ROLL CALL!

[andromeda9mm]

Hey Plication Peeps,

Introduce yourselves. I feel like we've got a lot of lurkers, but no one posts... except Ana and me.

How's everyone doing? Your progress?

Heck, even if you just want to talk about random stuff.

Here's a photo of me and my family:

[FinallySomething4Pam]

Present and Accounted For! I cannot believe that you are old enough to have such a beautiful family.

Loving the 7/2/12 Plication. Had a nice conversation with a friend who had GSP 2 1/2 years ago. Her advice: keep the protein coming, stay away from carbs and sodas especially for the first three months. She relied on string cheese. Now, 2 1/2 years later, she can eat and drink whatever she wants, like a "normal" person with "normal" portion sizes. BTW, she is down 140 pounds!

My other two inspiration angels are my sister-in-law and niece who had plication in June of 2011, at OCC, and are both down 70-90 pounds! Their advice: small portions, lots of protein, stay away from carbs. I'm seeing a pattern.

I have run into pain and discomfort when trying to eat carbs (my weakness). No piece of bread, serving of pasta or rice is worth risking complications from the surgery, or experiencing that too full, stabbing pain.

I'm down 25 pounds from my pre-surgery weight. I haven't started exercising yet, but have that planned in the next week or two. I'm 54 years old and my first go around with Weight Watchers was when I was 13.

My handsome husband is being very supportive and has dropped 10 pounds in the last couple of weeks, as a result of eating healthier and drinking LOTS of WATER.

Keep up the good work, Meredith!

Pam Johnson - Clovis, CA

[andromeda9mm]

Oh lordy ... I am 34. We get started young in Utah. ha ha ha. My oldest will be turning 13 and she starts Jr. High in a few weeks. The boys are 4, and my middle child is 8.

I eat whatever I like, just much, much smaller portions. Carbs don't seem to be a problem at this point, but I'm not sure they were a problem before ... I just ate too mcuh. I am really trying to focus on fiber ... oh lordy, when I was on the protein drinks, I thought I would never poop again. So I guess I'd say my strategy is fiber and protein.

I can't believe you are down 25 lbs. That is NUTS! I'm about 13-14 lbs. If I can loose a lb a week, I am satisfied. I'm giving myself an entire year to see the fruits of the surgery.

Mer

[FinallySomething4Pam]

Dear Girl, I think my dropping 25 pounds since the surgery has something to do with the amount of weight I have to lose, compared to you! Your busy running after those kids and making beautiful babies. I hear you on the pooping issue. Protein Bars have resolved that problem for me, but I was feeling the same on the protein drinks. The Special K bars are filled with fiber and protein, are affordable and easy to find.

Take care of yourself and keep up the good work! I admire you for reaching out and supporting others on this interesting journey.

[AnaA]

Hey Mer!

Thanks for starting this post and for the shout out in the message It's true! We post all the time! You have a beautiful family.

So checking in for roll call, i'm Ana and from NorCal. I had my plication done on July 20th, 2012 at the OCC and it is the best decision I have ever made. I will check in / weigh in tomorrow as I do on Fridays for my weekly anniversary. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks post plic. I can not wait to see what the scale says! You can see my weight progress in my signature line.

So the whole lovely constipation thing. I have been able to go but only sporadically and not anything substantial. I can't wait to have that be regulated. I figure the way I will get around that is to buy some flax seed powder and stir it in to cottage cheese and oatmeal once i start my soft foods TOMORROW!!! Has anyone tried that? I have to admit, i'm kinda nervous to transition to soft foods. I feel a good amount of security being on just liquids and I have not been hungry except 1 day and that was only 1 small stomach growl and to regulate it, I did breathing excercises to get rid of it. I was totally water/juice logged and don't even know why that happened.

It is amazing to me to think that I have been eating healthy since June! That was when I decided to do this. And I have been on liquids since July 18th! Wow. 23 days!

It's been an amazing journey already. I have learned a lot about myself and have learned FINALLY to listen to my stomach in a way that is healthy and have gained mental control over my appetite. Honestly? I did not think there would come a time in my life when I would be able to say that my mind was in control of how I ate. I had felt like such a slave to cravings for so long! I feel so grateful to be experiencing this sensation and let me tell you, I will never let the stomach take over again. EVER. It's had control for most of my adult life! Thanks to the OCC I have a truly new lease on life!

I have some questions for those of you who are going / or have gone through the soft food phase:

1. Were you able to get your protein in?

I feel like i'm still going to need to get that from the drinks during soft food phase. I mean how much protein does cottage cheese, tuna and oatmeal have? No where near the 30-50 gram recommendation. And I bought these fantastic drinks called Nectar protein, 1 packet is 4 servings: 100 calories, 23 g protein, and I mix it with 16.9 ozs of water. That, my clam chowder soup, & my ensure give me my protein (38g).

