BestDayEver

I color every six weeks because I think it would look even worse with gray roots. The loss has finally slowed in month eight and there are signs of regrowth. I don't know if coloring impacted the loss because I kept coloring through the whole eight months.

I was cleared to eat salad after 60 days post op and I eat it often. My favorite lunch is taco salad. I just make sure I get plenty of protein with the salad.

I take Biotin, use Nioxin shampoo and conditioner, get my Protein in and take my Vitamins but I still lost a lot of hair. It started at 3 months and the thinning was very heavy months 5 through 7, and now in month 8 it has slowed considerably and my hair stylist said she saw some new growth! Yippee. I knew this would happen so I just try not to stress out about it. I just style my hair in a way that minimizes the problem. I think you'll be able to have an undo with no problem when the time comes.

Just being able to recognize that it is head hunger and not real hunger is a good thing. I experienced head hunger more in the beginning but now, six months later, I still get it from time to time. It really is annoying but I agree it helps to turn your attention to some activity that does not involve food.

Oh how I remember when my highly anxious daughter got her palate expander! It was quite the struggle to eat at first and the food getting caught in it was kinda gross. Hang in there because it will all be worth it in the end. ????

My neck and arms bother me the most and will have to be dealt with. I was watching a movie with Jennifer Connelly in it and thought "I want THAT neck" haha. If only . . . sigh.

You look perfect!

I knew I would have loose skin after surgery and said to myself it was worth it for better health and appearance. Only you can have that conversation with yourself. Is loose skin a deal breaker? It wasn't for me, not by a long shot.

It is interesting to see how people react to the weight loss. Some say nothing. One person who had not seen me for awhile said I looked much happier. She knew there was something different about me but couldn't quite figure it out. It's all good by me, I thank people who compliment me but I really look forward to when no one notices and the thinner me is the new normal. That's when I'll really know I've succeeded.

Tough situation but I wouldn't beat myself up if I don't get the exercise in. It just means your food choices will be very important. They say 80% of weight loss is what you eat anyway. Hopefully you can get some nice walks in on the weekends with the kids.

My son asked me yesterday if I was going to make Christmas cookies this year. I told him I would make them on Christmas Eve because I don't want them around for too long. This is my first holiday watching what I eat and I'm kind of looking forward to January as far as the food part of the holidays is concerned - it's exhausting trying to avoid the temptations.

The only junk food I buy for the family is stuff that I don't particularly care for like chips or ice cream treats. What we don't have in the house are Cookies, cake or chocolate. They can buy that stuff on their own if they want it that badly. One thing I enjoy is lower grocery bills now that I don't buy all that crud.

Wow, you look great and I'm so happy to hear you no longer have the back pain. I had a slipped disc a few years ago so I know how painful that is. I couldn't lie down in bed so I had surgery to shave the disc so it wouldn't press on the nerve anymore. What a blessing to not need the surgery!

I had these crazy dreams too. A non-helpful member of this forum told me it meant I was a food addict. Uh, no, just had anxiety. I haven't had one of these dreams in many months.

VSGAnn - good info. I know that before I had surgery, I would diet to lose to a goal weight and as soon as I got to the goal I regained due to a return to old eating habits (i.e., lots and lots of carbs). I would weigh myself less frequently because it was all spiraling out of control once again. Post surgery, and still in the losing phase, I weigh myself once a week and once I get to maintenance I'm not really sure what the plan is except it will remain once a week or more often. This time around I feel I can stay low carb for the duration and plan to keep a tighter control on it. I'm a bit surprised that I don't crave carbs and this a good thing because I think my body is expert at storing carbs as fat and it took a long time for me to figure this out. But like so many on this site, I have the fear of regain because it always happened in the past.

I ate so many carbs before because they are just easy to grab, munch and digest. Now I can imagine a life lived without eating much bread, Pasta, potatoes or rice. I really don't miss them or crave them at all. The things I have to keep out of the house include chocolate candy, cake, Cookies, brownies - I still would love to eat that stuff if given a chance so I just don't keep it around the house. However, when I get to maintenance, I plan on having a bowl of Cereal for Breakfast every now and then. I kind of miss the cereal.

Thank you for sharing. I always appreciate your level-headed advice.

As the weather started to get cooler I wanted some jeans that fit well. Before surgery I was wearing 22W. Now I buy my jeans at Old Navy when they're 50% off and so far, over the past four months, I've worn size 16, 14, 12 and now fitting in the size 10! I love it!!!! My advice is to buy a little tighter than you need at the time of purchase and they will fit in no time. ????

Ahhhh, I remember my first scrambled egg after surgery - delicious! I was also thrilled to eat cottage cheese too. As for the tears, I didn't do any crying but I wouldn't worry, maybe it's a hormone thing (lots of stored hormones in that fat), or a reaction to the anesthesia. It's all gonna be okay. ????????????

Thank you for sharing and congratulations to you and your son - you both look great. ????????????

Thank you! I've decided hiking is one of my favorite ways to exercise. The challenge of getting to the top really encourages me to keep at it, and the view and sense of accomplishment is so rewarding. It's killer on the legs so I just think about how strong I'm getting (heart and lungs too).

We have the same BFF, haha. Miralax has saved me from much discomfort. I was nervous about using it on a regular basis but my gastroenterologist said it's what he prefer I use. I don't need it every day. I tried vita gummies and benefiber and neither seemed to help me one bit. My practice says it's ok to use Metamucil if needed so I doubt it could stretch the sleeve but best to ask your doctor if in doubt.

- bmi in the "normal" range - wearing cute clothes that flatter my new figure in the "regular" sizes - knowing my husband is proud of my appearance - finding exercise much easier to accomplish

I ate my usual menu for the day of and then had a bit of everything I wanted for dinner but stopped before getting too full. I had dessert as I planned and I tracked everything. I had a lot more carbs than normal. The next day I was back on track. It's just one day after all. There was plenty of leftover pie in the fridge and I even served it to others but I wasn't tempted to eat any myself. I lost weight when I did my weekly, Monday morning weigh in so I feel really good about how it all went. Next up, Christmas!

I feel your pain here. I'm 7 months out and I've lost lots of hair. I got dermatch, a powder product I ordered online to cover up any bald Patches if I feel really insecure about it. Otherwise, I blow dry my hair with a bit of a comb over. I get plenty of Protein and I've been taking Biotin since before the surgery and I use the nioxin shampoo and conditioner. I don't think any of these things have made an impact on the hair loss. It was heaviest months 3-6, it isn't as heavy now but it's still coming out. It's a pain in the neck but I much prefer losing the weight and I look so much better in other ways that I just don't stress about the hair loss. I hope once my weight stabilizes some of it will grow back. Hang in there, it's worth it.