Sleeve_Me_Alone

Ditto to alllllllll the above. collagen is great for hair, skin, and nails but it takes time and won't stop the "bariatric shed" from happening. I take Vital Protein's brand, I get it in a tub from costco and throw it in my coffee every morning. It does help, but it takes time and consistency, especially for hair. As @Arabesque mentioned, hair is all dead stuff, so you won't see the benefits until it starts to grow out.

You need to get into some counseling ASAP. If you truly feel this way, it is alarming and needs to be addressed. Post-op mental and emotional difficulty is completely NORMAL. Suicidal ideation, self hate, and romanticizing your own misery is not. Its very clear that you are not upset about the surgery, but rather that there is something else much deeper going on. I hope you hear me when I say, struggling post-op is NORMAL, but getting the help you need is the only way forward. Please, please reach out.

Ditto to all of this. I find them at Home Goods and Ross occasionally, too. I like the Jordan's MUCH better than other brands, and they have tons of flavors. The only ones I've found that I don't like are the "mocha" type flavors - anything with chocolate. They are just a little funky to me.

Get back to basics - hit your Protein, get your Water in, take your Vitamins, and move your body. Weight and track everything - it will help you stay accountable to yourself. And, get help! Find a counselor, someone who deals with eating/food issues if possible, talk to your medical team, etc. Can't stress enough how much the mental/emotional piece of WLS is really the biggest. But the help is out there and you CAN be successful! You've got this!

It is 1000000% normal and generally unavoidable. Your hair naturally goes through growth and shed cycles and any major trauma to your body (surgery, stress, pregnancy, etc.) can impact that cycle. You just had major surgery and now your body is losing a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time, which triggers that shed cycle to accelerate. For most folks it lasts a couple months, slows down, and then you start to see regrowth.
Take your bariatric Vitamins, hit your Protein goals, and stay hydrated. Those are your best tools for helping minimize it and ensure regrowth comes in strong. Some people also supplement with collagen and Biotin, which certanily can help, but they won't stop the shed.
Hang in there, its totally normal and doesn't last forever!

It is 1000000% normal and generally unavoidable. Your hair naturally goes through growth and shed cycles and any major trauma to your body (surgery, stress, pregnancy, etc.) can impact that cycle. You just had major surgery and now your body is losing a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time, which triggers that shed cycle to accelerate. For most folks it lasts a couple months, slows down, and then you start to see regrowth.
Take your bariatric Vitamins, hit your Protein goals, and stay hydrated. Those are your best tools for helping minimize it and ensure regrowth comes in strong. Some people also supplement with collagen and Biotin, which certanily can help, but they won't stop the shed.
Hang in there, its totally normal and doesn't last forever!

It is 1000000% normal and generally unavoidable. Your hair naturally goes through growth and shed cycles and any major trauma to your body (surgery, stress, pregnancy, etc.) can impact that cycle. You just had major surgery and now your body is losing a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time, which triggers that shed cycle to accelerate. For most folks it lasts a couple months, slows down, and then you start to see regrowth.
Take your bariatric Vitamins, hit your Protein goals, and stay hydrated. Those are your best tools for helping minimize it and ensure regrowth comes in strong. Some people also supplement with collagen and Biotin, which certanily can help, but they won't stop the shed.
Hang in there, its totally normal and doesn't last forever!

It is 1000000% normal and generally unavoidable. Your hair naturally goes through growth and shed cycles and any major trauma to your body (surgery, stress, pregnancy, etc.) can impact that cycle. You just had major surgery and now your body is losing a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time, which triggers that shed cycle to accelerate. For most folks it lasts a couple months, slows down, and then you start to see regrowth.
Take your bariatric Vitamins, hit your Protein goals, and stay hydrated. Those are your best tools for helping minimize it and ensure regrowth comes in strong. Some people also supplement with collagen and Biotin, which certanily can help, but they won't stop the shed.
Hang in there, its totally normal and doesn't last forever!

