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Hello everyone - I need advice. The 16th anniversary of my surgery was yesterday. It's been a wild and wonderful sixteen years. I have lost 90 pounds. Many changes during these years. Mostly all good. I turned 60 years old in April. I have noticed in the past few months that I feel hungry more often, and I've seen my weight go up. It's not going up by much but just the fact that it seems to be increasing is concerning to me. All these years I've been able to literally eat ANYTHING I want with no gain at all. I don't know if my insides have changed or it's the fact that I turned 60, but I want to put a stop to whatever this is RIGHT NOW. For those of you out there to whom this has happened, what did you do? I would appreciate any and all suggestions and tips you might have... Thank you, Lisa in Scranton PA

Any advice helps I’ve regained 40 pounds and I want to get to my goal weight which is 66 pounds away I’ve went back to basics but struggle mindset wise and can’t afford the therapy part 😭 any advice?

Had gastric bypass surgery in 2012. I kept everything thing off until 5 years ago. Now, I'm steadily regaining all of my weight back. I stopped following the "rules". I want to get myself back on track again.

Hi vets- It's been TEN years this year since I had my surgery. I hate that I'm writing this, realizing that I became the stereotypical regain person that I NEVER pictured I would be. I had so many life events- parent death, spouse job change, personal job change, night time job, kiddo diagnosed with severe anxiety/depression, etc etc and have had some regain. Has anyone got a good 'recipe' for regain/reset? I've read multiple posts here from someone recommending 2 shakes plus 1 meal a day. Ideas? Can anyone offer some wisdom to a failed sleever?

Okay this is long and boring at parts but here it goes. I am 3 years post sleeve and I have gained all my weight back . First of all I was on the smaller side to have the sleeve but I do still have all the same struggles and if I had waited until I was older it was just a matter of time until I was a higher bmi having the surgery. The fact that I have lost and then gained it all plus some within less than years is probably proof of that. Anyways, with the sleeve I did lose a big chunk of weight. I went from 235 to 168 which I could not have done with regular diet. But, i was always able to eat a little more than I should at every given stage and everything was easy for me. From day one I had no gas pain and water was easy to get down, then fluids and protein which were easy to keep down, I had no food intolerances and advancing through each stage. I was living my best life watching the pounds fall off but I was alway able to eat just a little more than everyone else at the same stage. Well, while the hunger hormone was gone and I was focused I was able to eat exactly what I SHOULD be eating and I measured my portions to the Amount I should be eating and I was satisfied. So lost most of the weight the dr suggested I would. i held that weight for a few months but then the hunger started creeping back and between the hunger and the extra room in the pouch I started gaining in spite of still making healthy food choices (my food was fine but my portions were too large and too frequent). Well, even though I knew I was losing control my friends and family continued to look at me as doing great..I was still on the road to getting to where I needed ti be in their eyes. I was ashamed. I was failing yet They kept complimenting me and offering me food. They were saying things like your doing so good, you can have one slice or pizza or one brownie. It won’t kill you. It’s okay that you’ve gained a couple pounds I’ve gained a couple it’s Christmas. You can lose that. Well I have since learned that no I cannot just have one of anything to do with carbs or I crave them for a week but I didn’t know that back then Anyways, was still going to my surgeon asking for help but I have bipolar disorder and the meds I take for it limit what other meds I can take so I cannot take many of the weight loss meds they had to offer. And the one I can take worked wonderfully during the day but when it wore off I ate all night Fast forward a few months and I stepped on the scale and I was back over 200. That sucked but I wasn’t giving up. went back to my surgeon asking about revision to bypass. I have heartburn gerd whatever you call it and clearly the sleeve wasn’t working so I wanted to know my options. Well let’s go back. I knew I didn’t want to have surgery if I was going to just repeat the yo-yo that had just happened so I decided I wanted two opinions this time. Well the second opinion dr had a cancellation so I seen him first. He was on board. He was going to bypass a shorter amount of bowel so i had less absorption issues and my meds Would work fine he said which seemed to be his concern even though it wasn’t really my question. I just needed my dr to say that it shouldn't be a repeat of last time and I was going forward. Well even though the bypass was an option he presented to me to start he said he wouldn’t do a bypass for me. He thought it would be a bad call with my mental health issues. This was confusing to say the least because I have one dr saying it’s fine and another dr I really respect saying it’s not and I started this thinking bypass was always an okay option in terms of mental health but worried the surgery just wouldn’t work for me. I am of course concerned about my mental health so took some time to think about it. I tried for a while to find a bariatric therapiest but none near me are taking any new patients. I even asked the surgeon and he said he would look into it but be never did. Anyways I called around for the better part of two days. They all just do the evaluations now for surgery. I have had every hormone test and lab they have that could possibly be the problem. I changed all my meds in case they were the issue. I tried everything myself and my doctors could think of but I kept gaining. When I revisited the idea of surgery I was scared. Anything that was going to upset my mental health again just isn’t an option I decided. I already know what life without my medication is like and I do not want to go back there. I continued to gain. I got back up to 245 and I am miserable. I am so depressed when I look at what I have let happen to myself. I had a chance and I blew it. I am disgusted when I look in the mirror. I decided that the weight is causing me to be more depressed so I needed to get some real answers. I went back to my surgeon. Not to ask him to do the surgery but exactly why he thought it was a bad idea. The plan was to take that info and talk to the other surgeon to make sure he had considered that and see why he wasn’t worried about it. Well, surprise…my surgeon is on board now with doing a revision for me. When I asked why he said no before he said something about a nite in my chart that said I wasn’t complaint with my meds back them and he didn’t know I have a psychiatrist and psychologist and take my meds but now he is comfortable doing surgery. So, frustrated I had to wait until I gained almost 50 more pounds to get here but excited he is willing to do it I am researching the other surgery he thinks will be a better fit for me called the SADI. At the same time I am still not buying the note in my chart thing. Cause that was never true. I guess the important takeaway for those of you here that are just starting out is even if you do regain don’t lose touch with your team and don’t give up. I feel like my dr wavering in whether he would do the surgery didn’t help but I could have asked more questions sooner and I wouldn’t have so much to lose this time. Plus, hopefully you guys can take the weight loss meds and won’t be facing a second surgery.

