So I first had VBG (banded gastroplasty) in 2001. I lost 100 pounds and then plateaued and stayed at the new weight until 2012. All of the sudden I couldn’t eat anything. I threw up everything I ate. I had an endoscopy which showed scar tissue blockage. I had a revision into a gastric bypass. After that the weight flew off, eventually I had lost a total (including the 100 from the first surgery) 197 pounds. Three pounds away from my goal of losing 200 pounds. Then all of the sudden weight loss stopped. One day I had a few sips of Mtn Dew and I didn’t get sick. So the next day I had a whole glass. Then a whole can. Wow, I had all that sugar and no dumping. Maybe I can have a candy bar. Same result. You see where this is going. Now eight years later I have gained 160 pounds back. It makes me physically sick to think of what I’m putting my body through, let alone the emotional part of feeling like a big fat loser (no pun intended). I cut out the Mtn Dew and am drinking Mtn Dew Zero. I want to cut that out too but can’t find a drink that satisfies me. For those of you who know the feeling of gaining weight back, how are you handling it and do you have suggestions on how to get motivated to start losing? I’m desperate and need feedback. Thanks ahead of time.

Hi guys - I'm in a similar boat. Sleeved March 2015 at 292lbs. Got down to 177lbs. Was pretty happy there but was aiming for 165.

Started to gradually gain - by Jan 2020 I was up to 200, and then because of the pandemic and lockdown (boredom eating mainly) I was up to 220 this January. So I've not regained all my weight, but still regained about 40% of it.

I'm on week three of trying to lose my regain. Down 10lbs so far (but some of that in week 1 was probably water weight). This is what has been working for me:

1. Keep it simple. It's calories in vs calories out. I tried Keto for two days and was so miserable that it was never going to be sustainable. So I'm just going for a straightforward trying to consume 1000 calories less than I burn each day - i.e. less than 1750.

2. Within that calorie allowance, I allow myself to eat anything I want, subject to the following rules.

3. My first calories get used on a protein heavy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Only after I've logged all of those do I get to incorporate snacks.

4. No drinking with meals or 30 minutes either side of a meal. But otherwise lots of water.

5. No fizzy drinks except at weekends. I never had a calorie problem with fizzy drinks as my weakness was Diet Coke. But now I only drink sugar-free cordial (Robinson's Orange and Mango or Orange and Pineapple for those in the UK).

6. If I want a snack, I have to have a drink (water or cordial) first to see if that stops the craving.

7. Everything - and I mean everything - I eat is measured and recorded on MyFitnessPal before I eat it. It helps me see the impact of a particular choice on my calorie levels for the day, and sometimes leads me to make a different choice.

8. Six days of the week, I must be under 1750 calories. One day a week (usually Sunday) I allow myself up to 2500 calories but only if I have 'banked' enough calories during the week. So if, say, on Monday I consume 1500 calories rather than 1750, those 250 go into the bank and I allow myself to use them on Sunday (up to the maximum of 2500, which is roughly what I burn in an average day of activity).

I've been doing that since 4 January, and have gone from 220lbs to 210lbs. I am aiming for 2lb loss a week for the next three months, and then to slow it down to about 1lb a month for another three or four months.