It is 1000000% normal and generally unavoidable. Your hair naturally goes through growth and shed cycles and any major trauma to your body (surgery, stress, pregnancy, etc.) can impact that cycle. You just had major surgery and now your body is losing a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time, which triggers that shed cycle to accelerate. For most folks it lasts a couple months, slows down, and then you start to see regrowth.
Take your bariatric Vitamins, hit your Protein goals, and stay hydrated. Those are your best tools for helping minimize it and ensure regrowth comes in strong. Some people also supplement with collagen and Biotin, which certanily can help, but they won't stop the shed.
Hang in there, its totally normal and doesn't last forever!

It is 1000000% normal and generally unavoidable. Your hair naturally goes through growth and shed cycles and any major trauma to your body (surgery, stress, pregnancy, etc.) can impact that cycle. You just had major surgery and now your body is losing a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time, which triggers that shed cycle to accelerate. For most folks it lasts a couple months, slows down, and then you start to see regrowth.
Take your bariatric Vitamins, hit your Protein goals, and stay hydrated. Those are your best tools for helping minimize it and ensure regrowth comes in strong. Some people also supplement with collagen and Biotin, which certanily can help, but they won't stop the shed.
Hang in there, its totally normal and doesn't last forever!

Ditto to alllllllll the above. collagen is great for hair, skin, and nails but it takes time and won't stop the "bariatric shed" from happening. I take Vital Protein's brand, I get it in a tub from costco and throw it in my coffee every morning. It does help, but it takes time and consistency, especially for hair. As @Arabesque mentioned, hair is all dead stuff, so you won't see the benefits until it starts to grow out.

I had surgery on Tuesday, was back to work Monday. I have a remote desk job. nothing physically strenuous, and my kids are older (long past the diaper change, carry around on my hip years). I felt ok, pain was very minimal, but I was EXHAUSTED. I took naps everyday for probably 2 full weeks.

I'm going to try and keep this from being too long, but there's so much to say!!! First I'll start with my newest NSVs.

I'm officially in a size 18 clothes (from my original size 30), size 10 shoes (from my original size 11), size 6 1/2 ring (from my original size 10), 18" chain on a necklace (from my original 24" chain), and 2x jacket (from my original 4-5x). I can now comfortably fit on a massage table without fear of it creaking or breaking. I can now ride a bike because I'm within the weight limit. I now am able to hit my favorite thrift stores and walk out with seriously cute clothes that look nice, sit well on me, and actually fit comfortably!! My asthma is almost completely gone (I only have it when I get super sick now instead of all the time). My blood work came back and my hormone levels are almost in the normal range (I have PCOS) and my cysts that completely COVERED both ovaries are totally gone (without having taken any meds or done any hormone therapies!!) I did a 6 mile hike this past weekend with my son. I am completely pain free and am able to go full on beast mode with my workouts again. I can go up 5 flights of stairs before I need to stop and rest.

Now for my new chapter in life and old dreams becoming new again.

So years ago, I wanted to become a nurse. I completed all of the academics with a 4.0, aced all the labs, but couldn't do any of the clinicals because I couldn't do all the walking, I was 400 pounds, and my health/joints/back were way too bad. So I gave up on it. Then about 2 years later, I thought "well, maybe I can be a medical assistant. Surely THAT'S not as hard" and once again, I couldn't do the externship because I couldn't do the physical stuff. So I went into other areas for work, ballooned up to 421 pounds, worked remotely, and made good money. I loved what i did, but there was always a part of me that regretted not being able to go into the medical field. That was my heart's desire. So fast forward to now. I'm between jobs and miserable. I had to stop working because of all my complications from my first surgery. Now that I've been cleared, I can't get hired anywhere. So I decided that now is a great time to go back to my dream of working in the medical field. So on Sept 5th, I start school to become a certified pediatric oncology medical assistant. Most of my previous credits transfer over, so I only have about 6 months of academics to do and then the externship. Then I sit for my certification exam and then I get to finally FINALLY do what I've always wanted to do. By my 46th birthday next June, I should be right where I want to be, doing what I want to do, and hopefully at my goal weight.

I'm sitting here in tears as I type this, because I thought this was something I would never see happen. I resigned myself to being morbidly obese, extremely unhealthy, and needing a cane to get around. I may not be at my goal weight (the weight comes off a lot slower with a revision, and also as your bmi gets smaller and you get closer to your goal) but I believe eventually I'll get there. But the things this surgery is giving to me, the dreams I can live out, the health and wellness and years of my life I'm getting back..... it was all worth it. The complications, the uncertainty, the pain and healing and stalls.... all completely worth it. We all start this journey wanting the numbers on the scale to go down. But there's SO MUCH MORE this surgery gives you. I will never, ever regret my decision. Never.

