mednar

I appreciate that all the people on this board post their experiences. I found this when I was considering plication, read their stories (good, bad, and otherwise). That people who had a procedure that was still considered experimental by most and would post their ups and downs along their journey made me feel more at ease.
As far as being different, or having different eating habits from others, that wasn't a concern for me. I've always had different eating habits. It's just that in the past I was more likely to appear to eat normally in public and then overindulge in private at home. That idea that I can't easily do either with plication was an advantage.
I never felt like this was a gimmick. The idea that you physically restrict food intake plus exercise a moderate amount is a physiologically sound way to reduce weight. I've just never been able to be successful at doing both at the same time for a consistent period of time. I needed some type of tool to help me reduce my calorie consumption. It seemed very similar to the sleeve gastrectomy, but without the removal of stomach tissue.
I was worried about complications. It was why I was researched my options for someone within the US, and fortunately in the same city where I live. I investigated procedures two years ago and both had disadvantages that were greater than advantages for me. The surgeon I used also had complication insurance (Bliss I think) that offered financial insurance for common complications after surgery. Since I was self-pay, I knew that my regular health insurance would leave me in the dark if there were complications. I attended two seminars held by the physician that had patients who had procedures (not the plication though) where we could ask questions of the patient.
After meeting my doctor and questing him twice, I felt comfortable making the decision to go ahead. A large part of that was just that I felt it was the "right time" and "right procedure" for me.
Other than brief pain after surgery while recovering from anesthesia, there was almost no pain afterwards. There was "weird" feelings in my stomach for a couple of weeks when I tried to lay on my side or stomach, but that's passed.
I looked on the web, looked through many, many pages of Google links to different searches (gastric sleeve plication, gastric plication, gastric imbrication, etc). There were not a lot of published results (in peer reviewed medical journals) to rely on.
I do still have lingering questions that aren't answered. I wonder what the life expectancy for these stitches in my stomach are. The sutures used are supposed to be "durable". No one I've asked has answers for how long "durable" is. Also, we learn more every year about the role that hormone interactions play in influencing hunger (ghrelin/leptin interaction, etc). There's so much we don't know, it could turn out that these surgeries are great at reducing weight, or that they might just be a temporary stopgap. As more and more long term results are compiled, hopefully the options for people become easier. For me, at this point in my life, I wanted to make a decision, and plication was the best choice for me.
That was really long winded. I hope that you research the options available to you and make the decision that is best for you.

I appreciate that all the people on this board post their experiences. I found this when I was considering plication, read their stories (good, bad, and otherwise). That people who had a procedure that was still considered experimental by most and would post their ups and downs along their journey made me feel more at ease.
As far as being different, or having different eating habits from others, that wasn't a concern for me. I've always had different eating habits. It's just that in the past I was more likely to appear to eat normally in public and then overindulge in private at home. That idea that I can't easily do either with plication was an advantage.
I never felt like this was a gimmick. The idea that you physically restrict food intake plus exercise a moderate amount is a physiologically sound way to reduce weight. I've just never been able to be successful at doing both at the same time for a consistent period of time. I needed some type of tool to help me reduce my calorie consumption. It seemed very similar to the sleeve gastrectomy, but without the removal of stomach tissue.
I was worried about complications. It was why I was researched my options for someone within the US, and fortunately in the same city where I live. I investigated procedures two years ago and both had disadvantages that were greater than advantages for me. The surgeon I used also had complication insurance (Bliss I think) that offered financial insurance for common complications after surgery. Since I was self-pay, I knew that my regular health insurance would leave me in the dark if there were complications. I attended two seminars held by the physician that had patients who had procedures (not the plication though) where we could ask questions of the patient.
After meeting my doctor and questing him twice, I felt comfortable making the decision to go ahead. A large part of that was just that I felt it was the "right time" and "right procedure" for me.
Other than brief pain after surgery while recovering from anesthesia, there was almost no pain afterwards. There was "weird" feelings in my stomach for a couple of weeks when I tried to lay on my side or stomach, but that's passed.
I looked on the web, looked through many, many pages of Google links to different searches (gastric sleeve plication, gastric plication, gastric imbrication, etc). There were not a lot of published results (in peer reviewed medical journals) to rely on.
I do still have lingering questions that aren't answered. I wonder what the life expectancy for these stitches in my stomach are. The sutures used are supposed to be "durable". No one I've asked has answers for how long "durable" is. Also, we learn more every year about the role that hormone interactions play in influencing hunger (ghrelin/leptin interaction, etc). There's so much we don't know, it could turn out that these surgeries are great at reducing weight, or that they might just be a temporary stopgap. As more and more long term results are compiled, hopefully the options for people become easier. For me, at this point in my life, I wanted to make a decision, and plication was the best choice for me.
That was really long winded. I hope that you research the options available to you and make the decision that is best for you.

