Anyone on here fallen off the wagon and successfully got back on?

It has been years since I have been on here...I AM EMBARASSED TO SAY!!! and they have been bad years. In the fall of 2009 my sister was diagnosed with Cruensfelt Jakobs disorder, during this time I had a BAD overfill, loosing almost 12 lbs in 8 days and consuming absolutely nothing. I couldn't get so much as water down. I actually had a stuck episode from chewing gum spit. I tried to get into my DR but they had "NO OPENINGS"???  My husband and I had to take an emergency trip to LA to be with my sister in the hospital. During the trip I almost ended up in the hospital due to dehydration and lack of nutrition. I had to find a bariatric DR down there...wasn't cheap...and found that my band had slipped and was extremely inflamed. He had to completely unfill me. I could eat again to my relief and demise.   During the months to come, I had to deal with the slow death of my sister from an absolutely terrible disease. She passed at the age of 49 in March of 2010.  By which time I had gained back approximately 25 lbs. During this time, I was also dealing with legal issues at work stemming from a manager who had stolen 10’s of thousands of dollars and forged my name to do it. I was testifying in front of the grand jury, police, and federal investigators.  Just as I got back on my feet, found a new great job and was finally ready to start my weight loss journey again, my dad unexpectedly fell over dead in his shop July 28^th 2010.  He was 73 and literally just fell over dead, a way we would probably all love to go but so hard on the family.  My world kind spiraled at this point. I gained an easy 25 to 30 lbs. We made the decision to move out to my families property, remodeling the second home on the property which had been my dad’s shop (yes where he passed) for 25 years back into our home. We did this all in about 3 months, moving in right before Christmas 2010. So now, 1 year later I have gained all of my post surgery weight back….grrrr. My husband and I are attempting to be self employed and take control of our lives and for me that means taking control of my body again. Right now EVERYTHING hurts and I have all the same challenges I had before, things I NEVER wanted to deal with again…annoying things like public bathroom stalls to painful things like bruised feet from walking a mile…really a freaking mile…I was running ½ mile and walking 2 at the peak of my weight loss.

SO my question is, anyone on here fallen so far off the wagon and successfully gotten back on. And what strategies would you offer if you have experienced this.

 

I had the same problems when I developed a post-operative hiatal hernia, but I somehow managed to GAIN weight from the vomiting it caused, instead of losing. I'm STILL trying to figure that one out, three-plus years later.

My band was replaced with the new-and-improved one when my surgeon went in to fix the hernia. New band was installed empty.   A year and a half after that, I had to have it emptied of fill again because I was too tight and getting sick all the time. When my band is emptied, I can eat anything and everything. And, of course, I did. I ate like a horse, and every bad food habit came screaming back, and I'm still trying to get back down to a weight I can deal with.

It's amazing that I still use food as my "go-to guy"whenever there is stress. I suppose I should be grateful that it's not drugs or alcohol instead, but it's still really, really hard. I'll be the first to admit that I have no easy answers for getting back on track, since it's been a struggle for me lately, with stresses piling up and going straight back to eating (and eating a lot of crap) to deal with it.

I do know that since I stopped going to support groups a couple of years ago, I stopped focusing on working my band correctly. Most days I can, but a lot of days I can't. The groups acted as my free therapy, so instead of eating my emotions, I could talk about them. Getting my ass BACK to a group will, I know, start me in the right direction.

Louise,

My heart truly goes out to you given all the turmoil and tragedy you endured in the past few years. 

My wls date was 12/09 and I've regained some weight and feel a bit out of control at times.  Just don't throw in the towel.  The fact that you've returned to these boards show that you still have some fight left in you.  Keep reading, connect with positive individuals, keep pressing forward and most of all DON'T give up on yourself.  You've made it through all of that and you're still here another day to try again.

Peace.

Yes ma'am - I have! Ironic that you posted that today, because I JUST posted the very same thing a few minutes ago!!! I am 3.5 years post-op. With my surgery, I lost over 150 pounds in 16 months, then had a band slip. It resolved itself without surgery, but in the process of removing all the saline, I regained about 75 pounds! I've since lost 35 of that and have 40 more to go to be at my lowest weight.

It is HARD to get back on track. Just take it one step at a time - I'm now drinking protein shakes again, I've stopped snacking, and I'm slowly getting back into exercise. (Having a new WILD puppy helps a lot with that!) So basically just go back to the very beginning and pretend your band is all new and shiny again!

Good luck and let's keep in touch!!!

 Yes, you can absolutely get back on the wagon. Remember, the band is only a TOOL. 
I have successfully lost over 70 lbs. twice  in my life,. The first time I lost over 80 lbs, on Weigh****chers only to gain it all back, Afterwards I realised my goal was unrealistic to maintain. 
I have lost about 65 - 70 lbs on the band.  I am so sorry to hear about your troubles. You should focus on making small changes in your life. Minimizing junk food, exercising, etc. Focus on how you FEEL not so much on what the scale says. Good luck