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I was worried about this too. My friend with bypass lost a lot of hair. I was hoping this would not be the same since I have thin hair to start with. It is OK if my gray ones fall out, lol.

I was banded June 25 and have been shedding like crazy for the past month. I dred washing my hair cuase so such falls out and then blow drying tons more. I have very very thick hair and have always been a "shedder" but not like this. I don't take my vitamins on a regular basis and probably don't get enough water so between appearing to be very common I could probably be doing more for myself in the water/vitamins area. Anyone have a change to the skin on the palm of your hands? In the morning after I shower it is almost like i have been soaking in the water. My skins gets very soft and white and almost looks like I could rub it away. Then if I look really closely it is almost like there are tiny pin pricks. I did show the PA and she didn't seem concerned especially since I told her about the lack of water and vitamins. I might go for blood work next week but wanted to see if anyone else is experiencing anything like this?

I heard the wt loss was less because of the medications. I weened off my meds for surgery coming up on the 15th. I take them for PTSD but side effects were slow wt loss so I am stopping.

I've never heard that about bipolar disorder's effect on weight loss. There are a lot of WLS patients who are bipolar, though - I've seen MANY people post about being bipolar in the seven or so years I've been hanging out on bariatric forums. my weight loss finally stopped at 20 months out. Those last six months or so my loss slowed to a crawl, though - we're talking like two pounds a month some months. So don't give up yet! You may still have some loss and get down to where you want to be. But it's true that the closer people are to a normal BMI, the tougher (and slower) weight loss becomes...

I am just reposting this because I don't have enough time to write it again but I want to help. My surgery was 10/10/16, I've had more stalls than active weight loss weeks. Yet here I am in a size 14 about to move to a size 12 (edit, update, this post is originally from about 5-6 weeks ago. I'm now moving from a size 12 to a size 10 but I'm only 6 lbs lighter than when I posted this...to give you an indication of the scale is not the full story). They aren't stalls, I call them Pauses. Nothing's stopped, your body is still working, you have done so much to it, it needs a little time. The first 6-12 weeks are about recovery and healing. You will lose weight but your body is also in shock, it will retain Water, be swollen, sore and need time. But then it will happen again and you won't have a good reason. You will be following all the protocols and you will be walking and drinking your water and hitting your Protein goals and yet you will hit another Pause. You need to be mentally prepared for that. It's not all a down slope. So to prepare you need to do a few things: Measure yourself, your head (yes, you lose weight there) your neck - super satisfying to watch it shrink, your biceps, your forearms, your writs, hell - measure your fingers too and your palm, your breast, under your breasts, your waist, your hips, your thighs, etc. All the way to your toes. Then do that about once every few weeks or so. And then when you hit another plateau you pull out that sheet and measure yourself again and see that your body is still changing and evolving. The scale does not tell the whole story. When I get discouraged I like to take a few moments and feel the changes in my body. I run my hands along my feet and ankles, my calves and knees. I feel the bones and muscle revealing themselves. I wrap my fingers around my wrist and feel how much smaller they are now. I run my hands along my forearms on the outside and feel my bones up to my elbow. I run my hands along my collar bones, revel in the fact I have them now! I continue on up my neck, circling it with my hands to feel how small it is now and then along my jaw bone, a bone I haven't seen in decades. I take these moments and remind myself how great this is and how great I'm doing even if I don't believe it in that moment. I move. When I'm discouraged I now move. I used to eat. Now I want to remind myself how much easier it is to move. So I go for a very vigorous walk, I put on the happiest, bounciest, fasted rhythmed music I have and get to steppin! Blast that brain with some oxygen, sun, music and endorphins. There are going to be MANY pauses and stalls and plateaus. It's our job to prepare your coping tools and mechanisms so that you can self-sooth and re-motivate without need for food or a serious mental adjustment. Before I let myself get that far I use these methods. They work for me, you will find what works for you hopefully. Good luck and congratulations!!!

go to the trichologist. or to an endocrinologist, unexpected hair loss is a cry for help from your body. there may be thyroid problems or anemia. also hormonal problems .. in short a lot of things so visit the doctor you can take biotin supplements in parallel, for example, and use hair products with biotin curtin, etc., but I'm not sure if they will help without treatment maybe the doctor will tell you to take a closer look at the multivitamin complex for hair (where there is iron, B vitamins, collagen, keratin)

Thanks i have thought if that and will do that if necessary. I'm going to schedule an appointment with my primary. Hopefully she will see how I'm improving and doing the surgery can only help my Health. If not I'll change MD and stay with the MD that is supervising my weight loss since he is family practice as well. Thank you again for your support.

