Topology control for ad hoc networks is needed to conserve energy and increase the network life time. In this paper we propose a Residual Energy Adaptive Re-Routing(REAR) scheme in conjunction with a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model for prolonging the lifetime of the network. The approach is based on the multi-commodity flow which involves routing several requests from the sources to the sinks in a given network by splitting and re-routing the non-optimal flows over multiple paths. The REAR algorithm ensures uniform consumption of energy across all the nodes in the network thereby increasing the lifetime of the network. This algorithm is compared with earlier works and results observed show that the MILP algorithm in conjunction with the REAR algorithm perform better than the existing algorithms.