I'd like to share my experience after 2 weeks of gastric plication

[Sarah Elsekhawy 42]

Ghrelin, the hormone, gets a lot of attention these days.

Here is what we know about ghrelin:

Ghrelin is one of many hormones involved in appetite. We are learning that appetite is a very complex system and part of our body's survival mechanism. The brain wants us to breathe and eat - these two items are at the top of its list! The drive to eat is a very powerful biological drive.

Ghrelin is a feedback hormone and pressure in the wall of the stomach is what suppresses it. In other words, when you eat, the food activates pressure receptors in the wall of the stomach and ghrelin levels go down. If you haven't had the pressure receptors in your stomach activated for a while, ghrelin levels rise and so does hunger.

The most important way to suppress ghrelin levels is PRESSURE. Cutting out stomach that produces ghrelin doesn't eliminate ghrelin. The parts of the stomach that are left can produce lots of ghrelin but if there is pressure (food in the smaller stomach) then ghrelin levels will be low.

After gastric bypass, ghrelin levels go way down even though the entire stomach remains. After Lap Band surgery ghrelin levels are suppressed in general and get low after eating and the food creates PRESSURE in the small gastric pouch. It is the pressure reducing these levels since the entire stomach is still there.

Keep in mind that the ghrelin levels are a small part of a very complex system. When you talk to plication patients they have reduced appetite particularly after a small meal since the food creates pressure and activates the pressure receptors in the wall of the stomach.

There are probably many pharmaceutical companies working on an "anti-ghrelin" drug but it is likely that even if such a drug is created and works, the other hormones involved in appetite will increase over time reducing its effectiveness.

All this to say, the best way to reduce appetite is to stretch the wall of the stomach and if a stomach surgery has been done to reduce its size (band, bypass, plication, stapled sleeve, etc, etc) then you will get appetite reduction on smaller calories. One of the reasons weight loss operations work so well is that you are reducing appetite through normal biological channels, not a drug with side effects and decreased effectiveness over time.

Many people worry about ghrelin levels. The important question is, "does the operation reduce appetite?" If the answer is "YES" then you have a very powerful operation for weight loss regardless of ghrelin levels. We know that weight loss operations are suppressing things that float around in the blood stream that are yet to be discovered.

Vince Lombardi once said, "I don't give a #$&%! about statistics as long as we WIN!"

Brad Watkins MD

Dear Dr Watkins

Thank you very much for your priceless information ,I've to say that I realy feel great for not feeling hungry coz before my surgery I had never felt full, I was always hungry and willing to eat all day long.It's really great to feel full at small amount even if your appetite is not suppressed.I can easily recognize the difference between "the old me" and "the new me" when my friends eat infront of me .....before surgery I can't resist junk food but now I don't care what they are eating,a small amount can make me satisfied

Good luck everybody

but I'm a little bit worried about my calories intake .I'm 21 days post surgery ,but I'm don't know how many calories I should cosume,I would appreciate feedback.:thumbup:

[Ihave6kids 29]

You are going to do awesome Mari!!!!

Keep us posted.....

Hey, you had your surgery the day before mine at the same hospital. Did you by any chance talk to my mom and I? She had blonde hair and glasses. I talked to you in my room and I was still in bed. You were getting around great. Just wondering if that was you? My name is Julie and my mom's name is Sharon.:confused1:

[NotSoLittleMermaid 14]

Hi Mari, how did you did you do? I haven't logged in a few days or else I would have said more!

Jane, congrats you are probably at you weight goal by now! Your pictures are inspiring..

Thanks EVERYONE!

I enjoy hearing from all of you..keep up the good work!

[Mw9955 2]

Hi Amy, Ck, and everyone! I got home late last night and I promise to get detailed account when I feel up to it... As I expected, I feel twice as much pain and heal three times more slow as everyone else : (

My main piece of advice is do not go alone! Although the staff was great, they are no substitute for loved ones. I will post when I can.

Mari

[DrWatkins 13]

Regarding total calories, many patients losing weight will be around 800-1200 calories per day. Ideally, women shouldn't go below 1200 calories and men 1400 calories. Below this we think the body starts shutting down fat burning as a survival mechanism. Remember that ALL weight loss comes from calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume). The best weight loss comes from adding more burned calories to the calorie reduction that comes with any weight loss operation. Self-monitoring (tracking eaten calories against burned calories) is a very powerful weight loss tool that has proven effectiveness. The Internet has many self-monitoring tools for free (www.FitDay.com; www.livestrong.com - the Daily Plate; etc). Also, the iPod app "LoseIt" is very helpful. There are many of these free self-monitoring applications out there. Even with weight loss surgery it is hard to starve your way into a calorie deficit. Adding even a little calorie burning can be a huge help - even walking briskly for 30 minutes per day can add a lot of weight loss. I put a bunch of weight loss lectures on YouTube if you search Watkins Weight Loss Class for even more detail on all this stuff.

