I am 1 month pre-surgery and I've been told to start taking Biotin to help with hair loss post surgery, also am reading here about Vitamin E. I am wondering if there are any cons to taking either? And what a suggested dosage would be? I thought that I'd read somewhere that vit E can cause liver problems so don't know if that is a good option?

Any one have thoughts or know anything about this?

I started Bioten about 3 months preop. I lost a ton of hair in post op month 3, 4, and 5. I have taken the Bioten all along. I added Fish Oil in about month 2 post op because my skin and hair had become so dry. Now, at 6 months post, skin and hair are recovery nicely. I still take both though. I had very thick hair to begin with, thought I was prepared for hair loss, but it was still shocking. Glad it seems to have passed. It's been worth every lost hair (and that's a lot).

As far as Bioten goes, I do the highest strength (10,000 I think). I don't know what the dose is for Fish Oil, but I just take one at night.

CrazyJaney: good Lord girl, look at your numbers! What is your secret? I've only been reading these boards for a short while but haven't seen that kind of loss in that short space of time. Secret of your success?

@@CrazyJaney, good Lord girl! Secret to your success? I've only been reading these boards for a short while but haven't seen that kind of loss!

Sorry about that I didn't see my first post and thought it didn't post so did it again, and now can't figure out how to delete one of them!

@@Lauriep, even if your nutritionist has a PhD, he or she is not a medical doctor. Vitamin E should not be taken before surgery because it does increase bleeding. Unless your bariatric surgeon gives you the green light on that supplement, please don't take it.

@@CrazyJaney, good Lord girl! Secret to your success? I've only been reading these boards for a short while but haven't seen that kind of loss!

Gosh - I don't think my journey is all that different than most of the successful people here. If I sit and reflect on it, probably the NUMBER ONE thing that has made a difference is I surrendered my ego about food and my ability to control it without "help". I don't go to OA and have not worked with a couselor BUT I have done a ton of reading and soul searching and spent a TON of time on this webstie preop and post op. The only way to go into this successfully (in my opinion) to to be "all in". The emotional side matters. Like everyone else, I have had some success with diets but not long standing. I could minimize my obesity with all kinds of rationales. It took some life changing events in my marriage and my own deterioration of my health at 45 to take this head on. Failure at 45 is not an option. I have a disabled husband and two kids (16 and 9 years old). I have NO OTHER option but success. SO, in knowing that, I invested my everything into this. I looked at how others were successful and followed suit. I am NOT perfect but I am consistent and accountable. The way to win this:

1) Track everything - even on bad days. This is my #1. Without it, I fail. I also weight EVERY DAY. You will see some very succesful people being against this. It is data/feedback that I need to know where I am. It's like checking in with myself. The stalls are tough when you weigh every day. But the succes is SWEET! I know what I am doing every day works. I have emotionally embraced the stalls - to understand that they are normal and a way for your body to adjust. I didn't get to that place emotionally until recently but I think I am fnally at peace with knowing the scale won't always move.

2) Protein first, every meal. Total of 60-80 grams a protein every day. It's all about choices.

3) Carbs. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I have surrendered my powerlessness over pizza. Truly it is a trigger food. I have fallen off the wagon post op with pizza. But I have identified it and turned it around - in part because of tracking. Try to average about 50 carbs or less a day. There are different schools of thought on carbs. At least once a week I DONT track or care about carbs and I think it help reset me metabolism. By carbs - I don't mean sugar. Sugar is reserved for small BITES (and I mean only bites) of Desserts on special occassions. CARBS are my downfall and I have to respect that weakness.

4) Portion control is hugely important. I meansured and weighed everything in the beginning. Still do to some degree. Tracking and portion control are RETRAINING tools - your brain HAS got to learn what real portion sizes are. 300 pound brains DO NOT understand portions - we just don't. Brain has got to be retrained. IT's not as hard as it sounds. The sleeve makes portion size much easier to handle.

5) Stay active. Like anyone who has been obese most of their life, my body had been abused. It's HARD to become addicted to exercise. I am not there yet. My body feels great, until my joints start to remind me that I have abused the hell out of them. But - and I highly recommend - Water aerobics helped me lose weight pre op and in the first few months post op. I have graduated to speed walking and machine weights and I am struglling with an ankle injury now. BUT - at 222.0 pounds, activites of daily living are monumentally easier, thus I stay active. For example, I park farther away in parking lots, I don't avoid walking, I can manage a full day of activity without exhaustion. I have a teenager in marching band - we travel for contests and go to all the football games. I was miserable last fall at 300+ pounds trying to keep up with all that. This year, I have been sooooo involved and active and right in the middle of it - Activity is the way you keep this off - even the little stuff matters. I use a Fitbit. It's also important "data" that keeps me honest.

6) Keep calories low. I didn't believe I could live on 800-1200 calories a day. But I do. Average about 1000 calories a day now but some days are 800. I am very satiated if I eat well. I rarely ever feel like I am sacrificing or being restricted. I eat a little of everything with protein at every meal.

