I'm struggling. Two weight loss surgeries already. HELP.

A little background. I had the lapband in 2010, my day of surgery weight was 327.  Ilost roughly 168 pounds. The smallest I got was around 158, but I leveled out anywhere between 200-220 which I loved. Unfortunatley my band slipped 4 times with the last one being in November of 2015, and that is when my surgeon decided to remove. I gained 80 pounds from December. We discussed options, and I was told that my band would probably slip again if I got it again, and the sleeve would be more permanent.

I had my sleeve on May 12th, I was 304 the day of surgery, and today I'm 289. I am 8 months out, and that is only 15 pounds. I lost 18 in the first week. I don't know what is happening. Is it my diet? I'm sure it is, or lack of excerise? I feel very depressed about this, and I feel like I've wasted my money. It almost makes me wished I had gone with the lap band again because I had so much success.

I honestly am eating the same amount of food I ate before I had any weight loss surgery. I have no restriction, and I just don't know where to start. I am sure I restretched my pouch. Any options before I consider a revision surgery? Any ideas on food, exercise? I am all ears.

Thanks,

Dee.

Honestly, do you think a third major surgery is going to make any difference at this point?  It sounds like you have bigger issues you need to address before you're going to be successful with any long-term weight loss.  There are lots of people on these boards who swear by Overeaters Anonymous or even just finding yourself a good therapist to get to the root of why you are (quite obviously) sabotaging your efforts.

In the meantime, weigh, measure and log your food.  Be brutally honest.  Until you do that, you're never going to figure out why it's not working for you.

Go back to your surgeon. If you're worried about stretching your pouch, s/he can test for that.

Take a log of EVERYTHING you're eating so your doctor can see. If you're eating carbs, you can still eat a LOT of them post-op, and it may feel like you have no restriction.

If you're admittedly not eating correctly and not exercising, you can (and will?) do the same after a third surgery.

I would have to agree with Heather L., In all honesty, you sound like you have greater issues than a surgery can address.

Who can you confide in that will always be honest at all costs with?

A therapist, A Pastor, A sister, Someone from a Church Group?

And I am sure on here if you search Books...You will find a ton of great reading that may be able to address or open your eyes to your current situation.  Sadly until you have come to terms with what is truly the problem, what makes you eat you will not see that progress we all hope to see in you for you and for ourselves.

Hugs and Prayers for you

Lynne

If you truly are at your rock bottom with your weight and eating - if you feel like you might be a food addict/compulsive overeater - send me a private message so we can chat. I have experience losing tons of weight, gaining a lot of it back, and now, 4.5 yrs post op, losing it again. I found OA (Overeaters anonymous) and it's saving my life one day at a time. Check out my blog that's linked in my signature for more about what OA has done for me and where I've come from...

The honest truth is that no surgery will likely help you at this point. It's 100% possible to eat around any surgery. I have a larger capacity relative to most sleeve patients here but am still managing to lose weight without dieting. It's all in the moment by moment and day to day choices that we make. 

Hope to hear from you!

See your surgeon to make sure your problems are not a result of the sleeve surgery itself. He'll probably want to do a test to see what's going on down there. He'll be the one to decide whether you need another surgery. We can't tell you that.

If you still have restriction, then your eating habits and head hunger and probably some emotional issues are the problem, all of which need to be addressed.

For eating habits, see a nutritionist, preferably one your surgeon recommends. You should have received strict instructions before and after surgery about the way you need to eat for the rest of your life -- protein first, no starch/sugars, 64 ounces of water daily, etc. If you don't know all this already, you need to learn how to eat and then eat that way.

For head hunger/emotional issues, you need one or more of the following: Therapy, Overeaters Anonymous, a sleeve support group. I suggest you use as many of these resources as you have time for and/or can afford.

Good luck.

psychoticparrot

i agree with everyone - log not only what you eat but what you are drinking! 

yes, you can add exercise, but proper eating habits come first. it sounds like you need help with that. if you are eating what is allowed and only that you shouldn't have stretched anything. if you can't just eat what is allowed then you need to seek help with that part.

First, I think it is a good first step that you are looking for a solution.  Second, visit your surgeon and make sure everything is ok.  If everything is ok, seek counseling to determine how to deal with the compulsion to overeat.  Remember, that even though you did lose weight with the first surgery, it didn't stay off.  You don't want to find yourself repeating history.  I wish you the very best and my heart aches for you.  I'm just losing weight and can't imagine how I would feel at the end if I gained some or all of it back.  Please keep us update.

Pulling for you!

It's a common thought that your second WLS may have you loosing more slowly.  I'm going to suggest taking time to write down what your eating and drinking.  See if there is something your not paying attention to such as candy, sweetened drinks, or maybe an extra small snack now and again that's adding up.

If your sure your pouch has stretched then maybe it's the total sum at one time your eating, calories get away from you very quickly.  One serving is reasonable but a serving and a half might just be adding too many calories by the end of the day.  

On food try going back to basic foods that are simple.  Things like an egg, a cup of milk, a single serving of cheese, for me I tend to add things to food and forget to count them.  For instance if you eat a hard boiled egg you are less likely to forget you added butter or milk to scrambled eggs, if you eat only what was in a single serving single food type you might be able to find a trigger.  Such as if you eat a can of soup you might be inviting in extra sugar or salt that you didn't even think to see if it was in there.

Finally just walk, grab a fitness tracker of any kind.  Anything that will say you did more today than yesterday.  Start simple and walk more while at work or at home.  Even if it's an extra trip around the copier on the way to the bathroom, get up and get fresh water from the cooler more often, or pace in your own home.  I have a friend who gets more than 8k steps in her home just pacing so I know if your willing you can walk enough to make a difference even if it's around the couch.

Good luck and down get down, sadness and stress make me eat more and worse things.  Be positive and be constructive.  If junk food snuck into your home over the hoidays then it's time to relocate it.   

It's a common thought that your second WLS may have you loosing more slowly.  I'm going to suggest taking time to write down what your eating and drinking.  See if there is something your not paying attention to such as candy, sweetened drinks, or maybe an extra small snack now and again that's adding up.

If your sure your pouch has stretched then maybe it's the total sum at one time your eating, calories get away from you very quickly.  One serving is reasonable but a serving and a half might just be adding too many calories by the end of the day.  

On food try going back to basic foods that are simple.  Things like an egg, a cup of milk, a single serving of cheese, for me I tend to add things to food and forget to count them.  For instance if you eat a hard boiled egg you are less likely to forget you added butter or milk to scrambled eggs, if you eat only what was in a single serving single food type you might be able to find a trigger.  Such as if you eat a can of soup you might be inviting in extra sugar or salt that you didn't even think to see if it was in there.

Finally just walk, grab a fitness tracker of any kind.  Anything that will say you did more today than yesterday.  Start simple and walk more while at work or at home.  Even if it's an extra trip around the copier on the way to the bathroom, get up and get fresh water from the cooler more often, or pace in your own home.  I have a friend who gets more than 8k steps in her home just pacing so I know if your willing you can walk enough to make a difference even if it's around the couch.

Good luck and down get down, sadness and stress make me eat more and worse things.  Be positive and be constructive.  If junk food snuck into your home over the hoidays then it's time to relocate it.