RNY Questions

I am interesting in having a bypass but have two questions.

1. How do I know if I'm experiencing dumping syndrome?
2. What food should I avoid after having surgery?

Only a few percentage of people truly dump. That's the first thing you should understand. So you can't count on that to make you want to avoid sugary foods or high carb foods...

If you want to be successful for years to come, from what I am still learning, it's best to eat a low carb diet. That would mean completely abstaining from things like bread, crackers, chips, rice, whole grains, starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn, and all sugars - cakes, candy, etc... this is especially true during the weight loss phase, and even afterwards you'd want to keep these out of your diet most of the time simply because they are addictive and cause cravings which lead to eating more and more of them.

The hardest part, that I am learning about anyway, is that it's our brains that really could use a good talking to in addition to our surgeries... because your brain will LIE LIE LIE and make you think you need these things.

Basically you have to commit to eating a healthy low carb diet for the rest of your life... and most especially while you are losing weight and up until you get to a healthy weight.

Hello

Pamianne could not have said it any better.

The gastric bypass Roux En Y is a tool. You must make great sacrifices to achieve life long weight loss & maintenance.

I personally do not eat any starches. No pasta, no potatoes, no rice, no bread or grains of any kind.

Eating clean & nutritious food. I make sure I get all my protein , vitamins & water in.

I have never ever experienced dumping because I must say that I tend to follow the rules. I have heard the horror stories & I will never ever put myself in that situation.

I have sacrificed the alcohol, NSAIDS, caffienated beverages, carbonated beverages, everything sugar & everything junk.

Was it worth it??? Absolutely!!!!

This journey has been the best decision that I have ever made in my life....

Life changing

Hope this helps

Sandra

Most people who ask if they were dumping, weren't. Actual, for real, dumping is like all the worst parts of the bible. Laying in a ball on the floor, writhing in pain, hoping for death. That's dumping.

There are other issues we can have. Some are sensitive to excess fat and have diarrhea. Not dumping. Some get reactive hypoglycemia from too much sugar, starches, and simple carbs. Not dumping.

Do you mean what food should you avoid to keep from getting violently sick, or which foods should you avoid if you want to lose all your weight and not regain?

There will be nothing you can't eat. You will be able to eat all the things. Not as much as before. But you still can eat them.

To be successful, avoid anything with more than a very small amount of sugar. Avoid white foods -- sugar, flour, rice, potatoes, pasta. Avoid alcohol. Do those things, and you'll do great.

I haven't dared to eat anything with sugar. The fear of this phenomenon known as dumping scares me and I want it to! There is ALWAYS a box of donuts or cake or cookies at work. I am not tempted in the least with that crap around anymore. I view it as the enemy.

I have had things that never gave me problems before cause me some issues. When in doubt I try a new food at home.

Bacon- ohhhhh my tummy doesn't like it and evicts it promptly.

Chicken and hard boiled eggs (my old favorites) were hard for me in the beginning and some days I still can't eat them. I will start to sweat and have diarrhea while other days no problem at all.

Bread is a no go. I mainly just eat meat, eggs, and cheese, and occasionally broth soup like chicken pho.

You should avoid anything with sugar, too high of a fat content, and simple carbs after surgery. I haven't dumped so can't answer that question.

I am almost 6 months post op RNY and completely avoid white breads, rice, pasta, potatoes, and of course, things like chips, cheesies, donuts, cakes, pies, icecream, etc.

I do allow myself healthy carbs (from berries and veggies) but keep them under 30 grams total, except on days where I bike ride for more than 20 km, in which case I allow myself to have up to 50 grams. I occasionally (maybe 6-8 times in 6 months) have a slice of weigh****chers whole grain bread with organic peanut butter, but honestly don't care for it. It doesn't trigger cravings and I've had a loaf in the freezer for ages and haven't touched it. I also tried the fold it flat bread for my peanut butter and didn't like it. When I was on purees I had high protein oatmeal a handful of times but haven't had it since.

My meals are typically lean cuts of meat like prime rib, chicken, shrimp, extra lean ground beef, fish, and occasionally, ham. I don't like pork chops, and while I love bacon, it doesn't love me. I sometimes have eggs but they are touch and go too. I enjoy having 1/2 a cup of plain Greek or Skyr yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup of berries for breakfast.

One thing I do want to point out, is that it's not hard to avoid bad foods because you fill up so quickly on the protein that you don't have room for anything else. By that I mean, if you eat even 1 tiny bite more than your pouch can handle, you will be in pain, or at the very least, very uncomfortable. I have heard it gets harder to avoid the foods that got us big in the first place later on because we can eat more in the maintenance stage, but I'm not there yet.

Hopefully pre op you will have sessions with a nutrtionalist who will give you a post op diet.

Dumping is like being in labor. If you have to ask then you probably haven't dumped.

I avoided all sugar and unfortunately I accidently had some sugar free syrup that wasn't sugar free. Within 20 minutes I experienced dumping. No doubt. When I was able to gather myself and function again I dug out the bottle and confirmed what I already knew. I had sugar and I dumped. Very big incentive for me to avoid sugar to this day, almost 7 years.

I have had a few occasions since then where I have accidently had sugar and the reaction has always been the same. That is why I am so careful about what I eat, especially if I eat out or at someone's house. If there is any doubt in my mind about if something contains sugar I avoid it. When in doubt leave it out.

Your best bet would be to assume that you dump and dump badly. Don't try to find out. You will always regret that decision. If you do it will be very unpleasant and if you don't you may find yourself making bad choices. There is no good reason to eat sugar and no harm in avoiding it. However there is harm in eating it even if you don't dump.

I have known people who dump but for some reason think it is important to learn how to tolerate sugar by starting out with very low amounts in foods and gradually increasing it, basically pushing the limits. From what I have heard you can learn to tolerate it with prolonged exposure but I am not sure why you would want to do that. Just assume you do and accept it and learn to live without it.

I have no cravings for sugar or desire to eat it because I know how bad I feel if I have some. So I leave it at that and don't think about it. I don't think my life is any less happy because I don't eat sugar. But it will definitely be worse if I do.