I had gastric sleeve on April 29, 2013. In September 2015, I gave birth to a very premature baby boy, who lived in the NICU for 6 months before he passed away. During that 6 months, I didn’t eat. I drank so much coffee, and I had 1 sugar in each coffee. As you can imagine, I gained. I found out I was pregnant again 8 weeks after my son passed away. During that year and a half I gained back about 70 pounds. I have been trying to get back on track, but I can’t do it. My head just isn’t in the game anymore so to say. Yes, I still have 100lbs off, but I want to be where I once was. Has anyone else been in the same situation and got back on track?

My weight has been stable but my size isn't. I guess due to exercise / weight training. My size 4 pants are loose. I hesitate to say I'm a size 2. I read folks in maintenance will level off and regain 10-15 pounds. How true that is?? I don't know but if it is, when will it?? I'm investing heavily in a new wardrobe and really would hate to end up with a closet full of "One day I'll get back to that size" clothes again

Eating too much? Maybe not the right things?all of the above. This looks like one of my worse food diaries to date. I'm physically active, but it's not enough. I've regained. 8 lbs in one month. I've lost 110lbs& have maintained at about 135lbs for 8 months. I started the minipill birth control last month. I keep saying it's all head hunger, but I feel ravenous. I can eat so much more than I could since being sleeved back in Nov 2012. I get hungry& light headed every few hours. I'm thinking of doing all liquid diet over the weekend. Since I switched jobs I'm exposed to constant take out ordering, candy, & am less active at work. I'm stressed. I started working in ICU, people are kind of catty & conservative. I feel like I have a lot to learn& can't sleep sometimes thinking I may have made an error. I sleep maybe 3-4hrs per day. Personally, I'm stressed/depressed about being a 31 yo single woman. It sucks. & my single friends are actually in relationships right now. My sister moved in with me over a year ago & is kind of irresponsible, sometimes doesn't pay me for rent, & often invites people I don't know to live with me despite constantly telling her I'm not running a halfway house. Grrr. I know these are all excuses, but I feel like admitting my problems is better than eating my way through them. I'm not usually vocal about my problems. I'm open to any suggestions. I just feel I'm at my breaking point.