I guess those are my keys to success. IT's DATA that keeps me focused and honest. Much like others who post on here - data keeps them focused and honest. I stay involved with this community to keep myself reminded that this is a long term, "forever" fight and does not just end at a goal. Recently, at almost 6 months post, I went home to MI for a family event. I didn't track. I ate carbs of all kinds. I gained 6 pounds in a week. Granted some of that was because I was about to have my first period in 5 months - but - it was a huge wake up call for how "new normal" works. New normal means I can't look away from this. The good news is, I had a period, I immediately identified the cause, I started tracking every morsel, and it fell off in a few days. I have the tools to be successful. I can eat ANYTHING I want but how much is up to me.

My BMI is about 35-36 right now. I still have 50-60 pounds to be at a "goal" of 155-165. I am very pear shaped so my upper body looks "goalish" right now but my legs have a way to go. I have lymphedema of both legs so I have swelling that is tricky to get rid of. My legs will never be normal. Even at goal. So I don't really know where this ends. It doesn't end in me in a bikini at 47 - I do know that. I know the end will definitly involve an appointment in a plastic surgeons office - I hope! Regardless, I am certainly on track to better health.

Good luck to you! I appleciate the opportunity to reflect. Every few months I have to sit down and process this. I feel so incredibly blessed to do so!

Wow, I love love love your story!

What is an OA?

Our struggles are similar, it took the death of my mom just before my 45th b-day (due to complications caused by obesity) and realizing I was following right in her footsteps, to get me serious about making a change. I realized I am 45, not 85, time to start living on the right path! I couldn't bear the thought of forcing my husband into caring for me the way hers had for her fir so long and so young!

I will say that the lack of accountability is too much for me. I've had 6 months of managed nutrition and did very well, but have a 2 month lag from my last weigh in with the NUT and surgery. The fear of not being to eat certain things for months if not forever, have me wanting them all the more, add to that I thought surgery would be less than 30 days away so waited until the last minute to quit smoking! Argh! I really need to get back on track.

Weighing every day: I can see the pros and cons. I haven't bothered at home because I was weighing in monthly w/ NUT and didn't want to stress myself out w/ ounces at a time, and am afraid to right now! It felt good to see pounds shredded at one time. But post surgery for me also, if I see a gain, I'll know right away to make a change.

I do worry about the stalls, they are the reason no diet in the past has worked for me, I give up when I don't see progress or movement.

Aaahhh... pizza is mine as well, I have not yet been able to surrender it just yet. It's the one thing I allow myself right now, and have my sights on it all week while I graze on healthy food. It's almost like a reward for me.

Tracking carbs and calories sounds like a great tool, I have only been tracking Protein, sugar and fat at this point. Bread is like crack! I can do well without it, but once I taste it? It's all downhill from there!

I love your statement about 300 lb brains being unable to understand portions! I've said similar things recently. There is a reason I'm fat (and don't have a problem saying that!) I had to learn why I am and how I got that way, to understand how not to return to it. No 'diet plan' has ever taught me that! A fat brain doesn't understand why it is, only how to sustain the body it sits on. And that I got the way by not paying attention. When I get busy talking while eating I pay less attention.

I tried really hard to get out of the required 6 months with the NUT, really because I'm just impatient. But it truly was the best thing I've done, ever!

I feel ya on the activity also! My body is screaming back at me! My knees gave in to my brain for a little while and they have finally decided they are not having this anymore! But I started doing exactly as you did. I USED to drive around until a spot close to the door at the grocery store became available, now I choose a spot at the far end and in a different aisle than the cart return is. It forces me to walk to the car and back to the store again. And after a little weight loss already I'm finding it a LOT easier! I'm no longer deciding if I want to go some place based on how far of a walk I'd have to give.

I may just try the Water aerobics, I hadn't because, well, I just thought, 'I'm not going anywhere in my bathing suit where there are other people'! My surgery is Nov 3, and it will be too cold then to get outside. Fortunately I love Christmas shopping! But don't that will be enough.

How great for you to be able to participate in activities with your kids now!!

I was considering a Fit Bit or the like. But don't know anything about any of them. What made you decide on that one?

So... I had not heard that I should expect a change 'hormonally' at all! 5 months!?!?

I still have some crazy dream that a bikini is in my future before I'm 50! And in the back of my brain I know that's not going to happen, but for awhile I'll let the front drive me for awhile and worry about that disappointment later when I'm wearing a size 10 and no longer dealing with the co-morbidities!

I wish you luck with the legs, is that something that can be resolved with PS?

Please feel free to share away! There are so many stories online but none similar to mine, it's been hard to find a story I can relate to. I love the before and after pictures and am so happy for those with great success, but really no one has talked about what it took to get there, what worked and what didn't, so thank you for that. I was impressed by your loss in a short period if time, and thought you would have some incredible insights. I really want to know what the higher rates are that cause the average to be 60% of excess weight loss, what did those people at the higher end of that spectrum do differently than those at the lower end? I don't plan on sitting still while my body does all of the work, I need to ensure I don't return to this lifestyle.

Thank you again!!

Wow, I love love love your story!

What is an OA?

