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I have lost 160# and now weigh about 150# so I used to be twice my current size. I am exactly the person that changed so much people recognize me by my hair, my voice and my laugh which are all apparently quite distinctive! Parts of your question are hard to answer, but some are simple. I have no judgement toward obese people. I know how physically difficult it is, how some suffer from social stigmatism. If any overweight person asks me about my transformation, I share it all in hopes they may find a path to recovery themselves. In general however, I am not interested in what other people eat, do or how they live their lives... it just isn't my nature to be so worried about someone else. I have my own life keeping me busy! It is like, do I judge with appalling disgust someone who is losing his/her hair just because i have a full head of the stuff? No way, that would be a stupid waste of energy in my opinion... and pointless and just plain mean. Now, I think imbedded in your question is way more... "do you feel like a different person?" and I think that is way bigger then do you discriminate against obese people. I feel like I am finally who I always was but buried under mounds of fat and the numbness of overeating. I feel like the personality I exhibited at 300# was a lie and the person I am now is genuine. I am much more open and straightforward, honest about my feelings and needs now. When my relationships don't fullfill me, or meet some need/desire I have - I speak up rather then trying to bury that hurt/emptiness with food. It cost me relationships, BUT it also created for me much deeper and better ones. I welcome people into my life, but somehow don't really need them. I have my insecurities, don't get me wrong but in general I feel blessed with a good life and good looks and good health and good family etc etc. The sadness I have at times is facing that I am 49 and I missed out on literally DECADES of the chance to feel good and enjoy things in life that I take for granted now. It was like I was living only 2/3 of a life before and that is time I can never get back. Regrets are useless... just look forward and make the best of it, but at times, I do feel that sadness of loss. Now as far as eating like a bird. That is the freaking reality for women past menopause whether they had a sleeve or not. The reason most middle age women are at least a little overweight is because they eat too much for their bodies. I know this because i have a couple of fit/trim friends and have paid alot of attention how they eat - very similiar to me! I date now and occasionally get razzed a little for ordering off the appetizer menu but I have no problem looking someone in the eye and saying "that is why I fit into this outfit you just complimented me on"... or something along those lines. I stand up for myself and if someone doesn't like that I skip dessert and eat light... they can take a flying leap...haha Luckily, my family and friends are all just thrilled for me and I have really gotten tons of kudos, love, support and "you're hot" remarks from the lot of them. It really makes me feel good that they care enough about me that they are happy for me and not jealous or mean about it.

Have to admit that I was worried about hair loss too. But 7 months and 110 lbs. later it hasn't happened. All I can say is that I've had a 30-gram Protein shake every single morning for Breakfast since before my surgery. And ever since two weeks post op, I eat at least 80 grams of protein and drink 64-120+ ounces of Fluid every day. And I take a Biotin supplement every night. Maybe the hair loss is still on the way, but my doc thinks I would have seen it by now. Don't know if that's the winning formula, or if I'm just genetically blessed in that regard. But I do know that it's a great formula for weight loss. So for you newbies who are worried about hair loss, why not give it a try? It certainly can't hurt!

My doctor suggested it. I had it in my mind because there is a young girl at my church who did it and lost over a hundred pounds. I just decided that every "ailment" I had was connected to my being overweight. I was still active, but on the border of becoming diabetic. I decided that I wanted my life back. I am 53 and knowing that nothing would get better or easier as I aged, it is up ot me to make the change. I only wish I had thought if this earlier...I don't want to worry about fitting in a seat at the movies or airplanes, etc. I want to feel good and be more active and a good example to my children who also are somewhat overweight. I hope mine goes as well as yours did. Did they have you see a nutritionist and psychologist? I have been working on the chewing and portion size. I do okay when I'm home with not drinking, but struggle when I'm at a restaurant. It's more social I guess. I didn't know about the e-store. I have some whey Protein powder that I got from Walmart...do they give you some guidelines about this stuff. Do they have you take Vitamins? Have you experienced hair loss that they talk about? You have done so well...you are my official "idol"...I want to do it just like you did!!

