4 Month Surgiversary - with TMI warning

(I included the following in my DS forum post and decided to leave it in for the KY post because there are so many people not here but just in general that think that DSers have horrible bowel issues)
I seriously cannot tell I had surgery at all.  The only thing that is different is that I love having a daily trip to the bathroom.  Before surgery I might not go for days or I might go 4-6 times a day.  Now it's once a day no more, no less.  I do have ocassional bouts of gas but had that before so staying away from sugar alcohols, real sugar and white flour in large amounts.  I can eat all of those things in small amounts.  I had a slice of thin crusted supreme pizza the other night and had no problems with that and do not suffer when I have my ice cream either.  I usually do that about twice a month.  The real stuff from Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen or Graeters.  I ate alot, really alot, of sour dough bread on vacation and never had problems with it either but I did load it with butter hoping that somehow the malabsorption of the fat might just help that bread to slide on through somehow.

I am losing hair, alot of hair.  It started about 10 weeks out and is in full swing now.  I did this in 2000 as well after having my tubes tied.  I cannot tell by looking though, there are no thin spots.  I am not worried about needing a wig.  I did make an appointment with a colorist and a stylist next week for a new look though.  I am nearly halfway there and it's time for a new look.
 
I took a break from the Food and Fitness thread recently because I was concerned that I was seriously going to fail my DS.  I felt like a bad example.  I had compared my loss with others on the Lab Rat site (love that btw) and had to evaluate where this journey might end for me.  Diabetes is already a thing of the past for me and my health issues are gone so where will I be satisfied?  I made a plan to go ultra low carb and get in two protein drinks a day.  After the first day I knew this was not going to work for me.  I quit after two days.  Low carb means no nuts or seeds and I use those things as snacks during the day.  They take my carb count higher and make me feel like a failure every day.  I just cannot tolerate self loathing so I quit.  I focus on protein and am getting two protein shakes in a day but no longer count carbs.  I am much happier and have lost more this month than last.  So I guess it's working for me and that's what matters right now.  I guess after so many years of dieting I really cannot deal with it anymore.

5 more lbs down and I will be at 50% EWL.  I have gone from a size 24W to a 14W in 4 months what could be better?

Before at 267.8 lbs



After four months at 216.4 lbs

wooohoo im first to respond!!
   vicki I cant see you not doing your DS justice... I think you look amazing!!but the funny thing is, you dont look 267 in the before picture.. you look like you feel great and that right here is all that matters!!! It's all about you and how you feel about yourself...
    On the hair, im still loosing mine and im  almost a year out.. I talked with a girl at work that had bypass and is 4 years out and she is loosing her too, we think it might be our thyroid's. Mine is reallyyyy lazy.. 
     You are doing great girl!!!! I think u look awesome!!
Dawn

Thanks girl you are too sweet!  I hope you get that thyroid tested soon.  Us girls can't be losing our hair, you might want to check your protein levels also.  What supplements are you taking?  That's one good thing about the DS, I get my labs drawn and checked.  I think they should do that for all of us.  I mean if you have a band what are the chances that you are getting all of your nutrients with food?  ALL of us need to supplement and be checked.

    Hey Vicki, I get the thyroid cked 2 a year. They say we are gonna loose a lil bit.. Who knows. Dr.Shina just ordered a whole bunch of blood work and I will get the results on the 26th.. I still do a protein drink in the am cause I love it!! Besides I have finger nails for the first time ever, so im never giving up the protein drink!! hehehhee!! 
  I'm proud of you!!!! 
Dawn
p.s.  Missy was at support group tuesday, she looks Amazing!! she's down 156 pounds!!

fingernails - oh the joy of real fingernails!  I love my protein drink btw I am drinking it right now.  1 1/2 scoops of Champion Banana Scream with 6 oz of milk is my usual but tonight I feel special so I added a small banana and a squeeze or two or more of sf chocolate syrup.  Oh, this is good!

Tell Missy to get her lil butt out to eat with us next week!  156 lbs sheesh I might not recognize her!

Congrats Vicki!!  You look marvelous!!

I think tweaking your rules to fit your lifestyle is the smartest thing you can do!  You are still losing which is the goal just maybe not as rapidly as you'd prefer.  I'm not a fan of "Gestapo dieting" as in the past the feeling of being deprived only set me up for falure. 

I too have molded my diet rules to fit my lifestyle and am happily losing although slowly.  I have too many carbs according to some people but that's life!  I choose to eat like a skinny person and at least sample something if I want it.  Thankfully the band keeps me from eating the whole dang thing!

Are you ready for the 22nd???

Thanks Becca - you are so right about the diet thing - I really do just set myself up for failure when I try to get all crazy and strict with it.  I am much happier just having little bits of things and my lowered ghrelin and restriction really do keep me from overdoing it.

Oh, and I am always ready for some friends from OH and good food!  I can't wait to see y'all again!

I don't know if it will help you guys, but I tried the biotin pills after losing almost 1/4 of my hair since surgery. I started after the revision in June. When I went to get that nasty grey covered and a trim...my hairdresser pointed out all the new growth in the front! It is just like Braedyn's coming in...lol....I just had not noticed it! My kids laugh when I tell them that. They cannot understand how after brushing your teeth and washing your face and combing yourself that you cannot see these things. I just explain that I look at those parts one at a time...I rarely looked at the whole picture! it was too painful to see what I had done to myself. I have gotten past that now.   Anyway...back to the hair.......the ladies on the OH  Indiana board suggested the Biotin so i started at 3000 mg per day. Two months later I got new hair coming in.  Its worth a try!

Thanks LeeAnn  - I have been taking Biotin and I am sure my hair will come back when this anesthesia thing has run its course in a few months.  Until then I'm just gonna go let someone color me and cut me and hope I come out better than I went in, lol.  I understand seeing yourself in parts though.  But right now all my parts are droopy, there isn't one part I want to look at!  hmm droopy eyelids, droopy chin, droopy boobies, droopy inner thighs.  I wonder if the seven dwarves are looking for a sister?

Well I tried standing on my head to see if it would all fall back into place and damn near suffocated from my chins dropping the other way!  LOl