My first thought is why are you eating 4 bagels a day?
How often are you eating?
If this is all you eat, your body may very well just be stuck in a rut.
You may not be eating enough for your body weight, either.
I still eat 3 meals a day and snacks too.
How much are you eating at one sitting?

Sharekia, hi - weight regain at the 5-year post-op and beyond is unfortunately extremely common. For those of us prone to emotional eating or any food addictions (e.g., chocolate, sweets), it becomes nearly impossible to reverse once the onslaught of regain begins. There is a Revision Board on this site, have you checked into that? Best of luck - I wish I had the answers... Please let me know how you are doing. Maureen

Hi Pete- I've had food stuck a few times and spent hours burping.  Sometimes it passes on its own and sometimes not.   My weird thing is that I can no longer eat certain types of food.  I can't eat Chinese food at all.  I almost always vomit afterward.  Steak is so dense that I'm sure its harder to digest.  Hope you are doing better now.  JCNY

Hi All,  I am 5 years out and enjoying the benifits of my R/Y Gastric Bybass.  Ive had food stuck on a couple of occassions but although painfull and very uncomfortable it usually passes in 1-5 hours.  3 times in 5 years so I figure I'm doing ok.  This past Sunday however, I ate a half a filet mignion.  I never eat steak, and it will be a long time until I try it again....    I ended up in the hospital for 3 days.  Two days on pain meds waiting for it to pass and then one day waiting for the scope to make sure everything was ok.    It passed on its own and the Dr said the scope looked fine.  I felt pretty good on Wed but today it feels like someone punched me in the stomach.   It is the first time ive vomited multiple times (8-9) (sorry for that) and first time I had a scope done so I am asking if any of you have experienced severely stuck food, vomiting, and a scope, and if so did you feel pain on the days to follow.  It would also be nice to know how long the pain lasted.  (Sorry for the long post and I look forward to your replies)  Thanks Pete

Has anyone from 2004 or at least 3 yrs out had any revisions to your original procedure? If so which one and has it worked? Original weight before RNY was 420 got down to 270 and now back up to 300 (probably more but I refuse to look at a scale)

EVERYTHING makes you dump?
I'm not being obtuse, but are you SURE it's dumping?

I am 5 yrs post op and have gained back about 20 pounds. As frusterating as that is I have recently started dumping again! I thought that I was crzy when it first happened but now I am certain that is dumping. The weirdest thing is I dont know what I can eat now. Its not the basic sugar dumping. WHENEVER & WHATEVER I eat sends me into a sweating, trembling, stomach gurgling frenzy.  I need suggestions from 5yr+ post op patients. PLEASE RESPOND!!!

Janette,
Don't feel bad, because I am going through that same thing myself.  I had surgery 5/10/04.  I got down to around 130 lbs, a size 4-6 P, I am now up to size 8-10 R, I am so afraid that I will gain all of my weight back.  I started going to the gym about two weeks ago, and I am feeling better in my clothes already.  I am not where I want to be, but I feel that I am on my way.  I have got to get this weight off.  My job is a customer service rep and I sit all day long and i know that does not help the me at all, but I just started gaining weight in the last year, and I could eat almost anything without gaining.  When I saw that I was putting on some weight I would just got back to salads and eating right.  So I know that I can do it, and you can too.  The surgery was just a tool, not a cure!!  We still have our part to do on this journey.

Good luck Janette

Hettie

I eat pretty much what I want to, but still can't eat too much of it. I do drink coffee all day long though. Have you been drinking sodas? Most people I know that have gained their weight back started back drinking sodas again. I haven't had a soda in over 4 yrs except for a sip of my husbands.
You are not a failure. Just keep telling yourself you had the surgery for a reason and don't give up on that reason. You did it for you. Don't let the surgery go to waste.

Here is a sample of my meals:
Breakfast
2 slices of bacon
1 egg
1 biscuit
coffee


Lunch

1 Ham sandwich without the crust
1 can of beanie wiennies
water or tea


Dinner
1/2 peice of chicken or steak
1 spoonful of mashed potatoes
1 spoonful of green beans ( or some type of g reen veggies)
1 Roll
water or tea


Snack
Coffee
1 cup of Raymundo's Flan
Coffee

Get back on track one day at a time. Good luck to you.Remember to get up on that track with full speed ahead and don't quit until you come to the right station!  Good luck!

OMG I cant believe I found this board!  I dont feel alone any longer.  I had my surgery 4 yrs ago. a little more now.  And I got down to 168 but have since came back up to 196.  I feel like I have failed.  I honestly was thinking the surgery has failed.  I see so many people that are skinny (sickly skinny as I call it) and think my gosh what happened to me.  Why cant I be like others?     I can eat just about anything I want, except milk or ice cream.  I wish chocolate made me sick, or diet soda....NOT!   Never have made sick.   I exercise some, I stay active, but I think I have stretched my pouch out.  I am going to talk to my PCM to see if he will do a barium swallow on me to see if I have messed it up and go from there.  I so need to start losing again. 

