Episode 31: When Your Hair Has Other Plans: Surviving Post-Op Hair Loss Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Ponytail)

WEBVTT

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Hey, Steph. Good morning. Welcome back to another

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episode of Bariatric Banter Podcast. Love it.

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Brought to you by no one yet. One day, one day

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we'll hopefully be able to say brought to you

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by Bilt Bars. That would be awesome. Great. Everybody

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that's listening, just go all. All like 900 of

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you go message Bilpa. Guys, check out this great

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podcast. I think you need to sponsor Canadians

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because like, yay Canada. I would not complain.

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I had a split second where I really thought about

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going over to the States to buy some stuff because

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I'm going home and I was like, I'm just going

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to do it. And I'm going home just to literally

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be like, here's my new car, take a look at it.

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And then I was like, maybe we'll just zip across

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and fill it with groceries. I can't. I think

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I can. And then I wake up to another headline

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or another thing and I go, no, no, not giving

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you anything. Sorry. And I don't. We love our

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listeners and we love our American listeners.

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And you're some of the sweetest human beings

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and send the loveliest messages. So in no way

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is this a reflection of any of you. But I do

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miss my American protein. So badly. My tortillas.

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My yogurt. My chicken. And I know we can get

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Bill Fars in Canada, but they come in and sell

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out the same day. I tried to order more of the

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cookie dough ones last night because I'm obsessed

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with the new buff cookie dough. Walmart would

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only let me order two. Yeah. So I just said,

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forget it. I could order as many as I wanted

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of the other flavors. Oh, sure. Great. Sure.

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It's not bad. It's not bad. The cookie dough

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chunk is just... But yeah, they would only let

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me order two. It's out of stock on my screen,

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so... Stupid. You know what they probably have

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a ton of? The god -awful mint chip. Devin loves

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those. We just... I bought them in the new order,

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and he said that... I haven't tried them yet.

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He said they're really good. Terrible. Terrible.

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Now and down on the cookie dough ones. Terrible.

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I... Okay, so one thing that annoys me about

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protein bars... I'm going to call out Bear Bells

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here. So, I used to... I used to dibble and dabble

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between the two because you could get them at

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Trader Joe's back when I shopped in the States

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a lot. And then I kind of fell off with them

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because I was like, I don't know. They're kind

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of high in calories and a little. I start following

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them on Instagram and realize they're not American.

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I think they're Swedish, which I was like, that's

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the coolest shit ever. You should see the flavors

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they have in Europe. So they have a rocky road.

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That's basically a built bar. It's the marshmallow

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-y interior with, like, a chocolate, yeah, marshmallow,

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like, peanut flavor. They have cheesecake flavors.

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They have a strawberry flavor. They have a coconut

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marshmallow caramel. Why do we always get impacted

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in Canada? Yes. And I was like, oh, Bearbells.

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If you can import your stuff into America, come

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on. Come on. Why can't we have it? And, like,

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you can shop on Bearbells. So, like, they have

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a big new thing on their website saying, like,

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Canada, we love you. We're shipping to Canada.

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It's the boring flavors they're shipping to Canada.

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It's the, you know, cookie dough, caramel crowns.

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And I'm like, oh, come on, guys. Where? I did

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see birthday cake at Walmart from Bear Bell.

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Don't do it. I didn't buy any. I just I was looking

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to see if they had the Bilt Bar in stock. Oh,

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yeah, yeah, yeah. To get some, but they didn't.

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So then that's when I went back to the website

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and it cut me off at two and I got mad and close

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to the window and said, forget it. I tried. I

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tried the cake one. I will say at this stage

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in our life, I have yet to find anybody who's

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nailed the birthday cake flavor. No, nobody.

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None of them. And I have tried. A lot. I've tried

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Clean Simple Protein, and you all know how I

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feel about that. It's disgusting. I've tried,

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who else have I tried? Pure Protein. Did not

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like that one. I've tried Premier Protein's Birthday

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Cake Shake. Did not like that one. I tried the

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Flourish Pancake Mix. That was not birthday cake.

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I've tried the Kodiak Not Birthday Cake. It's

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a hard flavor, apparently, to nail down. Is it?

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Like Baskin Robbins can get it in ice cream.

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So I think people just maybe need to go and remember.

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We just need to eat ice cream. We just need to

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eat ice cream. There it is. There it is. Don't

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go to the bear bells Instagram. Cause it'll break

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your heart to see cool. So, okay. One of the

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flavors they have, and I'm like, I'll sell the

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dog tomorrow to a person who can get me a case

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of this. It's called Coco Choco. And it's basically

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a bounty bar for those who don't know. Bounty

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bars are the shredded coconut chocolate. For

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Americans. It's a mounds bar. It's a mounds bar.

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I think in Canada, it's called a bounty bar.

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Bear bells. basically makes that as a protein

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bar maybe we just need to go to Europe okay we

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could I mean that would probably be easier than

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trying to get someone to find me this box and

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sell it to me maybe we can just we can just go

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to Europe I could trade Bo like who's got a private

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jet and I could be like you want a puppy for

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a flight to Europe he's pretty cute but yes I

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there's just things that we don't get here but

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I've gotten over it pretty quickly and maybe

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Steph and I just need to launch our own protein

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business there you go that's gonna be our new

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side gig Yeah. It's going to be not protein powder,

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not protein shakes, food, food, like cool protein

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food or like a protein cookbook that doesn't

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suck. Because if I see one more person tell me

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they made a protein cookbook and then it's like,

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here's this recipe that has 10 grams of protein.

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Or like 35 ingredients. Yeah. Right. Or it's

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like, hey, here's eggs in a pan. But we say it

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tastes like a cheesecake. No, it's like eggs

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in a pan, my man. Tis not great. Oh man, I'm

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excited about what we're going to talk about

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today because I can admit, personally, this was

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probably the hardest thing I had to deal with

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with surgery. I actually remember breaking down

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and crying to my mom. I remember crying to other

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people. I remember spending a ton of money on

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dumb shit. This was really hard for me to do.

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And it's funny because they tell you there's

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going to be some things that you just find irrationally

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difficult to deal with. And they did say this

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is one that a lot of women struggle with. And

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I remember people saying like, why do you like

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what? And I was like, I, I can't explain it to

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you, but this was the one thing I had control

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over as an obese person. And the one thing I

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was most proud of as an obese person. And I just

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feel. Like I'm losing something I loved so much.

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This is the one part of the process that had

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me crying in the shower. Yeah. Nothing else about

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this would make me melt down. But I remember

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in the shower and in the bathroom, just like

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sobbing. Like heaving, like gonna vomit heaving.

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And I know so many people thought, because I

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judged myself. I remember putting out a video

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saying, I know I sound fucking stupid. And I

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know I sound so spoiled to be crying about this,

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but it was horrific. And I remember we were on

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vacation in Nova Scotia. And I remember going

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outside because I could no longer, when people

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know what we're talking about, this makes sense.

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I just didn't want to be inside while I was getting

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ready in the morning because I was like, it's

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just, it's too much. And so I was like, I have

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to go outside like a dog. I was like, I have

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to go outside. And I remember just sitting there

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on the porch and I can feel my mom just watching

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me. Like I can just, I know she is. And I can

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hear her explaining to my aunts, like what's

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going on. And I was just trying to be like, don't

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let it ruin the trip. Like let it go. It is what

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it is. But I just remember, wow. I just remember

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sitting outside on that porch thinking. Jesus

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Christ, I don't know how much more I can take

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of this. And just trying to tell yourself that

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it's going to come back. It's going to come back.