I appreciate that all the people on this board post their experiences. I found this when I was considering plication, read their stories (good, bad, and otherwise). That people who had a procedure that was still considered experimental by most and would post their ups and downs along their journey made me feel more at ease.
As far as being different, or having different eating habits from others, that wasn't a concern for me. I've always had different eating habits. It's just that in the past I was more likely to appear to eat normally in public and then overindulge in private at home. That idea that I can't easily do either with plication was an advantage.
I never felt like this was a gimmick. The idea that you physically restrict food intake plus exercise a moderate amount is a physiologically sound way to reduce weight. I've just never been able to be successful at doing both at the same time for a consistent period of time. I needed some type of tool to help me reduce my calorie consumption. It seemed very similar to the sleeve gastrectomy, but without the removal of stomach tissue.
I was worried about complications. It was why I was researched my options for someone within the US, and fortunately in the same city where I live. I investigated procedures two years ago and both had disadvantages that were greater than advantages for me. The surgeon I used also had complication insurance (Bliss I think) that offered financial insurance for common complications after surgery. Since I was self-pay, I knew that my regular health insurance would leave me in the dark if there were complications. I attended two seminars held by the physician that had patients who had procedures (not the plication though) where we could ask questions of the patient.
After meeting my doctor and questing him twice, I felt comfortable making the decision to go ahead. A large part of that was just that I felt it was the "right time" and "right procedure" for me.
Other than brief pain after surgery while recovering from anesthesia, there was almost no pain afterwards. There was "weird" feelings in my stomach for a couple of weeks when I tried to lay on my side or stomach, but that's passed.
I looked on the web, looked through many, many pages of Google links to different searches (gastric sleeve plication, gastric plication, gastric imbrication, etc). There were not a lot of published results (in peer reviewed medical journals) to rely on.
I do still have lingering questions that aren't answered. I wonder what the life expectancy for these stitches in my stomach are. The sutures used are supposed to be "durable". No one I've asked has answers for how long "durable" is. Also, we learn more every year about the role that hormone interactions play in influencing hunger (ghrelin/leptin interaction, etc). There's so much we don't know, it could turn out that these surgeries are great at reducing weight, or that they might just be a temporary stopgap. As more and more long term results are compiled, hopefully the options for people become easier. For me, at this point in my life, I wanted to make a decision, and plication was the best choice for me.
That was really long winded. I hope that you research the options available to you and make the decision that is best for you.

