meve3681

6 hours ago, Mary0110 said:

Wow what great results. How was the scaring? Can you eat pizza if you want to? Or have a beer? Or is that just impossible?

Hi Mary,

The scarring is very minimal, at 2 1/2 years post op my scars are hardly visible. I do eat pizza on occasion, though I can only eat 1-2 slices now, before surgery I could easily eat a whole medium pizza to myself. I don't drink beer, so I'm not sure how that would work out. I want to emphasize that I did not have surgery to continue with my old way of living, so while I am still able to eat things such as pizza and French fries, they aren't staples of my diet as they were before surgery. When I do choose to eat those things, it's treated as a "treat" and then back to eating clean.

You will get what you put into it, but that would be from any weight loss surgery. If you are thinking that WLS will be a solution to being overweight, you're going to be sadly disappointed. The weight will come off with any WLS, but there is only so much surgery alone can do for you. The honeymoon period after WLS is gone very quickly and you will be able to gain weight back if you are not making everlasting changes. My advice is to make big changes to your diet and lifestyle in conjunction with WLS to achieve the results you want. Being healthy is a way better goal than a number on the scale. Good luck to you.

Just wanted to update on this topic as I know Gastric Plication is one of the cheaper and less used options for Weight Loss Surgery.

I am now two years post op and have remained at my goal weight since reaching it at almost one year post op.

My relationship with food has completely changed. I still do the things that helped me reach my goal weight such as keeping a food log, weighing my food and sticking to a high protein/low carb diet.

I know a lot of people have not had the same experience as I have had with this surgery. I do not know why my experience is different than most others. I still meal plan, and carefully watch what I eat 80% of the time.

As time has gone on, I am able to eat more as my surgeon had cautioned that I would. I want to mention that I have done a lot of work in regards to understanding why I became so obese in the first place. Surgery will not be a fix to the emotional aspect of obesity and if you are not putting in the work to understand yourself better, no amount of surgery will keep the weight off. I am sure we all know someone who has had WLS and has gained weight back. As I was self funded for my surgery, I wanted to make sure it would provide me with long lasting results. I had to dig deep within myself and really be truthful. I used food as comfort, as entertainment, as a way to soothe myself. I ate out of boredom, out of sorrow, out of happiness. These were behaviors that I had to unlearn. I also was eating more processed food than should be allowed. I now cook more often than I don't, so I have better control of what I am eating. I no longer drink soda or alcohol. Yes, doing those things are hard, but being fat and unhappy was harder. Choose your hard and get real with yourself. This journey should be about more than vanity. It should be about longevity and health. When times get rough and you feel like giving up, you will need a reason that is strong enough to keep you going. My family and being healthy to participate in life like I want to are what keep me going.

With that being said, my life is completely different, healthier and more fulfilling than it was two years ago.

I do not regret my Gastric Plication surgery at all. It has given me everything that I knew I deserved. I have worked hard to lose the weight and have had to strengthen my discipline and willpower. I put in the work everyday to keep the weight off and will have to everyday for the rest of my life.

Surgery alone will not keep you thin. I cannot stress this enough.

I went from 240 pounds (size 16) and have maintained a weight of 160 pounds (size 8) for over a year.

I am 15 months post op and have hit my goal weight. I still feel a lot of restriction and still have to force myself to eat some days. I know that a lot of people do not have this same experience with the gastric plication. This surgery was successful for me and I do not regret it one bit. I am very happy with my WLS choice and only wish I had done it a lot sooner.

I was under the impression that it was an outpatient procedure, i havent seen a doc yet for consult. Maybe once I feel confident in going forward with it, I'll let my husband know. He just worries so much and would prefer I lose weight on my own, but it's not something I can do, I feel le my body is fighting me.

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It is an outpatient procedure, you will be home the same day. It is still a major surgery and your body will need time to heal. I was surprised at how long it took me to feel back to normal. It took me about 3 months to feel back to 100%.

I am just a little over a year post op, and I have lost 81 pounds. I hit my personal goal at 9 months post op.

