Massive Weight Gain--This makes no sense!!!!

I had a VBG in Nov. 04, I was 287lbs.  It was a great surgery.  I lost weight steady and kept it off at 154lbs for about a year.  I slowly started to put weight on over 06.  June of 07 I was up to 180lbs. I rapidly put on weight over the next year.  I am now at 220lbs.  My activity level is the same as always.  I eat the same things I did in 05, 06, and in 07.  I was 200lbs on Jan. 1st and am now 220, what the heck????????  Im going to be 900lbs by the end of the year if this keeps up.  I have been exercising a little more and watching calories MORE, but nothing is really working.  Has rapid weight gain happened to anyone else; without changing diet or exercise levels?
One other question....everyone else can loose weight on a 1200 cal diet!  I eat 800-1000 and put on major weight.  Does anyone know how this is possible?  Keep in mind that my body is very used to a low cal diet,  I have had a VBG since 04.  Any suggestions as to how I can start loosing weight.  I have really been trying.  I am a very active person, and I watch what I eat.  My band is still small and so is my pouch.  1 egg and a piece of bread fills me to the top!  So I know I'm not broken.  I just don't understan!!???

Confused and Scared

Hi Sunnshine,

I want to share my story because I am not saying that you have any of the same trouble I have, but thinking about the different aspects and see if any may apply.

Me
surgery April 21, 2003
weight 390 #
Lowest weight 210
lowest on June 12, 2005 
highest gain 250
highest on July 5, 2008
current weight 225

VBG was brand new in 03 not even mentioned on this web site at that time so 1st I want to be sure that you had same procedure:

procedure:
vertical pouch approx 2-3 oz
permanent band above pouch
Y shaped bypass, bypassing several feet of Sm intestines

after getting to my lowest weight I became hungry all the time.  My research led me to believe that even though I had lost almost 200# I still had the same amount of fat cells they had just shrunk (this is true), It has not been proven that depleted fat cells have an effect on the body and since I am a sales rep and not a scientist I can't prove this but my Dr's all think it is plausible I know what is going on.

After 2 years I started feeling hungry all the time although I could still only eat 5oz I started eating every 20 min .  I did not realize how much more I was eating because I was eating the same things but I always ate.  I also began to drink alcohol (kills weight loss). I  believe anyone who loses a large amount of weight has a physiological reaction where fat cells have a memory and want to be full. When they are not 2 things happen, the body starts to store remaining fat cells making weight loss harder,  and fat cells send a message to your brain saying I am starving to death and prompting me to eat all the time.

In my case when I first started seeing my Dr I told him I was not eating any more than I had been, because I had not changed what I was eating, and I only ate when I was hungry.  I think too in my case it was that I have conditioned myself to make excuses about my eating because I knew I was not eating out of boredom, or emotions but because I was physically hungry and I didn't want to think I had gone back to just eating all the time like I did at 400#. 

I saw my Dr and this is what I have changed.

Dr found I had a thyroid problem I didn't have before, now taking thyroid pills.  
 
Dr increased the amount of vitamins I was taking because lots of vitamins just like fats and sugar are absorbed in the detached part of the stomach and intestines, this makes it hard to get enough.

Dr suggested the way to combat my physiological symptoms was to keep my blood sugar up and eat food that fill my pouch like bread and pasta.
Generally if you are on a diet you would avoid these things but if you have medically altered your body you have different physical requirements as long as you get all your protein, vitamins, and keep up your blood sugar most other food will bypass and not effect your body.

My suggestions:
1.  See your doctor or a naturopath, if you really are eating less than 1 calorie per 10 pounds of weight and are not loosing weight you have other health problems.  Consider this too if you have had a bypass you are not even absorbing all the calories that you eat.

2.  Keep your blood sugar up; what I do is drink lots of 100% juice, due to dumping I get sick if i eat more than 16 grams of sugar but oj has 26 grams in 1 serving and does not make me sick.  I also find that tomato and veg table juice makes me feel full without the effects of food.  I drink liquids all day long every day so I mixed unsweetened tea with 1/2 and 1/2 juice,  to keep my blood sugar up all day. To keep your bm regular because juice will give you the runs you may want to use an anti diarihal the first few days.  You may want to start on a weekend because the natural effect is healthy.  I also use lemon juice and a Tablespoon of real maple syrup.  Lemon juice cleans you out, reduces your body's acidity level and real maple syrup will not give you dumping or effect your blood sugar negatively.

3. try to convince Oprah and Dr's that a remedy for the physiological effects needs to be found.

Good Luck

Leann

Gastric Restrictive Procedure – Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG) Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG) is a purely restrictive procedure. In this procedure the upper stomach near the esophagus is stapled vertically for about 2-1/2 inches (6 cm) to create a smaller stomach pouch. The outlet from the pouch is restricted by a band or ring that slows the emptying of the food and thus creates the feeling of fullness.

                      Thank you for your reply.  I had the Vertical Band Gastroplasty (VBG) described above, not the Vertical Gastric Bypasss (VGB).   All my food is getting absorbed in the same manner it was prior to surgery.   I do take multivitamins and I have done the lemon and pure maple syrup thing.  I have a food diary that I keep track of my intake.   I will keep track for 2 months or so then stop.  I write down butter cals, everyhting, even creamer I put in my coffee, if I have a werthers, I write it.  I consume on average 1000 cals or so.  I do drink alcohol occasionally and that will put me to 1500cals.  But a rum and diet coke now and then should not be putting weight on me.  I have also had my thyriod checked and it is fine. 
I have read that my Base metabolic rate is 1300, give or take, I should be burning these calories in my sleep, but I am obviously not;  And I exercise.  
I have come to the conclusion that my body has adapted to a certain amount of calories for so long and any little bit that I go over that it stores.  
When I first had surgery I could eat 200-300 cals.  It was like that for a year or so.  Then over the next few years I could eat 500-800 cals.  Now I'm to 1000 and packing on the pounds.  So what is an extreme diet for someone else is pigging out for me.  I dont think I can go back to eating 500 calories, I have tried.  And I'm not having anymore surgery.  But I will not give up to get this weight off.  I don't know what to do but there has to be somebody that knows what is going on.  What I need to do to fix this.  I am at a loss! 
As far as cravings and hunger....I get hungery a few times a day.. there are days I'm more hungery than others but not abnormally so.    

I had the same surgery as you in August, 1999.  The night before surgery I was 385 pounds.  The lowest I got to was 190 pounds in August , 2003.  I recently was as high as 308.  The reason for our weight gain is that, as least for me, the pouch doesn't control foods like cookies, cheesecake, potato chips, etc.  True, I can only eat one egg and a piece of toast, but I can eat a whole package of Oreos.  My doctor explained to me that our bodies are 98.6 degrees and what happens to cheesecake or ice cream in that temperature, it melts and goes right through the pounch unlike a tuna sandwich or toast.

I recently started watching my foods and my calorie intake and lost 21 pounds in the past month.  You are eating less than 1200 calories which is not enough.  If you don't eat enough calories your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism slows down.  Expecially if you are exercising, you need to have enough carbohydrate and fat calories for energy to burn and protein calories to repair.

I hope this little tidbit helps.  If you want to send me an e-mail, my e-mail address is [email protected].  Take care and good luck, Lorraine

HI LORRAINE. I TOO HAD SURGERY AWHILE AGO, 3/2004. RECENTLY I'VE STARTED TO GAIN. AT HIGHEST WEIGHT I WEIGHED 273, LATER DOWN TO 146, NOW 173. I'M GOING TO TRY WHAT YOU DID. WISH ME LUCK. GWEN [email protected]