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Unfortunately that is one of the side effects. I know a friend from work who was banded about 2 years ago and her hair is very thin. You can see her scalp. Dr told me to make sure and eat enough protein and maybe even shampoo with protein in it will help. Look on the bright side. It's looks like you have lost 60lbs and that is a great victory for you . Maybe you can consider getting some tracks if it does happen to fall out to where it is noticeable. Or ask your dr what you can take to help prevent it. Maybe some kind of vitamins or something

I have had hair loss every time I have lost alot of my weight. I had my surgery in Feb and I noticed alot of hair loss at 4-5 months out. Then it evened out for a couple of months, but it is coming out again. And the new hairs that are coming in stand straight up, LOL!! I try to get in enough protein, but I probably dont everyday. Patty

It will all grow back! it's a fair tryed for your health and better health for tomorow. My cousin died of Breast Cancer and she would not leave her house, It got so bad she would not let any one in . So I was just sitting around talking to three friends they asked me what I was going to do this day "i Said Im going to shave all my hair off and go visit my cousin. Next thing I no all of my friend's had shaved there head's and we went knocked on her door "lifted' are hat's and said we diden't want you to be the only bald one in the family. You should of shaw her face! I know it not the same thing it suck's that helpless feeling but it will grow back! Good luck and most importent healther you!

I think those shakes are fine this early out. Any way to get the Protein in is what you need. As far as the Vitamins, it won't hurt to wait till your dr clears you. And as for the vitamins helping with the hair loss, that's an old wives tale. The hair loss thing is going to happen no matter what you eat or take. Even Biotin won't stop the loss. It will help the hair grow back in, but won't stop it from falling out. Some very few people are lucky and don't get the hair loss, but very few. My mother had the lap band and lost really slowly. Like 70 pounds in 3 years, and she didn't loser her hair, but I hope and pray I don't lose that slowly! Good thing, though, it is only temporary.

I am in the same boat! I am only four weeks out but the wait loss is very very slow so I am going to try and up my calories to at least 1000 a day and see if that helps my metabolism!!

First of all I love your screen name...I am also a USMC wife and a Teacher. We are in Southern Ca too! I was sleeved at Balboa. Were you? They say no Vitamins until after post op visit because they want to give you tummy time to heal. I asked them pre surgery. My tongue looked a little white and I had terrible breath right after surgery for first few weeks...it was a combo of the Protein and no food. I brushed my teeth constantly. It went away when I moved to mushies. Good luck to you...do your best to follow the surgeons recommendations I think that is the best way to succeed. quote name='USMCwifeandTEACHER' timestamp='1305900308' post='152979'] Two questions, 1. Taking 300 calorie shakes with 42 grams of protein in them is bad, right? I just reali of zed that drinking these may be counter to why I had the surgery in the first place. I had my surgery on Monday and I'm down seven lbs. already. Pretty scary but I'm getting past the food cravings and wanting food. Today, so far, is the first time I woke up and I don't want pancakes. I even remember passing a sign advertising a hotel's breakfast buffet here in San Diego. I was looking at the picture thinking... geez, who can eat all of that? 2. Has anyone tried Miracle 2000? I guess I've figured out that I think I know more than the doctors know. My post op sheet clearly says "NO VITAMINS until after your first pre-op appointment." Well screw that, why wait? Not only that I was starting to get this furry white coating on my tongue. I figured my mouth was just dry and I was getting dehydrated. I researched on the internet and found that a deficiency in B12 can lead to that. I don't want that. I want to curtail hair loss as much as possible. Any thoughts from the pros?

Well I can tolerate it I'm just wondering will it slow my weight loss down I 5 months out have lost 75#'s and need to loose about 55 more

I wasn't trying to be mean. I meant to say exactly what I said: They will slow their weight loss program. Here's a juicing recipe taken directly off google for all the things the OP said she/he wanted to include. Here's what My Fitness Pal says it contains: berry Spinach Blast 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries 1/2 cup frozen strawberries 1/2 cup kefir 1 cup spinach 1 tbsp flax seed agave to taste (1 tbsp) MFP calculates this recipe's nutrients as: 182 calories 37 gms. carbs 4 gms fat 6 gms. Protein That is NOT the kind of food I'm eating on my weight loss program. Which is why I don't understand why people would switch from their regular food prescribed by their surgeons to eat a menu like this.

