Misery loves company

A clerk at store told me that she gained it all back after WLS - 170 pounds and then 6 months later get it together and took it all off again and is maintaining the loss 5 yeas later.  When I see her again, I will ask her what got her back on track.

If she could do it, I have faith that you can too. 

I may check into Fitness Pal, thanks for the tip.

OMG! Fitness Pal made all the difference in the world today.  I stayed under 900 and didn't feel like I was depriving myself in anyway.

You've recieved some excellent advice, so I just thought I'd echo that it's possible.  My pouch is WAY older than yours -- I had surgery in 2003.  I started at 417, got down to 279, then crept back up over a year or two to 342. Somewhere along the line I decided that this was the best I was ever going to get, and at least I wasn't 417 anymore.

Two years ago I woke up. I realized that I deserved more, that I was far too young to give up, and that I needed to finish my journey.  I made a decision that was very hard for me -- to go back and see my surgeon.  I hadn't seen him since I was 279, and I didn't want to walk in as a failure.  But I got over myself and did it anyway.  

He did some tests, and offered solutions that would help me continue my weight loss.  You'll never have that honeymoon period again, but there could be things that could be done medically to help get you back on track. 

I also went back to his prescribed eating plan.  It took a while to get used to eating that way again.  I tried Weigh****chers for years, and it was hard for me to accept that "this isn't working, you need to try something new." 

With the help of my surgeon, better eating habits, and the folks here, I am making this work.  As of this morning I am 240, which is 100 pounds down since I committed to restarting.  Sure, I'm still considered morbidly obese, but I haven't been this small since middle school.  Now my progress has not been even a little bit as quick and simple as it was the first time, but it's possible. Slow.. but possible. 

You can do this.  You just have to decide that THIS is your time. THIS is when you will meet your goal. YOU deserve it. 

How does a revision work? Do they make your pouch smaller or something?

When people say "revision" they often mean changing from one surgery to another-like a lap band to an RNY.  While revision is the label I have, it wasn't what most people think of as a revision.

When the doc did tests he learned that my gallbladder was the thing making me nauseated all the time (carbs made this feeling go away, so I was self medicating), that I was having acid issues (again, I self medicated with food) and that the stoma (the connection between the pouch and the intestines) had stretched out.  The pouch itself had also streteched, but not more than you would expect in someone who had surgery 10+ years ago.

So he took out the gallbladder first and put me on a PPI.  That helped a lot.  Then a few months later, he did the "revision" which entailed fixing the stoma. He also cut part of the reminant stomach, which reduces the amount of Ghrellin I produce (the hunger hormone) so I don't get hungry as often.  Fixing the stoma has allowed me to reduce my calories -- again, not like before, but I'm staying around 1000 cals per day whereas I was struggling to stay under 1500 just before the revision surgery. I'm calling this my "reboot." 

There are some actual "revision" options for RNY, including switching to a DS, but it's a pretty intense proceedure and there are only a handful of surgeons in the country that do them.  My surgeon said that could be an option for me down the road, but I'm committed to working this situation right now and don't want to go there.  

Thank you so much for the explanation. That helps a lot.  I could easy stay under 1000 calories if I wanted to but often I find myself self-medicated with carbs when I feel like I have been a failure by not losing enough when I should have.

Don't punish yourself by eating because you made mistakes. Love yourself instead. You can do this and there are lots of people here that will give you continued support. You are asking in time to give yourself a wonderful Christmas gift...a new start!

Our wonderful Gina got to goal 9 years after her RNY. HERE is her story. I hope she sees your post and chimes in.

Start fresh and go on from here. You have to believe you are worth the effort.

OMG. Thank you so much for providing the link to Gina's page.  IT IS SO INSPIRING AND AWESOME!!!!

Gina IS amazing.