mi75

I, like any others, developed both lactose intolerance AND gluten intolerance post op. Both presented themselves at different times at about 12 and 18 months post op. Once I made dietary changes the symptoms went away. Don't give up and don't accept a brush off diagnosis until you've had it ALL worked up. I'm a Nurse Practitioner and I'll tell you that undiagnosed food allergies are very real and very harsh for many.

I have a very similar story, am 6 yrs post VSG. Had regain about 2 yrs out and it took getting some ugly medical news to get me back on track for good. I went strict keto, lost all the regain, lost about 20 more and am doing good. But it's always going to be a fight for me. I had to commit-LITERALLY, FINALLY- to giving up a lot of foods that I'll likely never eat again and that was a huge mourning process. I've been about 3 yrs strict Keto and love the lifestyle, but it's not for everyone. And it can be a challenge. yes we can have all that fat, but it's still really hard knowing I'll likely never eat most 'regular' foods again. Pre-surgery I had hoped I would be able to eat all things in small amounts again someday- but that got me on a slippery slope leading to the regain. So I have to stick to what works. I've found that when it comes to staying on track, I do great with total abstinence but really BAD at moderation.

I was an office nurse at the time and took a GLORIOUS 6 weeks off. It was the best time off. It was also during our summer break so my entire family was home too and we had a great time off together. Lots of little day trips, driving trips, etc. My kids still talk about it many years later.

For anyone dealing with regain, I FULLY suggest reaching out to your surgical team, nutritionist, psychiatrist, surgeon etc. They are there for you. Get some blood work done. Have a virtual meeting with your surgeon to talk about non surgical help. Support groups are virtual now but there are LOTS of them online! Seek them out. Regain is REAL. But we all have the TOOL to help us get the weight back off, and we all KNOW what to do. I had regain too, don't let me sound high and mighty- I had regain about 2 years post op but successfully got it off and continue to lose. It's a struggle and THE STRUGGLE IS REAL... Finally, I know for ME, I decided I must ALWAYS identify as a WLS patient. I can't ever walk away. I must always log in, read posts, seek support, etc. I still order protein and use it in the AM. I still count protein. I still keep my diet VERY LOW carb. It works for me. What works for me won't work for all. But there IS a solution out there for you.

Clementine welcome back! I think a BMI of 26 is generally pretty good considering most of us started at 45+!! Keep up the hard work. It IS hard work. For life. I am also not one of those lucky ones who lost the weight and never looked back. But I refuse to let my weight win, and I refuse to have had this surgery in vein. I am focused and on track. Julie, good to hear you're also keeping focused, 10 pounds is very achievable and you know what to do.

I am also a 2014 vet. I too had some regain. Here's the story for me...about 18 months after my op I left a long term career position, took a night, started grad school, switched to a leadership job, lost a parent unexpectedly, graduated grad school, went back for PhD, and more. When I had surgery, one of the main issues was a health problem that was considered reversible. In 2017 after some regain, my GI doc gave me some sobering news that it was returning. I had a serious 'come to Jesus' talk with myself. I went online looking for solutions. I sought my team. I went to some support group meetings (even online). I met with my nut. I met with a surgeon. After being given the option of a RNY revision, I realized that I KNEW WHAT TO DO, AND I HAD THE TOOL...I went full on Keto and never looked back. I am now at my lowest ever. I lost all the regain and then some. I realized through the process that FOR ME, I must always identify as a bariatric patient. I will NEVER be able to eat 'everything in small amounts'. I will always struggle. Surgery saved my life, yes, but it didn't fix my weight permanently- it did part of it but the major work was up to me. I would suggest seeking out support from your surgical team, support group, nut, psych, etc. ANYONE who is part of a bariatric practice. And start from scratch. Dense protein. Water. Shakes if necessary. Skip the 'reset' and all those things. Obviously regain comes from EATING so you have to relearn how to eat as a bariatric patient. It is absolutely possible but there are many of us here on the same timeline as you who have already been through this and are willing to help!

At 6 years post VSG the only thing that does it for me is that perfect storm of high fat/high sugar. So as long as I remain in ketosis I'm perfectly fine. I tried some regular ice cream a few times over the last couple years and every time I get late dumping syndrome...