Recovery from Gastric Plication is about 2 weeks. I only took one day off of work, but should have taken more. It's important to take it easy the first few weeks out of surgery. You're going to be exhausted the first few weeks, not just from surgery but because your food intake is going to be so small as well. I don't know how you will be able to hide the drastic change in your portions. You will also be on liquids only for a number of days post op.

Was this procedure done under a local or general anaesthetic?

I have been offered an Endoscopic sleeve which sounds similar as about 85% of the stomach is stitched up. This leaves a small sleeve stomach. It's done under full anaesthetic.

My surgeon won't to any procedure on me that requires excision so the gastric sleeve and bypass are out.

The cost of the procedure is the same as the bypass which I'm surprised about. I am self funding and the U.K. Cost is approx $15000 which is cheaper than the US but will leave a hole in my pocket. I'm 68.

Thanks for any info.

The procedure is done while under anesthesia however, it is considered an outpatient surgery. I was home within hours of my surgery. I have 4 small incision scars that are very faint at a year post op. I was self funded too, my surgery cost about $18,000 USD. Still one of the cheaper options in the USA compared to bypass and sleeve.

Gastric Plication surgery date 4/3/2015, reached goal on 2/1/2016. Total of 75 pounds lost.

@@Felicia2016 How are you doing so far? Any complications? How is your eating going?

An update:

Its now been 8 months since my surgery and I am only 2 pounds away from my goal weight. I have lost a total of 73 pounds as of today. I went from a tight size 16 to a size 8. I do not regret having this surgery at all.

My eating habits have changed. I did not have the surgery as a pass to eat whatever I want. I am using my surgery as a tool to improve my health and life. If you are struggling with your weight loss, be honest about what you are eating. I keep a food log and am very honest with myself. I knew having this surgery would force me to look at my relationship with food and have been using these last 8 months to work through it. I do not turn to food for comfort, or entertainment anymore. It's been hard but it has been the biggest gift I could give myself.

My doctor says that my weight loss is comparable to a patient who has had Gastric Bypass.

I eat a high Protein low carb diet most of the time. This has been what works for me.

I seem to stall at every 10 pound segments. Keep sticking to your program and your body will catch up. Its frustrating.

I did break through! Down 6, but I'm looking pretty lean, so I'm not too focused on the numbers anymore. How are you doing? You must be very close to goal by now. have you been using mostly diet or a combo of diet & training?

I'm about 20 pounds away from goal. I have been more active since losing weight, more hiking and walking. I have not started a steady workout regime, though. I'm concentrating on my diet at the moment. I really want this to be successful and didn't want to overwhelm myself with too many changes. I believe that is what has caused me to yo yo diet in the past, and has caused me to get burned out and gain weight. Focusing on being healthy and eating right seems to be working for me.

Please keep us updated with your journey I go to the doctor next week . I arranged surgery for plication last year but backed out. Think I'm ready for it now but need to hear motivational stories.

Please keep us updated with your journey I go to the doctor next week . I arranged surgery for plication last year but backed out. Think I'm ready for it now but need to hear motivational stories.

Hi @@butterflyvan, good luck to you. I have had no complications from surgery and my only regret is not doing it sooner. Keep us posted. Down 50+ pounds in a little over 4 months.

You're right, meve, I think it may be a stall. My doc was *shocked* I hadn't lost way more, but I think he was focused on his usual patient profile, and not maybe my individual case. Out of his thousands of surgeries, I have the least to lose. I had about 45 pounds to lose all together, so I haven't budged at the 25-left-to-go mark. It's tough to say, and a bit disappointing, because I have to report in monthly to the doc. With only a scale, I can't determine if the numbers aren't moving due to getting back to training or something else. The bottom line is that the scale is the only metric we're using, and I am trying to figure out some way to shed the last 20. I just have to keep on going- weight loss slows and plateaus the closer we get to goal, so this is something I'm used to. A fitnessed-focused lifestyle is a marathon for life, not a race for a year.

Good luck everyone!

Now five weeks out and feeling good. Weight is coming off slowly which is what I had expected. No almost instant big losses with plication more like that turtle plodding along. That is fine by me. Wonderful not to feel so hungry and want to nibble.Weigh myself once a week and see about a 2pound loss each week..Eating small quantities of "normal" foods now though some things don't appeal so I will try them later. Following all the directions..protein first..then little bits of veggies and fruits and carbs last. For me this surgery has been a good choice.

