Hey all.

So there's a bunch of us in this group, all split up into our different banding days. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to have one master thread as we move through the month, in which all of us could post as we go, from the pioneers going on March 1st to the finalists on March 31st.

I'd love to talk about our anticipation and any worries as we approach our banding date, for people to talk about exactly what happened from the moment they walked into the hospital door until the second they walked out, about how recovery is going, about weight loss and plateaus, about non-scale victories and challenges.

I was thinking that if we all contribute to one thread, it'll form a more substantial channel for information and support. At the moment, I was thinking that we might be too spread out into individual date, and that a central thread would be a really good backbone for the group, in addition to the date-specific threads.

What do you think?

Fenton

Hi Shamrocks,

I'm excited to announce that I have now lost a quarter of my original weight! Woohoo!

To those who are struggling with hair loss, I feel your pain. I've been dealing with it for almost 4 months now. I know that this is not a solution for everyone, but the way I dealt with it (in addition to biotin) was by cutting my hair SUPER short. It is a lot less noticeable this way. Be warned though, there is a potential side-effect of being hit on by other girls. I suppose that's fine if you're into that.

Extra benefit -- it can also show off how slim your face is getting!

Taken 2 min ago....

Annie25.09.BMP

Cute, Annie! Very gamine...

I cut my hair short - it was previously shoulder length, and, after discussion with my barber in Paris, we went fairly short. Shorter than I'd been expecting, actually, so it's taking people time to get used to it, but I think the effect is generally positive.

I don't know whether it's true or not, but I feel like I'm losing less hair now. That may be because I'd been overdoing it on the calories for a couple months, or it may be because there's less stress on the individual hairs with short hair, but I suspect that what's in fact happening is that when a few long hairs come out, it looks like a wig lying on the shower floor, but when a few short hairs come out, it just looks like a few hairs.

Wow, Annie.....you look fantabulous!!

The red dress suits you......

We actually talked about the hair loss at support group last night (which was GREAT, BTW)....the nurse said it takes about three months for it to start and about three months for it to stop....since we're all hitting the six month mark, I think the worst should be behind us!

I know mine is better.....hair loss and just the way it feels. It's gone back to being soft....not like straw!

Yesterday was a bad day, and underlined something I've known for a while, but sometimes forget: when I don't get enough sleep, I screw up with the eating. I went and saw My Bloody Valentine in concert the other night - 80 minutes of INCREDIBLY loud music, so loud they hand out ear plugs before each concert, and ceiling tiles become dislodged from the pounding noise - and it was just an amazing concert, but I was so wired afterwards I couldn't sleep. Then I woke early, and felt so out of it that I decided to take a Mental Health day.

THEN I discovered that I didn't have any frozen bananas for my Protein shake, and that I had no Cheerios for a fiber-rich substitute, so I decided I'd order in. There's a great sandwich shop near me that delivers, so I ordered one of their fried egg and unsmoked bacon and gorgonzola sandwiches (on whole grain, for added health benefits!), then saw they were doing apple coffee cakes, so I had one of those, and after that it was all a blur. And since I'd blown Breakfast, I thought, to Hell with it, and blew lunch, and then dinner.

Now I'm back in the saddle, slept well last night, manageable day today, but I'm wishing I didn't have days like yesterday. It reached a point where I wasn't enjoying what I was eating at all, I was just pounding down food blindly. I didn't feel guilty doing it - largely, I think, because I'd lost 3 pounds in the days before, and because I knew I'd be in control again today, and because it felt GOOD to feel undeprirved - but I wish I had felt a genuine emotional break.

I have zero restriction, and I will need another fill. Gah!

Also part of my bingeday patterns: didn't log into LBT, and didn't watch The Biggest Loser - now THAT would have triggered guilt!

Thanks all!

The red dress is me at (what is now) my goal weight. That photo is about 5 years old. It's before my then-boyfriend's formal (Prom).

