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7 years out...100 pounds back. Looking for support

J

Jaimaroo

Member
Good morning everyone
My name is Jaime and I had the sleeve in June of 2015. It changed my life.
Over the past 5ish years I have slowly started stacking the weight back on. I feel pretty awful about myself, and when you start to feel awful it is hard to praise the good choices and easy to fall lower and lower.
I have been researching revisions and bypass and blah blah blah.
Over the past year I have started to understand why I overeat and why I make bad choices. I have started counseling again, and I want to get back to a healthy life. That was the best part for me.
I really need encouragement and to hear from people who gained weight back and were able to get back to the sleeve life without going under the knife again. Is it possible? Does my sleeve still work?
I know I am not the first to have a thread like this, and I won't be the last. Hope people still have some energy left to throw my way.
Have a great day.
 
My bariatric dr from the VA had a very involved talk with me before surgery about long term success. Potential hiccups along the way. The importance of followup and maintenance. He talked about people who regain weight after surgery, it was done after I told him about people I knew that had the WLS surgery ( lap-band and VSG) and then regained weight. This is not a short term and everything ends happily ever after. It is work, it is not temporary. This is for life.
 
Roni said:
My bariatric dr from the VA had a very involved talk with me before surgery about long term success. Potential hiccups along the way. The importance of followup and maintenance. He talked about people who regain weight after surgery, it was done after I told him about people I knew that had the WLS surgery ( lap-band and VSG) and then regained weight. This is not a short term and everything ends happily ever after. It is work, it is not temporary. This is for life.
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Thanks for letting me know what I already know. Seems like you are lecturing me, which I can do myself. I was looking for a supportive group to build me up instead of put me down.
 
Jaimaroo said:
Thanks for letting me know what I already know. Seems like you are lecturing me, which I can do myself. I was looking for a supportive group to build me up instead of put me down.
Click to expand...
I’m not speaking for Roni, but part of the problem with reading from different perspective is how we each perceive what’s written. Kind of like how sacrcasm needs to be in italics or something. Sorry, I digress. I think she was meaning that’s what was told to her, not her lecturing.
A lot of us speak from our own experiences, what our doctors have told us while not giving out medical advice because that’s not really our place. Our experiences differ depending on how long ago we had surgery and the type we had. I think a lot of our members even have different requirements preop and post op that most would figure to be uniform.
 
Hello Jaime and welcome to the group. I'm sorry to see we already have drama and I know Roni was not lecturing you. Perhaps you're so angry at yourself that you see any advice as judgement? Because I have to tell you that all of our advice, including any new bariatric doctors you go see, are going to tell you to get back to those things that you already know. Even if you have a revision, it's back to the basics.

64oz water, 80 proteins, measuring and tracking your intake, making healthy food choices, getting some activity and fixing your mental relationship with food. Those are the things that work.

I'm not judging you or putting you down. I'm sure you do that enough yourself. I know I do every time I gain a few pounds so I can imagine your anger and sadness over 100. You know, better than most, that WLS isn't a magic cure; that there is no magic cure. You can absolutely lose the weight again. But you have to go back to the basics that helped you lose it in the first place.
 
Wow, my surgery was a year before yours and I have been gaining a year longer. We both need to get a handle on our eating issues. I'm sorry for you struggles. I just thought it might help to have someone in the same boat. Good luck Jaime. Hope we can stay connected and help each other through this horrific time. It's not easy. But I believe in us!
 
Welcome Jaime. I have struggled with some weight regain and I know it is hard to keep negative thoughts from creeping in. Good for you for reaching out for counseling. Something I am giving thought to. I know working on mindset is critical to success.

You are not alone. I think it is harder to talk about the struggles than it is the successes.
 