Hi CoolCrystal your must be one of the lucky ones not losing hair good for you. I guess with this surgery it really does effect everyone different. How's your weight lost been?

Hi Mumwithnobum, what an absolute bummer to have lost all that and then had it go back on. The sleeve will not let you down like that, but it's obviously hard that you have to go through major weight loss twice in a few years. Welcome by the way. Jane x

That's a very astute point on banding for the higher BMI patient, Wasa. There's loads of evidence coming to light in Australia that banding is much more successful for those with a lower BMI. I wonder why? Behaviour? Or are or bodies working differently? But that's not to say that there's not many people here on this very forum who have lost to normal from a pretty high BMI. Its not unheard of either. Give yourself a chance Michellah08, that's hardly a positive way to be thinking from the get go. Many of the poor statistics are due to elements entirely in your control, you CAN do this if you want to. Even if the band DID take you to 55% of your excess weight lost, you can think about a sleeve to take you the rest of the way, if your loss was getting ridiculously slow and difficult. But give the band a chance, afterall, its already there inside you. It does take a while to get with the program though, you need a bit of restriction first. __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

I think a big reason people on weight loss forums are at goal weight is because they have remained cognizant of the weight loss process and because they feel like they contribute to the forums as a person who, for whatever reason, has been successful. I'll be honest, if I started gaining weight I probably wouldn't post on here a lot because I wouldn't be thinking about my weight (or trying not to) and I'd be ashamed. As for the keys to success, I think in the long term the biggest is to do what works for you, which takes some trial and error. I was never a rule-follower. I drank with straws, I always drink with my meals, I didn't pay a lot of attention to Protein, I eat crackers, I had chocolate a few months after surgery and a few sips of champagne to be polite 3 weeks after surgery. I almost never sit down and eat an actual meal, I mostly eat when I feel hungry and I snack a lot. I used to be big on sweets, but while they often make me feel sick, I really don't have any big cravings for them anymore. When I am somewhere with sweets, I just don't eat any. The one thing I found consistently is that when I sweets, I absolutely gain weight. If I stay away from them, I have a lot more flexibility in my diet. I weigh myself everyday and write the number in a little calendar. I don't workout a lot anymore because I have found I can be lazy and maintain at goal. I think the one thing that has worked for me is the daily weigh-in. Last November I woke up after Halloween at 137, which is 8 pounds over my goal and the most I had weighed since hitting goal. It took me until January to get back to goal, but it was a good lesson that had I not been weighing myself everyday I would have had a lot more than 8 pounds to lose. When surgery is over and your stomach is healed, it comes down to what you can do for the rest of your life. I was not willing to be thirsty during meals for the rest of my life, I wasn't willing to workout every single day for the rest of my life, and I'm not willing to be fat. Somewhere in the middle there is a compromise with myself that has allowed me to be where I want to be and also be happy and live a life that doesn't completely revolve around my weight.

Absolutely do NOT wait until your consult!!!!!! You can take charge of this yourself, and then you will know fro sure what you need. Grab your insurance card and pick up the phone and call your insurance company yourself. Ask if based on YOUR policy number if you are covered for adjustable gastric banding. Ask what the requirements are and then have a copy of those requirements snail mailed and emailed to you. That way you know what you need to start doing NOW. You also need to ask WHO they will pay for you to go see. Ask for a list. Many insurances will only pay for you to go to a certain group of surgeons and I'd hate for you to find a surgeon's office you like and then find out they are NOT covered by your insurance. Please call today and find out for sure. If you are required to have six months of visits and diet history, then you can start making those appointments now, rather than lose a month or more waiting for your consult. And also ask what kind of documentation will suffice for the diet history, a few insurance companies will take letters from your doc or records from GOING to weight watchers or Jenny Craig, LA Weight loss, etc. But often they require MONTHLY MD visit NOTES discussing your attempts at weight loss and MONTHLY weights. Find out these specifics, too. Trust me, it will serve you well to call your insurance today.