Actually, the Chick Fil 'A 4 piece kid's meal is an acceptable bandster meal as long as you have the fresh fruit side and have the grilled chicken nuggets. The chips and queso...well you already know... I would encourage you to seek counseling from a qualified professional who treats patients with behavioral issues for behavior modification strategies. That will assist you to get beyond your distorted thinking as it relates to food. Awareness of the need to change in this area is essential for your weight loss journey, and from your post you do have awareness of your need to change. Much of what makes the difference between success and failure with the weight loss journey is related to our patterns of thinking and beliefs as they relate to food. Best wishes for your success...

style="margin:0;padding:0;background-color:#d8dde8;color:#5a5a5a;font:normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif;position:relative;"> Hey BariatricPal Members! Happy New Year! BariatricPal wishes each of our members a happy and healthy year. We hope 2016 is a year you meet all your goals, whether they include getting weight loss surgery, hitting goal weight, or maintaining your loss. Here’s what we have in this newsletter to get you motivated and ready to go. A New Year’s Message from BariatricPal Time to Buckle Down: Here’s How Make Those Resolutions Last All Year! So take a look through the newsletter, then spend a few minutes to set your resolutions. It may help to come to the forums to talk about your goals and whatever else is on your mind! Then you may want to head out the door for a quick walk for a great start to the New Year. Happy New Year! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal A New Year’s Message from BariatricPal We want to wish all our members a happy and healthy New Year! We hope 2016 will be a year that sees you come closer to achieving your dreams. We hope BariatricPal will be an important part of your weight loss surgery support system as you work towards your goals, whether they are to look into weight loss surgery, lose weight, or maintain goal weight. A Quick Look Back at 2015 2015 was a busy year for BariatricPal! The forums have been blossoming. We have a weekly VIP Member Challenge going on. As a community, we hit a total weight loss of 3 million pounds! We also opened The BariatricPal Store! This had been in the works for a while, and it is a thrill to be able to support the weight loss surgery community through supplying healthy foods and supplements. Check the store often to see what’s on sale, and see our blog for the latest store news, recipes, and discounts. More to Come in 2016! We always have more projects up our sleeve. We expect 2016 to be filled with growth and exciting new developments for BariatricPal, so stay tuned! We know none of this is possible without your support, so a huge Thank You to all our members! Insure Nutrition We are always thrilled to welcome a new newsletter sponsor into the BariatricPal family, and this month, Insure Nutrition is giving us the pleasure of doing just that. Our latest sponsor, Insure Nutrition, is an online company that specializes in getting health insurance coverage for nutritional supplements. Its Post-Bariatric Surgery Nutrition products includes Premier Protein shakes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors and OptiSource High Protein drinks in caramel and strawberry flavors. Checking if you are eligible is easy. Insure Nutrition encourages you to use its online form to find out if you qualify. Our sponsors help make BariatricPal newsletters and other services possible. We encourage you show your thanks by considering them first for your bariatric needs. Unjury and Opurity BariatricPal is proud and excited to announce two new sponsors for our newsletters. The new sponsors are Unjury, a supplier of wonderful tasting, highest quality protein supplements, and Opurity (from the makers of UNJURY), highest purity vitamin supplements for bariatric surgery patients. Their support lets us keep BariatricPal newsletters coming to you each month. Unjury was founded by a master’s degree dietitian who has been helping patients since 1974. It is committed your health. You know the importance of getting enough protein after weight loss surgery, but you also know that meeting your protein goals can be challenging. Unjury makes your task not just easier but actually enjoyable. Product flavors include Chocolate Splendor, Chocolate Classic, Vanilla, Strawberry Sorbet, Chicken Soup Flavor, and Unflavored. These ready-to-use protein powders come in single-serve and multi-serve containers, and contain high-quality whey protein to keep you full and nourished. Launched in 2007, Opurity is dedicated to using the purest