Howdy, It deeply shames me to admit this, but I do have weight regain. I've noticed the moment I get extremely stressed out or extremely upset or both that all I want to do is simply just eat. I hate this. I've had my VSG on July 18th, 2012. My original weight was 330lbs before the surgery. I've lost 142lbs as result of the surgery. My current weight bounces between 182 to 195lbs based on my eating. It has been fairly easy up until this point. I will admit that I am miserable. I am at a point in my life that I wish I was not in, but unfortunately, I am in it. At this point: No steady job with benefits, still in college, left my lying boyfriend, and I don't really have any close friends anymore, because I moved back in with my parents due to economic difficulties. As result of my age (being 26), I was kicked off the extremely good health insurance that my family has. The other downside of being a VSG, not many insurance companies like to offer decent health insurance to you as result of being a VSG. My current insurance is Coordinated Health Benefits. For the record, they are *awful*. I do not recommend them. You are always billed later for any office visits, blood work, and you pay obscene prices for medications. I have explained to my parents that I am struggling to lose this remaining weight. All I am met with are comments of severe negativity and shame. Not support and encouragement. My parents are *NOT* supportive of me in the sense of encouragement and wanting to see me be successful as a VSG. They are not willing to be helpful at all. All they wish to do is tempt me with more junk food. They are of the personality, "It's OK for us to eat whatever we want and be fat, but it is not OK for you to be fat. Yet we are not willing to help you by changing our eating habits since we all live in the same house." I don't know what to do. I don't have anyone in my life who I can talk to about this. I can't afford to talk to someone who is a mental health provider, because I do not have a steady full-time job with benefits. I am in the process of wrapping up my Bachelors' degree in Legal Studies and Business Management. I am currently looking for a job that suits my skill set. I feel like I just do not have any hope. I wish I did have hope. I pray to God everyday to please bring me some hope. That's all I want is something good to believe in. I don't want to be my starting weight again, but I know if I continue on this destructive path that I will be... - Texas Belle

Hello friends. Would/could someone please explain how people regain 50+ pounds? This is a genuine question. Not a judgement at all. Does your pouch expand? Are you no longer full? Are re-gainers simply eating thru the pain?? I'm terrified of gaining the weight back! THANK YOU Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had my sleeve surgery in August 2013. It was the best thing I have have ever done for myself. The knee surgery I thought I would need....I did not. The fatigue and inability to move....gone. My poor blood sugar, blood fats, lymphadema, etc....all better. I can buy clothes off the rack. This has been a dream for me. Alas, I have had a rough stretch. A significant family crisis has taken me away from my “year of me”. I stopped tracking my protein. I let my weekly exercise quota slip away. I no longer commit to my good, post-surgery habits. I have slipped into naughty “slider food” habits (chips, crackers, wine.....too little protein, too many carbs, basically not following any of the recommendations of my program). None of these choices is ok. None of these is recommended....by anyone. I post this only as a cautionary tale. I have regained 30 pounds (1/3 of my total weight loss) since my minimum. I am, again, in the “morbidly obese” category (not even a little bit ok with me). I struggle to climb stairs. My knees are hurting again. I will learn how bad my metabolic numbers are soon (when I see my doc for my annual physical). This was not why I underwent major surgery and worked so hard for several years at my good health and weight loss. i tell all you all this to warn you to stay vigilant. Take your surgery seriously. Keep up with your good, new, healthy habits. Don’t let life’s events derail your hard work. Surgery was a life changer for me and I have not been able to make a lasting success of it. I am still better off than I was pre-surgery but not where I should/could be. My surgeon is frustrated with my weight slide. I am mad at how my life circumstances have derailed this “miracle” in my life. My weight is up. My health is down. Not good. i plan to return to good habits....eventually (once my life settles down). I hope it helps me. Time will tell. I choose to believe that my bad habits will be reversible. Fingers crossed I am correct. Stay strong, sleevers. Don’t follow in my footsteps.

