I'm actually an old member here, I signed up months before my surgery in 2007 but I forgot my login info. But anyway, I'm really at the end of my rope here and not sure what to do. 

I lost 200lbs out of the 240 I wanted to lose back when I had my surgery. Which is a great loss, but I've regained 18lbs -- which I'm sure to most isn't that much but 18 can become 28 and then 38 and so on if you aren't careful and I'm really trying to be. I put on my first 10lbs when I became anemic -- I had maintained my weight easily for 5 years and then it kinda piled on all at once. I really didn't think I was doing anything different diet and exercise wise. 

Then the last 8 has creeped on in the 12-15 months seemingly due to dieting. Every time I diet I add a couple of pounds extra. I've tried varying forms of low carb diets coupled with calorie counting-- this includes Atkins, South Beach, carb cycling, paleo, etc. None of them have produced weight loss beyond the initial few pounds of water weight. I've stuck to each of them for a minimum of 3 months and no results. Most of them except paleo made me feel like crap to the point where I couldn't exercise at all because of the lethargy and dizziness. To avoid that I had to keep my carbs at 60-80g a day and then it went away and I felt good and I could exercise. Which I did pretty extensively. I was hiking 20 miles a week and lifting weights 2x/week and eating about 1300 calories (at 200lbs) mainly from protein. And yet, no weight loss.  

I even went to a nutritionist familiar with RNY at had a Medgem test to see what my RMR is. The machine spit out 1580 as my BMR. Multipled by 1.3 for lightly active,  that's 2054 for maintenance. Eating 1300 calories I really should've lost at least one pound per week. I lost nothing.  

I feel rather doomed if that doesn't produce weight loss. That was my last try and then I was diagnosed with a herniated disc and not allowed to do any exercise except light/modified yoga and walking (not hiking, walking) and light swimming. Maintenance calories for sedentary is 1896 and I only ever eat UP TO that IF I have exercised. Most days I log about 1500 calories and I'm perfectly sated at that level. No losses, of course.

I've even subtracted -500 from the 1580 BMR to see if her using the multiplier (which the MedGem website does say to use) was the problem, meaning I was eating 1080 calories a day. Which was really tough because to get enough protein, I was back into Atkins level of low carb and felt like crap again. Not to mention, I stayed hungry. No weight loss there, either.  

I tried going to the support group from my surgeon and it's all just newbies who don't want me spoiling their honeymoon phase with the reality of long-term post-op weight control.  My surgeon and his team in general hasn't been helpful whatsoever. I'm old news, I guess. 

I can't get on the scale anymore. It keeps triggering my old eating disorder to get on the scale and see those numbers and then I wind up in starve/binge cycles. Granted, I cant EVEN binge like before surgery and I do far more with the starvation side of it now as opposed to pre-op, but it's an unhealthy and useless thing to engage in. 

I almost wish I could say there was a mechanical failure in my surgery and I was eating like I was pre-op, but I'm not. I could put away 4,000 calories without thinking pre-op and now it's work to eat my 1896 "maintenance" calories when I'm eating at 50% of my calories from protein. In other words, I don't think my pouch/stoma is stretched. 

I'm completely at a loss here. Or, well, not...  

Beautiful post Jill!

Good for you and thanks for sharing!

I am in the same boat -- lets swim to shore together - we can do this!

I love your post as well.  I was just thinking - wow I can cross my legs again.  I couldn't cross my legs for years and years.  Thanks for sharing!!!  It helps us all appreciate the result from all the hard work we did!