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It will. It's going to come back. And if you

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haven't guessed, we're talking about hair. Good

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old hair. And I remember at one point Devin saying,

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coming up behind me and being like, we will buy

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you a wig if we have to. And I was like, Devin,

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if it gets to that point. We're going to have

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other issues because Lord help me. Because I

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remember, I remember brushing it. And at one

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point, like looking down at my shirt and like,

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it looked like I just got a haircut. Like I was

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covered in hair. And yeah, I remember. And he

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just came up. He's like, we'll buy you a wig.

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We'll buy you a wig. We'll buy you a wig. And

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I just remember like losing it. And then I remember,

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yeah, being in the shower when it started. It

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wasn't happening. It wasn't happening. And my

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hair loss started a little bit early. I wasn't

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prepared. I thought I had more time. You don't.

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No. I remember being in the shower one day and

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washing my hair and like going to rinse out the

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shampoo and grabbing my hair and not really realizing

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and out of the corner of my eye seeing something

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and looking down and just seeing this massive

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clump of hair in my hand and just thinking, what

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the shit is this? And I just being in like denial

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that it's it's not supposed to happen until six

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months. And mine started around four. Oh, no,

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it definitely starts around. It can start at

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three. It can. Yeah. I think most commonly that

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is around six ish is like the average. And then

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it was just just before four months, like a couple

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of days before I hit four months and the clump

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came out. And I just remember thinking, I'm not

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ready for this. I'm not ready for this. I'm not

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ready for this. And like spiral. so mine started

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at three months and I don't know why but I think

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it was the biggest thing I was most worried about

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which like honestly if that's how I went into

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surgery that's not a bad thing like I wasn't

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worried about complications or pain no it was

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I was so excited for it and it was the hair and

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I actually, it was my best friend who made a

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joke and like, God bless her. Cause like, she,

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she just knows how to pull me out of spiral.

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She's like, Hey, you'll be bald by Christmas.

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It's great. Put a hat on. And I was like, you

00:10:12.750 --> 00:10:16.269
fucker. But it was just what I needed to hear.

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I remember like, for me, the reason was, and

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I think a lot of obese women can relate to this.

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There's very little you have control over when

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you're obese. It's hard to find clothes that

00:10:26.669 --> 00:10:29.549
fit, that look good. You know, you don't really

00:10:29.549 --> 00:10:32.350
feel good about your body. But typically you

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feel good about your nails because you get them

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done and you own that or your makeup. You're

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one of those women that knows how to just beautifully

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apply your makeup or your hair. You get it colored

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and styled and washed and like you have total

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control over the length, the thickness, the color.

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And so when you can't really change anything

00:10:51.409 --> 00:10:55.470
else on your body, you know, that is your identity.

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So for me, that's what it was. I had beautiful

00:10:58.549 --> 00:11:03.259
hair. I had this thick. wavy gorgeous hair that

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was kind of like a blondie brown and I would

00:11:05.740 --> 00:11:09.600
get it styled and cut and I just I loved my hair

00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:12.279
and I was really worried about it falling out

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and yes it can start around the six month mark

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but it's very very very common as well to start

00:11:17.220 --> 00:11:20.039
at the three month mark and it will last a better

00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:22.899
part of through the rest of that year and I was

00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:26.500
like wow okay I have thick hair like I have enough

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hair for five people we always joke about it

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and I pay money to thin it out like I bought

00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:33.679
my own thinning shears and would go to fucking

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town on my hair to make it as thin as possible

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at the three month mark when it started coming

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out I remember telling myself well you have a

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lot of hair so it's okay like you're just it's

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fine and then by the four and fifth month mark

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it wasn't a joke anymore because it wasn't like

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summer shedding you know we're all used to putting

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our hand in our hair and going oh okay At any

00:11:58.409 --> 00:12:01.509
given time, regardless if I brushed my hair or

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not, at any given time in the day, if I ran my

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hands through my hair, chunks of my hair were

00:12:08.629 --> 00:12:12.669
coming out. And I remember thinking, oh my God.

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And in the morning when I'd brush my hair, I

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had the size of a small kitten's worth of hair.

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And I have photos so you can check my Instagram

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to see. It was horrifically, like it looked like.

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like felt like I was going to do a felting project

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and I would stop brushing. And then 20 minutes

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later, I'd run my hands through my hair and I'd

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be pulling out more and more. And I broke down.

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I started fucking sobbing and heaving because

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I was like, it's not going to stop. It's not

00:12:42.309 --> 00:12:44.110
going to stop. This is I'm only at the fourth

00:12:44.110 --> 00:12:46.009
month. This is going to continue. Like I'm going

00:12:46.009 --> 00:12:50.429
to I'm going to be bald. Like I'm I don't know

00:12:50.429 --> 00:12:53.389
if I can handle this. This is why is this not

00:12:53.389 --> 00:12:56.990
stopping? And then you start doing what I think

00:12:56.990 --> 00:13:00.350
we all do. OK, I got to Google this. Something's

00:13:00.350 --> 00:13:02.789
clearly wrong. It's not supposed to be like this.

00:13:02.850 --> 00:13:06.649
I have to go. Here we go. OK, I've got to increase

00:13:06.649 --> 00:13:09.889
my vitamins. So for me, I think why mine started

00:13:09.889 --> 00:13:12.330
early and where you and I differ, Steph, is my

00:13:12.330 --> 00:13:15.090
vitamins didn't start until the six month mark.

00:13:15.529 --> 00:13:20.110
So that's probably why I started early. Was it

00:13:20.110 --> 00:13:22.480
because of that? But then I start panicking that

00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:25.159
like I need to be on way more vitamins. And okay,

00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:27.919
I'm under now. I'm deficient now. Yeah. I got

00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:29.879
to go buy collagen. Everybody says collagen.

00:13:31.159 --> 00:13:33.240
Rosemary oil. I got to start taking collagen

00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:35.240
in the morning. Yep. Then the next thing I did

00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:37.820
was buy the rosemary mint oil for my hair. And

00:13:37.820 --> 00:13:40.720
then I bought. My cover right now. The hair and

00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:42.899
skin gummies. And then I said, okay, I need to

00:13:42.899 --> 00:13:45.679
go get that really expensive like. growth shampoo

00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:48.460
and I need to do masks. It's in my shower as

00:13:48.460 --> 00:13:51.200
we speak. I literally have a whole fucking bottle

00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:53.980
that will not be used. And I remember spending

00:13:53.980 --> 00:13:57.899
all this money because it wasn't stopping. And

00:13:57.899 --> 00:13:59.639
like, guys, when I tell you that it did not slow

00:13:59.639 --> 00:14:01.539
down until the nine month mark, I'm not kidding.

00:14:01.740 --> 00:14:06.179
It did not slow down. And there was fucking hair

00:14:06.179 --> 00:14:10.000
everywhere. Yeah. And I remember like, if you

00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:12.120
follow me on Instagram or Facebook. I had this

00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:13.480
conversation with somebody at work the other

00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:17.039
day because I got on a call and he said to me,

00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:19.120
he's like, I haven't seen you like, like we've

00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:21.120
seen on camera, like for work stuff. He's like,

00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:22.399
I haven't really paid attention. He's like, but

00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:24.460
I feel like your hair has grown a lot lately.

