Hi all
I haven't posted in a while as I have been so busy and had a few family (teenagers) issues.
I got on the scales today (my weekly weigh day) and I had lost less than half a kilo
My hair is falling out quite literally by the hand full and as I had two surgeries this year this is the second time in six months that I have had major hair loss and I am getting quite thin on top.
I have found that I am quite bored with food and with Christmas coming up I decided to try a chocolate to see what, if anything, would happen. Nothing happened and for some strange reason this has upset me. I really wanted to have a negative after effect so that I felt less inclined to partake in the high fat/sugar Christmas food. Seems I don't dump on either.
I still do get the foamies a bit but I think it is mostly when I don't chew well enough.

I have read heaps about plateaus but I cant remember if it is typical to hit one at 3 months?
And for those who suffered from hair loss how long did it last?

Many thanks

Meg

Sorry you're feeling blue, Meg. It's pretty common to get into a funk around the holidays. About the hair: BIOTIN... It works!

Your tree is pretty, and you're still on this side of the dirt, so things are not all bad. And in the states, you can get arrested for dropping a kilo, so c'mon! Be happy. We love you!!!

Now, here's what to do with the rest of the chocolates: you go out in the yard, see, and you dig a trench see, and you plant 'em and water 'em and see if you can grow a bon bon tree. Ok? Do that for me. You've got a much better chance of growing a bon bon tree than from anything good coming out of you EATING THEM!!!!

Now, Meg, honey, I'm your friend. I wouldn't steer you wrong. I know you're bored. But you're not bored with food. Food is fuel. Does your car spit out it's petrol? no sirree! It keeps using the same old fuel so it can keep going. Boredom is an emotion, and emotions are not cured with food or no food. But hey, this gives me an idea: try going without food for an extra hour tonight and just see if your regular food doesn't taste better to you!

I hope that you don't think I'm being rude or flippant here. I'm trying my darndest to help you smile and get on with the business of being a loser (wls loser that is)...We all get bored and depressed sometimes. But if you're posting here, it means you're ready to move on. I'm hoping my little foolish note to you made you smile, and gives you hope.

This mood will pass. Look in the mirror please, and say out loud, "Meg, this is Sandi in California talking. I want you to know and believe that you have hundreds of friends all over the world who care very very much about you." Please do this for me, Meg, 'cuz if I was ever lucky enough to come meet you, that is exactly what I'd tell you.

I know it doesn't help right now, but hang onto it until it does. Ok? Be a good little daisy flower and no more chocolates, you hear?

Aloha Meg,

Hugging you.

Eat your protein..............................sip sip sip water, vitamins and minerals, go walking.

The hair thing be fine, read in the library about "hair loss" and biotin.

The head stuff about food is hard but you need to get yourself in a mode where you will make better choices. I know I did the extreme by looking at food as medicine and sticking with the foods I knew that didn't make me sick. I did not care if I ate the same thing every day (I still don't) I was more concerned of getting rid of my excess weight. I didn't have this surgery for nothing and I want to live.

That's how you got to think. Do you want to live a healthier, longer life. Talk to yourself. Remind yourself why you got this surgery in the first place. I used to look at food and ask myself if I "was eating to live or was I eating to die" and then make a choice.

Surround yourself with life. Get busy with life.

If you don't take care of your body, you will have no place to live in.

You are in your first year take advantage of the ability to shed off those pounds, it's going to be tougher down the line. You know this was not going to be easy and yes during the holidays it is hard cause of all those Chirstmas goodies, but think if you be strong through these holidays next year you'll be a slimmer you.

We all pop a candy or a "no no", the thing is to acknowledge it, get rid of the rest of the bag and move on.

I want you to know that I used to on purpose eat stuff to make myself sick cause everyone was posting how they got sick and vomitted and stuff and I thought that they were lucky to vomit and for some silly reason felt they had it over me..................so I can relate how you feel. Two years out I get the foamies and literally fall alseep when I eat too much or something I shouldn't..............that's the closest I'll ever get to vomitting..................so we all different and we all react to food different, so how you feeling about this issue is, "normal".

Visit the Neighborhood often, come get the support and hugs and words of encouragement you need. Visit the library and read and reread and read again and again, psych yourself out to make this surgery work for you.

I wish I was in New Zealand, I'ld drive down to the ocean and just watch the waves roll in. Your living in paradise.

Hugs
Meliss

Buck up little camper!! This too shall pass!

First off with your weight loss stall....it could happen. You say you've been under stress with some teenagers issues? THAT can do it! When we are under stress sometimes we get all out of our routine and even many dont eat. Not eating can cause your body to hold on to the weight as well....or not drinking enough water etc... So just try to get back in your routine!!

As for the chocolate...well whatcha gonna do? you tried it and you didnt dump. But next time you might!! I rarely dump and never really did...I'd say I could eat a big ol' snickers and it wouldnt phase me ...but I now every once in awhile..i can eat something that i'd think i'd never get ill from and I do. And i'm almost 4 years out! So ya just never know! But most importantly, its not going to HELP you get to your goal. And starting those habits so early on isnt really a good thing.

Soo...tomorrow is a new day...pick yourself up, dust yourself off and MOVE ON!

I know you can do it....Just START! One step at a time! And when stressed..try to do something physical! and I dont mean strangle your kids! LOL!! Even though I feel like it sometimes! I feel your pain with teenagers!