Welcom everyone! GirlieGirl you have already been through so much and you are still so young! My thoughts and prayers are with you as well as everyone in the "Springers" group! I had two of my 4 pre-op appointments today, the nutritionist and a surgery nurse. It was cool because I also got to meet the other person having lap-band surgery the same day as I am and one that is having it a week before. I also found it interesting to hear more about some things like Pbing, hair loss and other "complaints" I have read about on this site. As we have all read before, follow your doctors recommendations. I remember reading on this site about someone who said their doctor was not worried about them throwing up (Pbing) and someone else adamantly stating that it was not normal and they needed an unfill or something to help. I am glad to know my team does not consider it normal after surgery! They also explained that it was more bile-like than puke-like, not that it really is any better! I hope I haven't grossed anyone out yet. I start my pre-op diet on March 30th. It will be a combination of Protein Drinks and bars, one piece of fruit and unlimited non-starchy vegetables. I think my toughest hurdle will be giving up Coke Zero - I am addicted to the stuff!

I am thrilled to bits with my band. I have lost about 110% of my excess weight, and feel fantastic (I don't look bad either! lol) So thrilled may be an understatement. What have I done that worked for *me*? Well, for a start, I started eating low GI (The Glycemic Index ) . After trying all the low fat, low carb, low everything diets that are supposed to help with PCOS symptom management, Low GI worked really well for me. I think the reason it was eaiser to stick with was because I wasn't cutting out *all* carbs. I was just replacing them with better options. It kept my blood sugars and insulin lower that with just medication alone. Insulin Resistance, or Type 2 Diabetes is usually the reason for an Rx, but not always. Some Endocrinologist's like to prescribe Metformin to ladies with PCOS to help them lose weight even if their sugars and insulin are normal. There is even going to be a study done here in Oz to see the effect of Metformin on moderately overweight women as a diet drug. I, like you, worried that PCOS would hinder my weight loss. But after banding, I realised just how much I was eating (when I compared it to how little I was eating post op). And I also realised, while my diet was OK while I was trying to lose weight (otherwise I did eat garbage) Even OK wasn't good enough. I had to do better if I wanted the weight to come off. I overhauled my daily diet (the word "diet" in my mind now refers to how I eat. Not a period of time where I try to lose weight, then go back to my "normal" eating) Started exercising (just walking at first, later running and heavy weights) and I saw pretty immediate results. And the better I ate, and the more I exercised, the better I felt. But basicly, these days my PCOS is managed with Low GI eating, and plenty of exercise. I went off my Metformin at about 6 months post op (maybe before that I can't remember) and I have had a perfect 28 day cycle since then. My acne has cleared up, no new hair has started growing, and my blood sugar and insulin are normal. What more could I ask for?

Guys, Have a question. For guys that have been banded, did you suffer hair loss after surgery. What did you do to prevent it or stop it. I am getting banded on the 10th of May and am really worried about hair loss. I have thin hair as it is. Any suggestions/insights will be helpful. This is a great site. Thanks to everyone.

I was SO worried about the hair loss issue that I actually bought a wig that looks just like my normal hair/cut. I do see some extra hair in the shower, but I can't really tell it on my head. What's bugging me is that all of my hair (under the color) is now coming in gray! However, I remember that my grandmother was almost completely gray in her late 40's or early 50's and it looked great on her. Maybe I should just let mine grow in that way. NOT!!