I appreciate that all the people on this board post their experiences. I found this when I was considering plication, read their stories (good, bad, and otherwise). That people who had a procedure that was still considered experimental by most and would post their ups and downs along their journey made me feel more at ease.
As far as being different, or having different eating habits from others, that wasn't a concern for me. I've always had different eating habits. It's just that in the past I was more likely to appear to eat normally in public and then overindulge in private at home. That idea that I can't easily do either with plication was an advantage.
I never felt like this was a gimmick. The idea that you physically restrict food intake plus exercise a moderate amount is a physiologically sound way to reduce weight. I've just never been able to be successful at doing both at the same time for a consistent period of time. I needed some type of tool to help me reduce my calorie consumption. It seemed very similar to the sleeve gastrectomy, but without the removal of stomach tissue.
I was worried about complications. It was why I was researched my options for someone within the US, and fortunately in the same city where I live. I investigated procedures two years ago and both had disadvantages that were greater than advantages for me. The surgeon I used also had complication insurance (Bliss I think) that offered financial insurance for common complications after surgery. Since I was self-pay, I knew that my regular health insurance would leave me in the dark if there were complications. I attended two seminars held by the physician that had patients who had procedures (not the plication though) where we could ask questions of the patient.
After meeting my doctor and questing him twice, I felt comfortable making the decision to go ahead. A large part of that was just that I felt it was the "right time" and "right procedure" for me.
Other than brief pain after surgery while recovering from anesthesia, there was almost no pain afterwards. There was "weird" feelings in my stomach for a couple of weeks when I tried to lay on my side or stomach, but that's passed.
I looked on the web, looked through many, many pages of Google links to different searches (gastric sleeve plication, gastric plication, gastric imbrication, etc). There were not a lot of published results (in peer reviewed medical journals) to rely on.
I do still have lingering questions that aren't answered. I wonder what the life expectancy for these stitches in my stomach are. The sutures used are supposed to be "durable". No one I've asked has answers for how long "durable" is. Also, we learn more every year about the role that hormone interactions play in influencing hunger (ghrelin/leptin interaction, etc). There's so much we don't know, it could turn out that these surgeries are great at reducing weight, or that they might just be a temporary stopgap. As more and more long term results are compiled, hopefully the options for people become easier. For me, at this point in my life, I wanted to make a decision, and plication was the best choice for me.
That was really long winded. I hope that you research the options available to you and make the decision that is best for you.

Surgery - $9600
Pre-surgery consultation fee - $250
Bariatric Advantage Protein shake powders - $100
Pre-surgical testing (bloodwork) - $366
Total - $10,316
I did not have money saved, but did have my car paid for. I used it as collateral at the local credit union to obtain a loan. Going that route got me a great interest rate.

Surgery - $9600
Pre-surgery consultation fee - $250
Bariatric Advantage Protein shake powders - $100
Pre-surgical testing (bloodwork) - $366
Total - $10,316
I did not have money saved, but did have my car paid for. I used it as collateral at the local credit union to obtain a loan. Going that route got me a great interest rate.

I appreciate that all the people on this board post their experiences. I found this when I was considering plication, read their stories (good, bad, and otherwise). That people who had a procedure that was still considered experimental by most and would post their ups and downs along their journey made me feel more at ease.
As far as being different, or having different eating habits from others, that wasn't a concern for me. I've always had different eating habits. It's just that in the past I was more likely to appear to eat normally in public and then overindulge in private at home. That idea that I can't easily do either with plication was an advantage.
I never felt like this was a gimmick. The idea that you physically restrict food intake plus exercise a moderate amount is a physiologically sound way to reduce weight. I've just never been able to be successful at doing both at the same time for a consistent period of time. I needed some type of tool to help me reduce my calorie consumption. It seemed very similar to the sleeve gastrectomy, but without the removal of stomach tissue.
I was worried about complications. It was why I was researched my options for someone within the US, and fortunately in the same city where I live. I investigated procedures two years ago and both had disadvantages that were greater than advantages for me. The surgeon I used also had complication insurance (Bliss I think) that offered financial insurance for common complications after surgery. Since I was self-pay, I knew that my regular health insurance would leave me in the dark if there were complications. I attended two seminars held by the physician that had patients who had procedures (not the plication though) where we could ask questions of the patient.
After meeting my doctor and questing him twice, I felt comfortable making the decision to go ahead. A large part of that was just that I felt it was the "right time" and "right procedure" for me.
Other than brief pain after surgery while recovering from anesthesia, there was almost no pain afterwards. There was "weird" feelings in my stomach for a couple of weeks when I tried to lay on my side or stomach, but that's passed.
I looked on the web, looked through many, many pages of Google links to different searches (gastric sleeve plication, gastric plication, gastric imbrication, etc). There were not a lot of published results (in peer reviewed medical journals) to rely on.
I do still have lingering questions that aren't answered. I wonder what the life expectancy for these stitches in my stomach are. The sutures used are supposed to be "durable". No one I've asked has answers for how long "durable" is. Also, we learn more every year about the role that hormone interactions play in influencing hunger (ghrelin/leptin interaction, etc). There's so much we don't know, it could turn out that these surgeries are great at reducing weight, or that they might just be a temporary stopgap. As more and more long term results are compiled, hopefully the options for people become easier. For me, at this point in my life, I wanted to make a decision, and plication was the best choice for me.
That was really long winded. I hope that you research the options available to you and make the decision that is best for you.

