Anyone 5-10 years out regain weight?

I also think regain is especially harder after a DS because, a) many people (myself included) didn't think regain, other then the "normal bounceback" was supposed to happen and b) if you regain with the DS what are you supposed to do?  The DS is the last house on the block as far as WLS goes.  There is nothing better.  When someone regains with the RNY it is considered normal and there is always the hope that having a DS will be the solution but other then being resleeved or having your common channel shortened there isn't much else available.  So with the regain, as you say, there goes the dream of never being fat again, there goes the dream of never having to "diet" again, and a hopeless feeling can come because the last resort (at least for me) hasn't worked.

Hi Tazz, I admire and respect you, but I don't understand how you're doing so well with your RNY and not your DS.  Is it just down to you having found the will and determination diet-wise?  I'm just curious at how you managed to find success with RNY and not the DS given that the difference in malabsorption.

TIA

Here's something I wrote awhile back for my support group:

Regain is not something we hear talked about in most DS circles. I've never truly understood if it was because people believe it doesn't happen or if people like to keep it a secret. Either way, it does happen and CAN be corrected.

One thing Dr. Rabkin has said to the group is that when we regain weight, we're very lucky that we have the DS because it is so receptive to dieting. I know, dieting is such a four-letter word but it is a tool we have at our disposal. 

As we get further out our bodies because more efficient and start to absorb more nutrients from our food. Darn those vilii! It's one reason why  many DS Dr's will recommend a lower fat diet for their patients, it's not because they don't know what our bodies does (the malabsorption) but they do know what it does later on. If you become accustomed to eating certain way then it's harder to break those habits to lose weight weight (if you regain). It's often why we all ended up having the surgery in the first place.

But it is fixable.

The first thing we want to do take a look at what we doing and not doing. 

1) When was the lab time you had your times labs drawn? How were they?

2) Are you compliant on your supplements? What are you taking daily?

3) How much protein are you getting daily? In what forms?

4) Is your daily eating carb-centric? If so, what foods are you eating most often?

5) How much do you eat at one sitting? Are you are "normal" pre-op amounts or do you still eat small amounts?

6) How frequently do you eat each day? Are you a 3x/day eater or a "every two hours" eater?

Once you take a look at these basics you can start to formulate a plan to get the extra weight off.

Some of us had smaller stomachs made with longer common channels (for DS'ers) and some of us had short common channels with larger stomachs. The stomach itself is made up of two distinct areas/textures and the area left behind for us is less stretchy that the outer section of the stomach (where RNY pouches are formed). Because it is less stretchy it takes longer to stretch out, but it still happens. 

If you aren't sure how much capacity you have right now, you can take the cottage cheese test. It can be an eye-opening experiment to see just how much food you are able to eat at once. The further out we get the easier it is to forget what it was like in the beginning when an ouch or two was tough.

Here's the "Cottage Cheese Test" if you are interested:

1) Purchase a container of small-curd cottage cheese.

2) On a completely empty stomach, usually first meal of the day, begin eating the cottage cheese at a quick pace until you feel full. It should take less than five minutes (in average). The small curds don't require a lot of chewing and you want to get your stomach (or pouch) full before it begins to move out.

4) After eating your fill of the cottage cheese you can place water on top of it in the container until it reaches the top. The amount of water used indicates the volume of your stomach. 

Example: if you buy an 8oz container of cottage cheese, eaten until full, and then pour in water measuring 6oz then your stomach volume is currently 6oz.

By the way, RNY research has indicated that stomachs up to 9oz should have no difficulties in continuing to lose and/or maintain their weight. We don't have studies like this for DS patients that I'm aware of or do not have access to.

Now, let's get to the nuts & bolts ..

The first thing I recommend EVERYBODY do, whether they are 10 years or 10 days out:

30 grams of protein (minimum) within 30 (up to 60 minutes) of waking up.

If you build that solid foundation the rest of your day should go smoother. I also recommend that the protein be in shake formula because it's already in an easy to access format for our bodies and we get as much of it as we can. I know quiet a few people who are proud that they've never drank a shake in their entire surgery but I don't consider that an accomplishment since I know what they've done for me that eating protein from regular food hasn't.

I'm one of those with the smaller stomach and longer common channel. I just can't/don't/won't eat enough "real" food to get my protein in on a daily basis. I also like to eat 3x/day when most people are on the every two hour track. I find that if I eat 3x/day then I eat less food overall (I know, sort of a 'duh' comment but …) and I feel better. If I eat every two hours not only do I eat more food but I start craving food that isn't good for me.

If I start with a protein shake, which I generally make with two scoops of protein (48 grams total) plus 1/2 cup heavy cream that gets me going and keeps me going until my normal lunchtime. I have reached the point where I wake up craving my protein shake. My body likes it and so do I. 

Now what?

If you've taken that initial list and answered it and can come back and say there is nothing on that list you need to fix .. then I'm not going to be able to help you much other than providing moral support. But, and I say this not to be rude, I'm guessing there is something on that list that needs to be tweaked. I'm here to help you with that as is this entire support group.

I empathize with you, I am 2 years out so haven't had massive regain but I have lost and gained the same 4 lbs for the last year, I lost 75 lbs in the first year, barely anything in the 2nd and it is because I am having trouble giving up the carbs long term.  Out of interest, did your diabetes disappear when you lost the weight originally?  Mine hasn't.

Are you eating LC?

I'm 8 years out and had a tiny amount of regain that I'm not concerned with.  15-20% regain of ewl is normal, and I'm around 10%.  If you want to lose again, you need to kick yourself in the ass and go back to eating like the DS was new again, which means revisiting low carb and making sure you're getting plenty of protein.  It's the carbs that do the damage again, and are so much easier to enjoy the further out you get.