00:14:25.299 --> 00:14:26.940
And I was like, honestly, in the last couple

00:14:26.940 --> 00:14:29.620
of months, like it has had a really good spurt.

00:14:29.659 --> 00:14:32.460
And like, I have, I have regrowth coming in,

00:14:32.500 --> 00:14:34.899
which is cool, but it's also driving me bonkers

00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:38.120
because yeah, like I have a ponytail in right

00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:40.320
now and I try to push them back, but I have all

00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:43.179
these like, regrow things that are coming in.

00:14:43.220 --> 00:14:44.840
I'm showing Hannah right now. And they stick

00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:47.899
out, which is great. But he said, he's like,

00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:49.679
I feel like your hair has grown a little bit.

00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:51.980
And I said, fine. Yes, finally, it's starting

00:14:51.980 --> 00:14:54.860
to kick in. But like, if you follow me on Instagram

00:14:54.860 --> 00:14:57.039
or Facebook, or you've known me for a long time,

00:14:57.039 --> 00:14:59.100
you know that same thing. My hair was my thing.

00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:02.179
I'm not adventurous. I'm not a risk taker. I

00:15:02.179 --> 00:15:07.500
am not daring. I'm pretty plain, simple, planned

00:15:07.500 --> 00:15:14.960
kind of person. Here. It's the one thing that

00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:19.000
I've chopped at every length. I've done it every

00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:21.340
color. I've done pixie spikes. I've done pink.

00:15:21.460 --> 00:15:24.220
I've done purple. My hair was my one crazy thing

00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:27.100
in my life. It's adventurous as I want it. Every

00:15:27.100 --> 00:15:29.019
six to eight weeks, I would do something different.

00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:32.879
And so my hair was always my thing. And since

00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:35.159
doing this, I haven't dyed my hair. I haven't

00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:37.759
changed my hair. So that's been really hard for

00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:39.759
me because I'm trying to keep it as healthy and

00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:42.830
simple as possible. so that I can let it try

00:15:42.830 --> 00:15:45.389
and get back to itself. So that for me has been

00:15:45.389 --> 00:15:50.309
a huge struggle because I feel like I'm not myself.

00:15:51.330 --> 00:15:54.230
But same thing. I always had crazy thick hair

00:15:54.230 --> 00:15:55.730
and I would go get my hair cut. And I remember

00:15:55.730 --> 00:15:58.070
my hairdresser would always say, Oh my God, like

00:15:58.070 --> 00:16:01.750
it just doesn't stop. And so same thing. I was

00:16:01.750 --> 00:16:03.309
like, it's okay. If I have some hair loss, it's

00:16:03.309 --> 00:16:05.669
going to be fine. I have lots of hair. And then

00:16:05.669 --> 00:16:08.929
same thing. It just the clump after clump after

00:16:08.929 --> 00:16:12.100
clump. And I would. walk around like just doing

00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:14.159
nothing and I would look down and my shirt would

00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:17.440
be covered in hair and I would be so afraid to

00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:19.320
touch my hair because like you said you you'd

00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:21.899
simply run your fingers through and chunks would

00:16:21.899 --> 00:16:24.960
come out and I remember being in the car and

00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:27.679
it was like a nice day and so I had the windows

00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:30.830
open and my hair started blowing around And then

00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:32.190
all of a sudden I was like, oh my God, no, it's

00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:33.710
going to get tangly. I'm going to have to brush

00:16:33.710 --> 00:16:36.409
it an extra time, which means more hair is going

00:16:36.409 --> 00:16:38.549
to come out. So I shut the windows because I

00:16:38.549 --> 00:16:40.169
didn't want to brush my hair more than I had

00:16:40.169 --> 00:16:41.529
to. I didn't want to touch my hair more than

00:16:41.529 --> 00:16:44.090
I had to. Because every time you touched it,

00:16:44.190 --> 00:16:46.409
there it was. And you'd get in the shower and

00:16:46.409 --> 00:16:48.429
it would look at it weird and it would fall the

00:16:48.429 --> 00:16:50.389
fuck out. I would be in the shower and like when

00:16:50.389 --> 00:16:52.389
you're shampooing, it would come out. It would

00:16:52.389 --> 00:16:55.389
be all over the floor, all over the walls. It

00:16:55.389 --> 00:16:59.139
was just, it was nonstop. It got to the point

00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:01.259
where, like you said, I would then at the beginning,

00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:02.720
I was like, it's OK, Steph, you have lots of

00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:06.279
hair. It's OK. It's OK. It's OK. And now it's

00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:08.980
still like I still have hair loss. I'm at nine

00:17:08.980 --> 00:17:12.559
months. It's not as bad, but it's still significant.

00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:15.160
And now it's to the point where, like, I grab

00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:17.819
all of my hair and I'm literally I literally

00:17:17.819 --> 00:17:20.470
think this is it. Like this is all I have. Oh

00:17:20.470 --> 00:17:22.529
my God, I did the same thing. And it's still

00:17:22.529 --> 00:17:25.109
not back to its fullness. It's still not there.

00:17:25.170 --> 00:17:27.309
I'm still shocked every time. Like when I grab

00:17:27.309 --> 00:17:29.670
my ponytail right now, just I'm like, where's

00:17:29.670 --> 00:17:33.329
the rest? Like when my hair is down and I pull

00:17:33.329 --> 00:17:36.210
a little bit forward, there's like nothing on

00:17:36.210 --> 00:17:40.450
the back. It's just, yeah, it's such a huge piece.

00:17:40.509 --> 00:17:43.410
And to think it sounds so vain and it sounds

00:17:43.410 --> 00:17:46.950
so ridiculous, but same thing like. When I look

00:17:46.950 --> 00:17:50.029
at the whole picture of surgery and what my concerns

00:17:50.029 --> 00:17:53.849
were, the hair loss was so high up at the list.

00:17:53.910 --> 00:17:57.849
And I did the biotin. I still have the rosemary

00:17:57.849 --> 00:18:00.450
oil in my bathroom closet because I was loading

00:18:00.450 --> 00:18:05.569
that shit on. I bought Nioxin hair shampoo. I'm

00:18:05.569 --> 00:18:08.369
still using it, I will admit, because there's

00:18:08.369 --> 00:18:10.789
part of me that's like, please, God, let something

00:18:10.789 --> 00:18:15.259
help. Now, I think it did kind of help. a little

00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:17.440
bit with the amount, but I didn't solve it. Like

00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:19.220
my hair is still falling out. There's nothing

00:18:19.220 --> 00:18:21.259
that's going to stop it. That's the shitty part.

00:18:21.460 --> 00:18:25.079
You can buy all the gimmicks out there. You can

00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:26.980
buy all the products out there. Nothing is going

00:18:26.980 --> 00:18:29.480
to stop it. It's just part of the process. It

00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:32.759
is what it is. But holy crap, is it? You don't

00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:35.500
need more vitamins. Like it's not just going

00:18:35.500 --> 00:18:39.000
to happen. And it's so protein. Do what you need

00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.920
to do. Yeah. And like. I'm not, I've never been

00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:44.259
a girly girl. I've never been that person who

00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:47.140
like puts all this time and effort into styling

00:18:47.140 --> 00:18:48.859
my hair and makeup and all that kind of stuff.

