Need advice about sugar

Today marks one year since I started the pre op liquid diet.  I thought I would die for the first days.  You can read about it here.  My starting weight was 384.  I never dreamed that in one year I would have lost 167 pounds.  Today also marks one year since I've had refined sugar, caffeine or soda pop.  Before surgery I couldn't imagine going a few hours without all three of these things.  I'm a little worried about trying sugar.  I still treat it like it will make me sick even though I'm not sure it will.  I've read so many profiles that say if the person had it all to do over again, they would never have tried it.  I'm battling with my head about it and have been for days.  My goal was to make it one year and now that I'm past that, I'm in a tizzy. I guess I'm looking for advice from my fellow WLS brothers and sisters.

Don't use sugar. Natural sugar isn't bad but should be limited. People who have tried sugar products tend to find a way around the dumping and start to build a tolerance. Stay on the course and off the sugar path to doom and despair. kp

KP, Thanks for the advice.  I'm sure I'm going to be on this sugar roller coaster for the rest of my life *sigh*.

Don't do it Jenn. It really isn't worth knowing. Tell yourself if you eat it you will be in sever pain for several hours. If you do decide to try real sugar then I hope you get extremely sick for many hours ~at least long enough that you won' t ever want to have sugar again. I have dumped and can tell you it hurts and is not worth playing with. I did not have sugar on purpose. I asked for a sugar free muffin and was given a regular one, (that was after spending 20 miniutes talking with the owner and 2 workers about how I cannot have sugar and going over the ingredents in the sugar free baked goods). I will never go back to Mary Dennings on Wayne Rd. in Westland ever again! Why anyone would want to try sugar on purpose is beyond me. Take care God bless you, Annette

Annette, How awful that you had to go through that even after stating your condition to the employees.  I hope it never happens again.

I can tolerate about 7 grams of sugar or less (what's in my yogurt).  Anything more and I feel queasy.  I did have some apple juice last February and ended up in the ER with my heart going 220 beats per minute.  I never want to feel like that again.

Ann, That is so scary!  I never want to feel like that either. 

Jenn, Good for you on all of your accomplishments! Now please please please don't take this the wrong way, but it seems like food still has some kind of hold on you.  By that I mean when we battle with our food demons, we see it as "good" food and "bad" food.  It's all just fuel for the body, some a lot better than others.  If you've been thinking about sugar for a few days, it's taking up too much of your time and I would wait a while until it doesn't seem like such a big deal.  I don't really dump, and I just came through a huge struggle with food having the same hold on me that it did before surgery.  If I knew there was cake in the frige at home, I would think about it all day.  Then I realized that I just can't let food be so important to me.  I really think that's the difference between Skinny and Not Skinny people.  People that are at a natural, healthy weight know that they can take it or leave it.  Some treats are nice once in a while, but not something to focus on. Maybe this isn't true for you, but it really was for me.  You've done a great job so far! 

Brenda, I really appreciate your input and get exactly what you are saying. This is exactly why I don't want sugar to rule me.  I want to be in control and not have it rule my life.  I try not to dwell on what I can't have and focus on what I can.  I don't want to ever "diet" again.  What I mean by that is, I don't want to feel deprived because that is what has always been my downfall in other weight loss attempts.  I've taken some flack for staying away from sugar from other bariatric patients who claim that by depriving myself of sugar, that I'm not learning moderation.  It's so strange, you would think that after one year of being sugar free your brain would no longer crave sugar.  That's not been the case.  I have dreams where I'm eating sugar and wake up freaked out that I've "ruined" my weight loss attempts.  Wouldn't it be nice if we thought like skinny people?  Unfortunately, the surgery doesn't work on our brains. 

Hi Jenn!  You are doing so great, happy 12 months to you - what  a year it has been for you, and for all of us.   I am having the same struggles you are - sometimes I think just a taste wont hurt, but I have not tried any real sugar.  I have had sugar free popsicles, pudding, cool whip and protein bars with 7 gr. of sugar or less - but I havent had any of the "good" stuff.  I really want to stay away from it, even just a bite, because it will take over control and I feel so good about myself.  I want to tell you the story about someone I met through a support group - and this story sticks in my head anytime I feel the urge to try sugar - this person started eating sugar again at just under 1 yr. from surgery and she was able to determine just how much she could eat before getting sick - now she gets up in the middle of the night to make cookie dough to eat.  And, of course she has regained weight.  But she has surrendered all control to sugar.  It scares the hell out of me.  I know that I cant have just a taste.  When you add up all the sugar that I ate for 32 years - well, wow - that was enough for a lifetime.

I promised myself, as I am sure you did too, that I will not let myself down this time -we can do this!!!!!  Rebecca