MAOW1971

Hello there! Yes, I'm from Waukesha Wisconsin. Where are you located? Monica

I had massive hair loss. I took all my meds and Vitamins. The good news is I have a lot of baby hairs too that's replacing the ones that are lost. Your food intake feeds your brain and heart first. Then your other organs. Your skin, hair and nails are last to get nutrients. So you may get skin problems and weak nails. Make sure you take all your medications and vitamins. It will make it better if it happens. I also take Biotin 3x's a day. I hope this helps you. Congratulations on your new journey!

Elizabeth, I am new to this board and still poking around but if you had DS surgery can you please fill out your stats? I think as a host it is important for posters/members to know where you are coming from and that your experiences are real. Respectfully meant. Whit I'M 17 Months out and have lost 301 lbs. I know, really good! However, I've had severe complications. Bowel obstruction 1 month in and then I had c-diff for 7 1/2 months after that and was almost impossible to get rid of. I almost had to have a stool transplant. I eat Protein first, fruit or veggies next. Never hungry for carbs. I have loose stool all the time. My blood work is great! Little low on Vitamin A which I take extra of. My doc says I'm a poster child on how to do it right. Several small meals, very small! 80 to 100 grams protein and a lot of Water. Don't skip or forget your vitamins! They're crucial! And people ask me, "would you do it again, considering?!?" And I say "ABSOLUTELY!" In a heart beat! I hope this helps anyone out there going thru a rough time, it does get better! But it's not easy by any means, but soooo worth it! Monica

Hello. One of the tips I used I got from a friend when I quit and it helped. Thru some of the worst cravings, I would just stop and tell myself, "Sooner or later, this craving will be over!" Then I would keep myself busy and then realize, hey, I didn't think about a cigarette for such and such amount of time. I don't know if you know this, but the nicotine is out of your system in 3 to 5 days. Everything after that is habit. I also did all the old tricks when I quit. Gum, Lolly Pops, Cinnamin Sticks. They all seemed to help. I quit cold turkey too. It was the only thing that worked. But really telling yourself this horrible withdrawl will be over soon, really helped me. On a side note. I quit smoking cold turkey for 8 years after several tried attempts. I went back and smoked again for another two. Please, if you quit, don't EVER go back because it's even harder to quit long term the second time around. For me it was anyways. I wish you all the luck in the world and I know you can do it! Fell free to contact me if you need to talk. I don't know where you live, but, some states have free quit lines and have wonderful programs to help you. Try them, they really do help also. To talk to someone you don't know, that's not involved with you personally, can sometimes give fantastic advice on quitting. I hope this helped.