00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:52.400
Pretty easy with that. So I think that was hard

00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:55.839
too, is for me to feel like I was being so vain

00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:59.059
because I was so concerned about it. But it's

00:18:59.059 --> 00:19:01.019
the one thing we have control over. It is the

00:19:01.019 --> 00:19:02.559
one thing. And like, I talked to somebody the

00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:03.859
other day and they're like, they said, they're

00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:05.740
like, Steph, I love your long hair. Like, I love

00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:07.420
the way your hair is right now. But they're like,

00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:10.329
honestly, I'm shocked. that you haven't done

00:19:10.329 --> 00:19:11.950
anything crazy with your hair. And I said, I

00:19:11.950 --> 00:19:14.529
know it's been a couple of years now. Um, and

00:19:14.529 --> 00:19:16.450
I was talking to my, to my hairdresser and we

00:19:16.450 --> 00:19:18.150
were saying like, I was like, I said to her,

00:19:18.190 --> 00:19:20.289
I'm like, Ashley, I'm going bonkers. Like I,

00:19:20.390 --> 00:19:22.890
I need, I need to do something with my hair,

00:19:22.930 --> 00:19:24.990
but we decided we're going to give it a little

00:19:24.990 --> 00:19:27.230
bit more time. Like if I'm still having hair

00:19:27.230 --> 00:19:30.349
loss, we're going to give it more time or we're

00:19:30.349 --> 00:19:32.410
cutting it, but we're going to give it more time

00:19:32.410 --> 00:19:35.460
before we do any. coloring or anything big thing

00:19:35.460 --> 00:19:38.200
I'm gonna caution you all on as well do not run

00:19:38.200 --> 00:19:41.319
to the salon early no because it's going to cause

00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:45.119
more hair loss now I did a pre -surgery chop

00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:48.539
I do recommend that because I think it would

00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:51.279
have looked worse if I had left it long and then

00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:53.440
a bunch of it was falling out I did do a chop

00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:56.609
I did kind of help myself out a little bit by

00:19:56.609 --> 00:19:59.049
making it shorter. But the one big thing that

00:19:59.049 --> 00:20:01.009
I want to stress is there's nothing you can do

00:20:01.009 --> 00:20:03.569
about this. And I don't mean that to sound hopeless.

00:20:03.769 --> 00:20:07.789
I mean, don't waste your money on stuff. It's

00:20:07.789 --> 00:20:10.250
not an issue of not having enough collagen. It's

00:20:10.250 --> 00:20:12.049
not an issue of not having the hair and skin

00:20:12.049 --> 00:20:14.589
gummies. It's not like literally all the clinic

00:20:14.589 --> 00:20:16.670
is going to tell you is eat your protein, take

00:20:16.670 --> 00:20:18.549
your vitamins, and this will eventually catch

00:20:18.549 --> 00:20:20.990
up in your system. It's a combination of having

00:20:20.990 --> 00:20:23.410
major surgery, having very rapid weight loss,

00:20:23.470 --> 00:20:25.710
and your body trying to just refigure out stuff.

00:20:25.750 --> 00:20:28.970
It transfers its energy into, you know, doing

00:20:28.970 --> 00:20:30.930
other things versus keeping your hair and your

00:20:30.930 --> 00:20:34.210
nails going. It will stop. You think it won't.

00:20:34.210 --> 00:20:36.450
And yes, it goes on way longer than in your mind.

00:20:36.450 --> 00:20:39.009
You think it should. It will eventually stop.

00:20:39.150 --> 00:20:42.410
I am now two and a half years out and my hair

00:20:42.410 --> 00:20:45.970
has come back immensely, which is awesome. It

00:20:45.970 --> 00:20:51.230
is wild. wavy and full and I am really happy,

00:20:51.329 --> 00:20:53.250
but it took the better part of two years. Like

00:20:53.250 --> 00:20:56.089
now people are saying, wow, your hair looks like

00:20:56.089 --> 00:20:58.109
it's getting longer while your hair looks good.

00:20:58.329 --> 00:21:02.359
And it's finally filling in until. I'd say the

00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:05.140
start of this year, I was still making like jokes

00:21:05.140 --> 00:21:07.039
that I had bald patches and I would even tell

00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:09.339
my hairdresser, I was like, Jesus, I have bald

00:21:09.339 --> 00:21:11.180
patches. He's like, what are you talking about?

00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:14.640
I can see it. When I part my hair, I can see

00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:17.500
that it's not as full as it was. I can see that

00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:20.240
there's like a patch there. Like he was like,

00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:21.579
you're crazy. I'm like, I'm not crazy. I love

00:21:21.579 --> 00:21:24.819
my hair. And I know that that's not what my scalps

00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:27.960
looked like before. So now there's no bald patch.

00:21:28.140 --> 00:21:32.089
Now it is like almost unmanageably. thick and

00:21:32.089 --> 00:21:35.210
getting crazy um and the day that I realized

00:21:35.210 --> 00:21:38.109
it was actually getting bigger was and Steph

00:21:38.109 --> 00:21:40.329
I'm sure you felt this when you had like before

00:21:40.329 --> 00:21:43.109
surgery wearing a ponytail when I had my old

00:21:43.109 --> 00:21:46.230
hair oh my god hard because I'd get headaches

00:21:46.230 --> 00:21:49.630
because I had such fucking thick hair that I

00:21:49.630 --> 00:21:51.970
wore a ponytail for the whole day by the end

00:21:51.970 --> 00:21:55.890
of the day it was so painful it was in pain so

00:21:55.890 --> 00:21:59.789
painful holding this weight um And so there'd

00:21:59.789 --> 00:22:01.269
be days where I'd be like, I can't wear a ponytail.

00:22:01.369 --> 00:22:03.190
God, the pain. And then after surgery, it was

00:22:03.190 --> 00:22:04.890
like, holy shit, I could wear a ponytail for

00:22:04.890 --> 00:22:07.390
six days in a row and not feel it. Because it's

00:22:07.390 --> 00:22:09.809
like a fart of a hair. Like there's nothing there.

00:22:09.890 --> 00:22:12.029
I wore a bun, like a messy bun, which I never

00:22:12.029 --> 00:22:14.329
did with my. Never did before either. I wore

00:22:14.329 --> 00:22:16.470
a messy bun for literally a week in a row. And

00:22:16.470 --> 00:22:19.730
like. Nothing. Never felt anything. So that's

00:22:19.730 --> 00:22:21.329
how I kind of knew I didn't have a lot of hair

00:22:21.329 --> 00:22:23.690
going on back there with these tiny little ponytails.

00:22:23.829 --> 00:22:26.490
And now I'm getting the headaches again. Not

00:22:26.490 --> 00:22:28.410
that that's great, guys, but I'm just like, I

00:22:28.410 --> 00:22:32.049
can't. Yeah, I can't have my hair in a ponytail

00:22:32.049 --> 00:22:34.910
for a crazy long amount of time because it's

00:22:34.910 --> 00:22:37.549
pulling, the weight is pulling so much that it's

00:22:37.549 --> 00:22:41.269
like, ow, take it down. The one thing that I

00:22:41.269 --> 00:22:44.329
slightly think worked, and I recommend it because

00:22:44.329 --> 00:22:47.259
it's not expensive, mane and tail. I had a lot

00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:49.660
of people say like, yo, we did this in high school.

