"Bulimic" in Effect from Overeating?

Hey Guys,

Got a minute here and can't guarantee much followup posting, but wondering if anyone else has noticed this:

If I eat too much, the food just seems to go straight through. I noticed this phenonenon most distincly with unhealthy peanut butter fudge. Then, with relatively healthy low fat mozzerella string cheese.

Clearly there appears to be an "Eat more, weight less" kind of thing going on.

Wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

I suppose in my case it's one more reason to watch what I eat.

If anyone out there regularly overeats, I suppose they could have some laxative bulemic symptoms:

"Laxative and Diuretic Use

It is estimated that one third of people struggling with bulimia use laxatives, and roughly 10% take diuretics. Various effects include:

Laxative abuse

• Chronic intestinal inflammation
• Chronic constipation
• Irregular bowel function
• Systemic toxicity"

From:  http://bulimiasideeffects.com/

This has turned into a semi-ramble, but if there are any big time post-op overeaters, this info might be relevant. We have several folks experiencing pain and inflammation. And of course, food addiction doesn't just disappear overnight.

Best Wishes,

Dave

Could the fast moving through your digestive track be related to the high fat content of the fudge?   Even with the RNY you do have malabsorbtion of fats and proteins, hence the need to suppliment.  I eat quiet a bit with the DS, but I'm pretty regular, no food really effects the times I go to the bathroom (normally first thing in the morning, and sometimes once late at night if I eat a lot of fat during the day).  The only food that does effect my BM timing is milk or milk products (including whey) because I am highly lactose intollerant.  Even a bit of lactose (like in whey) causes me digestive issues. Scott

Hi Scott,

Could be the fat and protein content, as you say. But I've always felt that one factor in mal/non-absorption is the decreased space in the small intestine. Twice the volume put into the same sized pipe should equal twice the speed.

Best Wishes,

Dave

Sometimes when I can't stop eating, I'll throw up!  I feel like my pouch is too full so I'll go throw it up!  Um....be kind when you yell at me guys!

Well, it is better to exercise restraint early on, because you'll be able to eat considerably more later on and you don't want to be constantly increasing your food intake. Eventually, more eaten means more passes through the stoma.

Dave, I haven’t had (or noticed) any change in "Processing Speed" when I eat more. For me, it’s a simple- "More In equals More Out," But no change in digestion rate. If I eat sugar I have a fairly extreme laxative effect, And due to that, I have lost interest in sweets. Some people claim to have "looser" output from eating fats. I tend to do just fine with higher fat content. I still stick to mostly Mono or Poly-unsaturated fats And the "rule of thumb" –Only fats that are liquid at room temp… So not much butter or Crisco / Lard and such. Lots of olive oil! As for the limited space in the intestines? I’m not sure of that… There is a lot of "stretch room" in the intestines and in order to actually "Fill them up," that would be over a few quarts of solid food minimum. I’m able to eat quite a bit, but that would still be way beyond my capability. That would have been hard even prior to the surgery…. It is an interesting thought. I know that some folks fall into the habit of "surfing" on the crest of a Carb rush,,, Eating a big Simple Carb meal, and then following with high carb snacks to counteract the typical blood sugar drop that happens when their body response with more insulin than needed… They just keep adding more carbs to the mix, and thus push the inevitable "Crash" further and further out from the original meal. That can even become a habitual activity And a psychological re-enforcement for grazing…. I also have heard of folks using their "Sleepy" response of late stage dumping, To help them get to sleep at night…. Have a little sugar and within the next 30 minutes they feel like they’ve had a tranquilizer. All of them sound like traps to be avoided…. Anything that is movement AWAY from Healthy Life Would seem to be headed in the wrong direction. But, eating disorders are often responsible for folks getting MO to start with… The WLS may aid in dropping the weight And offering a chance to form new healthy eating habits, But it is in no way a guarantee to change psychological eating issues. Some may just trade one eating disorder for another…. Best Wishes- Dx

Thanks, Dx!

I don't think it's dumping, because it's happening about 8 hours later. Didn't know the small intestines could hold that much. Maybe it's just that I'm getting a bunch of water secretion from the carbs that's keeping everything liquidy (??).

You're right, dumping can not be healthy. I ate something starchy and was feeling a little weak a couple of hours later, so Dad, who is diabetic, got his blood tester out and my blood sugar was 47!  Amazingly, I didn't feel that bad. Point is, though the amount of insulin required to get blood sugar down that low, probably causes desensitization to insulin and couldn't that eventually lead to diabetes?

Best Wishes,

Dave

 

I'm glad you wrote that response to Dx.  I hadn't considered a bowel movement that long after a meal.  For my entire life, I've had to have a bowel movement almost immediately after a meal.  Since WLS, there's been a delay of 30 to 60 min but then it comes out with force--like an explosion.  I have to be very careful about the amount of fats I eat along with whey products.  It seems that the cominbation of fat and lactose is bad for me where I don't have too much problem with eigher one alone.  The other problem is with liquids and meals.  I take an occasional sip with a meal, but tend to have soup before a meal when I go out to eat or have coffee with my meals.  The coffee sets me up.  I just don't know about the soup. One thing I've always wondered about post-op is taking pills.  Between my meds and my vitamin supplements, I now take 27 pills a day.  Most of them are for the supplements since I have malabsorption problems and have to take extra large dosages of calcium citrate (plus D), potassium, iron, and vitamin A.  The rest of my supplements are like other post-ops.  Oh, and I do take vitamin D by prescription and my doctor just double that dosage but I only take it one day a week.  MY QUESTION:  What do you do if you are supposed to take the meds with food but can't swallow the pills without sipping on some fluid?  I've been having the food and sipping but I was wondering if others do that the same way. 

Hi Bob,

Not sure, but one solution might be dry food and very, very small sips. The liquid with food issue shouldn't be an "all or nothing" problem. If you drink a lot of liquid with your food/ medicines you may have malabsorption. A little liquid? Perhaps none. I suppose equally important is whether or not you're washing your meds through, but pure speculation on my part, as usual (it's one of my favorite pastimes).

Dave

Hey dave, Reading your post, makes me think some of the posts I've seen on the WLS grad forum on this site.  It appears that after the RNY in some people, they develop severe reactive hypoglycemia.  If it's happening more then just once in a while, maybe it's something you should research. From my undestanding, it is a HUGE drop in blood sugar levels after eating carbs.  Some of the women there have it pretty severe, and it's an issue with them, because they get attacks on daily basis..and have to monitor their cab intake religiously otherwise they get ill. Scott