Hello! If this is in the wrong section then I apologise. Where to begin umm I have been a member here for about 2 years I think but I do not post very often but I do read LOTS and I have taken some really great advice from these pages but I have hit crisis point in my life now and I am at a cross road and I really am unsure of what to do next. I have had my band for just over 5 years and I KNEW what I was getting into. I knew that it was only a tool to help me lose the weight and it was not going to be some wonder product that would allow the weight to slip off me over night. I was aware of the life changes, the hard work and the dedication involved and I was fully committed 100%, well that was 5 years ago! I lost over 100 pounds in a very short space of time and I felt wonderful, I had bags of energy and everything that came along with the weight loss and everything was going great. I had found my 'sweet spot' with my fill and I was getting on great until my 'fill' guy called and arranged for me to have a very small amount put in because my weight loss had slowed down to a near stop and of course me being me I trusted his medical knowledge and went along with what he suggested - How stupid can one get??? That tiny adjustment was 3 years ago and since then my life has been hell - if you can actually call it a life that is!!!! I am unable to eat anything apart from breakfast cereal, cookies and chocolate - I can't drink a great deal and NOTHING at all for about 4 hours before bed because if I do then I wake up during the night with it choking me or coming through my nose. My teeth are awful, I have crowns and fillings everywhere now where before my teeth were in perfect health, my hair is awful and falling out, I have no energy oh and of course I have put weight back on - nearly all that I had lost!!! I have been throwing the idea about having my band removed around in my head for about 2 years and I have always told myself no, it will all be OK just give it time but how much more time is this going to need to right itself. I have been unfilled totally and gradually worked my way back up and it is still exactly the same but the worrying part for me is I honestly believe it is now psychological because even when my band is empty I still can't eat healthy foods or even drink water like a normal person. I did raise the psychological issue with my dietician but she just brushed it aside and told me to get on with things and keep trying and that is all well and good I have kept trying but I can't do this anymore, it is killing me and I am putting more and more weight on because I am unable to eat the healthier things so I am filling up on the junk I can eat. What do I do, do I spend the rest of my life fighting this or do I give up and have my band removed. People who have not had weight loss surgery do not understand, they just think it is an easy step, the band is causing problems so just go take it out, if only it was that simple though. If it is psychological then surely I will still be in this position once it is removed, I really feel torn between the devil and the deep blue sea and I really do not have a clue about what to do next - If I decide to keep it and fight on can I really cope living like this but on the other hand if I decide to have it removed will I put more weight on again!! Thank you for allowing me to vent, it has helped a little I think :confused: MsTaylor

My sleeve was 3/22/2010 and I have lost 37 lbs to date. I am not worried about rapid weight loss as it causes hair loss!!!!. So the slower the better. I am with Tiffikins. Eat the protein first. I find I don't have room for much else. Being that I am only at 7 weeks, I think I have done really well. My son came home frm college nad told me he thought I looked thinner. Getting a compliment from him is rare so I loved it! Guess I shouldn't be giving advise to a 5 monther! I know sometimes I weigh the same for 4 days then all of a sudden a couple lbs drop off. Hang in there!

I started having hair loss at about 3 weeks post op I'm 4 months post op now and the loss has been massive I had extremely thick naturally curly hair that grew like a weed the 13 th I went to get my hair done cut and color didn't need a cut more than half my hair has fallen out I wake up to hair all over the bed brushing hair ends up with wads of hair in brush same in shower I can barely make a puny ponytail used to be I could barely get the elastic tie around the hair I'd stretch them out after a couple weeks and have to use new ones constantly it's getting scary I'm eating everything I'm allowed can only manage a few bites per meal drinking fluids like crazy taking all vitamins I was told to take and to add insult to injury my weight loss has slowed a lot last three weeks is about three lbs a week before was at least 6 lbs a week I'm down about 90 lbs since surgery in late February having an appt at bariatric July 10 my first since my post op appt I'm worried I'm going to get told I'm not losing enough which is just going to bring me major anxiety which I don't need on top of the hair loss the one thing I didn't hate about myself when I was fat uhh ok still fat but now losing the one nice feature I had so depressing.....

Hair loss is something I am worried about as my hair is naturally thin anyway. My NUT says protein is the best tool against hair loss, but it seems that almost everyone has experienced it, regardless of protein intake. What levels of protein were you each taking in?

Sleeved 9/17 & so far no hair loss at all. That's not to say I won't wake up tomorrow & it will begin. Don't really know if there is a "safe" period where you can say - ok, don't have to worry about hair loss anymore.... I'm always on the lookout! Glad it doesn't last too long.....