00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:51.500
We loved this in high school. This definitely

00:22:51.500 --> 00:22:53.400
worked in high school. The girls with the big

00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:55.880
locks always had mane and tail. And when I worked

00:22:55.880 --> 00:22:58.549
at summer camp, I actually. used mane and tail

00:22:58.549 --> 00:23:00.549
because all the camp counselors used it and swore

00:23:00.549 --> 00:23:03.269
by it i will say yeah there's one that i think

00:23:03.269 --> 00:23:05.829
has like olive oil in it or something and i got

00:23:05.829 --> 00:23:07.970
it at winners for like six bucks this big ass

00:23:07.970 --> 00:23:10.670
bottle i think mane and tail helped with the

00:23:10.670 --> 00:23:12.910
growth nothing is really going to help with the

00:23:12.910 --> 00:23:16.150
loss but i do think mane and tail helped with

00:23:16.670 --> 00:23:19.210
The conditioning and the length and kind of getting

00:23:19.210 --> 00:23:21.670
it to where it is now. It's all I use now. And

00:23:21.670 --> 00:23:23.890
I've had a lot of compliments lately about, shit,

00:23:23.990 --> 00:23:26.289
your hair looks longer. Whoa, your hair looks

00:23:26.289 --> 00:23:29.190
really thick. I just use mane and tail grocery

00:23:29.190 --> 00:23:30.990
store. If you don't have it in America, you can

00:23:30.990 --> 00:23:33.349
get it off Amazon. But mane and tail, it's like

00:23:33.349 --> 00:23:35.670
horse. I think it started as horse shampoo. It's

00:23:35.670 --> 00:23:39.049
now like human shampoo. That's my recommendation

00:23:39.049 --> 00:23:41.329
for that. Please don't buy the rosemary oil,

00:23:41.430 --> 00:23:44.329
the collagen, the gummy. Rosemary oil does nothing.

00:23:44.329 --> 00:23:47.460
It does nothing, guys. And so then here's the

00:23:47.460 --> 00:23:49.839
other big thing. You got to stop washing your

00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:51.559
hair. I was going to say, I'll still cut back

00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:54.140
on. Stop. And you're going to hate me saying

00:23:54.140 --> 00:23:55.420
this, guys, but like you need to wash your hair

00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:57.200
once a week. You need to start getting used to

00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:00.019
not washing your hair. That was tough. And I

00:24:00.019 --> 00:24:01.619
remember people saying it and I didn't want to

00:24:01.619 --> 00:24:04.440
listen and they weren't wrong. And the best part

00:24:04.440 --> 00:24:07.119
about it is once you spend a year and a half

00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:09.980
to two years washing your hair once a week, it

00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:13.700
no longer gets crazy greasy. You can't even tell

00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:16.720
that it like your hair comes back thicker. So

00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:19.140
Steph, like clearly I didn't have a shower today.

00:24:19.619 --> 00:24:21.420
That's why I have a ponytail because it's so

00:24:21.420 --> 00:24:25.839
greasy. It's a week. Like this is crazy. I'll

00:24:25.839 --> 00:24:28.880
post pictures, guys. But like I'm saying it's

00:24:28.880 --> 00:24:31.839
crazy because my hair is super poofy and windy.

00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:34.799
And there's not like there's not an inch of grease

00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:38.920
to be seen. And like it was hard because I was

00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:40.660
washing my hair probably every other fucking

00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:43.440
day because I was, you know. fat and I was like

00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:47.019
I gotta wash it and you know and it was hard

00:24:47.019 --> 00:24:49.259
as a runner because I was like well I'm taking

00:24:49.259 --> 00:24:50.980
a shower and people were like yeah but just don't

00:24:50.980 --> 00:24:52.759
wash your hair and I was like but I'm already

00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:55.759
in there like I do my workouts and then I go

00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:59.339
shower yeah I shower every day yeah and same

00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:01.200
thing it was like well if I'm in there why would

00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.140
I not wash my hair and that's what I said I was

00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:05.720
like I'm in the shower already she's like stop

00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:08.380
washing your hair and I didn't listen and I washed

00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:12.119
my hair yeah every time I showered yeah And I

00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:14.299
was like, oh, I have to fucking stop this. Yeah.

00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:16.980
No, I cut it back. I cut it back. And now like,

00:25:16.980 --> 00:25:18.420
yeah, like I shower and I just put my hair up

00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:20.579
in the shower and it feels weird not to do it.

00:25:20.619 --> 00:25:23.740
And like today, this is the last day. I got to

00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:26.259
wash it tomorrow. But now I've got like the greased

00:25:26.259 --> 00:25:28.920
back ponytail because then you wake up and you're

00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:31.619
like. People hate to hear this, but it's good

00:25:31.619 --> 00:25:34.539
for your hair. It does. It does help. And I have

00:25:34.539 --> 00:25:39.519
noticed. decrease in hair loss since cutting

00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:42.279
back again not like enough that it's gonna stop

00:25:42.279 --> 00:25:45.299
but i have noticed that then when i do shower

00:25:45.299 --> 00:25:49.619
less is coming out because the product also builds

00:25:49.619 --> 00:25:53.160
up on the scalp yeah and isn't great but i know

00:25:53.160 --> 00:25:55.920
there's gonna be women going ew gross we're not

00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:57.700
saying don't fucking shower but we're saying

00:25:57.700 --> 00:26:03.059
if you can i challenge you to try To start, especially

00:26:03.059 --> 00:26:04.940
in the first year after surgery, moving to a

00:26:04.940 --> 00:26:08.839
once a week hair wash because you're training

00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:11.019
your hair and you'll thank yourself when it starts

00:26:11.019 --> 00:26:14.059
to grow back. And you can now go three days without

00:26:14.059 --> 00:26:16.480
showering and have zero grease popping up on

00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:18.960
that head. And I kind of, I contribute it to

00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:22.420
my hair now being so. For sure. Oh, I'm sure

00:26:22.420 --> 00:26:24.740
it helped. And take your vitamins. Take your

00:26:24.740 --> 00:26:27.559
fucking vitamins. Again, not the don't go crazy.

00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:31.349
Don't go buy weird ones. Take your vitamins.

00:26:31.910 --> 00:26:35.849
Because part of the reason for hair loss is you're

00:26:35.849 --> 00:26:38.130
not getting the same amount of calories and nutrients

00:26:38.130 --> 00:26:42.250
during post -op. That's just a fact. So your

00:26:42.250 --> 00:26:45.690
body is prioritizing the nutrients it is getting

00:26:45.690 --> 00:26:49.509
to the important parts of your body. Your hair,

00:26:49.650 --> 00:26:52.130
to your body, your hair is your least important

00:26:52.130 --> 00:26:55.529
part. So it is sending the least amount of nutrients

00:26:55.529 --> 00:26:58.990
to your hair. That's the last. place that anything

00:26:58.990 --> 00:27:01.769
is going. So you need to make sure you are putting

00:27:01.769 --> 00:27:03.970
enough nutrients in your body so that your poor

00:27:03.970 --> 00:27:07.990
hair at least gets some. So you are nutrient

00:27:07.990 --> 00:27:11.569
deficient in the first while. It's just the way

00:27:11.569 --> 00:27:12.710
that it's going to be. And that's why there's

00:27:12.710 --> 00:27:14.670
nothing you can do about it. It's going to happen.