Jaimaroo said:
Good morning everyone
My name is Jaime and I had the sleeve in June of 2015. It changed my life.
Over the past 5ish years I have slowly started stacking the weight back on. I feel pretty awful about myself, and when you start to feel awful it is hard to praise the good choices and easy to fall lower and lower.
I have been researching revisions and bypass and blah blah blah.
Over the past year I have started to understand why I overeat and why I make bad choices. I have started counseling again, and I want to get back to a healthy life. That was the best part for me.
I really need encouragement and to hear from people who gained weight back and were able to get back to the sleeve life without going under the knife again. Is it possible? Does my sleeve still work?
I know I am not the first to have a thread like this, and I won't be the last. Hope people still have some energy left to throw my way.
Have a great day.
Click to expand...
It’s not my personal experience but my good friend had the sleeve done few years ago with a great success and then gained a lot of the weight back (pregnancy was a big part of it). She did have a revision surgery because it turned out her pouch stretched. This was only several months ago and she’s back in shape, looking and feeling great. She also said that the whole experience was much easier second time around. This time she got the bypass. Obviously that’s her personal experience but in her case the revision surgery worked great.
I know how you feel - I lost 60-80 lbs several times on a regular diet/exercise program and then gained it back. I was disappointed in myself and defeated. Don’t let that sneak in your mind because it will undermine your motivation. You’re fighting for your health and quality of life - that’s something you should never give up on. Even if you make one tiniest step in the right direction every day - it’s important and it adds up.
 
Hello, I know this is an old thread but I had my surgery 3/2016, started at 240 and I maintained @ 155-160 for at least 3 years. Since then about every 2 years I gain about 15lb back and have to reset my habits! I know that the “pouch reset” isn’t really for gastric sleeve thing but I was looking for anything that didn’t require an additional surgery. Since that’s why I had the sleeve done in the first place! So that’s what I do, I start at a liquid diet for a couple days to curb snacking and then move through the stages from the original diet within about 2 weeks, and it seems much easier to get back on track. I have had success doing this, but it definitely is much slower it takes me about 6months to lose the 15 lbs…. I am working on my habits and will continue to try and do better. I hope this helps, I struggle as well and hope the best for you, don’t give up!
 
This is realy, Reading all these threads tell me that this is not a easy thing like they make you believe. Let's all make an effort to help each other on this horrible disease that is killing us. I am learning day by day like an alcoholic, is that important. eazy does it. we need to be vigiliant for the rest of our life. I will give my best shot and together we can push thru it.
 
Jaimaroo said:
Good morning everyone
My name is Jaime and I had the sleeve in June of 2015. It changed my life.
Over the past 5ish years I have slowly started stacking the weight back on. I feel pretty awful about myself, and when you start to feel awful it is hard to praise the good choices and easy to fall lower and lower.
I have been researching revisions and bypass and blah blah blah.
Over the past year I have started to understand why I overeat and why I make bad choices. I have started counseling again, and I want to get back to a healthy life. That was the best part for me.
I really need encouragement and to hear from people who gained weight back and were able to get back to the sleeve life without going under the knife again. Is it possible? Does my sleeve still work?
I know I am not the first to have a thread like this, and I won't be the last. Hope people still have some energy left to throw my way.
Have a great day.
Click to expand...
Hi Jaimaroo,

I'm sorry you're going through such difficulties, but I'm glad you're on the path to healing. I also had my surgery in 2015 and have recently started gaining weight due to medical issues preventing me from exercising the way I used to and eating any kind of way. It is very disheartening to continue to gain weight and not feel like you know what to do.

I have Kaiser insurance, and they have a program for people who have started gaining weight after having one of the bariatric surgeries. They're adamant that redoing the surgery will not solve the problem long-term, because the emotional issues would still be there. So in the program we have to do like we did before getting that surgery, which is work to adjust our eating, log our eating, take their list of supplements and vitamins, exercise daily. If we show that we've done that and still haven't lost significant weight, we may qualify for medical weight loss pills.

I started the program, I'm exercising at least four times a week, even if it's not the exercises I used to do before my medical issues. Adjusting my eating is hard though over done it some, but I'm still starting to lose weight because I'm exercising by walking 2x a week, and I'm lap swimming 2x a week. I try to do some aerobic exercise 1 other day, and I take the supplements and vitamins they're recommending.

