PdxMan

For 95% of us, hair loss is inevitable. I, too, tried the Biotin, but for WLS patients, I don't think it makes a difference. We have undergone such a drastic change in our nutritional routine, this is just going to happen ... to some degree. Before a bunch of people jump in and say, "Well, I never lost hair", then I say congratulations, you dodged the hair loss bullet. You are in the minority. My solution was to shave my head. Not bald, but on the lowest setting, #1. That way, when it grew back, it was there to stay and I didn't have to stare at the thinning sprouts on my head. I know many women do the same thing, and then they wear a fabulous wig. It might be fun for you to check out. Your hair will grow back, mine did, and it will be just as thick and fabulous as before. This is just a minor bump along the road.

You sound like you are ahead of the game. Getting all your liquids and that much Protein one week out is impressive. I would guess you are in the upper 10% of those being able to do so. As far as #2 goes, it was about 8/9 days out. I had to use Milk of Magnesia to get things moving and pretty much took some everyday for about a week to keep *regular*. After that, and the fact that all you are taking in is liquids, things quickly reverse themselves.

Don't forget ... your Iron gut just had 85% of itself removed. It will protest a bit for awhile. Once it heals, you and your gut will get its mojo back. Until then, rightsize your expectations.

Is outpatient an option for you? That is what I did. I don't like hospitals, either. There's a bunch of sick people in there and nurses who wake you up at all hours of the night. Walking around with your hiney sticking out ... getting all cold ... Terrible, I tell ya, terrible.

Yeah, I get the shakes if I eat too much sugar. But it doesn't keep me from doing it. It is all about moderation. I know ... we all have heard that one before ...

This EXACT same thing happened to me. I made a huge hand gesture and off it went. I stopped wearing my ring after that for fear of losing it.

Yup, me too. I waited until I got to goal as I had a titanium ring and those can't be re-sized and didn't want to have to buy a new ring and then have it re-sized once I got to goal. I bought a new wedding band, which made me sad because it is not the ring from our wedding, but on the other hand, it is nice to not have sausage fingers, sooo ... Congrats. It is a nice, unexpected NSV

Funny, I was the exact same way. I dropped 40 pounds and was still wearing all the same clothes. I didn't let it frustrate me, though, as I knew deep down this couldn't continue, and it didn't. Right after, my sizes started dropping like crazy. I was changing pant sizes every month for awhile. It will happen ... you know it has to.

Band exercises are great. You can pick the level and do what you are capable of. Order them off Amazon and have them delivered. You can Google exercises to do with resistance bands, but here is one resource: http://www.band-exercises.net/index.html Hope this gets you on your way. Good luck!

I think we might be talking about two different things. Appetite suppression is one thing, where you don't want to eat at all versus decision making about what you do eat. Of course, the first step is to not have the evil foods in the house in the first place. The second part, for me, is to be sure I am following the rules. Eat the lean Protein first. This quickly gives me a full feeling that lasts for a long time. Last night for dinner, I had a turkey burger. No bun. I ate 3/4 of it and had the full feeling for hours. I did not drink before, during or after my meal. I wanted to keep that food in my stomach and keep that full feeling. When I do things like this, I have the appetite suppression you may be looking for. When I have a salad with meat on it, I get the same full feeling, but I definitely can eat more of it and the full feeling does not last as long. So, when a couple hours goes by and it is not a *mealtime*, I may have some crackers or a cookie or something else I probably should not have. Bottom line is, I make far better decisions when I follow the rules explicitly. How compliant to the rules do you think you are?

I am not sure a diet pill is going to help you make better choices. With or without the pill, you, ultimately make the decisions. Get to the root of that and you may find getting the last pounds off and keeping them off will be easier. Do you plan on taking diet pills the rest of your life because THEY make better decisions for you? Really? I'm guessing the sleeve has helped curb your appetite as it has mine. Basically, when mealtime comes around, and throughout the day, for that matter, I have to decide what I am going to eat. I know that I have about 4-6 oz of capacity. I know that my body has nutritional requirements (vitamins, Proteins, calcium) and I know I need to meet those first before I can have a cookie. When I have a cookie in my hand and want to eat it, I review where I am at through the day. Have I met my needs to this point? Would the space in my stomach be better served by a banana instead of this Twix?