Everything went well. Here's an update: Day 1 - got to hospital at 7:30 and got registered and changed. Was provided a hanging garment bag for my fancy clothes (hoodie and jeans lol). Then was walked over to talk to the anesthesiologist who asked some questions. After about 10 minutes I said goodbye to my husband and I went into surgery. About 5 minutes before it was about to happen I was told I would be intubated. I didn't realize I had to be so yeah... I woke up, went to recovery and was there for a couple of hours. When my room was assigned hubby was there setting up my iPhone and tablet chargers. He was upset with them for not letting me come back from recovery sooner but they didn't have rooms. It was cool to see him standing up for me while I was so out of it. I needed to use the restroom immediately so I did and they had this "hat" thing that is in the toilet to measure your output. I guess it's really important because apparently my neighbor wasn't going at all so they had to insert a catheter in the middle of the night for her. Anyways, I couldn't talk for real because when I was intubated my throat was scraped really bad so I just wanted my meds and wanted to sleep. Hubby left and the nurses took really good care of me. I had pain meds consistently. No tablets - they were all shot through my IV. The one tablet they did give me was Levsin which is for spasms in the abdomen and it dissolves under your tongue. It really helps so ask for it! Day 2 Doc came in early with his assistant Julie and he asked if I wanted to stay a day longer and I said yeah. He said good because his patients who stay two nights at least never wind up in the ER. I was on IV the entire time except for when I wanted to walk; I had them disconnect it. He ordered a throat lozenge for my throat and had them up my pain meds. He also clarified that I was having a little discomfort swallowing because he had to put two stitches in my diaphragm because he had found a hiatal hernia. He said it would be better once it wasn't swollen anymore. He left. The nurses were great. They had ordered my clear bariatric Breakfast tray and gave me shot cups for the Protein shake. The Protein drinks used were by health wise and had 15g of protein in one. They were so fruity and good - not chalky at all so my hubby ordered some for me for home. (Since they're not going to get here till Tuesday he went to a local medical weight loss clinic and got me 8 of them to tide me over). Anyway, I had to sip the protein and Water and that's all I did for the most part. I slept and walked. Hubby came back by and brought my house shoes, my Fitbit and two comfy pillows off my bed. He hung around for a while. I passed out a couple of times. Dr. Jossart came back and gave me the script for my meds (Ativan and Percocet) and told me not to worry if i was 15lbs heavier when I got home because I had been on the IV the whole time and with that I might gain water weight staying another night. He left, after a while hubby left and then it was just me. As soon as I got my second shake down I was ready to go to bed. That's 30g of protein. Maybe 20 ounces of water. Thank God for the IV. Day 3 Woke up. Feeling the best I ever have. Was actually awake when they brought my tray and the broth was still hot so I ate half of that - went down faster than water had been. Also drank half a cup of black orange pekoe tea. That went down well too! So now I know hot things go down well for me! Julie came in and discharged me. Hubby texted he was on his way. I cleaned up, did my hair and packed up all my stuff. I had requested a fan bc my room was a little hot so when I left I had it sent over to my neighbor Mary. She was really happy to get it bc she had been warm too. I sat in the wheelchair and asked for the last pain meds for the road - they shot Toradol, meds to settle my stomach and the last of my Vitamins in my IV. I mixed up an orange pineapple shake for the road and then we left. Made it home. Immediately weighed myself for a baseline. I was 1 lb less than when I left the house. So much for gaining 15 lbs lol! Hubby helped me get in bed, he brought me water and was ready with shakes and Popsicles but I was good. I did drink a 30g protein premier chocolate shake that evening though. So I had a total of 45g and about 35 or so oz of Fluid. Almost at goal. Best I could do. Went to bed and slept like an angel. Day 4 Woke up. Feeling fine. No more bad soreness. Throat is still sore though. Got on the scale. Down another 3.6lbs! I had acquired one of those fruity shakes from the hospital so I immediately had it for breakfast. lunch - 4oz chicken broth and a sf Popsicle. dinner - premier Protein Shake. Water. Right now I'm at 16oz of water for a total of 44oz of fluid. Trying to drink maybe 4 more. Overall, I feel fine. No pain at all in my incisions. Haven't tried lifting anything and won't be trying to until I'm cleared. Hernia repair is there - can feel when I drink like its funneling things through but it lasts for like 2 seconds. The Levsin helps reduce those spasms though. All is well! Tomorrow I will try harder to actually hit my protein and liquid goals.