2. How about fiber intake?

3. How much soft food intake were you able to take in the first day per meal? I have heard others say they could only take in 2 TBSPNs at a time.

4. Did you eat 3 soft food meals a day or more or less?

5. Did your initial soft food intake increase after the first 3 days? or week?

6. Did you have to start all over again when you went to regular food?

7. How did you do on having nothing to drink 1 hour before and 1 hour after soft/solid foods?

OK! That's my intro. See u all tomorrow for weigh in at the end of Week 3!

[debgia]

Hey guys!

I'm Debra I'm form NY, I had my Plication done here in NY on July 23rd. I was a previous gastric band patient, but had complications with it from the start, with 2 revisions under my belt, it was finally removed. I rapidly started gaining weight back, and decided to get this plication done. Pre-op weight was 275, and I just weighed myself yesterday at 256. 19lbs, woo hoo!!! I started incorperating more solid foods this past week, and I must say I'm a little dissapointed, since I do not have the immediate restriction like I had with the band, I was able to consume more than I thought. I know this is just a tool, and with my continued sessions with the Nutritionist I know that I will be successful. " Slow and Steady Wins The Race". AnaA..I know it seems hard to try and get in all your protien, but the more you try the better you will get at it. I eat alot of cottage cheese, chicken salad, and greek yogurt. Not a big fan of protien shakes, I did find these delicious nature valley granola bars that have 10g of protein. I was able to eat 1/2 cup of food at each meal. When I'm at work I follow a schedule and eat every 2-3 hours. I was eating less than 800 calories, and did not lose anything last week, but once I increased my calorie intake, I'm already down 2lbs this week. I'm still having difficulty not drinking with my meal, that is a big struggle for me along with that dreadful thing called excersize, lol! Good luck to all of you guys, lets all keep in touch.

Debra

[AnaA]

Hi Debra, nice to have you here. Welcome. I wish you every success with this new plication! It is a fantastic tool. I do steadily get my protein in, the problem for now is how to transition that from drink to food. I have been looking up recipes! Any suggestions??? I eat a lot of cottage cheese too, but I am vegan so no meat stuff here. Also, I am lactose intolerant so no yogurt either. For probiotics I have been drinking yakult and like it. I will drink protein shakes if I have to, but I found these nice drinks called Syntrax Nectar. I get mine from BJs Bariatrics. They are 23g in 1 packet and nice and tasty and no bulky powder. How are you doing on the golden rule of no liquids 1 hour before and after meals?

[katie0482]

Hi,

My name is Katie and I just had plication surgery 08/16/2012. I am feeling a little discouraged, I have gained 3 pounds since the surgery! I am hoping that it is because I am bloated from the surgery, any thoughts on that would be good! I was also wondering how long people were in pain after the surgery. I am still pretty uncomfortable and very sore. I realize I just had a major surgery but for some reason I was not expecting this much pain! I notice today too that my ankles are a little swollen, has anyone else had this problem?

I would love to hear how everyone was doing a week after surgery so I can try and figure out if what I am dealing with is normal. Like I said I am feeling a little discouraged and I hope by speaking with others who have had this surgery it may make me feel a little better!

Thanks

[FinallySomething4Pam]

Hi, Katie: My husband and I spent the week following surgery in Rosarito and then San Diego, making a mini-vacation out of it. I remember being sore, especially when it came to getting in and out of cars, or turning over in bed. I didn't have any appetite and stuck with the liquids so I didn't have any "stomach pain," indigestion or gas pain. Another gal was there from Canada and she had a lot of swelling and retained water, but I didn't. I am now 7 weeks post surgery and have no pain - other than when eating carbs. Bread-y things just don't agree with me. But that is okay.

You are only a few days post surgery - things will get better in no time! Wear comfortable clothing and take it easy and if you have them, take the pain pills. Good luck!

[ulta]

A bit belated since the "introduce yourselves" invitation was posted almost a month ago, but I've been a lurker - just reading the posts and taking it all in, and finally decided I should join the mix. The posts I've read have been really helpful so my hope is to help others. I had my surgery in Chicago - July 25. Weighed in at 205 day of surgery. Before that, I lost just shy of 10 lbs lost on a 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I am now down a total of 21.2 lbs at the 5 week mark. I'm down a definitive dress size as well, which is even better. I'm on regular foods now and feel like things are finally where they should be. My weight loss has been very slow (yes, i know the mantra so it's okay). One frustrating week, only .5 lost, but then 3 lbs the following week. I'm happy with anything going in the down direction.

Because I'm exercising regularly, I aim for 800 calories a day. Sometimes I don't make that, but I feel much better when I do. The biggest problem is I get full on practically nothing, so an hour or two later, I'm famished. Then I eat too fast, and get full very quickly again. I've taken to eating small "meals" several times a day. One of my biggest staples -- smoked salmon (Trader joe's) - 2 oz of that will keep me satisfied for a while. I'm vigilant about the protein as well. During the week, at work, I mix a Vanilla Slim Fast (20 gram version) with iced coffee for breakfast and that feels like a nice treat. Lasts a long time too.