I appreciate that all the people on this board post their experiences. I found this when I was considering plication, read their stories (good, bad, and otherwise). That people who had a procedure that was still considered experimental by most and would post their ups and downs along their journey made me feel more at ease.
As far as being different, or having different eating habits from others, that wasn't a concern for me. I've always had different eating habits. It's just that in the past I was more likely to appear to eat normally in public and then overindulge in private at home. That idea that I can't easily do either with plication was an advantage.
I never felt like this was a gimmick. The idea that you physically restrict food intake plus exercise a moderate amount is a physiologically sound way to reduce weight. I've just never been able to be successful at doing both at the same time for a consistent period of time. I needed some type of tool to help me reduce my calorie consumption. It seemed very similar to the sleeve gastrectomy, but without the removal of stomach tissue.
I was worried about complications. It was why I was researched my options for someone within the US, and fortunately in the same city where I live. I investigated procedures two years ago and both had disadvantages that were greater than advantages for me. The surgeon I used also had complication insurance (Bliss I think) that offered financial insurance for common complications after surgery. Since I was self-pay, I knew that my regular health insurance would leave me in the dark if there were complications. I attended two seminars held by the physician that had patients who had procedures (not the plication though) where we could ask questions of the patient.
After meeting my doctor and questing him twice, I felt comfortable making the decision to go ahead. A large part of that was just that I felt it was the "right time" and "right procedure" for me.
Other than brief pain after surgery while recovering from anesthesia, there was almost no pain afterwards. There was "weird" feelings in my stomach for a couple of weeks when I tried to lay on my side or stomach, but that's passed.
I looked on the web, looked through many, many pages of Google links to different searches (gastric sleeve plication, gastric plication, gastric imbrication, etc). There were not a lot of published results (in peer reviewed medical journals) to rely on.
I do still have lingering questions that aren't answered. I wonder what the life expectancy for these stitches in my stomach are. The sutures used are supposed to be "durable". No one I've asked has answers for how long "durable" is. Also, we learn more every year about the role that hormone interactions play in influencing hunger (ghrelin/leptin interaction, etc). There's so much we don't know, it could turn out that these surgeries are great at reducing weight, or that they might just be a temporary stopgap. As more and more long term results are compiled, hopefully the options for people become easier. For me, at this point in my life, I wanted to make a decision, and plication was the best choice for me.
That was really long winded. I hope that you research the options available to you and make the decision that is best for you.