I am scheduled to be banded on 8/7/09. I am going to Juarez Mexico and going through Belite. Due to my very high BMI I have to start the PreOp diet three weeks prior to the surgery. Which means I have to start it right in the middle of our vacation to Colorado. Anyone have any suggestions on travel food? I'm kinda at a loss! Thanks, Patty

I get 60 g of protein. My surgeon said inscreased protein can help speed up weight loss. I wish I could tell you why, but I didn't ask. I figure that he is the expert, so I will take his word for it. lol

Hi Everyone, It's been awhile since I've been on and posted. I was banded 20 months ago 1-11-11 and have loss 62lb. I have to say it is and continue's to be a struggle to lose. The first year I loss about 40 pounds. I too was constantly weighing and not happy when I didn't loose. I have finally gotten to the point were I'm happy with my weight loss and if I loose more that will be O.K. I'm not really on a diet at this point I watch what I eat and eat ALOT LESS for sure. I think our body's get to a point were it just doesn't feel like loosing anymore and we stall out. My doctor told me it would about 3 years to get were I want to be. I think he is right! For me getting to the right fill point (5cc in 10cc) is important I've been overfilled and it's not fun. You are on the right track it just takes time..

first of all, you've only had the band for around three months. Losing 25 lbs in ~3 months is EXCELLENT. Not sure why your so downtrodden. My doc told me 1-2 lbs a week is the expected rate of weight loss so your right on track. If for whatever reason you were told/were under the impression that the pounds would come flying off quickly then you are mistaken. You are doing GREAT but as mis73 has advised, count calories (i use myfitnesspal.com but there are also other sites) and stick to one cup of food per meal. Keep your head up and try being patient. Its hard, I know (also frustrated by my super slow loss)

So I wrote this for myself but I wanted to share with people who understand. I'm being banded on Friday this week! Dear Self, Why am I doing this? Why am I subjecting myself to this? Well mainly it’s for my kids. I’d like to be healthy and be a good role model for my children. I want to be with them for as long as possible. There are other more selfish reasons of course. I’m so freakin sick of having the sore back all the freakin time! I know it’s because of my belly and I’m hoping and praying that if I’m able to get rid of that my back won’t hurt anymore. Every time I go to pick up Little Stink or when we are in the rocking chair nursing and I go to put him in his crib it hurts SO bad. Bending down to clean up their toys is a nightmare. I’m also so sick of being scared that I’m going to develop diabetes. If I’m able to loss weight and keep it off, that fear will most likely be alleviated. Not to mention of course, the HPB which weighs on my as well. I’d like to be able to nurse my next child without having to worry about that medication at least. I’d like to be thin enough to attempt a VBAC for baby 3 so maybe I can even have baby 4 if I want! I also want to be able to run without hearing my belly flap. It’s more than embarrassing. I want to be able to run and play with the kids. Play soccer or baseball or tennis without being winded. I want to be able to ride my bike without fear of a hill. I want to be able to run and get my baby if he falls more quickly than I can now. I want to be there for them more than I am now. I want to be able to walk into a room of people I don’t know and not be looking around to make sure there’s someone fatter than me in the room. I want to be able to stop looking for the shock or disgust in people’s eyes when they see me (as a point of note, I’ve NEVER seen that though! I just look for it). I want to be taken seriously and included in circles that I’m currently not given the opportunity to join. I want to be able to ride my bike or take a walk without worrying what the teenagers are thinking or worse yet saying about me. I don’t want the day to come when my little boys say to me “Mommy, you are fat” and I simply have to respond, “Yes, Mommy is fat”. I want to see the looks on people’s faces when they see me thin FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! I want to welcome my sister home from aboard having lost 100 pounds. I want to go to weddings or other family events and see all their faces when they realize that it really is me. This has been a dream since I was 10 years old. I’d like to finally see it come to fruition. I want my husband to be able to pick me up and swing me around like he does his mother. I want him to find me attractive. I want him to tell me he finds me attractive. What am I scared of though. I’m scared of not succeeding. That’s for sure. I’m scared that I’ll go through all of this and 10 years down the road I’ll be back right where I am now, and I’ll have to watch what I eat on top of it. That would SUCK. If I’m gonna be fat, then I damn well want to be enjoying it! I’m scared that life is gonna suck after the surgery. I’m scared I won’t be able to follow the diet. I’m scared I’ll lose my drive after too short a time. I’m SUPER scared I’ll have a recurrence of my anxiety problems. In the past this was enough to keep me from trying anything. But it’s been well controlled for around 7 years so I do think I’ll be ok. If I’m not, well then I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. I’m scared that life is gonna suck without good food. I’m scared of what I won’t be able to eat anymore. I’m scared of not nursing for 24 hours. I’m scared of not being able to lift the kids for a time. That will be hard. I’m scared that I’ll give up too soon. I’m hoping that the band will not let me do that! I’m hoping that the results will be such that I don’t want to do that. I’m hoping to succeed. I’m hoping not to be disappointed by my audacity to hope.

