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I took a multi-vitamin and biotin (as well as iron which I've been on basically since puberty). As my surgeon warned me, the biotin did not help at all with hair loss. It did help me grow a lovely crop of facial hair as well as additional hair basically everywhere from the navel down. Think hard before you spend a lot of money on biotin -- there is no scientific evidence that it prevents hair loss, and while it does help hair grow in thick and fast, you can't direct it to the places on your body where you want hair!

As soon as I had my consultation with the surgeon, I decided to do little things to get ready for the HUGE lifestyle change to come. So I decided to quit smoking (which I am successful--- so far!) quit caffiene and to go on slimfast, so that when I have to go on strict liquids, I would already be used to having a liquid meal twice a day. And I stopped with all the Snacks and sweets and fast food, and started on a very good quality organic whole foods vitamin! Did mention I did all of this at one time??? I just decided one day to do it so when I got up the next morning I started. No cigs, no soda, no tea, no reese cups, no Mickey D's, no Taco Bell, etc... Well if you want to know what agony is like, then just try what I did. I did really well the first several days, then gradually last Thursday my head started to ache, so i took some tylenol... then my head started to pound! I figured it was from the caffiene withdrawl. By the time i got home, I barely made it to bed. I was in bed from 5:30 pm to 6 am every time i would turn in my sleep my head ache would wake me up because it just hurt soooo bad. I got up at 2am and drank a small juice cup of pepsi, thinking by the morning i'd feel much better. I didn't much feel better, only a tiny bit better. I took a hot shower thinking that would help, no luck. I went through another miserable day at work. Finally a co-worker gave a couple of excedrin migraine. It helped some, but I still was not doing well. My best friend talked me into taking some midrin (prescription meds for migrain) I am not big of taking meds, espically other peoples meds... espically pain killers, but I was desperate. The midrin worked well. Saturday I felt better but still a bit of throbbing, so I took the midrin again. Felt MUCH better! Yesterday I felt pretty good all day, Didn't need a midrin until yesterday evening. Today all i have taken is a tylenol this a.m. and I will not take any more because I do NOT want to get a rebound headache, I told a nurse friend what happened, she said that i tried to do too many at once. She said espically with caffiene it is important to reduce by 1 drink/day for a week the 2/per for aq week and so on until u are off of it. Plus I shocked my body when i suddenly dramatically changed my diet and quit smoking. So i got back on the pepsi, and sweet tea! Still trying to follow the slim fast thing but with the caffiene. I am going to wait 2 weeks and then try WEANING off of caffiene... the last four days have been the most miserable days of my life... seriously no exaderateration (sp?) this non stop "fading" headache hurt worse than when i had a c-section and was off all pain meds 2 days later! I never want to go through this again!!!! Now if I cough or sneeze My head throbs, but other than that and an "ouchie" now and then I am feeling sooooo much better. Has anyone else had anything like this??

I guess everyone is different. My sister had her gastric bypass surgery around 15 or 16 years ago. She can eat, but still has trouble with certain foods such as ketchup, ice cream, rice, and yogurt. And she said pasta fills her up extremely fast. My mom on the other hand had her surgery like 13 or 14 years ago and pretty much can anything except for rice regular sodas, and ice cream.

I also had nausea for a while and it was from the pain med. My hubby went a bought me a patch to put behind my ear for that and it really worked. I can't remember the name of the patch, but it's like gravol. just ask at the drug store. It also helped not to get up too fast, just take your time. If someone is looking after you, then don't get up at all. (except to go to the bathroom.) :cursing:

I am in the minority here but I think practicing tiny bites pre-op is pointless and a waste of enegy. You learn real fast, like day one, how to take small bites and sips. The swelling from healing will teach you real fast. It also changes, and you adjust. You can NEVER know pre-op what post-op is going to feel like. If you want to do something now that is going to help you post-op, weigh and measure all your food. That skill is doing to do a lot more for you long term than fake practicing small bites when you have no idea what a small bite is really going to be for you post-op.

Yes, stlvoy02...it's been interesting with UHC, I talked with the BRS nurse a week ago and I hope and pray when I finish my last two requirements that it will go fast. Are you excited and does the waiting get any easier? Thanks,Carla

I think my doc has the right idea with no hard and fast rules on times spent at each stage. He's a big believer in listening to your body, taking it slowly and introducing new foods carefully and seeing what you tolerate. If your body is ready to move quickly, that's fine, if you need to take longer at each stage, that's good too. Everyone is different.

Congratulations on the band!!! I got banded 3/14 ANd although I was told I could drive after a week, I still felt disconfort so I did not drive until last friday. I guess it will depend on how fast you feel fine to sit straight and turn your upper body slightly when you drive. While I was home I slept a lot and I think that helped for my recovery, started walking around a little bit, and spent time cathing up in my reading. For the ticker: you need to add the url to your signature.