My point in saying this is that it's unlikely another surgery would help, according to what Kaiser's post bariatric program has learned. And I encourage you to continue with therapy and do your best with exercise. I will be starting therapy soon, as well, to talk about so many recent changes that happened in my life and triggers from the past. I'm hoping in the end, I hope to keep up with the exercises and that I'll do much better at controlling my food intake.

I'm wishing us both the best in our healing and weight loss.
 
Jaimaroo said:
Good morning everyone
My name is Jaime and I had the sleeve in June of 2015. It changed my life.
Over the past 5ish years I have slowly started stacking the weight back on. I feel pretty awful about myself, and when you start to feel awful it is hard to praise the good choices and easy to fall lower and lower.
I have been researching revisions and bypass and blah blah blah.
Over the past year I have started to understand why I overeat and why I make bad choices. I have started counseling again, and I want to get back to a healthy life. That was the best part for me.
I really need encouragement and to hear from people who gained weight back and were able to get back to the sleeve life without going under the knife again. Is it possible? Does my sleeve still work?
I know I am not the first to have a thread like this, and I won't be the last. Hope people still have some energy left to throw my way.
Have a great day.
Click to expand...
Hi Jamie,
I'm Eileen and I had a Sleeve in 2008. Started gaining a few years after having it because I actually needed brain surgery not stomach surgery. My original surgeon was wonderful and did the RNY Revision on my sleeve and I started losing again but it was slow going. Then in 2021 my teeth were shot, well it was actually the bone and gums. Years of dry mouth from BP & Prediabetic meds had my teeth lose and just lots of uncomfortably. So I had 95% of my teeth removed and got partials. Im losing weight again (slowly) because I once again can eat a lot of things. Between the RNY giving me negative consequences (lactose intolerant, sugar intolerant, greasy food intolerant) I cant eat hard foods (you cant chew without pain) and it is very hard to eat foods that need to be masticated throughly, like meat. I can eat it but only 2-3 lottle pieces and it is too painful to chew!
So that is how I lose the last 50lbs in about 9 months. It sucks in one way because my food addict brain still tells me I can eat things, for intancs a donut. I eat a cimmon sugar donut and get a so bloated and really stinky ass gas! Then within the hour I have to poop right away as that sugar wants OUT! Sorry for the graphic reply but I can only share my experience, strength and hope.
So here is another food I have to almost make a brain sticky note to remind myself..."Dont eat that it is going to make you feel really awful." Im really trying to love myself and putting myself in pain is counter intuitive to that goal. Slow and steady, I just hope to get it together before Im dead.hahaha At least Ill be a skinny corpse.
 
"Started gaining because I needed brain surgery not stomach surgery" is F*ing me up!!
Like FOR REAL!! I gain 10, I lose 10. I gain 12, I lose 10.I gain 7, I lose 6.

I'm about 4 years out and it's a struggle still. I can eat more than I thought. I'm not as restricted by sugar and fat as I thought/hoped I would be. I have a hard time digesting meats and so get my protein from higher calorie sources. Etc.

I didn't expect to have to remain constantly aware of every bite. To make informed, healthy choices every single day. It is still work. And its still hard to make those healthy choices. They do not come naturally to me. I would like to have ice cream, drinks, cookies etc pretty much all the time. I try to remind myself that I have never felt better and that's worth more than a serving of .. whatever ..

Its work for sure. But I am not going back. I feel too damn good.
 
I had a revision from Lapland to bypass. My surgeon said they are finding longterm the band and sleeve are failing. So devils advocate here, if you have the opportunity to get the revision to bypass I would do it.
But my belief and mindset when I had this revision was this is my last shot. I can use this tool as it is, a tool or I can blow it.
I will not blow it. Im not Going to allow the naysayers that told me to keep my size 24/26 so that I have them when I gain my weight back.

Good luck to you! You can so this!
 
I am with you @Ange6012 I am having the revisión, my problem was that I had a surgeon who by education was a plastic surgeon that became certified to do bariatric surgery, so when I had my surgery I had very little after care support. Now I have an entire bariatric support system to help me keep the weight off and work through this long-term. So good luck to you.
 
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