That's really unfortunate. I'm 6 years post VSG, also had a fundoplication and have had wonderful results with my overall outcomes. However I had very closely monitored follow ups with my surgical/nutritionist/psych team and I think that was important for me. I hope you find a solution.

I can't believe that my 6 YEAR anniversary of VSG is coming up. Unbelievable!!!! Wow does time fly. I love to check in here. This website/forum was really a HUGE help to me in my surgery process and I learned so much from everyone through posts, questions etc. Just checking in to see who is still here that were active posters back in 2013/2014?? Hoping everyone is well!

Calling all vets- share your 2020 status and updates! I am now 5 years post VSG. I had good loss (75+lbs), fell off a bit had some regain, got bad health news, went Keto, lost regain....I am now the same weight as I was at my lowest after surgery. I feel pretty good. I do CrossFit 3-4 times a week. I still identify as a WLS patient, and I always will because it was the first step in my journey of taking control of my health. I am keeping my medical issue at bay. I continue on Keto and would like to lose about 20 pounds in 2020 and will be where I think would be a perfectly ideal weight for me. Hoping everyone is well!

tried them MANY times after my regain 2 yrs post op. It never worked for me. I had to finally focus and get real and get back to the basic food list. I essentially went back to dense protein, no carbs etc. worked like a charm.

it absolutely CAN. don't take the chance. put in the work now to reap the results long term. skip the sliders, they can cause regain FAST. stick to your given food list and keep your sleeve in good shape.

6 yrs post VSG and weigh daily. I am still on my journey! I have a health issue so there is phenomenal incentive to remain on track. Had regain about 2 yrs post op, got my act together and lost all of my regain and then some.

Hi Julie! I'm still around too...I am 6 yrs post VSG. Wow, how the time has passed. Initially I had the typical loss of the 'surgery doing the work' and felt great. Followed the rules to a T. But about 18 months post op I made major changes in my life, left a long-time career, moved, went to grad school, took a night position, etc. I started slipping little by little and although it wasn't too bad initially, as time went on I started having regain. Then I lost a parent, graduated grad school, went back AGAIN for a Doctorate, changed jobs again, etc. Finally about 2.75 yrs post op I got some super sobering health news (a condition that my surgery had corrected was back) and had to get real with myself. I had to seriously have a 'come to Jesus' moment with myself and realized the TOOL was still there. I went strict Keto and never looked back. I now have successfully lost my regain, am back where I was at my lowest post op, and am working to maybe drop another 20. No, I can't and probably never will again, eat what I really want to. I'm ok with that. My health condition is hopefully under control. I feel good. I have remained on track. I consider myself a bariatric success and I know a LOT of folks who weren't as fortunate.

Hey all, just checking in to see who's still here in May. What a crazy few months it has been. Continue to work every day and doing lots of work from home too so that's been nice. Got a handle on my 'graze' issue and have managed to really get the scale moving again! Hope you are all well and keeping the focus. Check in question- has the quarantine made it easier or harder for you to dial in your focus?

I am just about 6 years post VSG! I told my immediate family- spouse, kids, parents. I told my immediate co-workers because my job is such that nobody could cover me and there were many inquiries about why I was taking 5 weeks off. I didn't tell anyone else. Not siblings, close cousins. Nobody. No old friends, nobody. I still don't freely share the info unless I'm asked by somebody who heard it elsewhere. I have an extended family that is VERY judgmental, who live through the eyes of female value is ranked by looks, hair, clothes, car, etc. Never mind that I have 2 master's degrees, and half way done with a doctorate and am a practicing Nurse Practitioner. Didn't matter. So even now, it is still an identity that I have- a bariatric patient- but not something I yell from the rafters.

Fat Doctor from the UK is so much better....I like 600 lb Life but am overall a bigger fan of many UK shows and their version, albeit only 5 seasons is way better and can be found on YouTube.

Just checking who is still around during the pandemic?! Being a Nurse Practitioner I do take this very seriously but am working from home part of the day and found that 'the graze' was getting me into trouble so had to check myself and get real again! Hoping everyone is doing well. Next week following Easter I will be embarking on a 3 week pre-op style diet to do some work on my metabolic 'issue' under my doc's direction. Hoping to see some great results on both the scale and the diagnostic testing! So...who's still here? There are so many from 5-6 years ago that I miss and wish this Vet's board would still be super active. Please check in!!!