Like others have said, drop the slim fast shake and get a better shake with higher Protein and fewer carbs. I know a lot of WLS patients eat eggs, but eggs are so hard for me to eat scrabbled. They have to be over easy. Turkey lunch meat also isn't that filling or satisfying. Why not try some different things? I have a lot of fish in my diet, and I use a variety of Protein shakes. I also suggest Syntrax nectars since they a like Water so you can drink them easily and get your protein in.

Therealmelshere I asked my Dr to write a note for work but he explained it is not temporary and I will have to figure this out forever. My boss try to over look my "ileagle" activity. But there are 30 other people in my dept. Do he does his best to be fair. Slim fast is high in carbs I've tried many the gag factor is the final choice. Lol I'm sure this will get better. Thank for your help.

Well I have finally got over the need to weight everyday. I guess I realize that I'm not going to lose very fast and weighting everyday just depressed me. I going next week to the doctor so will see how I'm doing then. I don't know if I want another fill or not. I do have trouble eating chicken, beef, and pork, it seem to want to set and spin in my stomach. I don't know if I'm not chewing well enough or if I'm eating to big a bites. I still don't do well in the am, I usually don't eat anything till lunch. I do protien shakes in the morning. Evening is still my biggest problem time of the day. I could eat a bear most of the time. My portions size is still way to big. Thats the one thing that makes me think I need another fill. I will have to talk with them next week and see what they think. Oh well need to get some things done today, Christmas is going to sneak up on me if I don't get busy.

I am almost 5 months post op and have had no problems with hair loss. I always eat 60gm of protein or more per day and have not lost weight super fast like some, 30# since surgery.

Since my last fill in early june things were up and down for me... I was losing well 2-3 lbs a week but was suffering from nausea , vomiting and very bad acid reflux. I toughed it out taking 80mg prilosec a day 40 in the am and 40 lat afternoon, it seemed to solve the problem. my next issue was learning to eat with my band being tight - one bite too many and out it came, too big a bit and too fast.. same thing. I now have it under control.. ive lost 73lbs since october for an average of 9.1lbs a month.. i am pretty happy with this. I am now sitting at 209- this is the exact point i got to 6-7 years ago when i did atkins,,i hit 209 and couldnt go any farther, so while i am feeling great, excited about my loss i am getting very nervous that i will stall out here again and not go any further. my ultimate goal of 150 puts me at still over weight, 140 and i will be considered normal. But right now i just want to get below 200 - this is my nemesis...i dont think i have been below 200 since i was a teenager.

These are classic symptoms of hypoglycaemia(low blood sugar). Have you been tested for things such as diabetes? I cannot see that the band will stop you feeling like this. It will still be important to recognise when you need food and eat appropriately.It is also very important not to let yourself get too hungry as what happens then is that we tend to eat too fast , take bites that are too big , not chew properley and we get stuck which can be painful or at the very least extremely uncomfortable. It is a good idea to carry a healthy snack in your bag to avoid getting too hungry. What the snack is will depend on what your Dr recommends. I normally have a muesli or nut bar in my bag.

It sounds like it is too soon for you to be eating anything...like many others, I was on liquids for 2 entire weeks post op, then on mushies for an additional week. If it is painful to swallow, you need to get in contact with your surgeon's office asap and let them know what is going on. You should have been given a prescription for a pain medication pre op; take some according to directions. It is not normal to have pain with swallowing. I would return to a liquid only diet and give everything a bit longer to heal. After a fill, I have to return to a liquid diet for 2 days, then soft foods for 1 day. I hope you feel better fast!

In answer to your initial question: Soft fast food is something like refried Beans from Taco Bell.

IN general, fast food isn't particularly healthy, but its certainly easy to make bariatric friendly choices. 1) stay away from anything deep fried. Stick with grilled options. Nothing with breading, no fries, onion rings or tots. 2) stay away from carbs. Order the sandwich but toss the bun. Some places even let you order it "low carb" and they wrap the burger in lettuce. No soda, lemonade, milk shakes, Cookies, pies, or high calorie coffee drinks. 3) salads can be a good choice but be smart about the dressings, croutons, etc. 4) Taco Bell refried Beans, Wendy's chili and soft meats like Arby's roast beef or ham are probably better options for you so soon Postop. Better safe than sorry when it comes your newly stitched and still healing sleeve. I actually wasn't cleared for solid food till 6 weeks postop. I actually eat fast food 3-4 times/month, but my choices are pretty much pure Protein (and fat - which has never affects my maintenance)

Hmmm, again the comment about the different advice we all receive. I went to a support group meeting last week and the Nurse-Practitioner Facilitator talked about intermittent fasting. She said her research showed that it was quite successful for men, but not so for women. I wasn't planning on doing it anyway, but thought it was interesting.

Just as you can see from the above posts, everyone is different and every doctor is different in their instructions post-op. My doctor, specifically, said to sip slowly (only 1 ounce every 5 minutes). As I've gotten further into my post-op phase, I have been able to drink much faster (faster than my doctor requires) and I haven't had any problems. I don't do large gulps of Water, however, but I will take several sips at a time without hesitation. The only time I have slowed down (besides my initial post-op weeks) was after my first fill because of swelling. I've heard that drinking to fast can actually cause the pouch to stretch; but, just as everyone says, liquids pass right through the band, so who knows. Play around with it and see what you're comfortable with!