We'll be rooting for you!! LET'S DO IT!!

Julie

Well, I think that Sandi offered some great advice. Go plant a bon-bon tree!

As for not dumping and being depressed over it...well, you tried it. Now, you can play a little mind game with yourself. Say that was just a fluke and the next time you try it...you will be terribly ill. Awful. Like run to the toilet because it's flying out of your rear kind of ill. Live behind the fear of that. Picture the worse case scenario and KNOW in your heart that it will happen to you if you should eat garbage. You see my dear, if we don't live behind the fear, then we will always tempt ourselves with another bite of this or that. You will survive this hurdle.

Take this bump in the road as serious business. You want to keep moving forward, so be sure not to fall back into your old habits. They got you to where you were...they won't get you to where you want to be.

Hugs and love...and Merry Christmas!

Meg,
I can't speak to everything you're going through, but I didn't lose at all 2 weeks ago, even gained a pound. And my surgery was about a month later than yours. We can't beat ourselves up if we don't lose. We have to do what we know we must do to get healthy and let our bodies decide how much weight it will shed at any given time.
As far as the teenagers go, you have my sympathy. I'm at age 16 1/2 on child number 3. We'll make it through it. They even figure out at about age 23 that we're not as dumb as they thought!
Hang in there!!
Jeanie

Hi ,
I'm new to this web site and a newbie. I had surgery on 10-11-07 and have lost 67 lbs. so far. I wanted to add my diet ticker to my personal info but do not know how to add it. Can anyone help me? I feel good. I eat very little and don't generally feel hungry, I drink water and protein as ordered and have been taking biotin for my hair since 2 weeks post op. I appreciate this site.

I figured it out..thanks.

Meggie, meggie, meggie! You are soooooooooo much "one of us!"
Your feelings are typical of what we've all felt and still do and will...
ad infinitum~~~~~~~~~~~~~~yup... look at your before pics and
look at you NOW! What a difference! Younger, healthier... ON YOUR WAY!
Five years out, I am still on my way and will always be. Embrace your
humanness and know that we are like little impatient children on their way to
something we think will be a final destination! "MOM! Are we there yet?!"
"There" is a fictional place, I've found. I have to keep on lookin' at the map
and traveling on... and when I feel lost, this Neighborhood is the best
place to ask for directions! We all get stuck in the dumps at times but don't
go there alone! We're here to offer companionship and encouragement.
Thanks for the brave check-in! {hugs}

Mickeefynn, your line about being stuck in the dumps made me think (always good!).

We all must make, at the very least, one major trip to the dumps in a lifetime. I've had to go a few times over the course of the years. There are a lot of horrid things about being there...the smell coming to mind, first and foremost...but there is a lot of good that comes from making the trip. We go there, we unload all of our garbage and then we drive away from it. Isn't that a wonderful thing?

So sweet Meg, you went there...you unloaded...now drive away! Start clean and fresh with this morning.

Ok I dump and I dont dump I am 2 yrs out been same weight for 15 mths of it lol yea I lost it all int he beginning and been platued that long, go figure I just maintain. BUt someone I eat something and it doesnt bother me next time it makes me dump......I never know if its going to affect me, I just stay away from it to make it easier! I hope u get to losing again and get out of ur depression type state! That makes things worst I know. And now I can get my protein in no problem my hair is growing back. I def had some bald spots!!! Well Hate to keep it short but I gotta run! Good luck!

Hi All
Thanks for the advice about how to handle the holiday food etc.

I spoke to my dietitian and she was great. She suggested that I have a small sample of something yummy (like a small sliver of Pavlova- a favorite NZ desert) and not to make holiday food "off limits" as I would be fighting my desires too much and to have a little treat at holiday time would hurt too much.
I weighed in today down 2kg (4.4 pounds) from last week with a total loss of 31.15 KGs (68.6 pounds) .

I am having a quiet New Years Eve with my husband working night shift and my two daughters away , it will be just me and my 16 year old son celebrating the arrival of 2008 (in a little over 6 hours here in NZ being the first major country past the International Date Line)

I have signed up to the Holiday Special so when my subscription ends 24th December 2008 I will have another two years to go.....
So I am in for the long haul!

Meg
Happy New Year everyone!

So good to hear from you again Meg! I thought for sure I made you so angry with my fooling around that you decided to go all silent on us!!!

I'm also very glad that your dietitian was helpful. Sometimes it's not that way.

Most of all though, I'm really, really glad that you took advantage of the holiday special and are really truly ours!

Enjoy being with your honey this NewYear's! Best wishes for a great 08--this is YOUR year!

I had some bad hair loss after about 3 months out from surgery. I took a shower and my hands were covered in Hair! At first I was so nauseaous that I couldn't take the protein shakes so the hair went bye-bye! Good thing that I have a ton of hair. Once I could take my 3 protein shakes and 5000mcg of BIOTIN daily my hairloss slowed dramatically and has stopped altogether now. Thank God! I love the hair on my head! So my message is PROTEIN and BIOTIN!

Hi Meg! Glad you are feeling better and that you had a good dietitian to talk to. I am also happy to hear that you are planning on sticking with the neighborhood! I think we all need the tremendous support that it brings belonging to a group of people that are so caring and have been where we are headed. Just think, before long, you will be one of the 'old timers' that gives out advice to all the newbies!

Have a wonderful 2008!