00:27:14.730 --> 00:27:16.470
Your body's going to prioritize what it needs

00:27:16.470 --> 00:27:19.210
to be. Let it happen. Yeah. So just make sure.

00:27:19.289 --> 00:27:22.109
Get a hat. Yeah. Put a hat on. Make sure you're

00:27:22.109 --> 00:27:23.769
taking your vitamins so you're at least giving

00:27:23.769 --> 00:27:26.650
your hair the best chance it can. To make it

00:27:26.650 --> 00:27:29.430
through this phase. You'll know when you're about

00:27:29.430 --> 00:27:32.410
to turn the corner on this phase because you'll

00:27:32.410 --> 00:27:35.589
see it in your nails first. So when your body

00:27:35.589 --> 00:27:38.630
has enough nutrients and it starts to get caught

00:27:38.630 --> 00:27:41.329
up, you'll notice it with your nails. You'll

00:27:41.329 --> 00:27:43.750
look down one day and go. These are growing.

00:27:43.869 --> 00:27:46.390
They're growing quick. And because I had that

00:27:46.390 --> 00:27:48.130
moment, I said to my mom, look at my fucking

00:27:48.130 --> 00:27:51.309
nails. Like, look at them growing. And I was

00:27:51.309 --> 00:27:53.529
like, it's because I've got my calcium. I've

00:27:53.529 --> 00:27:55.910
got my protein. Here you go. And the hair will

00:27:55.910 --> 00:27:59.049
come shortly after that. And I think that it's

00:27:59.049 --> 00:28:01.650
last. Yeah. My nails grow like a weed now. So

00:28:01.650 --> 00:28:05.269
does my hair. But it will come back. The weird

00:28:05.269 --> 00:28:07.309
thing for me was it came back as a different

00:28:07.309 --> 00:28:09.150
texture, which is very funny. That is really

00:28:09.150 --> 00:28:12.019
weird. And I don't know if it's just like. the

00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:13.559
hair washing thing, maybe I don't produce as

00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:16.359
much oil anymore and that's what it is, but it's

00:28:16.359 --> 00:28:20.539
far more frizzy than it ever was before. Like

00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:23.500
it's not dry. Like it doesn't crunch when I touch

00:28:23.500 --> 00:28:27.799
it, but it's very, it is very frizzy, very poofy.

00:28:27.819 --> 00:28:29.140
And it's not just that it's the summer. I've

00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:32.119
been noticing this since January that it's like,

00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:34.779
you can almost see that this was the old hair

00:28:34.779 --> 00:28:37.839
on the left and the new texture on the right.

00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:40.140
It could be the oils and stuff are different

00:28:40.140 --> 00:28:42.210
in your hair now. Yeah. And I think I produce

00:28:42.210 --> 00:28:44.529
less, which isn't bad because now I actually

00:28:44.529 --> 00:28:48.450
use like a serum on top of it. And yeah, but

00:28:48.450 --> 00:28:51.579
it is like. I love it. It's thick. It's luxurious

00:28:51.579 --> 00:28:55.140
again. And it does just, it takes time. Now,

00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:57.799
I still have hair that comes out. Which is normal.

00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:00.259
It was the better part of a year and a half to

00:29:00.259 --> 00:29:02.660
just shy of my two -year mark that, yes, my hair

00:29:02.660 --> 00:29:06.039
was falling out. Not in as large a capacity as

00:29:06.039 --> 00:29:09.119
it was before, but this is, it's normal. It happens.

00:29:09.220 --> 00:29:11.380
Yeah, and I think, I can't remember what my hairdresser

00:29:11.380 --> 00:29:13.099
told me when we were talking about it, but I

00:29:13.099 --> 00:29:15.059
think she said it's normal to lose like 50 to

00:29:15.059 --> 00:29:17.839
100 strands a day. Yeah, I mean, just totally

00:29:17.839 --> 00:29:20.839
normal. So shedding is normal. But don't remember

00:29:20.839 --> 00:29:24.799
that your hair and your hand is full, full of

00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:27.920
that. That's distressing. And if you have thin

00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:30.559
hair going into this, it's even more hard. And

00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:33.000
like my only benefit was I had really good hair.

00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:36.680
Buy some thick headbands. Buy some hats. And

00:29:36.680 --> 00:29:39.660
it's okay. Get some wigs. You can get hats with

00:29:39.660 --> 00:29:42.180
wigs attached. You have some really cool wigs

00:29:42.180 --> 00:29:44.859
now. There's nothing wrong with that to get you

00:29:44.859 --> 00:29:47.740
through until you throw it back. If you want

00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:50.039
to cut it before surgery, great. I would not

00:29:50.039 --> 00:29:52.779
color treat it. I would try to, before surgery,

00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:56.519
go as untreated as possible so that you give

00:29:56.519 --> 00:29:58.880
yourself the best chance. And then, I know people

00:29:58.880 --> 00:30:01.759
are going to hate hearing this. hide the hairdryer

00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:04.059
and hide the hair straightener for a good six

00:30:04.059 --> 00:30:06.940
to eight months. Like do not be blasting that

00:30:06.940 --> 00:30:09.779
head with high heat. Like I moved to air drying

00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:13.480
and that's, that's just what I had to do. Don't

00:30:13.480 --> 00:30:15.700
leave your hair wrapped up in a towel for minutes

00:30:15.700 --> 00:30:18.519
on end, like get out of the shower, kind of lightly

00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:21.119
dry it off and then leave it. And I know that

00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:23.700
sucks and you don't want to have wet hair, but.

00:30:23.960 --> 00:30:26.200
This is what helped us like overly towel drying

00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:28.200
and leaving it wrapped in a towel. Not great.

00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:33.000
Not great. Hair straighteners. Tell them. I didn't

00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:37.000
straighten my hair. I didn't use any sort of

00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:40.059
that. Now I did blow dry. probably more than

00:30:40.059 --> 00:30:42.200
I should have but I put it on like a lower heat

00:30:42.200 --> 00:30:45.640
it took forever but I just I remember like with

00:30:45.640 --> 00:30:48.240
the kids and and work and being on on calls and

00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:51.000
stuff I was like I have to have dry hair um but

00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:54.539
if it was the weekend air dry um for sure if

00:30:54.539 --> 00:30:56.660
I had time in the morning air dry I probably

00:30:56.660 --> 00:30:58.900
blow dried yeah more than I should but I just

00:30:58.900 --> 00:31:01.240
I put it on a low heat I kept it as far away

00:31:01.240 --> 00:31:04.039
from my hair as possible um because like I said

00:31:04.039 --> 00:31:05.940
you want it to be You just want your hair to

00:31:05.940 --> 00:31:08.200
be as natural as possible. Give it as much of

00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:12.000
a break as possible. But at the end of the day,

00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:14.099
like we said, it's going to happen. There's nothing

00:31:14.099 --> 00:31:18.400
you can do about it. It sucks. It's hard. It

00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:22.359
is so difficult to sit there and just watch it

00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:24.299
fall out and to feel like you're being vain.

00:31:24.420 --> 00:31:27.039
But you're not. You're not. And the biggest thing,

00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:28.900
like, just part of the process that you got.

00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:32.059
It is. And honestly. You could start at three

00:31:32.059 --> 00:31:33.559
months like me. You could start at six months.

