PattyGirl66

BTW I did ask my primary doctor before taking biotin pills, he said there is no problem taking them at all if I think it will make my hair grow ...he said go for it!

Amazing, and I love your before and after pictures. Truly a dramatic transformation in your weight loss!

Good question and honestly there really is no answer to that, maybe depending on how severe the hair loss to give it a start with a high dosage. I take 2500 because I shed (I am not banded yet). My girlfriend has no thyroid because she had thyroid cancer and they took the whole thyroid out and she has very little hair and takes the highest dosage there is. The weird thing is she said after she started taking the biotin pills she got back a lot of energy she didn't have before. It could be mind over matter but either way the higher dosage as the lower dosage will not hurt you, and she is on tons of medications and I am on high blood pressure meds and can take this. I guess start out with a lower dosage just to see if you can tell a difference, if anything your nails will grow like weeds.....

Its a super tiny gel pill you will have no problem at all with swallowing these...

Donna, thank you so much I needed to hear that !

hahahaha, that was funny! after falling off the bowl I would of probably fell on the floor laughing. So, this is what goes on in the mens room

ohhh I am sooo sorry to hear about this. That is very scary! Did the doctor give you an explanation for this??? since you went down in the office?

sipping is going to be a big challenge for me once I am banded. I am sooo worried I am going to screw this up! I already went out and purchased the little 3 ounce plastic cups so I measure everything. I am a gulper and drink tons of Water now (over a gallon a day). but I don't drink anything else, no coffee, or tea. nothing but water. ohh and the waiting to drink after eatting, I have NOOO clue how I am going to do this. I try doing it now to test myself, and i only last 5 minutes. blah!

I really hope when I get banded I don't have problems with fruit because I really do enjoy eatting all of them. Either way I am going to try to incorporate it in my lifestyle after being banded. Even if I have to make smoothies out of it, LOL

Hi Awkard, I am not banded but I have the same systems as you (without vomiting of course) I occassionaly get reflux without heartburn. I notice certain foods trigger it. It varies and I am just noting it down as I find out what does. My favorite things to eat like garlic, onions, and peppers. Almost all sugary foods, dairy, and even yogurts. I have told my primary doctor about this and he gave me prevacid to take. The previcid didn't work, but what did beleive it or not was the Walgreen's brand called Wal-Zan. I guess its their generic brand to Zantac.(its a super tiny pill) I take it right before I go to bed and I am fine. Some doctors swear on taking the acid reducers first thing in the morning before you eat anything. Have you noticed the reflux when eatting something? Have you been eatting anything different lately? Have you been eatting more than usual? I am sorry I think someone banded can be of more help to you, but I figure I shares some of my findings... Best of luck, I am sure you will find an answer soon, -Patty

OMG, my nails grow sooooo fast!

You can find Biotin pills Just about anywhere just to name a few: Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid....

Congratulations on your weight loss! That is a big accomplishment, you should be very proud of yourself. Keep up the good work!

Take Biotin pills. I am not banded yet but my hair is also stringy straight thin. before I took the biotin I was shedding all over the house. Not in clumps, but I could sweep my hair in a little ball off from the floor. I started taking Biotin in March of this year and noticed a difference already. Less shedding, I did cut about 7 inches off my hair and had it cut in 3 layers to make it look full. It has grown back since I had my cut in March. I had very long hair almost down to the middle of my back. I don't think my head could handle the pulling anymore. The longer our hair is it does pull on the scalp. Also, remember it is temporary and don't stress about it, it will only make it worse the stress. PS: I am not sure what hair dye product you use, but I use Natural Hair Instincts, have for about 5 years now. I usually do touch ups on my greys around my ears. Its a rinse and washes out about 30 shampoos. It gives my hair a nice shiny healthy look without drying up my hair. Oh, shampooing frequently a lot is not good. Believe it or not we need the natural oils in our hair to keep our scalp healthy. If you swim in chlorine Water make sure you use a shampoo and conditioner specifically for that. Hope that was helpful

I know that feeling too! I can't wait to be out of the 300 mark...

Best of luck!!! keep yourself busy and occupied.

Thanks everyone, I really do appreciate the insight on the protein bars. I would think a much much better alternative and to use for emergencies.

I think I know what she is saying. She wants to 'try' the pre-op diet we all are on before we get banded as a 'trial' to see if she can lose weight? Am I right? In anycase, we are on the pre-op for a reason: is to 'shrink' our liver before surgery. We will not be eatting like this for the rest of our lives. Once banded we will have what is called 'restriction' and will only be allowed to intake very small amount of foods in at a time. This is what gives ourselves the 'advantage' of loosing the weight and keeping it off. I know you said you are only 21 and still want to hang out and party. Understandably so, I know so many people banded and still continue with their daily lives. Yes, they go out and drink, party, eat, but its relatively in 'smaller' portions and when consuming alcohol you have to be super careful because drinks can easily add up to some pretty hefty calories and are loaded with sugar. Some of those yummy summer drinks can easily be over 800 calories for just one. Lastly, you really need to be ready to do this and have a good head on your shoulder when making this decision. Its not a miracle fix or cure, its a tool to help you lose the weight. My only advise to you because you are very young is to do more research on the lapband. go to youtube and watch the video about lapband surgery. Stay on this site and read read read. As said by Cazzy, I think some of the 'younger' bandsters could be of more help..... Best of luck to you in your decision -Patty

Thank you Yvonne for your help! Yea you are right it has 20 grams of carbs I missed that and yes that would be like eatting a candy bar, LOL.

Hi, I have done a lot of reading on here and never seen anyone post about Protein Bars. Maybe they did and I just can't find it. Can or are we allowed to eat these sometime after surgery when we are far from the solid stages as a protein supplement instead of depending on 'drinking' our protein all the time. I found a box of Pure Protein Bars "Smores" that is 180 calories, 2 grams of sugar, no trans fat, and 19 grams of Protein for 1 bar. Sounds good to me, but I wanted to just make sure that this is something that doesn't get stuck or will hurt the band. Any advice, -Patty

Hi Tom, Thank you so much for sharing your story and success with us. Happy 6th Band Anniversary!!

My husband and I are great team players. We root for eachother no matter what. He is my best friend, so we both count on eachother for moral support, etc. He met me when I was a big gal (around 285), I am pretty sure it was my ditzyness that captivated him, LOL. He has seen me litterally fall apart, health wise. He thinks this is a very good decision I have made to get healthy. We still have at times discuss what not to bring in the house so that I don't get tempted. (we don't have any children that live with us) so no snackies are around. I am sure once i am banded he will see how difficult it will be for me and hopefully I won't have to keep remininding him not to bring cake and goodies in the house. He 'sneaks' them in occassionaly (but hides them), hahaha. I can't really answer your last question because I am not banded yet, however I have lost a lot of weight while dating him and it never seems to phase him as far as how different he would act towards me. He is very affectionate to me at all sizes, I mean really he has seen all of me and I always said if he hasn't ran by now now....

I drink almond milk (unsweetened), its much healthier for you, I love it!

Rest up and heal, you have lots of recovery to do! Keep us posted on your progress along the way

Motivated, you have your Mother as a mentor to you as well for the lapband. You can work as a team together, you can be eachothers support system. Honestly, combat it now while you are relatively healthy. Believe me, when I started hitting my higher weight, I developed high blood pressure and severe arthritis. I have a total hip replaced and my other one needs to be replaced as well. I use to go out and dance all night and have fun even at 300 pounds. Well, its not fun anymore and believe me weight is very very sneaky. I went from 304 to 367 in all of 5 months. Best of luck to you hon