Have you tried it at room temp? I know you are 4 months out, but when I was early, room temp was the only way I could drink them. Still drink them today ... had one for breakfast. It may just be one of those things you are going to need to acquire a taste for. If you can't, you are going to need to find another way to get your Protein in. Otherwise, you may have considerable muscle loss in this whole process.

When I eat too much, this happens to me. I just have to lie down and, like you, half an hour later I am fine. I told my wife this is probably what the whole tiredness after Thanksgiving meals really is about, not the triptophan (sp?) link. I'm guessing that eating too much triggers the body to go down for a bit until it can process the load a bit.

Congratulations on making the decision to get a tool that WILL help you gain some control over your eating. It has been an awesome experience for me and it is so nice not to be a slave to food as I once was. As you said, it is a tool. You still have work to do, but when the pounds start coming off, the motivation gets things moving along. Good luck and look forward to seeing you on the loser's bench!

Let me Wiki that for you: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_gel

For me, I made large batches of Soup. Smoked ham, lentils and veggies (no celery), chicken veggie and turkey chili were my staples. I put them in jam jars and in the freezer. I puréed mine and the family had the regular, but I ate soup far more often then they. My meals were ready to go, so I only really needed to *cook* 1 meal ... For them. Full liquid just means not Clear Liquids. You can eat just about anything (healthy) in the puréed stage. Throw it in a blender with a little chicken broth and blend. Got turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy? Throw it in your Magic Bullet with broth and there you go.

You just need to request an itemized breakdown of the bill. You will need it when you fill out your forms come tax time.

When were you sleeved? You will be able to go back to a normal diet, but it takes time. Grains swell in your stomach and early sleevers need to focus on getting basic nutrition first. Breads and grains are, for the most part, nutritionally irrelevant. With them expanding, they take up valuable stomach real estate that could be used by something that "counts". Just take your time with your progression. It will happen. You will eat normal again.

Definitely a question for your medical team. Doesn't make a difference if you are pre-op or post-op ... call them.

This whole thing with insurance just kills me. Which is going to be costlier in the long run. Me with a 40 or 25 BMI? I love all the commercials on the radio and TV about how "(fill in the blank) wants you to thrive and be healthy" ... I pay $400 per month with a $3,000 deductable and there is no bariatric coverage. At all. That's almost $8,000 annually. I can't even go see a nutritionist through my insurance because I had WLS. Thanks for helping me THRIVE!! Sorry ... rant over.

Of course you're headed for a stall. Everyone sleever is. Especially if you weigh yourself often. Best way to avoid the stall is to weigh yourself once a month and keep doing the right things. Good luck!

That is EXACTLY what I told my wife after everyone left. I wasn't stuffed or sleepy. I was actually a functional human being, which was a nice change. Yeah, with the crowd of people and all the action and conversation, people really don't notice. When the potatos pass, give them a stir. Comment on how tasty the gravy is. Participate in all the hoopla and nobody will notice. TRY to go un-noticed, and you will stick out.

When I get this feeling, it is usually because I did not chew my food enough or eat too quickly. I try to put my utensil down between each bite, but occassionally, I do fall back to the old habit of inhaling my food. Then I pay for it.

I was 4 months post-op at Thanksgiving last year. I made dinner for 20 people. Only my wife and kids knew I had the surgery. Basically, I put REALLY small portions of everything on my plate. Less than a bite each. When asked about it, I just said that so often I get full before I get a chance to taste everything, so this year I am taking small portions of everything so I can try everyting and still have seconds. They agreed and actually took smaller portions themselves. I ate a bit, pushed food around the plate, went to the bathroom and hung out for a bit, refilled mashed potatoes, rolls ... Nobody noticed how much I actually ate. It really wasn't a big deal, so don't overthink it.

I don't think she is talking about clear liquids. Remember, all Drs are different. My Dr had me on protein shakes as I was leaving the recovery room ...