00:31:33.660 --> 00:31:36.579
So the one, like two things here, you're not

00:31:36.579 --> 00:31:38.839
in the nicest way unique. So there's going to

00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:41.279
be some people sitting here going, my hair is

00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:43.099
not going to fall out. Like I have great hair

00:31:43.099 --> 00:31:46.039
and it never sheds and blah, blah, blah. Or.

00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:49.319
you know, I have a different ethnicity than you

00:31:49.319 --> 00:31:51.039
and Steph. You know, I don't have white hair.

00:31:51.119 --> 00:31:52.880
It's not going to fall out. I hate to break it

00:31:52.880 --> 00:31:54.880
to you. It doesn't matter if you are Hispanic

00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:57.160
or white or black, your hair is falling out after

00:31:57.160 --> 00:32:01.319
this surgery. It is documented. Nobody can avoid

00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:03.220
this regardless of what your hair looks like.

00:32:03.240 --> 00:32:05.559
So don't kid yourself that somehow you're going

00:32:05.559 --> 00:32:08.259
to be exempt from it. The other thing is, well,

00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:10.400
vitamins are important and they are. Some of

00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:12.539
you will start them at three, some at six. Don't

00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:15.660
panic because the bigger contributor here is

00:32:15.660 --> 00:32:18.900
your protein. Do not panic if you're like, oh,

00:32:18.920 --> 00:32:20.559
my God, Hannah Steph, I'm not starting my vitamins

00:32:20.559 --> 00:32:22.779
for all my hair is going to fall out. The vitamins,

00:32:22.980 --> 00:32:25.599
I would say, are a minimal part of that hair.

00:32:25.759 --> 00:32:28.940
The protein is the maximum part. So there's a

00:32:28.940 --> 00:32:31.440
huge link between protein and hair and nails.

00:32:31.640 --> 00:32:34.240
So make sure, make sure, make sure you're hitting

00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:36.500
your protein goals. You know, the clinic, you

00:32:36.500 --> 00:32:38.359
know, everybody tells you this and you're going

00:32:38.359 --> 00:32:41.019
to hate my next sentence. Don't be drinking all

00:32:41.019 --> 00:32:42.640
your protein like you actually have to get it

00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:45.660
from. chicken, beef, meat, like because there's

00:32:45.660 --> 00:32:47.700
other things in that, right? Like there's just

00:32:47.700 --> 00:32:50.740
natural collagen in some of the things. There's

00:32:50.740 --> 00:32:53.400
calcium and other things that we eat. So please,

00:32:53.559 --> 00:32:56.000
please, please, please, please eat your protein.

00:32:56.539 --> 00:32:58.680
Don't panic. Don't think that you need to go

00:32:58.680 --> 00:33:01.259
take and buy a bunch of fancy shit if you just

00:33:01.259 --> 00:33:04.980
eat more protein. Eventually, it catches up and

00:33:04.980 --> 00:33:07.200
helps. It will not be instantaneous. It won't

00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:09.460
be, okay, in two weeks, it's done. It will be

00:33:09.460 --> 00:33:11.700
more like, okay, instead of taking 12 months,

00:33:11.819 --> 00:33:16.700
it took eight. So it's normal. It's a month process,

00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:19.240
guys. Yeah. Don't cut it. Don't panic. Don't

00:33:19.240 --> 00:33:21.019
Britney Spears shave your head when it starts

00:33:21.019 --> 00:33:24.819
falling out. You will be okay. And like you're

00:33:24.819 --> 00:33:26.400
going to have baby hair. Steph did a great job

00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:29.339
of explaining. The regrowth is funny because

00:33:29.339 --> 00:33:33.000
it's a good sign. You're so happy. You're so

00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:36.059
happy. But at the same time, you're so annoyed.

00:33:36.579 --> 00:33:39.960
Because literally like it sticks out at the sides.

00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:43.049
It sticks out at the peak. It's like. it's everywhere

00:33:43.049 --> 00:33:45.150
and yeah you're so excited when you see it for

00:33:45.150 --> 00:33:47.109
the first couple days and then you start to try

00:33:47.109 --> 00:33:49.490
to like do stuff with your hair and you get so

00:33:49.490 --> 00:33:52.109
you're just like cool baby hair and like that's

00:33:52.109 --> 00:33:55.049
it I have like then it points in different directions

00:33:55.049 --> 00:33:57.930
like now when I wear a ponytail it doesn't hang

00:33:57.930 --> 00:34:01.450
no and I remember my hair my hair grows are being

00:34:01.450 --> 00:34:04.480
like what is going on I was like what happened

00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:07.460
it has a mind of its own yeah it's a new texture

00:34:07.460 --> 00:34:10.340
it goes in different directions and I laugh about

00:34:10.340 --> 00:34:12.659
it now because I'm like I don't care and that's

00:34:12.659 --> 00:34:14.719
the other cool thing that happens is hair was

00:34:14.719 --> 00:34:17.860
such such a big identity for me yeah and almost

00:34:17.860 --> 00:34:19.619
like a crutch because I had no control over other

00:34:19.619 --> 00:34:22.739
things and now I'm not kidding like I will go

00:34:22.739 --> 00:34:24.880
out and be like my hair looks wild as hell today

00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:29.000
whatever right like it is no longer my soul identity

00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:31.159
because there's so much better stuff going on

00:34:31.159 --> 00:34:34.179
with me um and like now I'm interested in makeup

00:34:34.179 --> 00:34:37.039
and clothing like so it's so funny to see me

00:34:37.039 --> 00:34:40.079
go out with like my hair in a messy bun and not

00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:42.179
perfectly done and i haven't been to this like

00:34:42.179 --> 00:34:45.039
the salon in weeks because i'm like my hair is

00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:48.139
fine the way it is so it's just it's funny how

00:34:48.139 --> 00:34:51.000
that changes too where you're like oh i'm gonna

00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:55.079
prioritize some other things um but yeah aim

00:34:55.079 --> 00:34:57.380
for your 80 to 100 grams of protein a day and

00:34:57.380 --> 00:34:59.659
try to get there as quick as you're allowed to

00:34:59.659 --> 00:35:02.159
don't break, don't break with your, you know,

00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:05.599
team, but try to get there as quick as you can.

00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:09.280
My mom swears by using a vinegar rinse. So whenever

00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:12.179
she would wash our hair as kids, she would rinse

00:35:12.179 --> 00:35:15.400
it with some white vinegar, um, for shine for

00:35:15.400 --> 00:35:18.420
like other things. So it's like an, it's an old

00:35:18.420 --> 00:35:21.760
East coast wives tale, but I started putting

00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:24.099
that into, cause again, I'm not looking to buy

00:35:24.099 --> 00:35:27.449
things, but if I had it lying around. The one

00:35:27.449 --> 00:35:31.150
benefit that we never talked about was that it's

00:35:31.150 --> 00:35:33.730
not just your hair, your head where your hair

00:35:33.730 --> 00:35:35.929
doesn't grow. I didn't have to shave my legs

00:35:35.929 --> 00:35:38.269
for like the first fucking year of surgery. Oh,

00:35:38.289 --> 00:35:42.710
I wish. I had no hair. Like it was great. That's

00:35:42.710 --> 00:35:44.949
what I was hoping. I was like, well, it was great.