Our struggles are similar, it took the death of my mom just before my 45th b-day (due to complications caused by obesity) and realizing I was following right in her footsteps, to get me serious about making a change. I realized I am 45, not 85, time to start living on the right path! I couldn't bear the thought of forcing my husband into caring for me the way hers had for her fir so long and so young!

I will say that the lack of accountability is too much for me. I've had 6 months of managed nutrition and did very well, but have a 2 month lag from my last weigh in with the NUT and surgery. The fear of not being to eat certain things for months if not forever, have me wanting them all the more, add to that I thought surgery would be less than 30 days away so waited until the last minute to quit smoking! Argh! I really need to get back on track.

Weighing every day: I can see the pros and cons. I haven't bothered at home because I was weighing in monthly w/ NUT and didn't want to stress myself out w/ ounces at a time, and am afraid to right now! It felt good to see pounds shredded at one time. But post surgery for me also, if I see a gain, I'll know right away to make a change.

I do worry about the stalls, they are the reason no diet in the past has worked for me, I give up when I don't see progress or movement.

Aaahhh... pizza is mine as well, I have not yet been able to surrender it just yet. It's the one thing I allow myself right now, and have my sights on it all week while I graze on healthy food. It's almost like a reward for me.

Tracking carbs and calories sounds like a great tool, I have only been tracking Protein, sugar and fat at this point. Bread is like crack! I can do well without it, but once I taste it? It's all downhill from there!

I love your statement about 300 lb brains being unable to understand portions! I've said similar things recently. There is a reason I'm fat (and don't have a problem saying that!) I had to learn why I am and how I got that way, to understand how not to return to it. No 'diet plan' has ever taught me that! A fat brain doesn't understand why it is, only how to sustain the body it sits on. And that I got the way by not paying attention. When I get busy talking while eating I pay less attention.

I tried really hard to get out of the required 6 months with the NUT, really because I'm just impatient. But it truly was the best thing I've done, ever!

I feel ya on the activity also! My body is screaming back at me! My knees gave in to my brain for a little while and they have finally decided they are not having this anymore! But I started doing exactly as you did. I USED to drive around until a spot close to the door at the grocery store became available, now I choose a spot at the far end and in a different aisle than the cart return is. It forces me to walk to the car and back to the store again. And after a little weight loss already I'm finding it a LOT easier! I'm no longer deciding if I want to go some place based on how far of a walk I'd have to give.

I may just try the Water aerobics, I hadn't because, well, I just thought, 'I'm not going anywhere in my bathing suit where there are other people'! My surgery is Nov 3, and it will be too cold then to get outside. Fortunately I love Christmas shopping! But don't that will be enough.

How great for you to be able to participate in activities with your kids now!!

I was considering a Fit Bit or the like. But don't know anything about any of them. What made you decide on that one?

So... I had not heard that I should expect a change 'hormonally' at all! 5 months!?!?

I still have some crazy dream that a bikini is in my future before I'm 50! And in the back of my brain I know that's not going to happen, but for awhile I'll let the front drive me for awhile and worry about that disappointment later when I'm wearing a size 10 and no longer dealing with the co-morbidities!

I wish you luck with the legs, is that something that can be resolved with PS?

Please feel free to share away! There are so many stories online but none similar to mine, it's been hard to find a story I can relate to. I love the before and after pictures and am so happy for those with great success, but really no one has talked about what it took to get there, what worked and what didn't, so thank you for that. I was impressed by your loss in a short period if time, and thought you would have some incredible insights. I really want to know what the higher rates are that cause the average to be 60% of excess weight loss, what did those people at the higher end of that spectrum do differently than those at the lower end? I don't plan on sitting still while my body does all of the work, I need to ensure I don't return to this lifestyle.

Thank you again!!

OA is overeaters anonymous. I don't go to meetings but some of the principles in a 12 step program are so very helpful.

I did a ton of soul searching preop. I basically got down to the deep and dirty of just how, a seemingly intelligent person can get to 325+ pounds. Obesity and chemical dependency are rampant in my family. I really had to examine the why's. I highly encourage a 6 month preop phase for this alone. I was suppose to only do a 3 month one but had a scheduling snafu that moved it out 6 months. That was a blessing in disguise. I was very impatient too.

My preop diet was basically the same as post op except I are about 1600 Cals a day. I also went on BP meds with a diuretic at the same time. That probably helped with the preop weight loss. I was in rough shape preop. Just miserable. 28 pounds felt good but not as awesome as 103. Any weight loss before is beneficial. I didn't do perfect though. I had plenty of good funerals throughout, which in hindsight were unnecessary. I can eat almost anything. But cravings are seriously diminished now. I'm one of the lucky ones who have far less physical hunger post op. I still get hungry but sooooo much easier to handle. I no longer feel panicked when hungry.

I am perimenapaisal do that is some of the hormone issues. Most women our age have some issues with hormones due to estrogen storage in fat cells. Not all of my issues are weight loss related and I'm sure it's very individual on the changes that occur.

Ask away! Personal message me with questions. Very glad to help. I could never have gotten through without this site!

@@BitterSweet* noted! I started taking the Biotin after my NUT said it was ok, but I am nervous about it so stopped. I have my pre-op appts starting next week, will wait before taking anything more. Thanks!