Weight gain after RNY

I am checking out the revision surgery I know I can't do this every time I gain weight. But this time I feel I will have to do this to get back on track and then I will be back on track for the rest of my life. I have learned that I have to have the tool to HELP me keep the weight off.Not thinking it will do it on it's own I have to do my part also

You dont even know if there is anything wrong with your current pouch. You need to have that checked. 

Before you decide that you need revision - you would need to check if there is anything wrong with your current pouch or stoma.  Any abdominal surgery carries significant risk that something can go wrong. One of my surgery (hernia repair. GB removal) caused damaged to nerves in my intestine. So part of my small bowels no longer pushes the food down... Only more food or gravity allows the food to go down.. That causes issues I wish I did not have. 

My pouch - 8 years old, is probably bigger that it was right after the surgery - but I still feel it is as it was 1-2 years after.  A mature pouch. 

I have days that it feels like I can eat a lot, and days that I can only eat a few bites and I am full. The days that I notice I get full very fast are the days that I follow dense protein -RNY recommended post op diet. : meat more meat, some fat and then veggies.  I.e last night I had grilled chicken breast, with a few sweet potato fries, and some grilled veggies... I was full... Very full..  

On days that I don't drink enough water or eat slider foods like carbs or yogurt, or cottage cheese, or bread... I can eat and eat and eat and don't feel very full..plus an hour after I am done - I want more... And can eat more. 

Drinking with meals - washes the food out of my pouch. Alcohol - relaxes my pouch and allows me to eat more...

At one time I gained 20 lbs..I got too comfortable. I went back on a very strict low carbs diet - limited calories and started walking - and I lost that in 3-4 months.  

I typically fluctuate withing 5-10lbs. Now I am working hard to get down to my goal.. Last 2-3 lbs. It probably will take 1-2 months to get to it and maintain it...

It is work, lots of work.  New surgery may help if you really need ... But most likely - it is your diet and lack of movement that caused all the regain. 

Make sure you try to get back on track - and really try RNY recommended post op diet Before you get under the knife. 

You already have a perfectly good WLS. You have to use it. 

It would be great if surgery did all the work, but it doesn't . We still have to track our food and not overeat. A lot of us held the opinion deep down before surgery that slim people do not have to track their food. That is false. Few people eat whatever they want and avoid gain. 

We have to be responsible for ourselves. I'm not being mean when I ask this--it truly is sincere--but if your original surgery did not get you to commit, how will a second surgery?

I appreciate your reply but I did commit that is why I lost approximately140 lbs. But it has been a slow gain over7 years . I have had a lot of things going on in my life and yes I started back some old habits. I'm not making excuses even though it sounds like it. I'm just checking on the Revision right now. I don't know if it's me or my stomach. I will have it checked and go from there. Thanks

Revisions are serious and in my not-so-humble opinion, should only be done if there is something physically wrong after your initial surgery. As others have mentioned, stoma reducing surgeries are not successful for the majority of people who get them. A friend of mine died after complications from a revision. If you are having trouble eating less, talk to a therapist to figure out why you keep sabotaging yourself.

What is brachioplasty ?

So I wasn't going to add to the conversation here, but I really do feel for you and it is in that spirit that I hope  you take my thoughts into consideration.

I have also had re-gain.  Big re-gains.  The first one was 40 pounds and the second one was 50 pounds.  Yet I'm sitting here this afternoon at my lowest ever post op weight.  Even lower than I got during my "honeymoon" period 7+ years ago. I have had no revisions or procedures.  The re-gains sucked.  REALLY sucked.  But it is completely possible to re-lose and keep off any amount.  It's not as fast as it was immediately post-op.  I don't know if this will help you, but here is what I did:

1) The number on the scale.  Resolve to yourself that you will not, under any cir****tances allow it to go higher.  Give yourself a couple of weeks at that number, to reassure yourself that yes, you can hold the line and you do know how to stop the gain.  Do whatever it takes. Stop the disappointment of stepping on the scale and seeing even a .2 pound gain.  You can do this.

2) Meat.  Protein. Non-starchy veggies.  The end.  That's what you feed your body until you are back where you want to be.  It's not forever, but it will take awhile and I actually think that's a good thing.  By the time you are back to goal you'll have truly integrated that way of eating.  No diets.  I don't count calories or proteins or carbs or anything.  (Other than sugars - because of severe dumping and RH.  But sugars won't be much of a part of your life while you are losing.)  I'm not dieting. I didn't go through surgery to spend my life dieting. I just eat differently now.

