What would you do?

I am 8 years post op from the Band, my highest weight was 260,  I obviously know how to work with the tool, however at this point I don't have a tool. 

No, you don't have a tool that you LIKE.

Your stomach is still smaller than it was before either surgery. You're still missing a lot of ghrelin, even a "large sleeve" ensures that. You're not back at square one, physically.

Better do some research on ghrelin, they are now actually finding that not everyone loses that huger feeling post sleeve. 

I'm a professional researcher who has no problem digging through PubMed, I assure you I've done some research.

No, not everyone loses all of the physical hunger sensation after VSG as ghrelin is secreted elsewhere in the body. But I imagine you STILL have less of said hormone, regardless of what you think its impact is in your system.

Are you taking a PPI such as prilosec or nexium?  A lot of the time acid (and growling) is a result of acid, not actual hunger.  

What, exactly, are you eating?  Give us a sample meal plan for a few days.  

I took PPI for the first few months post sleeve.  I know the difference in actual hunger and head hunger and acid. I am an 8 year post bariatric patient and I've worked for a bariatric surgeon for 6 years.  I know abou****er and protein and exercise and yes I apply those things which is why I weigh 178 today and not 260 again.  I was successful, very successful with the band for six years, and not many people can say that.   I'm not looking for diet and exercise advice, thanks though, I just want to know, if your "tool" quit working tomorrow, would you get a new tool? 

The fact that you're avoiding posting what you eat definitely gives me the impression that you don't know what you're supposed to be doing.  Or that you do know what you're supposed to be doing but aren't.  

The VSG tool doesn't "quit" working.  We might quit working with it, but the tool itself will always be there.  If there's something actually mechanically wrong with your VSG, you need to see your surgeon and get an endoscopy to have that diagnosed.  

I'm not avoiding the question, I came here for thoughts on a very specific subject, not to get hammered with diet and exercise advice.  What part of me being 8 years post op and still being 80 lbs less than my highest weight don't you understand?  That obviously didn't happen by luck or chance, it happened because I worked with my tool !! And for you to think that your VSG tool can't "quit" working shows me that you don't know much about it.  The sleeve can and will stretch over time, which leads to increased hunger and the ability to eat much more food without feeling full.  I hope you are one of the lucky ones that it doesn't happen to but heaven forbid it does, I hope that others show empathy for your situation and remember what it's like to try to do it alone without any help from the tool you spent $12,000 on.  I'm not taking this lightly and I came here hoping for some understanding from others, I'm looking into a THIRD major weight loss surgery.  Not because I haven't been successful, because I HAVE been and because I want to continue to do so. 

Sorry you're not getting the replies you want to justify a third surgery when you'd rather complain about why your VSG stomach is too big.  

Get yourself back on track with diet, stick to dense proteins, and get back on a PPI to help with the hunger that's most likely from acid.  Start tracking everything you eat with something like MyFitnessPal if you aren't already.  See your surgeon and get an endoscopy to see what's going on and if there's anything actually wrong with your sleeve.  

You can make it work if you're willing to put in the work.  

Let me ask you Gwen, why did you have surgery? You obviously feel people don't need the tool if they can just lose and maintain with watching what they eat and exercising.