GiGi

Just to chime in! I am not on here as much as I would like but I try to pop in and update and post. I am 4 months out and my surgery went fine. My restriction is still very good but I have stalled at about 60 pounds of weight loss. I started at 295 and I am now about 233. My food choices have not been great so I have no one to blame but me and I have not been working out like I should. I feel fantastic and that is how it used to be when I would loose weight. I would feel good start eating bad foods and gain the weight back. Luckily I have not gained anything back but if I want to reach my goal I must get back on a good diet. I will probably get a lot more serious after the holidays. It is a MUST for me to hit my goal by 1 year. Good luck to you!

The only problem with Salad is the lettuce. It is difficult to maserate the lettuce leaves therefore they open up in the stomach and fill it up quickly. I was told to try shredded lettuce and I have had that on sandwiches and it seems to work okay. I have never had a whole salad yet. I am 4 months out.

I had the plication done on the 16th of July. Dr. Ponce in Chattanooga TN did the surgery and he had me on liquid protein for 2 weeks prior to the surgery in order to shrink my liver as much as possible. He mentioned that it gave him more room to work. I assume that it is your surgeons preference!

Everyone seems to be different but I didn't feel like doing much about a week after my surgery. I was tired and couldn't eat anything and was just uncomfortable. Other folks have said they were only down for about 2 or 3 days so I just think it is different for everyone. Good Luck to you! I hope it goes well!

HI everyone. I just went in for my 3 month follow up appointment. I had the Plication done on July 16th 2012. It feels like it was much longer than that. My starting weight was 295 pounds and when they weighed me I was 237 so that is 58 pounds in 3 months. I am excited about the results. I eat good most of the time but I have my days where my choices are not so great. I am exercising at least 3 times a week. I can actually run on the treadmill which is something I never thought I would do! My clothes are very loose but until I am down to 225 I am not buying anything new. I was a 24 and now can fit comfortably into a 18. I have lost over 55 inches all over and I am loosing inches evenly. My restriction is very good but I have a cookie here and there or a piece of chocolate or a glass of wine. I am not perfect by any means. I have plateaued again but I have been here before. To kick start the lossing I just switch back to my protien shakes for Breakfast and lunch (no snacking) and chicken or fish for dinner. Doing that for a week does the trick so that is where I am headed on Monday. It also shrinks up your stomach again too which is a nice feeling. I am still a classic emotional eater so I am looking into getting some help in that area. I have to break that habit. It is great hearing everyones stories!

Congratulations!!! I can't wait to post that I am down 80 or 90 pounds. Right now I am sitting at about 51 pounds but I am only 2 months post op. Seems like it was ages ago. I have hit a wall and I have not been eating very well so it is only my fault that the weight loss has slowed. I need to work out, count my calories and stay away from sweets. It is hard just like any diet but I have no excuses. I have been rather down on myself here lately and that only makes my behavior worse. I am getting back in the gym TODAY and every day going to work out for an hour. I know that is going to be a big part of the answer. Thanks for the inspiration! I would love to see some before and after shots too. GiGi

Hello there Errado3317. If you had read my profile you will see that I am part of a clinical trial being held right here in the USA. There are other trials in the Northwest and also at the Cleveland Clinic and all are going well. Plication is just a less evasive way to have the food restriction that I myself need to loose and keep the weight off. So far on my 7th week post op I am down 48 pounds and I am very happy with that! Did you have the surgery? Have you suffered some complications? I would love to hear your story. Sincerely, GiGi

Hi there Ana. I had trouble with Okra. I think because it is so fiberous. I am introducing foods slow and easy and eating very slow and controlled and not drinking during meals. I had a turkey meatball with red marinara and I think the sauce was too acidic for my tummy. Figure my new stomach is learning as we go so I am just really going to introduce new foods slowly and carefully. Congratulations on one month post plication! I think this past month was the hardest part!

Hi there WednesdaysSun! Thanks for adding me as a friend. I am happy to report no more tummy problems. I think I got a little ahead of myself on the food diversity. Now I try something new and see how it feels. I was getting protein via my shakes and cottage cheese. After a bit I put in a piece of fish (cooked in the oven) which is also high in protein. Food restriction has been better than it was two weeks ago. I can only eat about a cup or maybe a cup and a half of food at a time. Sometimes it is more restrictive than others like when I eat just fish....wow that fills me up ...just a 6 ounce filet. I am not drinking while I eat which I know also helps!