I'm 4 months out and down 50 pounds from 240. I feel great. I am very happy with my surgery. I have had zero complications and would encourage anyone thinking of getting gastric plication to do it.

How are you getting on?

I had plication surgery on April 3. My pre op instructions were to follow a low fat diet to help shrink the liver, and then two days before surgery it was all liquids. I would definitely recommend following your physicians instructions closely as this will help you with long term success. Good luck to you, I am sure you are excited.

I am not a coffee drinker so I can't speak on that.

I just hit the 50 pound loss mark today. I feel great. My appetite is still greatly reduced, although I am able to eat more now that I am fully healed.

Congratulations on your awesome results! My results are very different; I lost 20 lbs during the 2 weeks around the surgery (three days of fasting prior, and the rest post-surgery when just broth was consumed.) I haven't lost a pound since, and my cal intake is ~700-800 a day. I'm struggling to stay on the protocol as prescribed by my doc, which is lean Protein and vegetable ONLY. No cottage cheese, no Cereal, no fruit- nothing. I find myself sneaking cottage cheese or a low fat string cheese, or cashews for snack, and it's keeping my weight static. You are awesome for getting to your goal- I'm impressed! Keep up the great work.

How long ago did you have your surgery? I stalled at 3 weeks out after 20 pounds lost and did not lose again until week 6 post op. Perhaps it is a stall? I seem to stall every 10 pounds lost and won't lose for 10 days or so. Extremely frustrating but better than the scalSe going up and feeling out of control. Sounds like you are doing everything right, although your body may be telling you it needs more calories. I eat about 800-900 calories a day, and average between 80 and 100 grams of Protein daily, very low carb and sugar intake.

I had plication surgery on April 3rd. I am currently down almost 40 pounds. I am curious to hear about everyone else's experience so far with this surgery, as I know that the surgery is fairly new. I am hoping that this thread will be helpful for anyone contemplating this surgery. I am 3 months out and am currently eating about 800-900 calories a day. I average about 80-100 grams of Protein a day. I concentrate on eating 5 small meals throughout the day, and drink Water though it can be difficult. I do not regret this surgery at all, I really am using it as the tool it is. I am currently half way to my goal. Others who have had gastric plication surgery please chime in!!

Exciting! I'm almost 3 months post op. Best decision I ever made.

Is there a reason why I feel more restricted the last few days? I'm almost two months out. I am sticking to my nutritional guidelines such as Protein first and Water water water, but the last two days I feel as though I am forcing myself to finish my meals. Last night, I barely ate dinner and this morning's Protein Shake has me feeling extra full. Last week I did not feel like this. I have been following my post op diet closely and have not had anything that I shouldn't. Just curious to see if anyone else's restriction seems to vary daily and if this is something that will continue. Its not really bothersome other than I know I need to eat to lose weight, but I feel so filled up and I don't want to force myself to eat when Im not hungry as that is the behavior that lead me to 200+ pounds.

I had plication surgery on April 3. My pre op instructions were to follow a low fat diet to help shrink the liver, and then two days before surgery it was all liquids. I would definitely recommend following your physicians instructions closely as this will help you with long term success. Good luck to you, I am sure you are excited.

I am not a coffee drinker so I can't speak on that.

I had gastric plication with Dr Waldrep on April 3. I feel great and my incisions are healing beautifully. I had a great recovery and have lost 15 pounds since surgery (18 days out). I am very happy so far.

I have smoked before WLS and after. I have not had a case of the munchies, but I also haven't had most of the same thoughts about food as I did before surgery. Food is not as all consuming as it once was. So being high is being high without the munchies (for me). I find that when high, it's also a lot easier to get more fluids in. I have not had alcohol since surgery, that was more of a trigger for me to overeat then pot was.

My surgery date was 4/3. I've lost 12 pounds to date. I even gained 2 one day. Our bodies are still healing and freaking out. I've been told to not even weigh in the first month post op as there are too many factors that will reflect (or not) on the scale.