ingredients in its supplements. Opurity Bariatric Multivitamins have two unique big advantages: First, each multivitamin requires only one tablet per day*. Second, Opurity is so dedicated to quality that it is unique in using no ingredients from China. Choose from chewable orange-berry multivitamins for gastric bypass and gastric sleeve patients or for lap-band patients.Opurity also sells chewable calcium, vitamin D and folic acid/vitamin B-12 chewables. All supplements come with a 100% satisfaction guaranteed. They return policy is: “Yes you can return it.” Support from Unjury and Opurity helps us continue to bring you the services you enjoy on BariatricPal, so please support these two brands! When looking for your bariatric surgery supplements, first visit Unjury.com and Opurity.com. Purchasing from these companies helps support BariatricPal. Thanks to Unjury and Opurity for your generous sponsorship, and thanks to BariatricPal members who support our partnership! *You still need calcium and sublingual B-12. Time to Buckle Down: Here’s How It’s the New Year! That means the parties stop, the holiday treats disappear, and the stores advertise healthy foods for weight loss. Breathe a sigh of relief as the holiday food goes away! Easier to Focus There’s a good chance you slipped up a little during the holidays and need to get back on track. Even if you were perfectly disciplined, you may appreciate going back to your regular life. It’s easier stick to your everyday routine when there aren’t as many distractions. Go with a Sensible Plan For most WLS patients, a detox or fad diet isn’t the way to go. The most effective is to go back to the basics, cliché as that sounds. Focus on lean proteins and fill up on vegetables. Drink a lot of water. Eat slowly. Plan ahead. Measure your portions and log every bite. Make a Few Resolutions Remember to make them controllable, feasible, and clear. Here are some examples of better and less good resolutions. Controllable: “I will log every bite of food and stick to my 1,200 calories a day.” Not controllable: “I will lose 2 pounds every week.” You can’t control what the scale says, but you can control what and how much you eat. Feasible: “I will work out 5 days a week, leaving myself 2 days to recharge.” Not feasible: “I will work out every day.” What happens if you get sick, need a little extra sleep, or need to take a friend to the doctor? Did you fail at your resolution? Clear: “I will have fish three times a week.” Not clear: “I will eat more fish.” How do you know if you’re following your resolution if your goal is to eat “more” fish? How much is “more?” Set the Stage for Success Regardless of your specific resolutions, you’ll make more progress in your weight loss surgery journey if you set up your environment to help you succeed. Clear out your kitchen – pumpkin pie, egg nog, and Christmas cookies should be nowhere to be found. Restock it with nutritious foods you need. It should be packed with lean proteins, such as chicken, fat-free dairy products, tuna, eggs, and beans. There should be fresh vegetables and fruit, plus frozen and canned ones to do in a pinch. Round it out with some whole grains such as oatmeal, and healthy fats such as nuts and olive oil. Get your kitchen scale and measuring cups out of storage and put them in a prominent place. Check the gym schedule, get out your workout clothes, and lace up your walking shoes so you’re ready to get out the door for some exercise. There are some extra steps you can take to make progress easier this year. For example, if you’re still gathering information on weight loss surgery and trying to choose a surgeon, make a list of surgeons’ phone numbers and questions so you’re ready at a moment’s notice to make the necessary calls. Make Those Resolutions Last All Year! This year, make it easier to keep your New Year’s Resolutions with a subscription to your weight loss products from The BariatricPal Store. Choose your favorite protein bars, shakes, and smoothies, bariatric vitamins, instant meals, and great-tasting snacks. You’ll be reminded to focus on your goals every time you receive a delicious delivery from The BariatricPal Store! Just select “Subscribe and Save” on eligible products. Receive your products every 1, 2, or 3 months (your choice). Choose the quantity you want to receive. Get an automatic 10% discount on your subscription items. When your healthy meals are delivered year-round, there’s no need to go off your meal plan. You save time and can be confident of being nourished while you lose weight. That’s what we have for this newsletter. We wish you the best in your weight loss surgery journey in 2016, and hope you’ll keep sharing your goals and progress with us on the forums. Again, Happy New Year!