Hey everyone, I have been very successful with my weight loss, went from a bmi of 43 to 21.5. Was doing about 1000 calories, but my blood pressure keeps getting lower, and my doctor is starting to think it might get to a level of concern so I upped my calories to 1200, I am around where I want to maintain, wouldn't mind an extra 5 lbs but am okay where I am at. For some reason now that I have upped that 200 calories I have seen myself gain a pound or two in the past couple weeks of 1200 calories. I will note my exercise has gotten screwed for a couple weeks due to being very busy, and due to a medical issue I will be our of exercise commission for at least a month. I am torn what should I do. It freaks me right out to see the scale start going the other way. On the same token I don't want my blood pressure to get too low that I need medical intervention. Any advice would be greatly appreciate.

Hello Everyone, This is my 3rd week post-op and I've finally switched to soft foods!! However, I have gained 2 pounds. I'm still only having around 2 oz of food per meal. The only new items I've added are shredded chicken and low fat string cheese. Someone please tell me this is normal. I'm eating enough to gain 2 pounds but not enough to have a bm, what the heck!

Hello everyone. I started my journey 4 years ago going on 5 in Dec at the time I weighed 278 within one year I was down to 144. I did great. I worked out 7 times a day. I watched and kept a diary of everything I ate. I seriously took care of my new pouch lol. I never felt restricted on my foods because I learned to cook healthier and it was good food. Well I started dating my husband 3yrs ago and we would party a lot and I started to eat late on the weekends so I gained 10lbs but I was fine I did not feel bad. Well a year ago I had my first baby and I only gained 30lbs but by the time I left the hospital (C-section so I stayed 3 days) I was already my pre baby weight so that was awesome. Well I became a stay at home mom eventually my baby started eating and snacking well mommy (me) snacks and eats with her. To cut this short from Jan to now I have gained 40lbs 😭😭😭😭. My jeans don’t fit or fit extremely tight. I refuse to buy new clothes which means a bigger size. I started the ouch reset on Monday. It’s going good because I’m back to being determined and I feel motivated. I’m stuck I don’t remember how many carbs are we supposed to have, how many fats, and how much sugar. Can anyone help me out and tell me what they follow? I know protein is 60-80 grams a day. I went shopping got my protein, liquids, and veggies so when I start my soft stage again.

I am four months post-op and steadily but slowly losing weight. I have read in several places that we can expect to lose 50% - 60% of our excess weight. The challenge with weight loss is clothes - when do you know you have reached a size where you will stay? I have read in the same literature that after we reach our lowest weight loss point, we regain 10% - 20% back. It is my understanding that initially we lose too much weight but our bodies find a way to find an optimal weight. Apparently we will lose weight for up to one year after surgery. And as time passes, it will slow down considerably, Is this your understanding as well? If you are more than one year post-op, do you find yourself continuing to lose weight? When could you stop buying new clothes? Should I keep some of my new post-op clothes in anticipation of a 10% - 20% regain? The reason I am asking is that every time I hit a plateau, I tho I, "ok, now I can buy new clothes." But a few weeks later I lose 5 more pounds. I have no choice but to buy new clothes because the old pants literally start to fall off when I walk. But that gets expensive. My shirts seem to work fine, though the collars are too big, but suits, jackets and pants have to be altered and/or replaced. Thanks in advance for any insight that anyone can offer. I wish everyone success in his or her weight-loss journey.

Has anyone gone through this cycle where you started regaining weight and you had to change your food/eating to get back on track? I want to turn this problem around ASAP! Any advice greatly appreciated!!