I made the dress myself, the night before the formal, because I found out that another girl on my table was wearing the exact same dress I was planning to wear! Bitch!

annie, i love your hair cut! but DH would KILL me if i cut off all of mine. Actually, when I've been pissed off at him in the past that's exactly what I've done, just because I know he hates short hair on me and it gave him a daily reminder not to piss me off again. :crying:

I want a shorter 'do but i don't know if I can take his B.S. over it. especially because of your side effect, (his ex-wife left him for "the other team"). So for now I guess I'll deal with my thin, limp, sad ponytails. At least is seems that there's a light at the end of the tunnel tho! If not, when I hit goal, I'll be skinny AND bald! won't i be cute?!

I have lost enough hair in the past 2 months to craft a border collie. It is a good think I started out with thick hair, but it is not so thick now. I am sure it was started by losing weight, but low Iron also helped it along.

The nurse who runs our support groups and does fills always gives this advice about hairloss. You can take supplements, Biotin, and add more Protein and your hair will grow back in a few months. Or you can just keep doing what you are doing and your hair will group back in a few months. She just says it is a normal part of the process and that there really isn't anything that will change it or speed up regrowth.

And Mom007 - wouldn't your husband rather have a wife who is happy because she loves how she looks? I would imagine that if you feel good, you might be more willing to (pardon my outburst) "feel good together". But, I have to say that I am much better now at doing what I want to do and not just what everyone else wants me to do. And about getting hit on - I would just think it would be flattering to get hit on regardless of "team"!

Hi everyone!

Harley - awesome news! How terrific that you are 1/2 way there!

I went to the doc's office yesterday and I told him I didn't want a fill. He agreed, but tried to convince me to exercise more. LOL, I still don't love exercise! But, I do enjoy walking quickly up the 2 flights of steps to my office and not even realizing it.

THANK GOD! My horribly stressful situation is gone. My new reaction to stress is NOT to eat. It was an interesting realization.

I need to learn from you, hope - my reaction to stress is still to over-eat. Gah!

I'm better with the exercise; I really should get my act together re: the gym. This weekend, I resolve to resolve the billing issue I've had with them!

Annie,

you are a cutie, love the hair and the glasses

annie, i love your hair, it is adorable! I too cut my hair off since I figured short and fully of body was a whole lot of a better deal than super fine, limp and hanging there like basset ears. People love my short hair and I get so many compliments on it, yes maybe you do get attention from the same team now but I don't care. The deal I have with my boyfriend is I can have short hair, as long as it is not shorter than his and he is not allowed to have hair longer than mine, works well. Plus I can get ready for work in 25min, shower included, which means a little more precious sleep for me!

Okay Shamrocks, I have finally found the courage to post a picture here that shows my -60 lbs and I kept up the theme I did when I donated 40 lbs of sugar to the local food bank when I was at -40 lbs and this time donated 60 lbs of rice to our church's Haiti hurricane relief because of the devastation and extreme hunger situation there right now. I have to tell you, I couldn't carry all 60 lbs at once except for the 60 seconds I held that long enough to take this picture so how in the world was I carrying that around 24 hours a day and up and down steps? I'm so thankful for this progress. Each bag I'm holding is a 10 lb bag of rice.

NSV-->Something magical must have happened this week that I can't see in the mirror because I had 3 people come up to me and say, you are losing weight, as in melting, aren't you! I said YES! thank you for noticing I'm really watching what I'm eating and exercising and its working! All truth...I still haven't widely publicized about my WLS and that's my business to decide who to tell and not.

So, I'm a smiling x6! :thumbup::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT -- LET'S KEEP ON LOSING!

SpecialK - what a wonderful way to mark your milestones! You have set the challenge to me to come up with something as meaningful. My daughter is asking friends to donate to a local wildlife rehab provider instead given her gifts for her bday - maybe I will add 60 pounds of somethinnd they need.

At our last support group, they were talking about how you need to reward yourself with "things" and something about that just didn't feel right to me. I talk with my kids all the time about how important it is to feel self worth - I don't think you get that from an external reward. This just makes great sense.

Thanks!

How fantastic for you specialk. I think that is an awesome way to mark your milestone. It has made me think about something I could donate!!!! Keep going, you look terrific!!!!