VSG Fail

I had my VSG done May 2009. I did great up until the past 2 years. I have gained back approximately 80 lbs. Do you guys have any ideas how to get back down? Is the surgery totally screwed now?

I just asked the same question, Mine was 4 years ago. I heard that most people have the full bypass after a sleeve. Looking for answer

My suggestion would be....go back to basics and I'll bet if you do you will see you still have restriction.  I saved ALL of my pre op and post op information.   What to eat, vitamins to take proteins to have...etc.  There is a 5 day pouch test  http://www.5daypouchtest.com/plan/day4.html  this might be of some help.  There is also a meat test you might be able to find.  Some say it helped them clear out the carbs and get them under control.  Just a thought.  It is worth a try and I think focusing on going back and eating right is really what is necessary.  Small portions,  lots and lots of water,  protein first and foremost,  no high carb food,  don't drink calories,  and move....go out for walks if nothing else.  I am in no way an expert on any of this.  I fell off the wagon last year too,  but got my crap reeled in and since May have lost 15 of the 20 I had regained.  Just getting back to the basics and paying attention to what I am eating.  I thought long and hard to why I had surgery,  what I went through to get that surgery,  and how I felt after I surpassed the goal I had set in my mind.  I am not living that unhappy life ever again.  I am so close to that number again and WILL achieve it.  You get what you put into it and so I am putting everything possible into it.  I find food isn't that important,  After I had surgery and got to where I was able to eat solid foods and have a semi-normal meal....I found that....I can eat to live and not live to eat. 

I really hope this has helped you in some small way.  I will be watching how you progress with your decisions and will cheer you on whichever way you get through this. You can be stronger than the food.  Good luck and good losing.

Simple answer, get your head back in the game. You may have stretched a bit, but even an old warn hammer is still a hammer and can drive a nail. You have to eat the right foods, exercise, and find motivation to stick to it. My surgery was just about 4 years ago. I gained back about 35 lbs and realized I was way off track thinking that I could always get back to where I was "if I wanted to".

All of my friends and family had started to make comments and I realized it was time to get back to why I did this in the first place. I started simple. Just cutting out the stuff I know for sure I wasn't supposed to be eating. Then I started walking. First day was a mile, by the 2nd week I was past 2 and now I walk 3 to 5 miles each day. I am starting to run again and hit the gym a couple times a week.

As for eating I am following a true ketogenic diet which doesn't have teh caloric restrictions a post VSG diet has but has very much the same result. I do still try to eat at a significant caloric deficit compared to my burn, but enough to target 1 to 2 lbs per week of weight loss.

Remember this is marathon, not a sprint. There are not tricks and certainly no easy ways out. You know what you had to do before, get back to doing it.

Instead of asking "Do you guys have any ideas how to get back down?", you should be asking yourself, "What did I do after surgery to lose my weight?". The answer is the same.

Your sleeve is most likely NOT screwed up, it's actually quite difficult to stretch it. You'll still have restriction to work with.

Check in with your surgeon. Get a baseline for where you're at as far as physical shape, blood work, etc.

Start logging your food. Shoot for ~800 calories, 60+g protein, under 40g carbs. Account for EVERYTHING you put in your mouth.

The "pouch test" is a load of bunk. Going back to liquids won't make you feel full and it's not going to build long-term habits anyway. The meat test (www.fivedaymeattest.com) is something of a joke I put together, but the premise is solid: force yourself to eat "on plan," ditch the carbs, and get back in a good mindset.

I regained 90lbs and have lost 60 so far and I'm 5 years out. 

But to be honest, while you've gotten some good ideas, if you don't figure out the WHY - the mental stuff- of your weight gain, going back to basics is pointless. 

Go to your doctor and let him take a look at the sleeve.  Chances are, it's fine.  If it's not, then you can talk to him about options, including revision.

In the meantime, get back on track.  Dense protein first, no drinking with or after meals, no grazing.  Reduce or eliminate refined carbs.  You'll find that your restriction works just fine when you eat according to plan.

Revisions are not to be taken lightly.  Sometimes they're medically necessary.  But if your head isn't in the game, you can fail a revision too.

Before you consider any revision, I agree that you need to determine if this is a problem with YOU or a problem with the VSG.  

For many, it's not as simple as calories in-calories out, and our bodies work against us.  These are the people who should seek revisions to add malabsorption to the equation by way of the DS or RNY.  I would recommend the DS, because it also has a sleeve stomach, which is the last thing I would want to tear apart for a whole new set of challenges.

If the problem is with you, then no revision will fix the problem

I'd suggest trying to get back on track before looking at another surgery.  You know the process.  You've done it before.

Get rid of the junk food.  Fill the house with healthy, tasty foods.

Stop grazing.  Eat dense protein first.  I eat three or four meals per day and my meals consist of dense protein and healthy low-carb veggies.  They are about 300 to 400 calories each. 

Give it a try.  I bet you'll find your restriction still is working.  You can do this

Carol

Carry a notebook and write everything that goes in your mouth.  If you are regaining it is simply too many carbs, too many calories, or a combination of both.  I had struggled with this for some time.  The metabolic effects of the surgery are still present.  Ghrelin is reduced, and serum insulin is still lower (depending on diet, of course). The sleeve does not stretch as much as people think.

The DS actually makes more sense to revise to than the RNY, though.  We already have the first half of the surgery, for one.  Second, the malabsorption is better and in general the results for the DS are far superior long-term to the RNY.  Unless you have insufferable GERD, I would take a long look at the DS.

I would strongly suggest you take a hard look at your eating patterns.  Even with the most powerful WLS, the DS, you will regain if you overeat.  What is the reason for overeating?  Is it stress? GERD and meds can also stimulate appetite.  The notebook is more effective because it allows us to catch more food, I've found, than MFP sometimes.  My surgeon suggested this and it worked well.