00:35:45.130 --> 00:35:47.349
What's falling out of my head, my head, it's

00:35:47.349 --> 00:35:49.150
not going to grow. And I didn't know. No, it

00:35:49.150 --> 00:35:50.969
was awesome. And like I shaved my armpits and

00:35:50.969 --> 00:35:53.429
it took like two months for it to grow. I was

00:35:53.429 --> 00:35:56.920
like, I'm jealous of that. I wish I had that.

00:35:56.960 --> 00:35:59.260
I started vitamins at six months. So I'm sure

00:35:59.260 --> 00:36:03.480
that was a lot. I'm sure that was contributing.

00:36:03.820 --> 00:36:05.619
Like now that's not the case. My hair looks like,

00:36:05.619 --> 00:36:07.539
or my legs look like Sasquatch within a day.

00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:10.940
It did not stop the chin hairs either. Those

00:36:10.940 --> 00:36:18.219
were hilarious, but it can feel devastating y

00:36:18.219 --> 00:36:23.440
'all. And we fully understand that. And if I

00:36:23.440 --> 00:36:25.900
can leave you with any advice, it's just this

00:36:25.900 --> 00:36:29.820
is the small temporary cost for a really cool

00:36:29.820 --> 00:36:33.079
body transformation. And I kind of keep reminding

00:36:33.079 --> 00:36:36.280
yourself that this is just my cost of admittance

00:36:36.280 --> 00:36:39.960
for what's going to be a really fucking incredible

00:36:39.960 --> 00:36:43.599
transformation in my life. And it's going to

00:36:43.599 --> 00:36:45.820
come back. No matter what you convince yourself,

00:36:46.179 --> 00:36:48.400
that fucking hair is coming back. And it's probably

00:36:48.400 --> 00:36:50.760
coming back with a vengeance. And it's going

00:36:50.760 --> 00:36:54.940
to get back to. I, my hair is just as thick and

00:36:54.940 --> 00:36:58.639
look just as long as it was two years ago before

00:36:58.639 --> 00:37:03.699
I walked into that OR. Um, and yeah, it's temporary.

00:37:03.880 --> 00:37:06.219
You develop, keep telling yourself it's temporary.

00:37:06.559 --> 00:37:08.940
It's going to come back. It sucks. Yeah. It's

00:37:08.940 --> 00:37:11.619
part of the process. It is what it is. You will

00:37:11.619 --> 00:37:14.260
get through it. It's going to be okay. It's not

00:37:14.260 --> 00:37:16.360
going to be okay. Cutting your hair before is

00:37:16.360 --> 00:37:19.079
fine because it helps reduce the look of thinness.

00:37:19.260 --> 00:37:21.889
You know, it helps with that. Don't thin it.

00:37:21.889 --> 00:37:23.869
Don't take bulk out of it. But if you want to

00:37:23.869 --> 00:37:25.929
cut it, yeah, it can help because the longer

00:37:25.929 --> 00:37:28.190
your hair is and it starts to fall out, the ends

00:37:28.190 --> 00:37:30.469
look thinner. So if you want to cut it before

00:37:30.469 --> 00:37:33.389
surgery, do that. Have a big party to celebrate.

00:37:34.190 --> 00:37:37.010
But also, Steph and I give you full permission

00:37:37.010 --> 00:37:39.530
to grieve your hair. You're not vain. You're

00:37:39.530 --> 00:37:41.889
not being childish or silly because we beat ourselves

00:37:41.889 --> 00:37:44.710
up about this, literally both of us. You're a

00:37:44.710 --> 00:37:47.489
human and hair has been a huge part of our identity,

00:37:47.610 --> 00:37:52.230
especially for obese women. So it's fine to cry,

00:37:52.389 --> 00:37:56.349
to be angry, to be upset about this, to go, wow,

00:37:56.429 --> 00:37:58.230
I should be grateful that I had this surgery,

00:37:58.309 --> 00:38:00.969
but I'm angry that this is the cost of it. That

00:38:00.969 --> 00:38:04.869
is normal. And that is human. Feel those feels.

00:38:05.090 --> 00:38:09.429
Be angry. Grieve. You're still you. And it's

00:38:09.429 --> 00:38:14.190
going to grow back. Yeah. So, yeah. Watch how

00:38:14.190 --> 00:38:16.650
often you shampoo. Buy dry shampoo. It's going

00:38:16.650 --> 00:38:18.030
to become your best friend. And it kind of gives

00:38:18.030 --> 00:38:21.630
you bulk as well. Try your hardest to go as long

00:38:21.630 --> 00:38:24.469
as humanly possible without showering. Headbands,

00:38:24.510 --> 00:38:27.530
like Steph said, hats, clips. Yeah, I recommend

00:38:27.530 --> 00:38:30.590
claw clips over elastics after surgery because

00:38:30.590 --> 00:38:32.309
elastics are going to start ripping your hair

00:38:32.309 --> 00:38:34.969
out as well. So go buy some new ones because

00:38:34.969 --> 00:38:37.690
your hair won't be as thick. Get those like non

00:38:37.690 --> 00:38:42.210
-pull elastics. I bought silk scrunchies too.

00:38:42.349 --> 00:38:45.989
Yeah, get scrunchies and clips. But I mean, if

00:38:45.989 --> 00:38:48.309
you want to rock some wigs, rock some wigs. No,

00:38:48.449 --> 00:38:51.150
I don't recommend extensions because they're

00:38:51.150 --> 00:38:52.789
going to actually weigh down and pull your hair

00:38:52.789 --> 00:38:55.429
out as well. And you're at risk of breakage.

00:38:55.469 --> 00:38:57.489
Like I would not recommend extensions that get

00:38:57.489 --> 00:39:00.070
glued or clipped into your hair during this process.

00:39:00.590 --> 00:39:03.329
But if you want like the halo one that just sits

00:39:03.329 --> 00:39:06.190
on top, knock your socks off. But I would really

00:39:06.190 --> 00:39:08.449
caution against extensions during this time.

00:39:09.730 --> 00:39:12.789
And around the nine to 12 month mark. Your baby

00:39:12.789 --> 00:39:14.690
hairs will start popping up and you'll know you've

00:39:14.690 --> 00:39:17.110
come through. And you'll know that the next year

00:39:17.110 --> 00:39:21.869
is regrowth. And let that be kind of a cool transformational

00:39:21.869 --> 00:39:24.989
year. For sure. Totally. Embrace it. Things are

00:39:24.989 --> 00:39:26.650
different. But like, texture things just happen.

00:39:27.130 --> 00:39:30.510
I'm now frizzy and curly. All right. Yeah. Gonna

00:39:30.510 --> 00:39:33.969
live with it. Right? Knew you. Knew you. But

00:39:33.969 --> 00:39:36.409
we know it's hard and we want to hear your stories

00:39:36.409 --> 00:39:38.030
and we want to help support you through it. And

00:39:38.030 --> 00:39:39.909
we want to see your before and after hair transformation.

00:39:40.940 --> 00:39:43.039
Share them all with us and we'll share you ours.

00:39:43.780 --> 00:39:46.300
Love it. Cool. Like always, Steph, thank you

00:39:46.300 --> 00:39:49.019
for joining me today. And thanks to everybody

00:39:49.019 --> 00:39:50.860
who's listening. We love you guys. And we'll

00:39:50.860 --> 00:39:53.119
be back next week with another episode. Thanks,

00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:54.739
guys. Bye, everybody. Bye.