3) Fluid.  Get in as much as you can. I typically drink two to three liters of water a day.  That's on top of  my diet coke (yes, I drink it daily) and anything else I might drink.  It's imperative to flush out built up toxins and keep them flushed out.  You don't want a bunch of sludge in your body but if you're not drinking enough water I can guarantee you've got a lot of it.

4) Expect to lose slowly. About four or five pounds per month. It took awhile for you to re-gain 60 pounds.  Give yourself that long to lose it.  It sounds so desperately slow I know.  But slower is better.  As I said above, you're building in habits so that you won't be in this spot again.  We all know how to lose 30 pounds in month or whatever.  And we all know it takes only a week or two to come right back.  You are in this for the long term.  You will eat this way the rest of your life - with a little more wiggle room when you get to your goal.

5) So much of this is a head game.  We feel like since it's going to take a few months we will be in whatever size we are in right now, feeling horribly huge and discouraged,  until the whole  however many months are over.  We tell ourselves that it won't be until then that we feel and look better.  Wrong!  You will feel better  with every pound lost.  You will lose clothing sizes along with that horrible worthless feeling all throughout your journey.  Yes one day you will get on the scale and see the number you have been waiting for.  But things will just be getting better and better during the weeks or months or whatever leading up to that day.

6) Exercise if you want to.  Move your body every day even if you don't.  Not to earn extra calories to eat, or to burn extra calories.  Just because bodies need movement to avoid atrophy.  And because it feels good.  Walking is great and is all of the exercise I need to be successful.

So that is what I did.  Both times I've had to lose regain, that is how I've done it. Obviously I'm human because I had to learn the lesson twice and the second time was even more weight than the first!  Life happens and I don't think anyone here would deny that.  But we can change.  We can do hard things.

Just wanted to add this last thing:  I looked at your posting history.  February 7th of this year you were posting about this 50 pound gain and asking for help (which is great!).  But that was 11 weeks ago. Had you committed to this journey back in February you would easily be down 15 pounds and maybe even 20.  Please don't take this as a slam.  I say it only because sometimes we just need to stop talking and make a beginning.  Not tomorrow or Monday or after a certain special event but right now, today, this afternoon of April 24.  Tonight at dinner. You'll wake up tomorrow feeling so much more in control and so much better.

We get one and only one "honeymoon" period.  Even with a revision, you will not have the weight fall of nearly as fast as it did back when you had your surgery in 2010.  You won't lose as much as quickly. After your revision is healed you will be faced with this exact same dilemma.  We have to eat a new way or we will not succeed.  Not a bad, punitive way. But a new way. 

Good luck to you.  I've been there and I hate how hard it is and I wish I had an easier better answer for you and for all of us.  Take care of yourself and give yourself huge pats on the back for addressing it, facing it, and beating it down.  You really can do it.  I promise.

Amy, this is an absolutely fantastic reply. I love this. This needs to be made a permanent post at the top of every surgery forum. 

Oh my goodness Audrey what a compliment, especially from you.  Like many, I've so been where the OP is right now.  Hopefully it will just help somebody.

And you know I realized after I posted that I forgot to mention the Back On Track Together Forum here on OH.  But my post was so long I didn't want to add another word to it!  (Can you tell I talk to much IRL too?)

So for the OP and anyone else interested, there is a forum here called Back On Track Together.  I don't have the link handy but you can use the search box and it will come right up.  Not a participant there myself but I know it's encouraged many.  Also wish I'd mentioned the What are you eating today?  threads.  I don't post there either but I know it's a big help to lots of folks.  For anyone struggling, take a minute and check these out.  Make full use of what others have found helpful.  Mold your own individual path out of the regain-relose-regain cycle.

Thanks  again Audrey.  You made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside tonight and I needed it  =)

Love every part of it.  

I am now on a path to lose my last part of the regain.  The closer I get to my goal weight- to my goal size, the more difficult it is to do it. Not only because my body is resiting, but also because my motivation to lose the last 3 lbs is not as high when I wanted to lose 10...my clothes fit well, I look great...ugh.. But I am still plugging along.  

Amy, thank you for taking the time out to write this down.  It is a kick in the butt for all of us who are struggling with either regain or trying to get to goal.  It's not that complicated.  We all want to attribute our issues to external factors, but it's basically every single thing you listed.

I needed to read this today.  Thank you