I've only told a few close girlfriends and my family (which is small). Work knows I had a hiatal hernia repaired and I said I had some acid damage repaired in my stomach. I was able to use the GI surgery to explain my post-op eating. I too, didn't want to deal with the catty remarks and judgement. I had a co-worker tell me she thought I'd had lap-band or gastric-bypass and I just said no, I hadn't had either of those procedures and left it at that. People can think what they want. I feel pretty private about this so I'm not broadcasting it. I did tell the gal who cuts my hair because she was getting a little worried about my sudden hair loss. The one good thing she said is she sees quite a bit of regrowth! Thank goodness!

I'm really worried about hair loss myself. My hair has always been my blanket. No matter how fat I was growing up, I was always complimented on my hair lol I wrote down a few suggestions mentioned on another thread. The main one that stood out to me was "biotin" (sp?) which I haven't been able to find yet. I desperately want to prevent hair loss but some say you can't.

Hello everyone, I've been reading ur posts for a while, my name is Cindy, and I live in Camdenton-near Lake of the Ozarks, so I'll just pipe n about the hair loss....i am a hairdresser and biotin is what i tell my clients to take for hair loss...also u can buy a hair/skin/nails combo. at wal-Mart or any drug store....Anyway I have been worrying about that issue myself...I have to say it does scare me alittle, I have VERY thick hair so I could afford to lose a little but dont want to.....So u guys think the key is protein??? Also I am being banded on April 8th in Mexico....Cindy

I know that for me things are changing a little since my weight loss. I still love my husband the same as I always have. But I am starting to think he is tired of hearing about me, my weight loss, new clothes, plastic surgery and my band. I have worried about ever body else for so long and avoided thinking about my self because I have not been happy. Now that I am I think he feels like I am being selfish because I am now taking time for myself. I get my hair done every 3 months and I go shopping with friends every once and a while. I have never been able to feel good about myself untill now. And sometimes I do feel guilty. But I also think I deserve this. We have been married for almost 10 years. But we have been together since I was 16. I really think he just got used to me always putting him and every body else first and now I put myself first sometimes. I guess what I am trying to say is I dont think that people divorce because one person changes. I think it has a lot to do with a spouse not being supportive of these changes. I know this has been an issue lately in my house. I would love for my hubby to look at me one time and say wow you look beautiful. It does not matter to me what other people think. I really want him to be happy with me now that I am happy with myself. Man I love this web site. I can just let it all out and not have to have an argument. Thanks for listening every body.

I worry about hair loss as well. I'm planning on asking doctor at my next follow up if I should be taking Biotin which I understand is a vitamin for hair/nails.

Congratulations Polly!! Good for you!! Er....what are nsv's? I've been trying to figure out what that means! I'm in the same size uniform pants only they aren't stretched out as much (I think!) I'm still not at my sweet spot yet (damn it!) And I've only gone down a 1/2 lb. in like 2 wks. :thumbup: I've noticed the hair loss too. I don't worry too much about it as I have a ton of hair but when I brush it out or take a hair clip out, there is lots! I still have about 10 Meditrim left but I have a scoop of Whey Protein Isolate in a cup of skim milk and a cup of frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, whatever's on sale!) and 2 tsp. of Splenda in the morning. I always remember the 'protein first' rule. My list of 'can't have'-s is ever expanding! Tried to have some very thinly sliced chorizo sausage today and nope! Too dry. Up it came. Pork chops, no matter how well done they are, even in a sauce or gravy, are difficult too. Rye bread? Nope. Made a bean Soup and put some left-over boiled potatoes in it - not a good idea. Can't do boiled potatoes very well either. :thumbup: With those kind of limitations, you'd think the scale would move! I am thrilled for you! Keep me in the loop on your progress!!