I found this information and I thought it was good to post it's something that some of the long term sleevers have concerns about even some of the newbies have concerns about what if: Weight regain after bariatric surgery can be an uncomfortable subject and one that both surgeons and patients want to avoid talking about, but can’t. To be sure, weight regain happens – the real question revolves around the cause. We understand that the choice to have weight loss surgery was a big one and the return of weight (in any amount) is disappointing. But understanding the way our bodies work and what may be behind the weight regain can help us address the issue more effectively. First and foremost, don’t get down on yourself. In all likelihood, your surgery did work and you are doing the right things, but our bodies change. As our bodies change, so too do our needs. Natural Regain: Some weight regain after bariatric surgery and especially gastric bypass is normal. If you regain 5-10% of your excess body weight after a few years of losing consistently, don’t fret. Speak to your surgeon, but it is likely no problem at all. Diet modification: Many of us tend to overdo it in our diets. It is tempting to over-diet, but the results can be counterproductive. Crash diets can even cause us to retain more fat than a diet of moderation. Be sure that you follow your diet plan closely and work with your dietician to ensure the very best results. Exercise habits: As with diets above, there is a fine line between good and bad exercise. Understanding the exercises to which your body responds and working with an exercise physiologist can help ensure that your exercises are doing good and not harm. Pouch or stoma enlargement: The stomach pouch and/or stoma (the opening into the stomach) can in fact stretch over time. This can cause mild or significant weight regain and can be corrected with one of several simple outpatient procedures. Revision Surgery can be effective, but ONLY as a last resort. Simple outpatient procedures and even major surgery can be used to revise an unsuccessful primary procedure. While revisions are generally effective, they do carry a higher risk of complications and all other solutions to the weight regain should be implemented before considering a revision procedure.

Ok guys I have a question. I’ve been approved for VSG on September 7th I’ve been reading the forums and have seen a lot of posts about weight regain following VSG over the long term. My doctor initially wanted to do the DS but I told him I felt more comfortable with the sleeve. He told me that the DS has a more rapid initial weight loss, but over the long term both surgeries are similar in weight loss according to current data. So I guess my question is, is VSG a surgery that has a higher incidence of weight regain? I realize that everyone is different, and there’s no way to definitively know the eventual success or failure outcome, I’m just trying get real life answer from those who have experience. Thanks in Advance

I do better with pretty much the same meal plan, four years out, for VSG maintenance. In March, I lost 14 pounds of the 50# regain, after I was fired from DS Surgery. I have discovered coffee shakes, salads and soy protein and vegs for dinner is the best for me,keeping it around 800c and exercising 2.5 hrs daily. I am insulin resistant, and as soon as my tool stopped working -- regain started -- even though I was not eating carbs... Anyone else fighting the scale? rdc

"As long as energy expenditure exceeds that of intake, a decrease in body weight must occur. That can be stated with absolute certainty." - Betsy B. Dokken, PhD, NP, CDE "The Physiology of Body Weight Regulation: Are We Too Efficient for Our Own Good?" -Diabetes Spectrum, July 2007 http://spectrum.diabetesjournals.org/content/20/3/166.full It can be tough going with the medical vocabulary but it is really worth it, I kind of feel like I'm having an aha moment - a revelation that calories aren't the end all be all, that instead it is fuel in, energy spent that is more crucial.

I had lapband surgery in April 30th of 2012. I am 5"1, and I'm 49 years old. My highest weight was 223. I lost 100 pounds and reached my goal weight of 123. Then I had a port leak in early 2014 and had port revision surgery in September of 2014. I have had a huge regain. I am back up to 165. The insurance I have now doesn't cover my Dr's visits anymore. I am not at a good restriction. And I can't afford to get the fills I need at this time. Has anyone else had a regain? And if so, what did you do to drop the weight again? As of right now, I feel like a total failure. Two days ago I went to only liquids. Today I am on pureed. I'm trying to restart and refocus. I am walking again as well. It's tough because I have a really bad back. And I hurt a lot. I feel so lost. I don't know what to do. I am so off track, I don't even remember what I did in the beginning of my journey! Please help.... Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App