Hi all, I had my first fill today as the topic title states lol It was on Wimpole Road, London... by Fredrick, one of the consultants when I had my operation. Surprisingly it was not as uncomfortable/painful as I thought it would be... i was bracing myself for pain! I even tied my hair up........ but by the time I could complain about him pushing my belly to find the port it was done! I then had to drink a cup and a half of Water and was fine, and off I went back to Moorgate for work (I went during my lunch break). I must say I am really exciting for the future even more, the weight seems to be coming off pretty sharp... people are starting to notice it and I am slowely starting to notice my face and in general my back and stuff getting smaller.... Still a long way to go... but no where near what I was 4/5 weeks ago.... Soooo back on the liquids for two days... hooray soups! (not!) I totally hate Soups... BUT it is just for two days and at least it will kick start some more weight loss... I am a bit worried to eat after my first fill... because this morning before my first fill I got slightly brave and decided to eat a bacon roll from PRET! Never will I do that again, I have never felt such panic in my life... my chest went tight and everything! (I wasnt sick!) but it did take ages to go down and I was thinking this is what that 'i-didnt-chew-my-food-properly' feeling must be. I will not be eating that bacon roll again! lol In regards to gym... June 2013 banders, have you started yet? The aim is to start on this coming Monday... What are you finding works for you, what type of cardio? I was thinking of signing up to the race in Hyde Park in Octover for the British Heart Foundation.... Anyone doing any sports charity events this summer in London? Love Elisa x p.s. sorry about the awful punctuation, grammar etc.

Hi Everyone!! I have lost right at 60 pounds (I was 202 this morning so onderland is coming!!!) But do you ever still feel like you are huge??? I just was looking in the mirror this morning and I still feel like I am the person i was when i started this journey. Don't get me wrong, I am excited over my weight loss! I started out a size 22 and now I am in a 14 but I still feel like i have this big belly ..... Just curious if it was just me or if anyone else feels like this at times...

Hi I see this is your first post - welcome. Firstly you started with a low BMI. The less weight you have to lose the slower you lose it. I also got banded in jun 09 and have lost 22kg. The loss now seems to have stopped. Secondly you have a very low BMi as a goal. It is right at the bottom of the normal/bordering on the underweight range. Yes you may be able to achieve this but unless you really limit your food and do lots of exercise it is unlikely. If I was you I would reassess once you are into the healthy weight range. You may find that you don't want to weigh that little. I have always wanted to lose more weight but I realise now that if I lose much more I will probably end up looking old/gaunt. It would be fine if I could choose where it should come off(stomach) but that is not possible. Instead my legs just get thinner - if they get much thinner then I won't be able to buy clothes off the rack. here in Aus it can be pretty hard to find a size 8 - if I need to get a 6 or smaller I could really be in trouble. Where are you from? Obviously not the USA or UK as your ticker shows your weight in kgs and they generally show theirs in lbs or stones.

Exactly how my hair is. I wasn't sure if inverted was the right word. But yes! It looked cute and thank god because the rest of me was a hot mess.

Hello, I'm new here and so glad I've found rnytalk! Surgery has been my goal for the past 6 months and now that everything's a "GO!" I'm so anxious and afraid. I feel like my concerns may be a bit invalid/vain however I still feel this way. But I figure this will be the place to help me through-- 1. What do I tell my coworkers about my "mysterious" weight loss? I shouldn't be ashamed about the surgery but my weight has ALWAYS be an embarrassing subject for me!! 2. How do I not have/reduce the issue of excess skin as I work toward my goal weigh? My heart is beating fast as I type cause I'm so scared. I feel like I can't admit my fears because my support people will be like "well, don't have the surgery then!" But they don't really understand what this is like for me :-( I have a few other concerns but these are the most pressing issues right now.

You all will laugh but what do you do with your hair the day of surgery. Mine is thick as crap and kinda curly and not quite long enough for a real ponytail! Like I need to worry about it but my hair is gonna be one hot mess lmao.

Margaret, Nice to see you here! I met you at the Sweet Hollow Diner the first time I came there to find out about the surgery. I'm so glad to hear you are doing well despite your life situations. You were one of the reasons I went with Dr. Geiss (Thank you) and I definitely am not sorry. I had the surgery on Sept. 2nd with him and I am down 26 1/2 pounds since the week before surgery. My weight loss has slowed down the past 2 weeks and I am finding out if I should get a fill or not. Andy (you remember Andy don't you?) has lost.....(drum roll please).......117 lbs.!!!! He looks great! I will be attending the get together at the diner this Tuesday. Hope to talk to you again soon. Keep in touch. Chris Simione

Please be careful as to what you are eating post your surgery.You have worked hard to get where you are now therefore enjoy the weight loss and a new you .Do not give in to your cravings as that is only a self destruct path.You will not gain from it instead it will put you in more trouble.