As others have said, it's common to experience hair loss after ANY surgery. Mine started at about 3 or 4 months and seemed to go on forever. I wasn't worried until I could really see the thinning in my scalp. At the time, I had close to shoulder-length hair and I found that the length seemed to make it look worse because the weight of the hair was pulling it down a bit and "showing off" the scalp. So, I cut it into a short bob. I had always taken a Hair, Skin, and Nails vitamin, but went into a bit of overdrive at the 1st sign of hair loss. I started doing scalp treatments, oil massages, even tried rice water rinses. I can't say that any of those things made a HUGE difference, but after another 3 or 4 months I noticed baby hairs and regrowth. I saw on another posting about hair loss that some people's hair never grows back the same. Today, my hair is about the same as it was pre-surgery. I have always had fine, thin hair. Having children dealt the biggest blow to my mane and it never recovered. I'm honestly tired of fighting it and recently got a hair topper. Best thing I ever did. I no longer have to worry about strategically styling my hair to lessen the appearance of the thinning. I highly recommend it!

I've been growing my dreds for 7 years now and they are quite long. I'm four months out and have been worrying all this time about losing my hair. I was wondering if anyone with dreds experienced hair loss? I don't really know what to expect -- could they just start popping off?! Do they grow more slowly. I heard that most people experienced shedding, but it's hard to imagine how shedding would work for my hair type. I know I should try not to worry about it because there's not much I can do (I've getting my Protein and taking Biotin the whole time, but I know it may be inevitable.

