genepha

Thanks for the support and great ideas! I'm hoping that since I would like to become a size 10/12 it won't be an issue. We will be going to a show in April so I will check things out and see how it goes. Thanks~ Jenn

I'm looking into my 3rd revision (banded, rebanded with plication and now a sleeve). You should definitely talk to your surgeon, if you have a good relationship with him/her and feel comfortable. I actually switched surgeons for my sleeve. Good luck to you!

So glad to read this. I am also a banded plication revision patient so I'm pleased to see that someone has successfully revised. I'm hoping to be revised to the sleeve this summer. Take care, Jenn

Good luck! Keep us updated.

Congratulations on your surgery date. I am also looking into a revision. I look forward to seeing how others do with their revisions. Good luck! Jenn

Wow! Congrats!!

Good luck!

Thanks!

Congrats on your appeal and good luck with your surgery and recovery!

Good luck!!

I officially started mushies on Feb 17 - 10 days after surgery. My weightloss has stalled and I'm sure it's due to going off liquids only and adding in carbs. I expected it and I'm okay with it. Next week I'm allowed to go back to the gym to start cardio. I've been walking everyday and have worked up to 1 mile. To give an idea of what a mushy plan looks like here is my food so far: Bfast 1/2 a pre-made GNC protein shake Snack 1 graham cracker with about 1/4 tsp of peanut butter Lunch 1 piece of thinly sliced turkey, about 4 spoonfuls of chicken and veg soup (no vegs) and 2 spoons of mashed potatoes Snack (will be) 1/4 bottle of Isopure, 1/2 pudding blended w protein powder Dinner (will be) 3 oz of leftover soup, 2-3 tsp of potato Snack LF string cheese I'm trying to get in enough protein but I'm falling short so I'm going to start adding yogurt and/or cottage cheese for meals or snacks.

Yesterday was my 2 month anniversary since surgery and I've lost 30 pounds. The first month I lost pretty quickly and was down about 20 pounds the first 3 weeks. I stalled from Feb. 28 until Mar. 15 and finally lost 1 pound. Over the next 2 weeks, I lost another 3 pounds. So my weight loss definitely slowed down. These past couple of weeks I increased my water intake and my activity level. I have exercised pretty much every day since about mid-March. Even if I go on a quick 20 minute walk with my dog, I do some form of exercise every day. I am usually at the gym for at least 1 hour. My workout routine looks like this: Mon - Zumba (1 hr.) Tues - Walk/Jog (40 min. or 2 milesish) Wed - Zumba (1 hr.) Thurs - Walk/Jog (40 min. or 2 milesish) plus I take a dance class with my husband at night. Fri - Walk/Jog (40 min. or 2 milesish) or Zumba (1 hr.) If I miss the gym I will do a walking or dancing video at home. I'm very happy and proud of my results. I feel like I've worked hard for my results. I exercise now with purpose. Before surgery (even with my band) I felt like exercise was almost worthless because no matter how much I worked out, I almost couldn't compensate for all the food I was consuming! Now I eat anywhere from 900-1200 calories a day. Somedays I eat more, especially if I eat out (which I do quite a bit for my business) but if I eat out I add in extra activity to try to make up for the extra calories. I had this surgery to feel "normal" which I didn't with my band. I had difficulty eating healthy food with the band and now I don't. I do eat protein first, I drink Isopure and a lot of water and try to keep my carbs down. Hope this helps anyone who is struggling or considering WLS. Take care of you!!

I weighed 250 this morning! I started at 283 about 2 1/2 months ago. Woo Hoo!! I actually decreased the amount I'm working out but I did increase the intensity of my workouts. Because of this I have actually been eating a bit more. I'm in Las Vegas for business so I can't update my ticker as I'm using my phone so it'll have to wait till I return. I wont be officially working out while in Vegas and I'm going to be eating out a couple times a day so I'll see what happens with my weight when I get home. I'm a daily weigher so it's going to be weird for me not to weigh for like 5 days!! I'll be walking a lot and maybe dancing too so that'll have to count for my workout! Take care all!!

