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Hello! My name is Melissa- 28 from Cleveland, Ohio. I Had LB surgery on July 14th, 2009 in Detroit, Mi. I was self pay and Dr. Webber at Harper Hospital was the cheapest with an excellent background :) I went in at 303 lbs and am now around 185 (depending on the scale, grrr)

My whole entire journey has been excellent! I wouldn't change one thing! There's nothing like being able to play tag with my kids or hide and seek and hide anywhere! =)

I'm looking for new ideas for diet- MY hair (very thin) and my skin (very dry) I'm also interested in hearing opinions and personal experiences of Panniculectomy procedures :)

(don't hold it against me if I posted wrong! Still trying to figure this site out =)

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Hi Melissa,

Congratulations on your amazing success! Regarding thinning hair, I would highly recommend taking Biotin. Someone told me you can get it in liquid form, but I buy the 5,000 mcg capsules. I just open the capsule and put it in pudding. It takes a little while to see a difference (probably at least a few weeks), but after some time you should notice an improvement in your hair... and nails. I first tried it when I was losing hair on Atkins and it worked great.

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Hi Melissa,

Congratulations on your amazing success! Regarding thinning hair, I would highly recommend taking Biotin. Someone told me you can get it in liquid form, but I buy the 5,000 mcg capsules. I just open the capsule and put it in pudding. It takes a little while to see a difference (probably at least a few weeks), but after some time you should notice an improvement in your hair... and nails. I first tried it when I was losing hair on Atkins and it worked great.

Ahhh- Thank you Packersfan! At this point I'm willing to try mostly anything :) My nails are insanely strong and healthy- It's my hair and skin! Arrrg.

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Hi Melissa - prior to having LB surgery in October 2009, my hair was thin and brittle. After surgery, I started drinking Protein Shakes every morning, and my hair is very healthy and a little fuller than what it was before. I mix Jillian Michaels' whey Protein mix with Muscle Milk and regular milk, and drink it every morning! It taste good, makes me feel good, and keeps my hair healthy. Hope this helps! Good luck!

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If you have thinning hair try Nioxin and definitely the Biotin, they have liquid and pills that dissolve.

2 friends of mine, 1 male 1 female have used Nioxin and swear by it. They weren't having thinning hair troubles due to weight loss but I don't think it really matters, they saw a major improvement. My male friend noticed premature thinning and my female friend suffered from over plucking-eyebrow-itis lol, her brows hadn't grown right in years. But after using it for maybe a few months his hair got thicker and her brows grew in.

it's pricey but they seem to think it was worth it. You can find it online and in salons.

For dry skin, Aveeno in shower oil is amazing, it's not greasy like others can be and has a nice almondy scent to it. I had really bad poison ivy all over my body a few years ago and once it cleared I was left with really bad scaly skin. After about a week of using it I was softer than I ever was before. Now it's a staple in my shower. Their line of lotions are pretty great too, I like their oil lotion, it's moisturizing, not greasy and smells so good. I get very dry in the winter and it makes my skin feel like silk.

I also use Jergens ultra healing lotion, which in my opinion is probably the best lotion I've ever used (and I've used ALOT of products) I usually recommend this to people because there's no scent so it's great if you are sensitive to fragrances. Recently I tried St. Ives soothing oatmeal and Shea butter lotion, I love it, and it smells so yummy.

Hope this helps, good luck!

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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