Waiting the 30 minutes after a meal to drink is almost impossible for me but I'm trying. I am also really trying to listen to my body. Something I've not done since probably childhood. Again, thanks to all of you posting regularly out there. It really does help. For those of you "lurking," I would say that this "tool" is something that is very helpful, but it's not easy and it's not fast. I could see how you could go back to your old habits easily, so it's a lot of mental work as well, but i am very happy i did it and hope to make continuous progress as the weeks go on.

[AnaA]

Hi Katie,

I gained 3 lbs post procedure too and when I asked about this, I was told that gaining 3-5 lbs. post plication is the norm since the body is bloated with gas. That went away within the first week and the weight loss was significant. I am aware that some people who have had the procedure have had literally little to no gas pain and I just marvel at that! It was QUITE the different story for me. The gas was so bad it hurt under my rib and at my left shoulder. It was pretttty intense the first 3 days, so much so that I thought something else might be happening, but as it turns out, all was fine, it was just tremendous gas pain. I honestly never thought gas could be so evil!

Also, I am a flipping sleeper, meaning that I go from being on my back to my right side to my left side, but the first week of surgery it felt super uncomfortable going from side to side, almost like I could feel all my internal organs falling downward in slow motion! That dissipated by the end of the first week to barely noticeable and that may be because I was determined not to let that discomfort keep me from sleeping how I wanted to. I would just prop pillows all around me and squeeze one to my stomach when I turned on my side.

I didn't have my ankles swollen but, hey, the gas pain was enough! Take Care Katie, best of luck and keep us all posted!

-Ana

[sn1980]

I am having my procedure in 3 weeks. Im really not nervouse but I am trying to go ahead and start planning for my post op diet. What sources of protein do you find easiest to tolerate? which multi vitamin do you take? how long does it take to rink all of that water? Sorry I have lots of questions! I want to be successful with this new adventure. Thanks for any help you can give!!

[ulta]

It's good to plan. I find that pureed smoked salmon, canned tuna or canned chicken was good while on puree. Greek yogurt is also high in protein. Cottage cheese works too. I continued with one high carb slim fast per day to ensure 20 grams of protein without a problem. That liquid goes towards your 64 oz a day too. Once you can eat real food, I still eat a lot of fish, I have also boiled shrimp and kept it in my fridge for a day or two so I can take one shrimp if I'm famished while cooking dinner. I've also taken a liking to Laughing Cow cheese (35 calories each) or the small individually wrapped Babybel cheeses (about 60 calories) which are good on the go. String cheese works for me as well. Hope that helps.

[AnaA]

Hello Sn1980

Best recoveries for your procedure in 3 weeks! I was nervous too. Totally normal. Planning ahead is definitely the way to go. For my protein I drink a product called Syntrax Nectar. You can order sample packs or buy a tub of 1 variety at the Vitamin Shoppe. I ordered a sample pack first here: http://www.bjsbariat...SamplePack.html

That let me learn which my favorite was and then purchase at the Vitamin Shoppe. What I like about it is that it's 23 grams of protein and you can dissolve it in water in 10-16 ozs of water. I find it goes down very easily and I love the flavor.

The multi-vitamin that I take is the Bariatric Advantage Multivitamin with Antioxidants. You can find it here:

http://www.bariatric...apsule&expand=1

A one month supply is $19.25 and consists of 180 pills. Now here's the down side... You have to take 6 a day. Yep. 6! They are easy to swallow, made that way, but they are NOT chewables. There are a lot of other bariatric vitamins out there where you take 2, or that are chewable but I have compared all the ones's I can find against what I am taking now, and have yet to find one as chucky jam packed with the amount of vitamins these give me. I am SO open to recommendations!

You have time to work up to 64 ozs of water. This is what I did, the first week after procedure you are on liquids only anyway, so I just made sure I kept liquid on me alll day long. You may only be able to drink 4 ozs a day or 16 ozs, the thing is to get used to keeping liquid on you and taking sips as your new stomach allows. For me, during week 2 post plication I made sure to take in 32 ozs of water a day. By week 3, I was taking in 48 ozs a day and by week 4 I was taking in 64 ozs. of water a day and continue to do so. It doesn't take long. What I do, and you can see a sample of how I eat/drink according to time in my blog, but essentially my routine is like this: I get up and eat breakfast, take an hour off, drink liquids for 2 hours (this is where I drink 16 oz protein and 16 oz water), take an hour off, have lunch, take an hour off, have a second round of liquids for 2 hours (Here I drink 32 ozs of water) take an hour off, eat dinner, take an hour off, and finish my final 16 oz of water. Usually this is anywhere from 8-10 at night.

Hope that helps. Feel free to ask what you need to know.