Ok im crying again drowning in total self pitty :think I was banded in May 2005 my weight was on day of op 17 stone 5 lb. I had reduced my weight from 18 stone 5 lb on a pre op liver shrinking diet of 800cals a day for 4 week's. The actual operation was a walk in the park for me they took me to the theater at 9.30am and i was out of bed washed and dressed by 1pm. I was home 7.30am the next day potting plant's and doing light gardening feeling great. Having my band was a easier operation than having my wisdome teeth out. Well i have a very speedy idilyc recovery but begin to regain weight. By the time i have my first fill at 18 weeks post op i am back up to 17 stone 12 lb. My First fill was blind and i had 4 mills i have zero restriction so i go back 4 weeks to the date later and have another 2 1/2 mill's. This time i am tight tighter than tight and i can't drink it hurts. I emailed my fill provider but he was on holiday (vacation) by the time he get's back i have asperational pnumonia and i am very poorly. I didn't know he was on holiday and i must have emailed him 2 or 3 times i guess coming back off holiday to my winging emails annoyed his wife so she emailed me back saying the infection was not related to my band and her husband could not surgically remove pnumonia. I did ask if the infection was band related but i never for one moment think it could be band related i was worried and didn't know if it was a band related problem or what? Well three months and 2 lots of antibiotics later i am no better. I was very low and depressed by now i had sufferd all threw christmas and i was told by my family Dr i needed my band unfilled while i took time out to recover. so again and worried i emailed my fill provider and asked again for a unfill. I recived a nice reply back from his wife saying she was sorry for her comments and she explained she was tired due to just returning off holiday. So she made me a appointment for a unfill and the surgion was lovely he was a little concerd about my health and told me to return in a month. But out of the Blue my local health Authority phoned me telling me to travel to a specialist for a second opinion. I had wrote to them before christmas when my pnumonia was at its worst asking what should i do well because of the responce from the fill providers wife if it wasn't band related what was it?. So anyway it turns out it was totally band related and down to being over filled i was much better now as i had gone back and had it unfilled and from that day i began to recover. Its february now 2006 and i am almost 1 year post op the new surgion wants to x ray my band as he didn't fit it and wanted to be sure there was no slippage or anything. the x rays reveal my band is in a good position apart from me needing a fill so he filled me 2 mill's aparently i still had 2 mill's in so i am back to four mill's. I must admit being a year out and having only lost a grand total of 7 or 8lb's i was fed up. I asked the surgion would he revise my band to a bypass and he said its not that easy and he felt we should try a bit longer with the band so see if we can optimise weight loss. So off i go and back again 4 weeks later a few lb weight loss weight loss, so off i go and im back 3 months later its October now and i am gutted my weight is still at 16 stone 2lb actually a slight regain on the previous visit its a 200mile drive each way each visit all for a offical weigh in and a dissapointing 25 min consultation. I was told to go back after Christmas 9th Jan 2007. But iv had enough iv had nothing but problems i can't keep any solid food down at all i vomit everything solid. I am forsed to consume food that i can eat rather than should eat. I suffer from constant heartburn (reflux) its horrendus it feels like i have a baby elephant sat on my chest i feel short of breath and it's just uncomfortable. The motional impact of not loseing weight at almost 2 years out or should i say any kind of sygnificant weight to improve my quality of life or even impact on my comorbidtys is heartbreaking. I have socially withdrown had a recent complete breakdown resulting in a serious attempt to end my life. I took a overdose of citilopram and washed them down with alchohol i cut my wrist repetedly and went to sleep. My husband rushed me to hospital the next day when he found me in a state and he was unable to wake me. For the past 2 or three weeks my depression has nose dived i didn'tintend to harm myself i can't remember much of it or even why i did it i just felt i couldnt see a way of changing my situation and life as it is was not worth living. I am tremendusly fed up with my band. No matter how hard i struggle to get my head around it and adjust to i can't. I am constantly hungry i was told the band would make me feel full and i would feel the need to stop eating sooner. That just does not happen i feel my restriction but i do not feel full or satisfied i am hungry and if i eat anything solid it comes streght back up. I can't make the healthy options beacuse the band wont have them some days the egg's go's down other days it does not. I have began to hate myself more than ever because i am not making the correct adjustments to lose weight and i only had this band fitted to lose weight. I wanted better mobility i was told the band would cure me of my reflux problem and weight loss would improve my stress incontinents. None of this has happened and while the band is in a good position and would seem to be working fine i am not. I can't handle this constant hunger and the diet is horrendus the vomiting is horrendus i know the vomiting is because i have eaten too much but even with one bite of food im vomiting no matter how much i chew. Infact sometimes its not even a vomit if i bend over it simply just falls out of my mouth as if it has gone no further than my tonsills. The poor diet leaves me feeling lathorgic and my hair is limp and falling out. My scalp is dry and ichy and my skin is spotty and dry. chocolate crisp and rubbish go down fine sloppy food like lasgna mashed potatoes go down fine but there high carb hens no weight loss. Im begining to think im losing my own mind that the vomiting is more psycoligical than a actual banding problem. Eather way it all rounds up to im not coping and suiside right now seems like a better option than the life i am living because the i have no quality of life and the longer it go's on the more fed up i am getting the deeper into dispare i am. tomorrow i have a psyciatrist appointment iv been getting regular help since my overdose 3 weeks ago. I almost cant wait to see the shrink because i am constantly thinking of death as a way out and im having horrendus urges to but myself again. this is so knew to me i have never wanted to cut myself before. I am worried i might do myself some real harm while not really meaning to do it. I am resisting the urges but the more i dwell on my weight the more i think of self harm. and its not like i can stop thinking about it and forget weight loss for a while because the weight impacts so much on my daily life it just seems there is no escape, and now i have taken a over dose i am so worried and frustrated with myself that i will now be considerd too unstable for a bypass when at the end of the day all's i want is to lose weight and start to enjoy life. it seems ironic i am fighting to improve mylife so i can get a better quality of life but the actual fight is leaving me wishing i was dead. :think i know me me me its all about me poor old me pitty me im fed up of hearing myself winge so god knows how those around me feel.

Thanks for posting this!! I'm super worried about hair loss and I've been told that protein is the key to keep from losing as much.

I had my sleeve done in 2017 and lost about 50% of my hair from month 3 to month 6 then it stopped shedding. Very slowly, it has grown back to probably 75% of what it was. My problem now is, I have just had another major surgery to have my adrenal gland removed, open surgery, very large "L" shaped cut, not pretty! I am just very worried that this will trigger another bout of hair loss in a couple of months time as I suspect its the actual surgery, rather than the type of surgery, that triggers it.