I don't know how much help I can be because I am pregnant right now for the second time since surgery.  With my first post op baby I gained a total of 8 pounds and this one so far, 8 as well but I have 3 more months.  However, I don't feel like my eating has changed at all during this time.  Here is what I eat.
Breakfast
1 egg
1 piece of toast
2 pieces of bacon, sometimes I can't eat all of it.

Lunch
1 small bowl of chili
1/2 peanutbutter sandwich, again sometimes I can't eat it all.

Dinner
1/2 small chicken breast
1/4 cup of green beans
1/4 cup of mashed potatoes, I NEVER eat it all but that is how much I measure out.

I drink alot!  I drink so much sometimes that I can barely eat.  I don't do it on purpose, it just happens.  I am at 160 right now due to the baby but before the baby I was 152.  I had been bouncing bewteen 148 and 152 for a few years now.  Have you tried the 5 day pouch test?  I have heard that helps alot.  I am going to do that after this baby.  Good luck.
Toni

Hi Janette!
I agree with Jessica-we are all out four plus years and facing new challenges in our journey.  But you musn't give up!  You have to try harder to keep healthy choice foods available.  Not just for you but for your kids too.  They can and will benefit from eating healthy too.  Whenever you feel hungry try drinking some water.  I feel for you and I wish there was something I could do to help you, but you know and I know that YOU have to make the decision to get back to the basics.  I gained back 12 pounds from the lowest weight I originally got to, but I have also heard that it is not uncommon to gain around 10 pounds after getting close to or at your goal weight.  My goal weight was 150 but I haven't made it yet.  I'm going to though!!  And you'll get back to the 198 and even less than that, but you have to really want to do it.  I know it's hard, honest I do, but you have to do it for YOU because YOU deserve it!!!!
Laura

Oh Janette, I'm so sorry to hear of your frustration but please know you're not alone. We're all 4+ years post-op now and for most of us, can eat whatever we want and drink whatever we want without much reprocussions. I've been fighting the scale myself but my vice is soda. Not diet either - full sugar - full calorie - yummy soda. I've gained 17 lbs in the past 3-4 months! I'm challenging myself to get off the soda and at least onto diet but the goal is water. Then I'll tackle the sweets and carbs. I can totally see how its possible for WLS patients to put the weight back on but its up to us to put a stop to it at some point and say "I WILL NOT GO BACK!!!". It requires more planning and preparation on our part but it can be done. You mentioned its late when you get home with the kids and usually stop on the way home for soemthing to eat... perhaps you could swing into a grocery store with a deli and get more of a balanced meal; Or pack a cooler with turkey/chicken/ham/etc... and cheese sandwiches for the drive home. Toss some fruit and veggies in the cooler with some bottles of water or juice for the kids and you've got the making of a healthy dinner (not to mention, cheaper in the long run!). I applaud you for reaching out in your time of need. That's what this site is for and I think it'd be helpful to everyone to check in once in a while. I know I am more weight concious when I've been on here recently. Best of luck to you. Jessica

You look great. I went from a 28 (tight) to a 12, but over the last two years I have gone back to size 18. I am frustrated, but trying to get back on track. Lost 9 pounds in the last 4 days. Ginger

Congrats on the twins Becky!! I'm in the same situation as both of you regarding weight loss. I lost from 304 to 164 but settled around 170. Now I'm up to 179 or 180 and I swear my clothes fit like I gained 25lbs! I joined the gym here at work and I even brought my gym bag to the office.... its been sitting under my desk patiently waiting for me to grab it and head downstairs. I don't know what my problem is.... its almost like I'm scared to workout. I couldn't agree more Krystal.... who ever said this was the easy way out was SERIOUSLY mistaken! Its a constant battle mentally, emotionally, and some days physically. I really want to get down to my "ideal" weight which is around 140 but honestly I'd just be happy if my clothes fit right again. I'm in 14s mostly but have a few 11/12s in my closet. I also have 1 pair of 16s which I had to buy as a desperate measure so I could go to work the next day and feel some what comfortable. My poor husband keeps trying to motivate me but I just keep going after the Mt. Dew, chips, cookies, chocolate, etc... and keeping the water far from me. I'm going to try to come on the board more often for support. I think if I can do that I may not reach for the sweets for comfort. Stay strong ladies and congrats on all of your progress thus far!! Ciao! Jessica RNY: 5/17/04

Dear Becky, How wonderful...TWINS!! I do the yo-yo fluxuation too! I have found that there are several things for me that affect that. Salt, so I retain more water. Pastas, grains or rices, which act like a sponge in my gut and sit there like a rock making me feel so uncomfortable and lastly, I just ate to darned much! Any success in weight loss that I have is always attributed to the same things we used to lose the weight in the first place. I drink as much water as I can. If I am drinking then I am full and there is a bottle of water in hand rather than a cookie. I keep low cal, low carb stuff on hand that is quick to eat. Yoplait light (delicious!!!!) baby carrots and celery sticks in a ziplock in the fridge. I do dip in ranch but we have to live a little Cubed meats and cheeses in ziplocks. I just have to be able to make healthier choices when I get hungry. I do sit ups and push ups everyday but that's about it for exercise unfortunately. The biggest thing is just to avoid the pastas and grains. I can even eat a couple of pieces of chocolate and lose if I cut those out! I hope you continue do do well and hey always remember that at almost three hundred pounds, you and I would have killed to weigh what we do now so be joyful!!! Sincerely, Krystal