Hi all. Surgery date 7-16-12 and I am down a total of 42 pounds. Started at 295 now at 253. Pre Op was 17 pound loss and 25 since surgery. I am still loosing. eating mostly all protein. I have had a few snacks here and there but not over doing the carb thing. Feel great. Need to work out to keep the weight loss going my goal is 170 pounds so 83 more pounds to go! Congrats to everyone on doing so well. GiGi

There are several Bariactric Groups in Atlanta but the only physician I know who is specifically doing plication surgery is my Doctor. Dr. Jaime Ponce who is in Chattanooga, TN. He is conducting a clinical trial that I am part of and he performed his surgery in Dalton, GA at Hamilton Medical Center. Even if that is too far away I feel sure he could recommend someone for you to use as a follow up physician.

I decided early on not to hide the fact that I had the surgery and I have been amazed by the support and concern from co-workers and friends. Most people have questions about the procedure and are very curious how it is going. I am glad I have not had to keep it to myself simply because there are times when I have been weak or tired and just needed a break and everyone has been so understanding. There are some that tell and others that don't I think whatever is comfortable for you is what you should do! Good luck to you and I hope it works out great! GiGi

Hi all. Sorry so long since I blogged...... I just wanted to report on how things have been going. This past week I had some issues with eating. My stomach was really hurting and I think I just introduced some new foods to quickly. My tummy was burning. It was bad. I talked to the Doctor and they said to slow down with my diet and go back to the full liquids. I did for the most part and I am getting very little calories but I have been loosing weight. I am down to 254 from 295 which is 41 pounds and tomorrow is my 4 week anniversary. I am just eating protein mostly and not eating much because I don't want to disturb my tummy. I have lost a lot of inches too and I really have not been working out too much since I have been a little lathargic. Things are now on the upswing and I am really only eating now just because I know I need to to live. I am trying to get in 800 calories a day but sometimes it is hard. Next week back to exercise and I mean full on work out so I can begin to tone up and loose more fat (not muscle). I have a Doctor follow up visit on Wednesday so I will post about that as well. They put me on Carafate which is a liquid you drink before you eat and it coats your tummy on the inside and it really helped. Sorry to sound rushed but my hungry family awaits

HI Butterfly... Here is my blog here on SPT : http://www.sleeveplicationtalk.com/blog/23-gigis-plication-surgery-blog/ I also have a VLOG on You Tube.. you can find it imbedded in my blog if you're interested Thanks

I am 17 days out of surgery and I have not found anything I cannot tolerate. I am only doing soft foods right now. Tuna, Tilapia, Soft Cooked veggies, Instant Mashed Taters, Grits, Cottage Cheese, Boiled eggs, pudding, yogurt, watermelon, beans.... nothing has been much of a problem but I have found that I do get hungry more often now. I was hoping my hunger would not be as bad as it was before surgery but I am afraid it might be about the same. I am still having trouble knowing when I am really full too. I have not lost any weight in a week but I have been told to expect that. I am trying to keep my calories at 800 a day. My goal is 2 pounds per week. Oh and drinking water and zero calorie poweraid or crystal light has been no problem at all either.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife. I really hope everything is okay. I know now you are focused on her getting better but I would be grateful if later you could share if there were any other signs or symtoms that she had since I worry about what to look for in case of these type complications. Please keep us posted on how she is doing.

Well I made it through with no problem. I meet with a group of women every Wednesday and we either eat at a local Mexican restaurant for lunch or at a local Inn that has a country buffet. Today they chose the buffet. I called ahead to find out what they had and I happen to get the owner. I asked her about just buying one item off the buffet and explained my situation and she said I could just have the childs buffet price and that way I could try more than one item. My plate consisted of: 1/2 cup of Black Eyed Peas 1/4 cup of Tuna Salad 1/2 a boiled egg 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes I was pretty full but very satisfied. It was great. I did have to stand up after I ate. That seems to help the food move down for me. Success!

Well it was my first weekend of soft foods and I got a chance to see if my body was going to reject anything. I ate rather well. Friday night I had 3 ounces of Cod that I prepared. Saturday I had an egg with reduced fat cheese and it was wonderful. Sunday I tried Tuna and it did not sit so well with me. It had quit sitting well with me prior to this diet and it again gave me a tummy ache. I made tuna salad and it was good but I think I got over full because I was a bit uncomfortable. Not drinking while eating is very very hard. I would suggest practicing that before the surgery if you have time. It is so typical to drink a lot while eating. I am very thirsty after eating. I am tolerating grits with no problems at all. Actually everything I have tried has been ok. I just can't eat a lot at once which is what this procedure is supposed to do for you. I am very satisfied off one packet of instant grits. I used to eat 2 or 3 packets as a meal. I am very content after breakfast this morning. I really don't think there are going to be a lot of food issues which makes me very happy. I am keeping my caloric intake at about 800 and I am very pleased with how full I am. This week I am going to start exercising. 30 mins a day on the treadmill. My current weight is now 262.5. I am hoping to loose at a rate of about 3 -4 pounds a week and I will be thrilled. My protein intake is not so great so I do need to work on that. I have to get in 80 grams of protein a day! If anyone has any protein ideas I can use I will take them! Thanks and Happy Monday to everyone (:

Good Morning, I just wanted to follow up from where I had been when I last wrote which was not a very happy place. My recommendation to anyone having any kind of surgery is to stay on the medications they put you on. I was a fool and quit taking the Levsin Smooth Muscle Relaxers and I paid dealy for it. I probably delayed my recovery time and caused my body a lot of stress. I quit taking the pain meds and muscle relaxers on Saturday because I was tired of sleeping all the time. What I should have done was simply not take the pain meds and stayed on the muscle relaxer (Levsin). I am now taking it every 4 hours on the nose, even waking up at night to take it and I have not had a cramped stomach since. Apparently what is happening is normal. When your stomach is sutured down it naturally tries to open itself back open. It feels very much like contractions. This causes stress on the stomach and is painful. The stomach needs to remain in a relaxed state so that it will heal, the swelling will go down and the sutures will heal. It cannot do that if it is constantly cramping. The Doctor said he cannot tell me exactly when the stomach will give up the battle. It can happen in one week, two weeks and as far out as 4 weeks. I feel much better now and I am eating a lot better. I am having protein shakes daily, soupy grits and soupy mashed potatoes, applesauce, yogurt, pudding and nothing is giving me any problems. I think I am getting about 700 calories a day. I need to get back to logging all my intake so I can keep good track. My weight is 263 so I am down a total of 32 pounds. Right now my focus is on feeling good and getting plenty of rest and the weight loss will come along I am sure. Have a wonderful day!

Can you share a link to your blog? I tried to pull it up but was unable to find it. Thanks!

Today is Monday July 23rd.. I am doing worse that I was doing a few days ago. My stomach is very very much in pain. It is cramping constantly and it just hurts and feels like it is burning. I called the Doctor today and he is calling in some liquid that coats the stomach and you take it before meals and before bedtime. Problem being it also makes you sleepy like the Levsin. I have basically no appetite for anything at all. I am loosing weight I have lost 31 pounds so far but i know I am not getting the nutrients I need or the protein I am supposed to be getting. I am getting worried. Tomorrow morning I have a follow up visit with the Doctor at 9:15am. I will have to drive myself in since my husband is out of town. I just plan on going to bed really early so I can sleep my usual 10-12 hours then get up and get moving around. I did have an applesauce today and a V-8 and a yogurt. I am going to have instant mashed potatoes for supper. Maybe that will stimulate my appetite. I started a video blog on you tube called Jeanne's Journey. I recorded my first episode yesterday and I wasn't feeling so hot as you will be able to see. Well heading back to bed for a while. With sleep there is no pain. I will let you know if the new meds work for me.

Just to report in... I had a horrible night last night. I had a lot of burning in my stomach and it was very painful. I used a heating pad and it helped a bit but the burning was pretty bad. It was a new pain for me. I can identify the cramping now and it wasn't that. I can identify gas and it wasn't that. It must have been from something I ate yesterday. I did have a yogurt late in the evening so maybe that did not settle with me. Maybe it was the light grape juice I drank. IDK but I am going to avoid both of those today so I don't have to go through that again. I am at the end of the first week so going to full liquids should now be okay but I need to be very cautious on adding new things to my diet. Cravings have been pretty much none. I would love a cracker or a piece of toast but I know it is much much too early for that. My incisions look good so no worries there. Today I am sticking strictly with clear liquids and see if the pain occurs again tonight. If it doesn't I know it was something I added to my diet yesterday. I am really trying to get in my protein but it is hard. The Isopure is good but it is getting a little old. I just need to force myself to drink it. I thought by now I would be more "back to normal" but I don't feel real normal. Maybe I should get out of the house a bit. That might help keep my mind off things. I am still sleeping a lot too. Not sure if that is normal or not. Any one who can comment and help me with these questions I would appreciate it. I know everyone is different .... Have a lovely Weekend

Happy Friday Everyone! Well had surgery Monday and today is Friday. I felt better waking up this morning than I have all week.I actually have a bit of energy. The scales show 268 (from 295 when starting the pre-op diet). That is 28 pounds and I am very happy with that so far. Might be a bit too fast. I really have no urge to eat. The pain I am having is difficult to identify. I am not sure if I am cramping, hungry or full. I am still sleeping a lot but I figure that will help me heal. Tomorrow I can going to take some photos and redo my measurements since I want to track my progress on a weekly basis. I have my food figured out for next week. Pretty basic on full liquids. Soup, Yogurt, Pudding.... My primary concentration is on protein. Going back to GNC and getting more Isopure until I can start back my protein shakes. I am keeping my food journal to track all calories from food and will begin walking 4 days a week next week on treadmill at work. I hope I stay pain free today. That would be a marked improvement for me. Hope everyone is doing well!