Brad Watkins MD

[mlowell10 0]

I was thinking about having this surgery instead of lap band. I got a notice from the BMI_Bandit on Twitter and just signed up for a webinar on the procedure by a surgeon, Dr. Lopez-Corvala in Tijuana who has performed about one hundred of them ? more than any other surgeon at this point.

[Ihave6kids 29]

I was thinking about having this surgery instead of lap band. I got a notice from the BMI_Bandit on Twitter and just signed up for a webinar on the procedure by a surgeon, Dr. Lopez-Corvala in Tijuana who has performed about one hundred of them ? more than any other surgeon at this point.

I too had thought about the lapband. I actually made an appointment with Dr. Kuri for the surgery. I continued to read about issues that were affecting some people and decided I wasn't willing to go that route. I did have the plication with Dr. Corvala. It went great. It has been almost 4 weeks now and I have lost 13 lbs. The whole experience went without a hitch. The hospital staff and Dr's are wonderful. Nothing to worry about.

[Jane_J 117]

Julie, thats great, I hope this will be procedure my daughter can use.

Jane x

[NotSoLittleMermaid 14]

Dr. Watkins is about the same amount and he is always there you for followup and questions and is a part of the USA trial in OH. I haven't had the surgery but he is the one I am looking closely at. I will also be tuning into Dr. Corvala's webinar on the 20th. I continue to research and learn.

[Cknorte 7]

I had surgery with Dr. Corvala, it is 4 weeks today, and I feel pretty darn awesome!

I am back to the gym, working out, jogging doing my C25K training, and back with my trainer for resistance training. I am not lifting weights yet, but am doing some body movements and resistance (squats, lunges, push up's etc)...we'll incorporate weights slowly in the next 2-3 weeks to get me to lifting what I was lifting before surgery.

Tomorrow is my official weigh in....so I'll post tomorrow....I am training myself not to step on the scale but once a week.

I'll also take 1 month pictures and post on blog....plus re-measure....

I am eating all normal foods now....I had a steak taco the other night, last night I had fish and shrimp, and tonight I think I'll have Soup....just because I want some...as if I didn't get enough during my liquid food phase...LOL

I am so glad I had this surgery.....

:thumbup:

[Ihave6kids 29]

You are doing awesome, Carol!! Sounds like you are going headfirst toward your new you! I've been doing a walking video. (Notice I said video.) It's an old one but still gives me a good workout. I actually sweat, LOL. Getting into new foods is great, isn't it? I can't wait to hear what you lost!!

[Mw9955 2]

Hi Julie and Carol! I am 10 days post and I just started walking a little.. You guys are doing great and help keep me motivated!

[Cknorte 7]

2lbs lost this week, total of 23 in 4 weeks....

I don't know if I'll see huge losses like I did the first 2 weeks again, but I know that I could not have lost weight without this surgery. I'm just happy to continue on a losing path!

[fitB450 0]

I had no problems with Dr. C in T.J. I have lost 14 lbs at 4wks. I went alone and was so glad I did. Dr. C and his staff were wonderful. I too considered the lap band but was disgusted at all the negative side-effects. I have had no negatives so far and am already on all normal food. I was a "power-eater" never feeling full or satisfied. Now I feel full after a very small meal. I only have 50 lbs to lose, but am so glad I made this choice. I think I will have no trouble reaching my goal.....ck out the website "the world according to eggface".....she is so inspirational, helpful, informative and encouraging....she is a gastric bypass patient, but the tips for WLS patients are all the same.....Let me know if I can answer any Quest. about the plication procedure or Dr. C.

[NotSoLittleMermaid 14]

Hi Everyone that has had Plication or does this surgery, this is probably a DUH-stupid question, but I feel the need to ask it anyway. Do any of you still have the shakey, hunger that feels like low blood sugar? Or is that what supressing the Ghrelin hormone does, keeps you full a whole lot longer due to size of small size of stomach-so you don't get the "low blood sugar feeling"? I find that I have a few types of hunger/cravings. There are "cravings" because one might be bored, happy, sad, tempted, or just flat out want to have something-trying to work on these : ) and have come a long way. Then there is HUNGER. It could be a growling stomach, it could be that famished feeling like you could eat 6 tacos, then there could be the weak, shaky hunger, when you've ignored your hunger for too long. I found when I was on Phentermine, it blocked that shakey, low blood sugar hunger, where as normally I couldn't go more than a few hours without atleast a snack. Thanks for your thoughts and feedback!