Hi, congrats on your babies. Though my babies are healthy, I had a disappointing breastfeeding experience because I never did make very much milk. My twins are 15 months old and I wanted badly to breastfeed them (rented a hospital quality pump, used a lactation consultant, etc.) I never had any discomfort with breastfeeding, my breasts never got really engorged and the lactation consultant said my breasts were really soft and spongy not the typical post partum breasts so I might have lost a great deal of breast tissue with my weight loss. I also used reglan and it seemed to help some but my babies didn't seem to get very much from me. I wound up breastfeeding part time for 4 months; we started supplementing with formula in the hospital because my babies weighed 6lb. 5 oz each at birth but the one I was breastfeeding more (he took to the breast better) lost down to 5 lbs. During my pregnancy I took B12 shots every month. The only regret I have about the way I approached breastfeeding was that I think I was too "ambitious" I planned to pump milk for them after I returned to work and so I focused on using the pump to stimulate my milk production (following the lacatation consultant's advice). Later I found out from my sister that she had never been able to have much of a "letdown" using a pump and she made more milk actually feeding her baby. Next time I will focus on feeding the baby and let the hormones do their job and not worry about pumping. My babies are perfectly healthy according to their doctor but they've always been on the low end of the percentiles in weight and height-like 10% to 20% which concerns me. (Head circumference was on the higher end). Hubby and I are short and small framed though so this might account for the low percentiles. My advice is listen to your pediatrician and try not to worry. Ask for additional labs for your baby such as iron so your doctor can address any potential health risks. Becky post gastric bypass May 2004

I was doing good until I got preggers last year. I only gained 8 pounds with him and now 6 months later I have gained another 8. I am tired all the time. I do have low iron and am taking two pills aday but I just want to sleep all day long. I know I shouldn't eat when I am not hungery but for some reason I can't stop myself. I can't afford to join a gym and it hasn't been that nice here to walk. Oh it has been warm enough it just rains about every other day it seems. When we do go for a walk it is just around the block. I don't have a car to go to the mall or a park. I am a stay at home mom. If it wasn't for my 13 year old, I wonder what I would do because she help me so much with the baby boy. Does anyone know how I can check my pouch and get back on track and lose more weight. I am at 157 and in a size 14/16. I hate it!! Please help if you can. Thanks.

My baby boy is 6 months old and has no problem gaining weight. He is also doing fomula off and on due to my milk not coming in right. I am taking reglan to produce milk still. There is alot of women on the preggie post op board that nurse and seem to be doing just fine with it. They may beable to answer better than I can. I do take two "dots" of b12 daily. They dissolve in your mouth, I get them at walmart. Tht might help as well.

Nice to see someone posting here! I just had my 4 yr surgiversary on May 3. Down 160 pounds and maintaining! Congratulations on your success!!!

Congrats! I too went from a 26 to 14. I still want to lose more but am happy that I haven't gained too much back.

Hello everyone hope all is well it's been 4 years and I went from a size 26 to a size 14 life is great check out my new photos

Hi-Even though You posted this back in December 07', I'm just reading it now and I had to reply to tell You that I, too, am having the very same problem. I'd say I have gained about 50 lbs. back too. I have been seeing a therapist for just under a year now, and I know why I eat when I'm not hungry, I just don't know how to stop it yet. I am eating anything and everything, although mostly carbs. I have been on disability for the last 5 weeks, and every morning I am at Panera for coffee and a pumkin muffie, with 2 pats of butter! God, I know that what I'm doing is soooo wrong, but I do it anyway! I am kicking myself, but I don't stop. I tell myself every day that I'll get back on track soon, yet when the time I had planned to do it comes, I procrastinate about it again for another week or so. I don't know what the answer is-I wish I did. My clothes are tight too...........I put the blame squarely on my own shoulders. If You should gain (no pun intended) any insight on how to remedy this problem, please let me know. The last thing I want to be is on a DIET! I HATE HATE HATE them!!! I just want to be normal! GOOD LUCK To YOU! Believe me, I know how You feel! Linda

Well Hello California..... I've been gone for such a long time and miss the support I use to get from this place. Miss everybody soooo much. I moved very far away, such a bad girl.... I've even put on some poundage and I need help getting back. I've strayed off the yellow brick road. I'm real down, really down! Almost feel like giving up then I said, wait... I didn't go through hell and back just to go back to how I was before! But I need help. I know this is asking alot. Most of you don't even know me now. I use to go to all of the Seminars, I was so proud of who I had became, and happy with shopping for clothes had the greatest Doctor in the world, he was even a cutie pie. But now I'm so far away from home and I've lost my dirve. HELP ME IF YOU CAN. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a quick hello to see how you are doing? I am in the same boat but let it get to 50 pounds and all my clothes are tight and I can't afford new right now. Uggh its killing me. Can't get past the fact that yes I am eating like i used to. Really scaring me and I don't know where to turn LA