I had surgery in 2008. I weighed 276 and got down to 206. Never smaller. I am 5-8 and female. In 2009 I had to have an aplasia done. In 2012, 2018, and 2020, I have had Lyme's disease. Since the Aplasia, I started gaining some weight back. Once I had the lymes, I gained it all back and then some. After 30 years, I finally was put on Thyroid pills--a doctor finally did a full panel and was shocked it had never been done. I now weigh 283 lbs. I am exhausted all the time. I have no energy. I drink water, and (1) DECAF coffee a day--I haven't had caffeine in 15 years. Because of the lap band, I have a hard time eating veggies and meat. I have found that poultry--which I love--makes me sick if it because of the hormones and vaccines pumped into them. Veggies are hard because I can't get them chewed down enough. I try to stay away from processed foods because of the unhealthy packaging and the sodium in them but do eat some processed protein. I NEED HELP!!!!! If anyone out there has any suggestions, etc I would really appreciate it. My sugar is fine, but my liver function isn't looking good. I have tried things like Nutrisystem. They work for about a month and then I stall out and start gaining it all back.

Hi, I am so sorry to hear about your struggle. We have a lot of great members here, and I am sure someone will have some really excellent advice and things for you to consider. Did you only have the lap-band? I had a sleeve done on July 17th, but never had the lap band done. I also am hypothyroid and have some menopausal issues that are making my weight loss difficult & tricky despite my recent surgery. Have you met with or considered a naturopath or alternative health practitioner? Liver function is not something to mess with, or a history of Lyme's disease. Sometimes the 'outside the box' doctors will have more effective & creative strategies for complicated health situations. I know that Lyme's can affect the thyroid. Is your healthcare provider looking at things like reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies? https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3/

Here is another site I really like: https://selfhacked.com/blog/all-about-chronic-lyme-potential-treatments/

Where in the US are you located? Maybe one of our members could recommend a naturopath or other kind of doctor that you could visit with that is near you. Have you discussed with a WLS doctor possibilities to convert to a roux-n-y? Perhaps if it were possible to have the lap band removed you could eventually tolerate meats and vegetables easier? Protein is incredibly important for health & weight loss/maintenance, as I am sure you know. Owing to my own metabolic issues, I actually broke down & decided to add in some stimulants (phentermine) after my sleeve surgery, as my body would not drop weight, no matter how little or how much I ate, or how much I was exercising each day. Phen is an ugly drug which is very hard on the heart, but it is documented to help stimulate lypolysis -- and I know this as well from personal experience. I definitely would not recommend phen to someone with liver function issues or Lyme's disease, but I don't know enough about those conditions to say what would be a good strategy for you. Have you had hormone panels done? For middle aged ladies like me, estrogen & testosterone deficits can also contribute to stubborn weight issues. I personally recently had testosterone pellets implanted, and take DHEA & pregnenolone each day, along with T3 & T4. For liver support, I know that glutathione & milk thistle are very helpful and have personally taken them without issue.

Good luck & all the best to you. I'll be waiting to see what some of our other members have to say.