Feeling Fat and going bald!!

So I weighed 195.2 on 12/28/10 and was feeling pretty good about myself….then, I gained 2 lbs for no apparent reason (not my period) and my hair started falling out like crazy.  Today, I’m still at 195.6 and wondering when I’m going to starting loosing again and if my beautiful, curly, red hair will survive “only God knows" how many months of crazy shedding.  I’ve been really stressed, traveling a lot for work, exhausted and damn irritable.  Trying to get in all my fluids and protein on the run is tough, but I’m doing my best and taking all my vitamins.  Haven’t had time to exercise in about a week.  While I am so grateful for how far I’ve come in such a short amount of time……I need a little reassurance that the scale will once again show a loss and I won’t be bald and skinny…

Thanks for listening

Christine

Sounds like a very stressful week, Christine. Time for a little pampering. How about treating yourself to a massage or a movie matinee?

I know the frustation when the scale does not cooperate. Think about the big picture. You have lost over 60 pounds in less than four months, which is amazing! You are not nowhere near done with your weight loss. I bet the scale goes in the right direction when you work in some exercise. I travel a lot, and find it hard to make time for exercise. I started bringing my Walk Away the Pounds DVD with me. It helps when I don't feel like schlepping to the hotel gym. I also always bring a water bottle to meetings. Travel can be really dehydrating.

I am so sorry to hear about the hair shedding. It is my greatest fear as I have already shedded plenty without the benefit of WLS. I assume that you are already taking Biotin but if not, why not give it a shot. Remember, this too shall pass!

Take care,
Amy

The loss just seems sooo slow...I didnt actually lose over 60 lbs since the surgery because my weight the day of surgery was 233...so I am down about 38 lbs in 4 months...When u hear all the stories about how the weight just falls off that just doesnt seem to be the case for me.  I have actually had to work very hard exercising to see the results.

 The hair  loss came as a shock to me too .  

This is what I did  .. I took  myslef to the hairdresser and cut about  4  inches off  and blunt on the bottom .    It made it look a LOT thicker right away and  took  the stress  of the roots .   I think it encourages  regrowth too .

I started taking biotin every day (  which i started with before surgry   sporadically )  but also  hair  / nails  vitamins   and iron and zinc supplements.   Often lack of the latter two prolongs  and exacerbates the postoperative hairloss.  

I also  got desperate enough  to try mionoxidil .... which works by the way .   U just have to keep putting it on .   I just used it aat abot 1/4  the frequency it said to on the box and it was fine . 

The GOOD  news is it DOES grow back , really .  I have had more regrowth  this year  than ever before  - like  5 inches worth .... and its THICK .  So dont worry  Hun  its  a temporary measure  ..but  make sure U take Ur supplements  and drink Ur protein ...  thats the building block of hair  ...

I am so worried about hair loss… I noticed it thinning just from the weight Ive lost pre-op :( Maybe from the alli pills too. I started the mionoxidil but want to clarify exactly what you take so I can get on the right track. You take biotin, a hair and nail vit. and iron and zinc…. Do you take a multivitamin as well as these? Or are the iron and zinc part of the multivitamin? I am doing my shopping this weekend to get ready for my big day… and doing a brazilian blowout tomorrow and don't want to loose my "newly" awesome hair! lol haha
Thanks

I take biotin,  multi, calcium, D3, B-12 sublingual...my zinc and iron are part of my multi...my surgeon's office doesnt even do labs until 6 months out...and my Primary card told me to hold off on the additional iron until after my labs are done.

I don't travel for work but we do a lot of traveling.  If you aren't getting your protein in then I'm guessing you don't drink the Protein drinks.  Protein drinks are easy when you are on the road or flying. You can ge****er and ice practically every where.  Cutting back on your Protein will cause the scales to stall or go up.   You might also want to carry Protein bars like Rock n Roll with you.  They are high in Protein.

Everyone loses hair starting at about 3 months and it lasts for about 3 months.  Mine got pretty thin but now it is so thick I have to keep getting it cut.  My hairdresser says that mine gets thick before it grows length and she is constantly having to thin it out to keep the look that I want. My DD says I have a ton of new hair coming in. 

I took Biotin after I started getting some regrowth.  It won't help before that.  I also used Nioxin Shampoo and Conditioner to strengthen it.  I'm glad to hear that you are getting your vitamins in but it is important for your hair to get all of your Proteins in too.

6 out of 7 days I get my protein in...as I've been carrying around pure protein bars (20 grams of protein) and almonds.  I do drink protein shakes but some days when I get behind in my eating/drinking schedule it is tough to play catch up right before bed.  If I have any protein to close to bed time I end up waking every hour or so...and then I am a real "peach" the next day.
Thanks and take care,
c

my hair loss started at 4 months post op....been losing hair for 2 1/2 months.  i started taking biotin along with all my other vitamins before the surgery.  i had already had a lot of hair loss due to a vitamin d deficiency discovered several months before surgery so my hair was already very thin.  when i got my hair cut this week my hairdresser told me that i've got lots and lots of new growth about 1/2" long.....woohoo!!!  it'll probably take about a year for it to get back to normal at this rate but that's okay.....i'll take it!!  i had hoped that all the protein/vitamins/shampoos and stuff would keep me from losing my hair but it didn't......but it is so worth the hair loss to save my life!  love my rny!!!

Bless you heart....I've BEEN where you are too!  I started losing hair at month 4....LOTS of it!  It continued pretty heavy during month 5 and has FINALLY started to wane a bit.   The good news for me was that I have LOTS of hair and nobody really seemed to notice except me.  I think I've made it through the worst of it...you will too!  I have pretty long hair and I just keep it pulled back in a clip or pony tail most of the time.  I will say that the hair loss is TOTALLY worth it.....I would have rather lost 60 pounds and lost a bit of hair than to have lost nothing!!!

As far as feeling FAT....I hear ya!  I am approaching 6 months and have lost right at 60 pounds...pretty slow compared to most but I am getting nearer to my goal.  Some days I just feel like I'll NEVER reach it!  My ticker says I weigh 148....I hit that the day after Christmas.  Immediately after I saw that number, the scale jumped back into the 150's and I stayed back in the lower 150's until about 2 days ago and I'm finally back in the 140's.....VERY FRUSTRATING, especially when you feel like you've made it into a new decade.  Oh well...it's really out of our control!

We're gonna make it!  Take care of yourself and do what you can to limit your stress!