I appreciate that all the people on this board post their experiences. I found this when I was considering plication, read their stories (good, bad, and otherwise). That people who had a procedure that was still considered experimental by most and would post their ups and downs along their journey made me feel more at ease.
As far as being different, or having different eating habits from others, that wasn't a concern for me. I've always had different eating habits. It's just that in the past I was more likely to appear to eat normally in public and then overindulge in private at home. That idea that I can't easily do either with plication was an advantage.
I never felt like this was a gimmick. The idea that you physically restrict food intake plus exercise a moderate amount is a physiologically sound way to reduce weight. I've just never been able to be successful at doing both at the same time for a consistent period of time. I needed some type of tool to help me reduce my calorie consumption. It seemed very similar to the sleeve gastrectomy, but without the removal of stomach tissue.
I was worried about complications. It was why I was researched my options for someone within the US, and fortunately in the same city where I live. I investigated procedures two years ago and both had disadvantages that were greater than advantages for me. The surgeon I used also had complication insurance (Bliss I think) that offered financial insurance for common complications after surgery. Since I was self-pay, I knew that my regular health insurance would leave me in the dark if there were complications. I attended two seminars held by the physician that had patients who had procedures (not the plication though) where we could ask questions of the patient.
After meeting my doctor and questing him twice, I felt comfortable making the decision to go ahead. A large part of that was just that I felt it was the "right time" and "right procedure" for me.
Other than brief pain after surgery while recovering from anesthesia, there was almost no pain afterwards. There was "weird" feelings in my stomach for a couple of weeks when I tried to lay on my side or stomach, but that's passed.
I looked on the web, looked through many, many pages of Google links to different searches (gastric sleeve plication, gastric plication, gastric imbrication, etc). There were not a lot of published results (in peer reviewed medical journals) to rely on.
I do still have lingering questions that aren't answered. I wonder what the life expectancy for these stitches in my stomach are. The sutures used are supposed to be "durable". No one I've asked has answers for how long "durable" is. Also, we learn more every year about the role that hormone interactions play in influencing hunger (ghrelin/leptin interaction, etc). There's so much we don't know, it could turn out that these surgeries are great at reducing weight, or that they might just be a temporary stopgap. As more and more long term results are compiled, hopefully the options for people become easier. For me, at this point in my life, I wanted to make a decision, and plication was the best choice for me.
That was really long winded. I hope that you research the options available to you and make the decision that is best for you.

I appreciate that all the people on this board post their experiences. I found this when I was considering plication, read their stories (good, bad, and otherwise). That people who had a procedure that was still considered experimental by most and would post their ups and downs along their journey made me feel more at ease.
As far as being different, or having different eating habits from others, that wasn't a concern for me. I've always had different eating habits. It's just that in the past I was more likely to appear to eat normally in public and then overindulge in private at home. That idea that I can't easily do either with plication was an advantage.
I never felt like this was a gimmick. The idea that you physically restrict food intake plus exercise a moderate amount is a physiologically sound way to reduce weight. I've just never been able to be successful at doing both at the same time for a consistent period of time. I needed some type of tool to help me reduce my calorie consumption. It seemed very similar to the sleeve gastrectomy, but without the removal of stomach tissue.
I was worried about complications. It was why I was researched my options for someone within the US, and fortunately in the same city where I live. I investigated procedures two years ago and both had disadvantages that were greater than advantages for me. The surgeon I used also had complication insurance (Bliss I think) that offered financial insurance for common complications after surgery. Since I was self-pay, I knew that my regular health insurance would leave me in the dark if there were complications. I attended two seminars held by the physician that had patients who had procedures (not the plication though) where we could ask questions of the patient.
After meeting my doctor and questing him twice, I felt comfortable making the decision to go ahead. A large part of that was just that I felt it was the "right time" and "right procedure" for me.
Other than brief pain after surgery while recovering from anesthesia, there was almost no pain afterwards. There was "weird" feelings in my stomach for a couple of weeks when I tried to lay on my side or stomach, but that's passed.
I looked on the web, looked through many, many pages of Google links to different searches (gastric sleeve plication, gastric plication, gastric imbrication, etc). There were not a lot of published results (in peer reviewed medical journals) to rely on.
I do still have lingering questions that aren't answered. I wonder what the life expectancy for these stitches in my stomach are. The sutures used are supposed to be "durable". No one I've asked has answers for how long "durable" is. Also, we learn more every year about the role that hormone interactions play in influencing hunger (ghrelin/leptin interaction, etc). There's so much we don't know, it could turn out that these surgeries are great at reducing weight, or that they might just be a temporary stopgap. As more and more long term results are compiled, hopefully the options for people become easier. For me, at this point in my life, I wanted to make a decision, and plication was the best choice for me.
That was really long winded. I hope that you research the options available to you and make the decision that is best for you.

