3 years out and 20 lbs over goal weight!

You have had great advice here - following the RNY lifestyle of protein forward meals, 6 x per day will help keep your hypoglycaemia under control - most of us get RH if we eat too many carbs.

I am diabetic 8 years after RNY and have been very successful keeping it under control with the diet we are supposed to follow - AND I exercise!!!!

Following a healthy lifestyle can only help your body recover from your thyroidectomy and to keep all of your body systems under control!

I get that also.
I decided to go low carb, high protein and fats and high fiber.
Carbs - just create a problem for me. I do try to eat every 3 hrs and mostly proteins and fat and carbs at every meal. But I only try to use complex carbs. Some that have fiber ... I avoid starchy carbs, and grains.
Lately I even gave up most fruits. Last time I had 1 cup of berries - I end up crashing, even though I ate proteins and fats after the fruits. But the damage was done. If I ate fruits after the fats and proteins - I probably would have been fine.
It is trial and error process.
I don't believe labels on commercially made protein bars - just because they say: "low net carbs" my body with RH may not see it that way. Even SA -sugar alcohols - some of them - my body sees as sugar and I may dump or crash - or both.
Some fiber that some manufactures use - my body can see that as "sugar" and I will dump and crash.

Now I try to eat as "clean" as I can. Mostly "real" foods, but I still use protein shakes - to get extra proteins when I can't eat anymore "real food". But I try to get that as natural as I can.
I try not to drink anything that has liquid sugar - i.e. milk, or juice, or any other drinks.
I use coconut or almond (unsweet) milk for my coffee or to make protein shakes. The fat - stabilizes my BS - and I can manage quite well.
I make my own protein bread - cake and cookie s- to have a quick - grab and go food. Nuts - and natural (not sugar added) nut butters are great. They keep my body RH in control.
I do make sure i eat just before bed - and that snack needs to be fat + proteins: i.e. full fat cheese, or nut butter, or nuts. That would keep my BS stable during the night. If i wake up hungry - I may have 1 tsp of nut butter before I have coffee....  I know it helps.

I found out that slow exercise - like walking or yoga - allows me to exercise without getting low blood sugar . Snacks - slow digestiong - like PB (again), before exercis e- helps me. Then I can keep protein shake with some fat and some complex carbs on hand after exercise. 

But like you - I take it easy on that.   When I cra**** may take me a whole day to get back to normal. 

Jamie you are so successful, and with all you have had to overcome these last two years I think your progress is amazing.

I recently joined myfitnesspal.com so I could log every bite that goes into my mouth.  That has been very beneficial because it forces me to see how quickly a bite here, sauce there, extra bread and butter pickles (my favorite)  can add quite a few calories to my day before I know it.

I too am carb sensitive, so I have to watch them closely.  I eat very limited amounts of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, crackers, etc...  When I control processed carbs I have little difficulty controlling my appetite. 

When I find myself wanting to graze, I eat yogurt.  I love Fage Cherry yogurt.  It does have a little more sugar than I should eat, but it is 0% fat so I allow myself to have the sugar.  On some days when I find myself needing o decarb I might have to eat 4 of those.  They are like desserts to me, and I do not feel deprived at all.

I also walk for exercise.  It i free, easy and convenient.  Also when I drink a lot of water I am amazed at how much that helps me as well.  I also weigh every day, even when I've had not so good days and I dread getting on the scale.  That helps me a lot and the numbers don't lie.

It is frustrating at times for people who do not have XXXX amount to lose to say it is easy or it is no big deal.  Truthfully 20 pounds is not the hurdle twice or three times that amount might seems.  There are so many vets on the boards who have gained and lost the regain.  Just by you coming here it shows you care and are motivated to change things.

I hope one of the vets can offer you some really good suggestions.

I have RH but it is under control, I just have to eat at least every 3 hours, get plenty of protein and make sure that I get my water in and I exercise 5 days a week.I have not been bother with RH in a long time since I finally learn how to eat and exercise right.. just take it one day at a time and before you know it the 20 pounds will come off.. but just go back to basics and watch those carbs take care

Sorry to hear about the cancer. Ultimately, we had this surgery to get healthier. Staying as healthy as possible while being treated for cancer often supercedes slenderness.

But if you've reached a point of remission or tentative cure, it's time to roll up the sleeves and get to work.

And I read what I typed in my previous sentence  and I know that it is ME I'm talking to. I'm right there with you, with 20 pounds to lose. I've had my issues, but nothing so drastic as cancer. I just need to get to the bottom of my issues, and work to turn it all around, and you know what, I believe in you (more than I believe in me). You CAN do it.

You mentioned that the carb monster has hold of you. Sounds to me like you've taken the "carb solution" to the Reactive Hypoglycemia. If carbs are your solution to the hypoglycemia, that might be what the issue is. YOu must find ways to eliminate as many of the simplest carbs from your diet. It will help the reactive hypoglycemia, and help get you back on track. For me it's almost an opposite thing. When I jumped OFF the carb band wagon and focused on mostly fats and proteins, my RH got under control, but the weight just poured on.

It's a matter of tracking your calories.... but consumed and used. If you consume more than you use, the weight will pile on. Find ways to use more. Find solid solutions to exercise and the RH... I believe they exist.

The other day we were out kayaking and I get sun-sick easily. The symptoms are nearly the same as RH.  I had some almond M&M's with me as a ready source of carbs coupled with protein and fat to alleviate a later crash. I'd had a handful of those M&Ms when I thought my blood sugar was low, and a few minutes later we capsized and discovered that our Kayak was shipping water inside the body of teh plastic kayak. In other words it wasn't sea-worthy and couldn't hold us. It was 3 hours of swimming before we were rescued. I still had my protein shake, but I drank sparingly as there was no guarantee of rescue and we had a good mile or more to swim, and I also had the M&M's (they were melted in the sun). I did pause to have another handful but in nearly four hours of strenuous exercise, I found that my RH didn't flare up. Sure I had a good 100 calories twice in the form of M&Ms but even though I was using a LOT of energy I didn't have any sort of flare up. It was about 2 hours after the last handful of M&M's before we were rescued, and another hour after the rescue boat got to us before we got back to the marina. (We had to clamber into the rescue boat, and the guy rescuing us had to try to salvage the kayak, which was hard when it was 2/3rds filled with water, and it was a VERY slow boat). When we did eat my appetite was tiny, I barely managed about 1/4 cup of my meal. I guess my point is that the whole exercise and RH flare up connection isn't that clear cut to me.

What a scary experience...especially with the thought of having a RH episode.  I have never thought of almond or peanut M&Ms.  That is a good idea.  You were so wise to have your shake and M&Ms with you.  Without those to help you it could have been catastrophic.  Glad you are okay.  Were you wearing life jackets?