Eating very focused and on track, walking every day. Doing some Vinyasa at home and some basic CrossFit workouts in my basement (box jumps, battle ropes, squats, kettle bells, ball slams) a couple times a week. Still going to work every day (nurse practitioner) but fortunate enough to work part of the day from home. Terribly hard time for us all. Hopefully everyone is staying well through this.

I am 6 years post VSG. I can tell you that every person has a very different experience. There are some that have 100% success. Some that have very little. Hang in there. I have had ups and downs. I lost about 90 total, had some regain and got refocused- and lost it. What I would tell you is to keep consistent with follow up appointments with your surgeon. I have a friend who went through VSG and had similar small losses as you. She was considered a 'non responder' to VSG and her insurance OK'ed RNY and she lost 90 lbs without effort after that. Now 5 years out she's down over 100 post RNY and feels great.

Well upon the advice of my bariatric team, I bought some new protein powder today. SIX YEARS post op. Yup, it still works though! My surgeon wants me to work on a specific health thing and feels like doing a 'pre op' style diet for a few weeks will trigger my body to do what he needs it to. Since I've developed a serious lactose intolerance post op, I'll be using some unsweetened almond milk as a sub. I'm actually looking forward to getting this level of focus back in my life. With all the chaos going on in the world around me, it will be good to let me focus on something else....

They are great. I only see them yearly or 18 months or so, but it's good to check in and just get a thumbs up. The entire team makes up your visit, so I see the NP first, then the Nut, then the Psych then the Doc last. The NP gives my lab slips and does a quick overall exam. The Nut goes over food questions, issues, etc. The psych does an entire psychotherapy visit. Then the MD does the wrap up and orders any necessary procedures, or further (non typical) labs, writes scripts if necessary. Very nice team approach. Since I'm a NP maybe I'm more in tune with what a team approach should look like and I really admire this practice for their set up. makes the whole thing go so smooth.

I'm 6 years post VSG. Had some early regain but got it under control and have maintained decently. It takes a lot of work for me though, and because of another diagnosis I have to follow a pretty severely low carb diet. I too have slider foods like popcorn, crackers, etc. I had to literally give them up and walk away. A few times a year my hubs and I will PLAN for a few days where we eat what we want (pizza, pasta, etc) and we have absolutely NO guilt about it but after the very specific amount of days, we hop back on our plan and just keep going. We don't obsess over the scale during the few weeks afterward knowing it will go up a tad. My original surgeon was AMAZING but I changed jobs and insurances about 2 years post op. So I have to see a different guy now. I usually check in every 18-24 months with him and am due this summer. My original surgeon told me that if I could maintain within 8-10 lbs of my very lowest post op weight that was considered a success. While I AM within that range, I really do still have about 25 lbs to lose to be considered normal BMI, and I am still bound and determined to get there. Next Monday, because my surgeon and another doc are focused on this metabolic 'thing' that I have, and they want some very specific things to happen for it, I'll be starting a 3 week 'pre op' style diet with shakes, 1 small meal, raw veg, broth, and sugar free jello. While I KNOW my sleeve is still working, and I have GREAT restriction, I am looking forward to seeing what both my weight and my labs do after that 3 weeks!

Lord yes...and I'm SIX YEARS post op! It took me over a year to actually train my eyeballs to know the amount I could eat. I still find myself filling a plate all the time then I sit down and 6 bites into it I'm done. All a part of the head games I suppose. What I will do, though, is still order certain things with the absolute intent of eating my portion then having a specific amount of leftovers. I will pre-PLAN for the leftovers and exactly how/when I will use them so it's not wasted. For example if we eat out on Thursday nights I know to not order anything with leftovers because Friday lunch at work is always something that I can/will eat so the leftovers would be wasted. Works well most of the time!

I love Pilates for the stretch, tone, and flexibility results. I've done it on and off for years and have an Aero Pilates reformer at home. I don't know if it made a huge difference in my LOSS efforts but I feel so much better when I do it. I do feel like I'm much more toned for sure. In fact I've actually fallen away for the last 6 months or so and had found myself suffering the same exact back pain that brought me to it in the first place, and have just restarted my practice. Hopefully a few weeks and I should see a difference!