Yesterday was six months out from my surgery date. I've lost almost exactly half the weight I wanted (stupid .2lbs).
With it getting colder and with more rain, I wasn't able to walk as much this last month. I also had a week off from work and wasn't feeling much like a lot of exercise. Had another couple of days I spent trying to fight off some sort of bug. I lost four less pounds than the previous month as a result. I can live with the results though. Over the week I was off, I cleaned out my closet and literally donated a trunk load of clothes to charity.
I exercise most weeks 3 mornings a week at 6 am with a trainer in a class. I still hate having to do it, but mostly because of the hour. I know I shouldn't complain because I don't pay for it directly. It's part of the wellness program where I work. On the days after, I often struggle to roll out of bed because my hamstrings are so sore. There are days when the people I work with make light-hearted fun of me at the old-man way I take stairs. I've recently started interval running/walking with a goal of running a 5k at some point. Because I still carry a good bit of weight for my height, my knees and feet groan from the extra impact. The really odd thing about it all is that I actually enjoy the increased walking/running now when I can sustain it.
Plication has definitely helped me reign in the quantity of food I once ate. That coupled with a totally changed diet from what I once ate and the change in activity have helped me so far.
I still wonder if this is some temporary phase my body is going through. I want to think that I'm working on changing habits and habits of mind so that as I get further out from surgery that the results are somewhat permanent. I want to make sure that I've learned how to eat healthily.
I worry that, like the band for some, it lasts a while, then weight loss creeps back up without my being able to control it. I feel like I am making those changes, but there are a lot of band revision stories I've read that leave me wondering.
Mentally, I'm also surprised at how little satisfaction I've gained from my progress so far. Family, friends, and colleagues have all been supportive and encouraging, with only one exception. I can see the results. I love being able to buy clothes in the regular men's section. Even with those positive aspects of this, all I tend to focus are the areas where I still need to lose the most weight. I just feel like I should feel better than I do about my body and how I perceive it. Maybe I'm just crazy.
(I'm starting to get email spam and hate reading the forum spam on this site even though I appreciate the community here. Not sure how long I'll continue to post if the moderator doesn't participate more actively.)
Mednar

I was reading posts over on the VSG forums and came across http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/
Under the links and resources, there are some recipes that looked good, particularly the "BITES" section. I've always had a hard time eating a nutritional Breakfast. Mostly because I never get up in time to make something before heading to work. The idea of using a muffin pan to make scrambled egg "muffins" seemed like something I could accomplish on the weekend and have ready for the week without too much hassle. There's all sorts of stuff that looks good on there.
Just thought I'd share. I'm almost two months out, and I've about reached my limit with just plain dairy Protein (string cheese, plain cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt), etc. I've been eating a lot of that since surgery and have been trying to find ways to fix things that are simple but different.

I'm wondering if your doctors recommended that you take supplements, and if so, what they recommended. The nutritionist at my doctor's office didn't. I was diligent about taking Iron, a B supplement, and a Multi-Vitamin early on.
I've not been as diligent lately. I started bruising really easily. The purple/green kind, where I can't even remember what I hit, then get a bruise. Over the last two weeks, I went back on them, but then today, I noticed another on my wrist.
Have any of you experienced that you bruise more easily? Not sure if I should be worried or not.

I was reading posts over on the VSG forums and came across http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/
Under the links and resources, there are some recipes that looked good, particularly the "BITES" section. I've always had a hard time eating a nutritional Breakfast. Mostly because I never get up in time to make something before heading to work. The idea of using a muffin pan to make scrambled egg "muffins" seemed like something I could accomplish on the weekend and have ready for the week without too much hassle. There's all sorts of stuff that looks good on there.
Just thought I'd share. I'm almost two months out, and I've about reached my limit with just plain dairy Protein (string cheese, plain cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt), etc. I've been eating a lot of that since surgery and have been trying to find ways to fix things that are simple but different.

