. and if you do, why bother going through all the pre work and pain? That is called self destruction and you need to get a handle on it now. For me, sugars cravings have never gone away. I have had to learn to deal with this. Sometimes you give in and have something but never ever just when you get home from the hospital. Lastly I would say that baby food does not have the nutrition that homemade prepared purees have. Not to mention they taste like crap unless you are eating all the fruits which have carbs in them. Why not simply make some of your own purees, eat greek yogurt, cottage cheese, Protein shakes, ricotta bake. There are a ton of bariatric friendly pureed stage options available on pinterest. I really wish you the best but you are definately going to need some help to get your head hunger under control. When those cravings come up the best thing you can do is try to get your mind off of it. Firstly, you cannot possibly be feeling real hunger at this stage. Dehydration mimics hunger for us. So if you feel it keep sipping your approved liquids until that feeling goes away. If you have met your liquid goals and still feel that way, you are likely feeling some reflux if you are a sleeve patient. If not those two things it is definately head hunger and you need some coping mechanisms. I use distraction techniques....go wash dishes, do some laundry, take a shower, do something with your hands like crafts - knitting, crocheting....etc. get your mind off of food. Lastly do NOT watch food porn shows or commercials, they can make head hunger terrible. Go see a therapist they will provide lost of techniques and get at the bottom of why you are already self sabotaging.

Itching wounds are perfectly normal. You may even find that a stitch or two spit out of the would which actually make it itch worse. I think i had that happen in 3 of my initial incisions and it takes longer to heal.

Well, glad to hear you are doing so well. In terms of Protein there are other ways to get it besides meat. Try Beans, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, Protein shakes. When you do try meats, make sure they are really moist and chew well. Take small bites. For me fish and chicken were the two meat items that worked the easiest but I had to cook them just to done and not over cook. Lastly its good that you cannot eat rice, Pasta or bread. They will actually stall you. You should be staying away from those items at least until you hit goal and then introduce them back slowly and minimally. For your carbs you should be focuse on veggies and a small amount of fruit.

Please search for 3 week stall. you will likely find thousands of posts. It is very common and you will likely have many more, it is your body simply taking a break from all the weight loss. Incidentally there are many points of view as to what a stall is. 5 days with no loss does not mean that you are stalled. Usually it is a couple of weeks before you can call it a real plateau. Some people stay off the scale if this bothers them. I personally was a daily weigher during the weight loss phase but i had to train myself not to get upset when i did not lose weight every day. The reality is, for the first 2 months you likely will lose alot and then after that it tapers off to a more reasonable pace. I think i averaged between 7 - 10 lbs per month. It took 18 months to lose 152lbs and the last 30 took more than 6 months alone. Be patient....it will come off.

Congratulations on your significant weight loss already! WOW! I am excited for you. If you have done that well without the tool, wait until you have some help. Keep us posted on your progress and welcome!

@@BariatricGal This would definately be a question for you surgeon. I know mine stopped my Vitamins a few days before surgery and did not have me start them back up until 1 month post op. Every surgeon handles things differently. Best of luck to you!

Having WLS such as bypass or the sleeve, you should not feel actual hunger at this stage. When they cut your stomach they cut the hunger hormones and for bypass it will take a few months before actual hunger comes back. For the sleeve you may not ever get that feeling back. So, that being said....you are either having head hunger, you are dehydrated or are having some reflux. So, start by sipping Water for a while and see if the feeling goes away. If not, call the doc and see if it could be reflux (especially sleeve patients). If you are already taking something for reflux then YOU are getting in your own head. You will truly need to learn to deal with it because that never goes away. You have to learn to get your mind off food. In the first several weeks post op you really truly only need water. All of us have Protein in our systems since before surgery, in fact some doctors dont even start you on Protein shakes until week 2. Being dehydrated mimics the hunger feeling and it can really make you feel pretty crappy on top of everything else. If you are not yet getting a minimum of 48 oz. to 64 oz. of fluids you are likely dehydrated.

@@BigJohn58 Make sure you really research. I am not sure about your statement regarding more follow up. The sleeve requires an annual nutritional panel same as bypass every year for the rest of your life. In addition both require Vitamins for life... I go once per year for a nutritional panel. I take a multi Vitamin, Calcium citrate, Vitamin D daily and then B12 once per week. Other than that nutritional panel which is done during a normal physical, I don't need to go to the doctor because I had bypass. I know you are just getting started, all I am suggesting is that you research before setting your mind on this. The sleeve is a fantastic surgery and people get great results. Bypass is the gold standard. I am not certain about DS as I have not researched that fully. I don't know many people that really want to go through this type of surgery twice. It's not fun so I would go in with the mindset that this will be the only tummy surgery. But....thats just me.... Best of luck to you.

I did the cherry and yes its gross but you drink it fast and I was told to refrigerate it. it goes down better. Then, stay near a toilet...LOL

Trust me....they don't remove it all. I really had NO pain from the surgery itself, it was that lousy gas that makes you very uncomfortable until you get rid of it. Now, that being said gas x don't help with that, gas x is great for when your bowels begin to work again because that can really cause some pain. I used gas x chewable, a heating pad, sipped Water constantly and walked as much as i possibly could stand. I had surgery on Monday and I took my last pain med on Wed night. Honestly the pain meds don't help with that gas pain the only thing that does is moving a lot and for me a heating pad or hot packs.

Oh My....I think i would not have survived without my heating pad. I of course did not know that I would need one until the night following surgery. Heat helps immensely with the discomfort on your belly. The nurses brought me I swear about 100 break and heat packs and I used them all 3 days i was in there. When you are in bed or sitting it helps with that belly pain you get from the gas they pump into you. It is not so much about the incisions. I know you are not supposed to do this but I even slept with it laying on my tummy. Just make sure you don't lay on it because you can get a burn. It is absolutely worth the investment as far as I am concerned.....since then i have had back surgeries and shoulder surgeries and have been using it for that as well. Of course after the ice phase....LOL

I think it would add value to get a 2nd opinion for sure. That being said, did he say why he felt that was the better surgery for you? Usually there is a reason. I had a similar experience. For whatever reason I thought the sleeve was the way i wanted to go and had done a ton of research. When I went in for my meeting with the surgeon they immediately recommended Bypass but that was because I had severe Gerd. initially I was devastated because I had only researched the sleeve thinking of course that I knew best. When i left that appointment i made an appointment with my gastroenterologist who confirmed that the way to go for me was absolutely bypass. then i began researching the heck out of it and became very very comfortable with that plan. It has been two years now and I lost all of my weight and currently am a normal BMI. I lost 152lbs and I fluctuate between 157 & 162 which is below my goal weight. I have been in maintenance since March 2016 and I got rid of all my comorbitities including that severe gerd thank goodness. I personally would get a second opinion but for me, I would absolutely take the advice of my doctors. Mine was expert in his field and I trusted him after performing research.