@@MBM1Forever I live in southern California. Did the 12 weeks options class, called then right after n was like I'm done with everything! Had to lose weight, bring my blood sugar down under 8, and lower my blood pressure. Then they referred me, my consult was going to be November 28 unless there was a cancellation, the surgery ppl called me at the end of the day the Friday before my consult and said there was a cancellation, so my consult was on oct. 28..then the Dr told me there was a cancellation in his books n November 4th was it. It came so fast! I think it was meant to be, because if it wasn't that, then it would have been in December.

Taken from Wiki - Ketosis (IPA pronunciation: [ki'tosɪs]) is a stage in metabolism occurring when the liver has been depleted of stored glycogen and switches to a chronic fasting mode during long periods of starvation. During the chronic stage of starvation (after glycogen has run out), fat (triglycerol) is cleaved to give 3 fatty acid chains and 1 glycerol molecule in a process called lipolysis. Most of the body is able to utilize fatty acids as an alternative source of energy in a process where fatty acid chains are cleaved to form acetyl-CoA, which can then be fed into the Krebs Cycle. During this process a high concentration of glucagon is present in the serum and this inactivates glucose kinase switching the primary energy source of most cells from using glucose to fatty acids. At the same time, new glucose is synthesized in the liver from lactic acid, glucogenic amino acids, and glycerol, in a process called gluconeogenesis. This glucose is used exclusively by cells such as neurons and red blood cells. Ketone bodies, from the breakdown of fatty acids to acetyl groups, are also produced during this fasting state, and are burned throughout the body. During the initial stages of starvation the adult brain does not burn ketones, however the newborn brain makes immediate use of this important substrate for lipid synthesis in the brain. After about 48 hours of starvation, the adult brain starts burning ketones in order to more directly utilize the energy from the fat stores that are being depended upon, and to reserve the glucose only for its absolute needs, thus slowing the depletion of the body's Protein store in the muscles. The brain retains a residual need for glucose, because ketones can only provide energy when used during aerobic respiration in mitochondria. In the long thin neurons, much of the metabolically active cellular membrane must derive its energy from glucose via anaerobic respiration without the assistance of mitochondria. Ketosis, which is a physiological condition in response to chronic starvation, should not be confused with ketoacidosis, which is severe ketosis causing the pH of the blood to drop below 7.2. Ketoacidosis is a medical condition usually caused by diabetes and accompanied by dehydration, hyperglycemia, ketonuria and increased levels of glucagon. The high glucagon, low insulin serum levels signals the body to produce more glucose via gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis and ketogenesis. High levels of glucose causes the failure of tubular reabsorption in the kidneys, causing Water to leak into the tubules in a process called osmotic diuresis, causing dehydration and further exacerbating the acidosis. The breath of people in a ketotic state commonly contains acetone, detectable as a sweet smell that may be mistaken for ethyl alcohol. Whether ketosis takes place can be checked by using special urine test strips such as Ketostix. Deliberately induced ketosis through a low-carbohydrate diet has been used to treat medical conditions. The ketogenic diet is an approach to treating epilepsy, and the Atkins Nutritional Approach is marketed for treating obesity. The very low calorie, medically supervised Lighter Life diet also uses ketosis for weight loss.

Yes I'm sure things will work out well for you with the graduation party. I'm really hoping I will be having my surgery around the same time as you. I'm 253 now and I have to be 246 for them to do the surgery but I know I will lose that doing the 2 week fast.

welcome Newbie you have a new healing tummy. i doubt you were able to chug the slim fast down 1,2, 3. you drank slowly i'm sure. per NUT at a later time you will be able to gulp many newbies have trouble drinking at this early stage. glad you have no problems - no problem with what you drank - great to get in as many fluids as possible towards 64 oz here is a drink to your health - cheers

Cheers hun, much appreciated. Yeah, haven't had any pain yet. Some slight discomfort if I sip too fast but that's only happened a couple of times.

Hiccups are usually a sign of taking in too much too fast. You may be drinking too much at one time? Do not use straws, they cause you to take in extra air. The headache may be some dehydration if you are not getting in enough fluids (aim for 64oz every day, including your shakes). You will know if you develop a leak or stricture, I've heard it's very painful and very obvious. I remember on day 3 how every little sound and gurgle that came from my belly scared the pahooey out of me. You did just have major surgery and your body is still reacting, plus you still have pain meds and anesthesia coming out of your system. Those can also cause headache, chills. For the first few weeks I was freezing all the time, but now I'm coming up on week 6 and feel extremely normal. Try to relax as much as you can, focus on your diet and moving around as much as possible without hurting yourself, and rest when you are tired. It does get better, and you will know if you truly need more help!