Hello there Band fans....I got banded March 28th-2007.

I told myself....Bycyling would be a very good choice. Fresh air, muscles working for the sake of "Cardio". After one week passed--in April. I purchased three new bikes for me and my two sons. I have defeated many things doing that. No more not riding with my children--we ride as a crew (family). We could not conquer the hill on my street. We used to stop 3 to 4 times before getting to the top ( I did). So now the wheels have turned. My kids ask me---"Daddy can we stop--our legs are burning". Thank God I am doing well now. Now with 21 pounds gone---but just riding bikes. I am ready for the next Journey...The 1st fill--I am looking forward to the next 4 to 6 weeks--maybe 12 or 20 pounds gone...who knows...:faint: this is how I feel on many days after my ride. Today--(8.5 miles) It was walking, riding around the fair in my town--but that is what my speedometer said when it was all over...

My nutritionist shit her pants when I told her I was eating peanuts!!!! God I hate that woman sometimes!!!! My hair is thinning too, but not too bad. It is not coming out in chunks, just an all over thinning. I actually don't ever forget to take my vitamins, so I really don't think that has anything to do with it.

I took plenty of vitamins and ate lots of protein, and still had the thinning happen. After about 2 months of thinning it's slowed down a bunch and I can see regrowth. I don't think there's much you can do about it, unfortunately! Not to say you should ignore your vitamins or protein, but just know that won't prevent a darn thing!

No biking for me last night and proably not tonight either....last night it was hot and and the heat index was 100+...today it is raining.....

So....my long weekend of camping, will include riding and canoeing...

Deanna

Your nutritionist can kiss my peanut loving behind! I do limit myself to about a tablespoon a day of peanut butter, but life wouldn't be worth living without it. --I'm a bit dramatic at times--

I'm so happy to hear you all were thining too regardless of the vitamins. I'm about 5 out of 7 days...or maybe 4....

I just see it on the brush and the drain, but it's getting long too, so I was like have I always shedded this much, but they were shorter hairs or is it really more hair? I hope it slows down. I'm 4 months out from surgery.

Annie, how long did you notice before it stopped? OMG, I just looked at your stats! You've lost so much weight since December! Holy Cow! That's amazing!

Do you share pictures???????? I'd love to see them!

J

I am wondering if the hair loss is just a result of losing fat or from the surgery? I don't know, but I thought I had it beat up until about two weeks ago, when I noticed a HUGE difference!!

oh and yeah, she(nutritionist) can kiss my fat a$$ too!!!!! I don't like her anyways..

I started noticing the hair loss at about 4 months from surgery. I've always been a "shedder" and my normal shedding is noticable as I have long dark hair. It just was much heavier shedding. I just hit 7 mo from surgery last Saturday and I'm still shedding a touch heavier than normal, but it's much more normal.

I've heard that it's called telogen effluvium - I searched yahoo and one of the first articles I came across was this one Hair loss question about gastric bypass related hair loss

And Juli - still WAY too self conscious and have too poor of self esteem to share pics. I'm getting closer to doing it though... maybe when my BMI is normal I'll get over my fat girl issues? Yes, I'm considering therapy since I've been told I'm now "hot" but in no way believe it! I think it's because I've got a lot of loose skin due to the rapid weight loss, and plastic surgery is still months (and about 35 lbs) away...

This must be so hard for you Annie. Here you have lost that amount of weight in 7 months, you would think that you would be able to be happy about that. There is soooo much head work involved with being fat, people think it is all about the weight loss, but its not. I find myself not as happy about the weight loss when I look at my boobs. They are so saggy now. It is really disheartening to think that I am upset that I have lost this much weight, but still not happy with how I look. WHY?????? I don't know, and I don't know if I ever will know. I feel sad for you though not feeling like you can show pictures of yourself with such a wonderful loss, but then again, I think to myself, I am not willing to show pictures yet either!!!! I just wish they had a band for the brain too, that would help us with our self esteem issues!!! Feeling sad about this whole issue....Deanna

Just a side note, I hope you didn't think I was bashing you at all!!! I wasn't!!! I just reread my post and the first part didn't sound at all like I meant it!!!

No, Deanna, no offense taken. I understand I've got some self esteem issues that I need to work through. I'm trying to focus on all the good things that have come from losing all this weight, rather than the saggy skin, etc. I still think of myself as the fat girl. But I'm not. My head hasn't caught up to my scales!

Part of it is I think I'm a bit depressed because I've come to the realization that I don't have as much in common with my "old group" of friends any more and I'm going to miss that. They think the best thing to do is to go to a brewpub and drink and eat pub food, which I was all into before I started losing weight and got active. Now I'd rather go bike or go for a hike - while many of them say they'd want to go with me on a hike, they then say "oh, no elevation change" or "it's got to be easy" - which to me defeats the purpose, it then becomes a social event! So I think that's got me down a bit. Gotta pick myself back up!

Also part of it is that I don't want pictures of myself on the internet, partially because I haven't told everyone I'm banded. Once I get to the point of sharing, I'd be more likely to do it by e-mail!

My nutritionist shit her pants when I told her I was eating peanuts!!!!

Hopefully she invested in a package of oops I crapped my pants first.

I really think the hair loss directly correlates with the weight loss. Once we get to goal and stop losing weight we also stop losing hair.

Oh my, Annie, I so understand where you are coming from. I've been in therapy for a solid 14 months pre surgery and I've not stopped since. I talk about having gotten a band around my head at the same time I got one around my stomach. I love therapy!

I have changed how I look at food and exercise and even how I live in this ravaged body. I really try not to look at the deflated skin as bad, but inevitable...but there are times when I just sob thinking of how much damage I've done to myself by being overweight for so long...but then I go back to one can't belabor the past. It's a mess, I tell you.

Focus on the positives. I understand about not going to the pub and missing those relationships with the people who shared those old times. But old behaviors give us old results. Part of cycling with the group, is that I'm making new relationships with people who don't know me 75 pounds ago...who are active...

But damn it's work, Always so much work.

Annie, I don't know how old you are, but young adults have different kinds of relationships than we older people. I'm guessing you're 25ish????

With that said, if I'm wrong, ignor me. BG chime in, you're 27 to my 39.

As we get older our relationships with friends change dramatically. People follow jobs, get married, have kids, change interests. So typically at twenty-one a woman will have 6 really good friends. At 30 she will 3. You might be experiencing part of that natural life change too, which is related to your weight loss, but also factors as well.

So whew, who knew a bicycle thread would get so deep?

J, I have to keep it short because I'm at work, but I have to say, I can't even put a figure on how much I admire and value your wisdom.

JC