I was pretty much stuck most of the month of March. When I went from liquids to mushies I figured I was going to stall for a bit but I increased my exercise to make up for the additional calories that I was getting. During the liquid phase I was probably eating/drinking around 400-500 calories. Once I got to the mushie phase I was eating/drinking about 600-800 calories and now that I'm on pretty much regular food I eat anywhere from 800-1200 calories, depending on the day and my activity level. I was stuck at 260 from the end of February until March 15. However, I stuck with everything that I was doing with my eating plan. I followed my doctor's plan about 95% of the time which includes eating 2-3 oz. of dense protein first, 2-3 bites of potatoes or mushy veg and eating every 3 hours. I kept my exercise level consistent except for 1-2 days per week when I increased my time at the gym by about 10 minutes. I've lost 2 pounds in 2 days this week and I didn't go to the gym at all this week yet! I've been taking 15 minute walks with my dog at night, I did a Zumba DVD in the morning and yesterday I took my son to the museum and we walked around and played for about 2 hours. I was too tired last night to do an exercise video and somehow, I dropped another pound! So I think the thing about stalls is to remain consistent. If there is something in your diet that needs tweaking, like maybe getting too many carbs or not enough carbs, go ahead and tweak it but following the doctor's plan does seem to work for most people. Of course, I was banded for almost 10 years so I think that has helped me with certain eating rules like chewing food really well and slowing down to eat. The biggest rule that I have a hard time with is not drinking while eating as I get pretty thirsty when I'm eating. The thing I learned while being banded is that it doesn't really matter how long it took me to lose weight, what mattered was that I had a difficult time keeping the weight off once I lost it. I am more concerned with long-term diet and exercise changes than losing weight quickly. When I lose it, I want it to stay lost!! Good luck to those of you struggling~

I ran my first 5K today! I am a slow jogger and can usually run/walk 1 mile in about 17 minutes so I was hoping to finish the 5K in under 50 minutes. I actually finished in 52 minutes but that was mainly because my husband and my children saw me on the sidelines and my 4 y.o. son wanted to run the last mile with me. He ran about 200 yards and then decided to stroll the rest of the way! Then the last 1/3 of a mile he wanted me to carry him! So I ended up carrying a 44 pound 4 year old for 1/3 of a mile - so needless to say I'm very happy with my results!! The other thing that I kept thinking of when I was holding my son was that he is almost equivalent to the weight I've lost and it was exhausting carrying around that extra 44 pounds!!! Overall, I had a great day and am super happy that I completed my first 5K. I'm going to start training for another 5K in a few weeks, then a 10K in the Summer followed by the Long Beach, CA 1/2 marathon in October.

Congratulations!! I had 2 WLS (lapband) babies and both were born healthy and at 39 and 37 weeks. Good luck to you and your growing family!

Here is a pic of me in the red jacket jogging the 5K (slowly). I had just passed mile 2.

Hi Kerry, I work out almost every day and have done so since mid-March (about 6 weeks post-op). I do Zumba, Kickboxing, treadmill, elliptical and swimming. I haven't done any overt abdominal exercises but that is mainly because I'm a total baby about my tummy. I also have a band over plication so I just feel like my tummy is more tender than someone who only had the plication. Make sure u ask ur doctor as well because different doctors have different waiting periods. Good luck to you and KUP!

Yeah I think going from all liquids to mushy and soft foods tends to bring on stalls. Plus our bodies are still healing from major surgery. If you use the search button and look up 3 week stall, you will find lots of posts about it. It's fairly common to experience stalls throughout the weight loss journey. My concern has never been how fast I lose weight (although I'd like it to be fast!), my concern is that once I lose the weight I want it to stay lost forever!!!

Thanks Diva Hope u r feeling better these days! I went on vacation/work trip to Vegas and when I came back I had lost 3 pounds! I didnt really track my food, water or exercise intake but my new little tummy still did its job!!! I feel like I am living a much more "normal" life now than when I was banded. I hope in a few weeks you will feel this way too! Take care of you!

Good luck! Try Unjury, and Isopure. I drink GNC Lean RTD shakes in Chocolate, Vanilla or Strawberry. I don't like the milky ones but these ones are not too bad and have 170 calories and like 24 grams of protein. I drink 1 in the morning for breakfast since I don't like to eat breakfast. KUP.

Yes. I think there's another doctor that does it in T Oaks or Ventura also. Not sure of their pricing or if they r doing trials now. I drive 2 hours to see him and have been pleased with his abilities, aftercare program and staff. But if u end up in Mexico I think u will b in good hands with Dr. Ortiz.

Fills aren't usually done in hospitals. They were done in the office or next door at a radiology center if needed. Everything that I experienced was neat, clean and "hospital" quality. Too bad ur insurance won't pay because my plication doctor is in Ventura.

I have lots of experience with Drs. Ortiz and Corvala in TJ but not with the plication as they were my fill doctors when I had the band. Dr. Ortiz is well respected and very knowledgeable (and quite handsome!). He has quite a few plication patients but not as many as Corvala - I believe. Hopefully someone who's been to Mexico for plication will answer some of ur questions. Good luck!

Diva, You are doing great!! I calculated your percentage and you've already lost like 28 prcnt of your EWL! That's great!! Because u r considered a lightweight, it may take u a bit more time. Remember it's not really about how fast u lose, but if u can keep it off once it's lost. I'm hoping to lose another 6-7 pounds in the next 3-4 weeks so I will have lost 40 pounds by June! I, like most people want to lose more but I have been so happy with my progress and what and how I've been able to eat. I had many problems eating with the band and I haven't experienced any of those problems with the plication! Good luck to you. Take your PPI and try to get in enough water and exercise daily!