I don't have any experience with this specific device but as a general rule, weight can fluctuate from day to day and it is completely normal. I know for myself, if I weigh daily, I sometimes see a 4 or 5 pound variance. I would suggest maybe picking a day each week to weigh and try to stay off the scale otherwise. I know it feels counterintuitive, but weighing daily can actually be somewhat detrimental when we see those very normal fluctuations. I'm sure your partner is doing great!

I take Just Better Fiber daily and have since very shortly after surgery. Its the only thing that has worked for me consistently. If you're not getting any relief from OTC meds, you may want to reach out to your doctor for something stronger.

I don't have any experience with this specific device but as a general rule, weight can fluctuate from day to day and it is completely normal. I know for myself, if I weigh daily, I sometimes see a 4 or 5 pound variance. I would suggest maybe picking a day each week to weigh and try to stay off the scale otherwise. I know it feels counterintuitive, but weighing daily can actually be somewhat detrimental when we see those very normal fluctuations. I'm sure your partner is doing great!

I take Just Better Fiber daily and have since very shortly after surgery. Its the only thing that has worked for me consistently. If you're not getting any relief from OTC meds, you may want to reach out to your doctor for something stronger.

Ditto to all of this. I find them at Home Goods and Ross occasionally, too. I like the Jordan's MUCH better than other brands, and they have tons of flavors. The only ones I've found that I don't like are the "mocha" type flavors - anything with chocolate. They are just a little funky to me.

I have read that some folks have issues with reheated meat specifically, simply because it gets drier/tougher once cooled and then reheated. The leftovers themselves aren't the issue, its the change in texture/moisture that results, as I understand it. I would say if you are trying to eat leftovers make sure they are an appropriate texture for the phase of your post-op diet you're in, chew well, take your time eating, etc. I never had an issue with it and eat leftovers quite often, but everyone is different and things. Also, if something doesn't sit well now, give it a few weeks and they try again. Sometimes we just aren't quite ready for something but find we can tolerate it much better a little later on. Hang in there!

It took a good month before I was able to hit my Water goal consistently. In those very early days, its EXTREMLY hard, so don't get discouraged! It helps to keep fluids handy - I always have a water bottle with me, on my desk, on my nightstand, etc. I also think having a variety of options can help. I drink lots of water, but also tea, zero sugar electrolyte drinks, coffee, etc. Just keep working at it and over time it becomes a habit!

The only limitation I was given regarding swimming was to wait until my incisions were healed over. If I recall correctly, that was maybe 2ish weeks. Because swimming is so low impact, I don't think most surgeons have limitations on it from an exercise perspective. But, as others will likely advise, always best to check with YOUR surgeon (once you select one) and see what their stance is.

It took a good month before I was able to hit my Water goal consistently. In those very early days, its EXTREMLY hard, so don't get discouraged! It helps to keep fluids handy - I always have a water bottle with me, on my desk, on my nightstand, etc. I also think having a variety of options can help. I drink lots of water, but also tea, zero sugar electrolyte drinks, coffee, etc. Just keep working at it and over time it becomes a habit!

It is very typical to not be allowed anything by mouth until after a "leak" test. They will likely have you swallow some barium and then do a test to ensure that your procedure was successful and there are no leaks along the internal incision lines. This is extremely important, given that if there is a leak, anything you ingest will end up in your abdominal cavity. Possibly ask for mouth spray (Biotene) which can help alleviate dry mouth. Those first few days are the worst but hang in there, it will be worth it!

For the first time in 24 years, I'm below 260. I don't even have words......

From what I've read, creatine can have a positive impact on muscle mass by about 5%. But of course that varies greatly from person to person, being influenced by diet, workout routine, age, genetics, etc. Its considered relatively safe, though there is some concern about kidney function impact. Overall, there are very few thorough, peer reviewed, long term studies, so its really mostly anecdotal.
Ultimately, having a solid, Protein rich diet and lifting weights consistently is what is going to make the biggest difference. But if you're looking to supplement, talk to your doctor/dietitian before starting anything.