Well I was thinking why would we think it WOULD work? Everything else we tried didn't work, right? Today I was cleaning out old books bc I have to give up a bookshelf. I passed along probably 12 to 15 textbooks about losing weight. South Beach, NO Sugar NO FLour, Geneen Roth books When food Is Love, etc. etc. Some things worked for a while, most I never even tried, but I sure did spend a lot of money on any new thing that might help. I was so desperate. So is it possible that we actually have a solution with the sleeve????? It seems so unlikely, right? I was thinking why would you NOT think it is a hoax. Just sayin... But I will say this, knowing very little about RNY or other surgeries, this is the best solution I've ever found. I freaked out last week bc I had a small loss of 2 lbs and then turned and gained 5 lbs. That has never happened to me since surgery, like every day I was gaining a lb. There was definitely that momentary panic like crap, how could I be gaining?? Is it over?. But I made some minor adjustments, part of it eating MORE meals and lowering my salt intake and increasing fluids and I already lost 3 of it and am back to where I was before I lost the 2 lbs. My diet has very naturally changed, and I believe permanently changed, in that my preferences have changed and the volume is restricted. I get more fluids now than I ever did, and I think I just don't take my lil tummy so much for granted. I worry this lil thing is all I have so I better take care of it. And you might also find when that fatty tummy part is cut out your preferences for fatty, greasy or sweet foods changes. My 12 year old son (who is overweight) asked me recently to PLEASE stop buying the junk food b/c I will often buy it, have a bite and be like BLAH and leave it for everyone else to finish. This is true of ding dongs, twinkies, potato chips, chocolate, pastries, donuts, pancakes, and fried foods. I felt bad when he said that bc it was true and I did stop. It sounds good sometimes to buy junk food so I'll buy some, but I often don't like it when I taste it. Just the other day I made my husband PROMISE to not let me order fried seafood any more because I sit down to order and sometimes think I want fried seafood but then when it comes I just immediately realize I only want steamed/baked/broiled seafood. The weird part is that my head is still geting a grip on this (it is getting there), but my stomach knows what it likes and sticks to it. You eat sweets, you feel kinda quesy or just not quite right. Not like you are going to puke, but just like ugh I wish I'd eaten something else. You eat fried food, like my shrimp, you realize you could only eat 3 or 4 shrimp and a few bites of salad or potato and you realize if you get grilled shrimp then maybe you can eat more shrimp and you want that instead. But it is so hard to believe. At this point I think I found the solution for me, and I'm not even exercising much and I don't count anything. Other people have had better results bc they are more diligent, among other reasons. And not only looking better...I was just thinking today how much I have accomplished at home and work in the last few months. It is really adding up. There are some HUGE projects at work I've needed to do for years and never did it, and some other things that I couldn't do myself but needed to coordinate others to do it. And one by one I am knocking them out all in just a few months. At home for the first time I remember since 1988, my house is (almost) totally organized and this is with 2 kids in tow and a husband (we are all messy, but now I am ahead of them). A lot of this is just physically having more energy to do the big projects that have gotten out of hand. I still get tired, but it takes a lot more to tire me out. Today So II was looking at heavy cleaning like my tile grout and baseboards and wanting to start scrubbing them on a schedule until I get it all done. I would never have considered that before, but now it is bugging me a lot that it makes my house look dirty. I know it is hard to believe, but I think the sleeve is good. You MIGHT NOT be TWIGGY when you are done, although some people around here lose it all and are very lean, but you will probably lose most of your excess weight. I still have a bit of a muffin top, and I'm still considered overweight and not normal weight ( I also still have a lot of my boobs). And I have new hair coming in curly which is a totally fun bonus.. It is a trade off!!. But even though I'm still overweight I'm not morbidly obese or even obese and it beats the HELL out of 220 lbs let me tell you. I was so miserable, so self conscious, and much less productive in every way. I hope long term it proves to be good not only in keeping weight off but in maintaining good health. I wish you the best and I hope this brings comfort to you. It is my true experience.