That's seems like quite an investment to remedy constipation, and like you may just want 'juicing' as part of your regimen. Let's be clear, what you are describing is a smoothie, not juicing. By blending fruits and veggies with skins in tact and so forth you are mitigating a lot of the sugar with the fiber as opposed to juicing (extracting juice from fruit/vegetable). However, that happens with normal people with no surgery. I would double and triple check with the NUT because that may not be the case for us anymore. Flax seeds alone can be blended with water and some of the approved water enhancers. You will still achieve that gelatinous substance that will move out poop in some people. For some is not even that effective. Or you could drink slippery elm tea...It's an herb that is usually in throat coat teas or drink/take a laxative. Again, why purchase kitchen equipment for constipation???? Just seems like a vague area that could impede weight loss unless you are willing to go completely with all (dark leafy) green vegetables which most are not.....good luck.

My experience was pretty much identical to lessnless, except for the horses and haybales ofcourse. Not too many of those in downtown Kansas City. Still compared to my previous surgeries this one had to have been the easiest. I also could have been back to work much quicker but chose to take the time work had given me. And as Bradleybanana said there are some very good an informative threads about the lapband process here at LBT. I would suggest reading some of the "stickies" in the Lap-Band Surgery FAQs and References Forum: Lap-Band Surgery FAQs and References - Lap Band Talk Forum - The largest forum for Lap Band Surgery Discussion and Lap Band Surgery Support CKopasek - I'm not trying to "flame" you. However, you appear new to the board with only 7 posts. I congratulate your loss so far and admire your enthusiasm. But I would like to caution you. There are some employees of doctors offices that will create user names and fake identities here for the sole purpose of trying to get more business for their doctors. Other members of this board get very upset about this deception and can sometimes be quick to jump to the conclusion that a new poster is one of those imposters when many of their replies sound more like commercials for their doctor than an answer to the original questions being asked. Again, I'm not trying to accuse you of any wrong doing and only wish you the best. I look forward to watching your continued success with the band unfold and welcome your input on LBT.

Ever since I came back from R&R I have been slipping. My room is an utter pigstye, I've only been to the gym once this week, my eating has become more and more disordered, I'm not styling my hair in the mornings, I have no energy. I can't blame my cycle, as this has been going on for at least 2 weeks and I'm still 2 weeks out from it. I return to the States from my tour in 5 more weeks, there is a lot of anxiety wrapped up in that - finding employment, keeping employment, finding a place to live, still being fat. I've been in a stall for 2 weeks. I average about 850 cals a day, 80g's Protein. My carbs have risen, used to be below 25, now are regularly above 35. Pretty blue right now.

Give it some time! I'm just over 3 months post op and I'm down 13 pounds. I just got my second adjustment last Friday so I am now sitting at 4CC and I think I couldn't take any more. I feel pretty restricted right now. I know I lost 12 lbs pretty quick post op, but then managed to fluctuate between a 10 and 8 lb loss...this week I've dipped down 4 pounds since my fill. I'm discovering that this is a very slow process and much of it is psychological for me. I am so used to eating larger portion and eating quickly. This band is reminding me that it's not possible anymore! Good luck!

My port is starting to stick out and I asked my doc if there was anything I could do once I got to my weight loss goal. I figure it'll be more noticeable once I loose more weight. She told me that they now have a flat port which doesn't stick out that much. I wonder when this came out ? She said it's a pretty simple one day procedure to replace the port once I'm ready or interested.

Maybe you should watch Dr. Phil on tv, he has a weight loss group and a couple of the women are dealing with the same issue. You could keep tabs on the ones you are similar to, and take his free advice. It cant hurt.

Misty, I know my ex-fiance has fears of me being thin...yeah...he still thinks he has a chance! I'm 28 and broke off our engagement last winter...really haven't done a whole lot as far as going out as I'm busy with my family and career, however, I cannot wait to be at a healthy weight again and go out and shake my stuff. I'm fortunate that even at 250 I was proportionate and although I didn't get the attention from men that I did when I was thin somehow, someone who liked fat chics always seemed to find me...LOL... I'm scared but I'm also excited! I met a guy this summer "blind date" type thing and he never called me again. Funny how we got along prior to meeting. I would love to see him when I'm at 145 and be like...you missed out jerk! I keep telling my friends that I'm going to start taking applications when I see a cute guy because pretty soon I'm going to be a babe! Alot of times our size is our security, our knowing that we will not have to let someone in (because no one is dying to get in)...similar to getting your hair cut short...you can't hide behind it anymore...but let me tell everyone I'm ready to sport a cute halter top and a little skirt this summer looking fine as all hell! Sorry for being so full of myself but after all of what I've been through (including my ex-fiance telling me the night before surgery I wouldn't have to worry about complications if I wasn't so fat) I deserve to be happy and confident!