I'm wondering if your doctors recommended that you take supplements, and if so, what they recommended. The nutritionist at my doctor's office didn't. I was diligent about taking Iron, a B supplement, and a Multi-Vitamin early on.
I've not been as diligent lately. I started bruising really easily. The purple/green kind, where I can't even remember what I hit, then get a bruise. Over the last two weeks, I went back on them, but then today, I noticed another on my wrist.
Have any of you experienced that you bruise more easily? Not sure if I should be worried or not.

Mary -
A lot of it depends on the type of food for me. If I eat something like a chicken breast, I can't eat as much as something like Soup. I made homemade Soup this weekend (lots of veggies with ground turkey and beef for protein). I can eat more of that than I can just straight Protein. For me it seems to be a food consistency issue.
My doctor advised to eat Protein first, or mostly first, then veggies, etc. If I follow that advice I do seem to feel full faster.
I also have days when I feel full on a smaller amount of protein than I do on others. That I can't explain.
I'm almost five months out and on days when I don't have a treat, I usually average around 900-1200 calories, more toward the higher end. That hasn't changed all that much since one month out for me. I think I could probably push myself to eat more if I tried, but I also got sick several times from eating more than I should early on. I try to stop when I first feel like I'm full.
Take care.

I was reading posts over on the VSG forums and came across http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/
Under the links and resources, there are some recipes that looked good, particularly the "BITES" section. I've always had a hard time eating a nutritional Breakfast. Mostly because I never get up in time to make something before heading to work. The idea of using a muffin pan to make scrambled egg "muffins" seemed like something I could accomplish on the weekend and have ready for the week without too much hassle. There's all sorts of stuff that looks good on there.
Just thought I'd share. I'm almost two months out, and I've about reached my limit with just plain dairy Protein (string cheese, plain cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt), etc. I've been eating a lot of that since surgery and have been trying to find ways to fix things that are simple but different.

I'm wondering if your doctors recommended that you take supplements, and if so, what they recommended. The nutritionist at my doctor's office didn't. I was diligent about taking Iron, a B supplement, and a Multi-Vitamin early on.
I've not been as diligent lately. I started bruising really easily. The purple/green kind, where I can't even remember what I hit, then get a bruise. Over the last two weeks, I went back on them, but then today, I noticed another on my wrist.
Have any of you experienced that you bruise more easily? Not sure if I should be worried or not.

Mary -
A lot of it depends on the type of food for me. If I eat something like a chicken breast, I can't eat as much as something like Soup. I made homemade Soup this weekend (lots of veggies with ground turkey and beef for protein). I can eat more of that than I can just straight Protein. For me it seems to be a food consistency issue.
My doctor advised to eat Protein first, or mostly first, then veggies, etc. If I follow that advice I do seem to feel full faster.
I also have days when I feel full on a smaller amount of protein than I do on others. That I can't explain.
I'm almost five months out and on days when I don't have a treat, I usually average around 900-1200 calories, more toward the higher end. That hasn't changed all that much since one month out for me. I think I could probably push myself to eat more if I tried, but I also got sick several times from eating more than I should early on. I try to stop when I first feel like I'm full.
Take care.

I was reading posts over on the VSG forums and came across http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/
Under the links and resources, there are some recipes that looked good, particularly the "BITES" section. I've always had a hard time eating a nutritional Breakfast. Mostly because I never get up in time to make something before heading to work. The idea of using a muffin pan to make scrambled egg "muffins" seemed like something I could accomplish on the weekend and have ready for the week without too much hassle. There's all sorts of stuff that looks good on there.
Just thought I'd share. I'm almost two months out, and I've about reached my limit with just plain dairy Protein (string cheese, plain cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt), etc. I've been eating a lot of that since surgery and have been trying to find ways to fix things that are simple but different.

