Sugar causes hunger!

Here is what I am discovering. Whenever I eat anything with sugar in it especially things like cookies or other sweets with carbs, its like a trigger food. The cravings become very strong. This even seems to happen with protien shakes I drink that I add fruit to. It seems like it is the sugar in the fruit that causes it too.  Is this because the of the insulin being released? or what? At least I am becomming aware of this and can be more carefull.   It will be six months on the 13th of this month and I have lost 72 pounds but, only about 10 to 15 pounds over the last couple of months. Moore  

Hi Moore, it could be the insulin, since food can be one of the triggers of insulin, which then triggers hunger (so I've read, not an expert!). It could also just be psychological hunger, especially if you've got a big history with sweets. This would not be unusual at any stage post op.

Best Wishes,

Dave

Moore , 10 to 15 in a couple of months? That's Great!!  Keep it up! The "Trigger Foods" idea? It doesn’t have to be Sugar, just a “sweet taste.” The Taste bud receptors that detect “sweet” signal the hormones of the body to prepare for “Food Up-Take.” Primitive response. (opposite of ‘bitter taste’ signals toxic alkaline levels- “Spit it Out!”) Even Splenda, Aspartame and Saccharin signal the body to prep for food, which results in appetite stimulation. That’s why all of the controversy over Diet Sodas causing folks to eat more than if they only drank water.  It’s not just a “Fat-Guy-Mental-Trigger” for “comfort food, There is a physiological trigger from the sensation of “Sweet.” The reflex is the “Cephalic Phase Response.”  It preps the body for the acceptance of new energy. A couple of “Blocks of Information?”---- http://www.ambion.com/tools/pathway/review.php?pathway=Sweet %20Taste%20Signaling

And- http://www.sbbiomechanics.com/NL_sugar%20substitutes.htm

Many, Many more if you go searching…. The exact opposite info is also available- (but generally the trials are published by the manufactures and corporate entities of “Sweetners.” Best Wishes- Dx [edited to get the links to work]

It's not just sugar that does this; it's simply carbohydrates generally, especially in the morning.  I saw a study (can't find a link right now) that took three groups of female RNY patients (all more than a year post-op, all experiencing regain).  The first group got an egg/vegetable omelet, the second group got a complex carbohydrate cereal (oatmeal, I think), the third a simple carbohydrate cereal (refined instant oatmeal, I think).  All three meals had the same calorie total The magnitude of the results was astounding.   The first group ate X (say, 1200) calories, the second group ate about X+600, and the third group X+1100.  (making the numbers up here, about right, though)   Worse, however, was that each group was asked to rate their hunger every hour from 1-10.  It dropped for everyone right after a meal, but in between, the first group got to a 4, the second a 7, the third an 8. So just by eating a carb-heavy meal to start the day, these women were eating a lot more, and were still much hungrier despite eating so much more.  Not surprisingly, eggs and protein shakes have become my staple breakfast options since reading this.  I'll update with a link to the study if I find one.

Actually I believe it's better to eat carbs in the morning since they provide the fuel for your body throughout the day. Late night carbs are the enemy however since your body is going into resting mode and no longer needs the fuel - the result is the body stores the fuel. Where does it store it? FAT!

Oh, by the way -- simple carbs that are high in refined sugar are almost always bad for you unless you're in the middle of a heavy-duty workout, marathon, etc. On the other hand, since complex carbohydrates takes longer to process, they are an excellent longer term source of fuel for the body. The slow absorption of complex carb sugars provides us with a steady supply of energy and limits the amount of sugar converted into fat and stored. Examples - Complex carbs (carbohydrate) foods are basically those in wholegrain form such as wholegrain breads, oats, muesli and brown rice. Simple carbohydrates are usually considered to be "bad" carbs, but these are those that have been processed and broken down before being put back together again in an unnatural way such as to produce a sweet product like chocolate.

I agree to an extent.  If you can eat carbs in the morning and are having no trouble maintaining your weight, then that may be the the better way to go because you will have a ready-source of energy in the body's preferred form.  If you are having trouble limiting your calorie intake and are gaining weight, however, then I think moving the carbs to the middle of the day makes since for the reasons discussed above.  Halving your caloric intake with no increase in willpower (as the women in the study did) is worth a bit of an energy dropoff for people that are otherwise gaining. The "carbs at night" thing has a certain appeal, but in the end your body is going to burn X and take in Y, and the difference is what you gain.  If you didn't eat carbs during the day, your body had to burn fat for energy.  So it burns a bit in the day, adds a bit at night.  What matters is the net. And of course, energy levels are an issue for some people, too, which must be weighed.

well stated