Aloha Njgurl! I am still losing. According to my doctor prior to surgery, I should have lost around 100 lbs at 1 year and slowed down after that. My problem was that I started loving my wine a little too much after surgery than I ever did before it. What I discovered is that for every week I had some, I would not lose for almost a month afterwards. The moment I stop for at least a week, I start dropping pounds again. The upside to that has been a slower loss than anticipated resulting in less lose skin for me. The downside is the disappointment I feel when the scale does not budge. The motivation comes in wanting to see movement on that scale. Thus, I return to accountability and following my plan like I am supposed to[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] That is why we are warned against alcohol because even if we still eat less, I find that I am not as mindful of carb intake when it comes to snacks with alcohol. I am still working my way towards at least 185. Like my doctor says, it did not take me a short amount of time putting on the weight so dont expect it all to disappear in a short time even with the surgery. I have heard some great success stories but again, everyone's journey is different, therefore we all lose differently. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I received a call from my Surgical Weight Loss (SWL) doctor's office two weeks ago. My insurance, Tricare Standard, has approved my LapBand surgery. I have a surgery date of April 16th (not soon enough for me!). My process began in mid-November 2008, with nine mandatory pre-op orders that had to be completed before the surgeon's office would request surgical approval from my insurance company. Initial surgical weight loss seminar Office visit with my surgeon Blood labs Chest x-ray Upper GI testing Psychological evaluation Support group meeting Pre-op wellness and exercise class White light scan I worked through these within seven weeks. Getting an appointment for the psych eval was the most difficult. All the psych doctors had full schedules three - six months out. I was blessed to be find and be placed in a cancellation slot. All in all, my journey thus far seems to have been pretty painless compared to many people. I received approval from my insurance within a week of completing all of my surgical prerequisites. So, now I find myself giving considerable thought to the surgery. Will I be happy when I’m finally banded? Will I discover that food was my drug of choice? Will I regret my decision after banding? Will I be able to live with eating several mini-meals for the rest of my life? Will I be faithful in all I have to do to insure that I get the proper amounts of protein, nutrition and hydration? How will the Lap-Band affect my quality of life and ability to get necessary nutrition when I am elderly? I’m excited about the surgery, but I am not without “what if’s”. Am I the only woman that has these pre-surgery questions going through her head? Are there any other Virginia Beach/Tidewater bandsters out there?

We are on the same path: SW:267 VSG date:7/10/17 Surgery weight: 252 Now:209 After losing so rapidly in months one and two it's hard to accept the slow, but consistent loss on month three. Still following my plan to a "T". Most days my breakfast consists of a Premier Protein shake mixed with decaf coffee. I actually love it. It satisfies my sweet tooth. Congrats on your weight loss! You are doing great! Don't let the stalls get you down.

I didn't eat cereal or any grain of any kind until I hit my weight loss goal and had been successfully maintaining for months. Cereal is not your friend in weight loss IMO.

SOOO where you at no in your process how bout some dates and losses here-- fill me in-

The band "aide" is just that, pre-banding you don't have the help, post...you do. It helps stop over eating. Less food equals weight loss, weight loss sparks increased self esteem, that means more self interest, more self interest means more desire to do good things for ones self (for a change), which increases energy. An increase in energy, means an increase in your activity, whether it's general exercise, or just increased playfulness... you'll move more...more movement equals weight loss... it's a cycle of sorts. For me the band is a perpetuator of motion in all the right directions.

Two things: first, are you getting enough good-quality (heart-healthy) fat? And secondly, stopping birth control pills may play in to this hair loss. I don't know if you've ever been pregnant, but if you have, you know how luxurious hair growth can be. Really, it's not growth, but the retention of hairs that ordinarily are shed on a daily basis. For the duration of pregnancy, many women do not shed these hairs. They are dismayed when, post-delivery, hair seems to come out in handfuls. Really, they're simply losing hairs that would have been shed little by little over a long period of time, and they wind up with the same head of hair they had pre-pregnancy---but it's really alarming when it's happening to your head! Birth control pills can create the same sort of phenomenon, and stopping them can result in a sort of mass-shedding.

My surgeon covered this in his preop seminar. I'll paraphrase here: Almost ALL my patients will start to lose hair, and lose hair, from about 3 to about 6 months post op. supplements like Protein or Biotin don't seem to effect it. NO ONE but a lady who owned a wig shop has "needed" a wig or toupee, and EVERYONE has had it grow back. It seems to be related to the trauma of surgery, as best we can tell. So don't let it bother you, buy pricey supplements if you think they'll make you feel better, and wait it out. It will pass. I could tell I was losing hair but my hairdresser (who is GREAT and been doing my hair 20 years) said it never got thinner where she could even tell. At almost 1 year out I'm back to "normal" anyway. So...hang in there. It will pass.