I'm wondering if your doctors recommended that you take supplements, and if so, what they recommended. The nutritionist at my doctor's office didn't. I was diligent about taking Iron, a B supplement, and a Multi-Vitamin early on.
I've not been as diligent lately. I started bruising really easily. The purple/green kind, where I can't even remember what I hit, then get a bruise. Over the last two weeks, I went back on them, but then today, I noticed another on my wrist.
Have any of you experienced that you bruise more easily? Not sure if I should be worried or not.

I was reading posts over on the VSG forums and came across http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/
Under the links and resources, there are some recipes that looked good, particularly the "BITES" section. I've always had a hard time eating a nutritional Breakfast. Mostly because I never get up in time to make something before heading to work. The idea of using a muffin pan to make scrambled egg "muffins" seemed like something I could accomplish on the weekend and have ready for the week without too much hassle. There's all sorts of stuff that looks good on there.
Just thought I'd share. I'm almost two months out, and I've about reached my limit with just plain dairy Protein (string cheese, plain cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt), etc. I've been eating a lot of that since surgery and have been trying to find ways to fix things that are simple but different.

I was reading posts over on the VSG forums and came across http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/
Under the links and resources, there are some recipes that looked good, particularly the "BITES" section. I've always had a hard time eating a nutritional Breakfast. Mostly because I never get up in time to make something before heading to work. The idea of using a muffin pan to make scrambled egg "muffins" seemed like something I could accomplish on the weekend and have ready for the week without too much hassle. There's all sorts of stuff that looks good on there.
Just thought I'd share. I'm almost two months out, and I've about reached my limit with just plain dairy Protein (string cheese, plain cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt), etc. I've been eating a lot of that since surgery and have been trying to find ways to fix things that are simple but different.

I'm no lady.
I passed a year out on June 6. There was a small group of people on here orginally. As the procdure has gained numbers of participants, I could no longer keep track of who everyone was in my mind. I've no desire to be a spokesperson for this procedure. However, it was the only outlet there was for me a few short months ago.
The community I found here was very hepful early on in investigating this procedure. The support during the first six months is also helpful. It's not that it isn't helpful afterwards. I just found that I needed much less support in the following months.
I had my plication 13 months+ (June 6, 2011). I started at 295. I weighed in at 196 a few weeks ago. I also ran my first 5k on July 4, 2012. My time was crap, but I did finish.
My weight loss has slowed down very much in the last half of the first year. It's a slow go, but it still goes. It also flucuates a lot. I can eat more than I could starting out. I do better when I eat Protein first, then veggies, which is what the nutritionist suggested.
I've also been craving carbs for the second time since the procedure.
I can go up several pounds or down when I occasionally weigh depending my Water and salt consumption. I've been at the same weight for a month or two. I've changed exercise routines the last three months. I just can't do 6:15 am (6 am during the school year) every morning three days a week.
To be at my max BMI goal weight, I still need to lose another 40 lbs. If I could settle around 175 I'd be happy. I just need to find an exercise routine that works that schedule and watch my carbs a bit more.
Hope everyone is well.
Mednar

Quick update. Don't remember to get on here much anymore.
Had surgery June 6, 2011. To date, I've lost 87 lbs. According to the BMI charts in the doctors office, I need to lose ~ 52 lbs to be "normal" BMI range.
For me to be happy, I'd still like to lose ~25-30 more lbs. It's gotten harder to lose, but I also gave up on getting up 2.5 hours before work to exercise. Haven't replace that weight training/exercise, and it's slowed my weight loss down. I've got to find something to replace that with, or develop a routine at home.
I'm back to walking again 5-6 days a week. Also still trying to train to run when I can. I'm up to 5 minutes running, 2.5 walk, 3 minutes running, 1.5 walk x2. Start a new week this week. The third run this week is 20 min running. Not sure how that will work out. Might have to repeat a week.
My weight loss of late has been slow, but clothes sizes are slowly dropping. I've gone from wearing a 3XL mens shirt to a L, depending on the manufacturer. They all seem to have some different body size in mind when they make stuff.
Hope all the "old" plication patients are well. Hope all you new ones do well.
Take care.