The Necessary EVIL!!!!

that's right, you guessed it....carbs(she whispers, while glancing nervously over her shoulder) I have dealt with PCOS since my late teens, though only havinga name to put to the problem within the last 5 years. Since then, I learned to carefully control how much/what type/when I should eat GOOD carbs. I had a fantastic nutrional services team to guide me even before I entered the GBS program. The first 9 months post-op, things were fine. The carbs I did eat came from veggies and the occasional tbsp of rice or mashed potatoes. I gradually added little bits of starch at a year out, getting ****y further on. I haven't gained any weight from it, nor do I believe it slowed my loss. I think my body is comfy where I'm at now. Lately, though, I get shaky and woozy if too much time has passed btw meals. I was attempting to eat "normally" (3x/day) and am finding out the hard way I need 5-6 small meals or I have to feed my body a small pkg of peanut butter crackers...that is the EVIL I'm referring to. It's hard to eat 6 small meals with my schedule, but I guess would be even harder to eat with my face in the dirt, right? I guess I'm posting this mostly to whine...poor me...WAAH!!! I know, though, that there are others here who stamp their foot in frustration over the dilemma of relieving the shakes with our biggest food enemy....I don't even really like carbs anymore...UGH!!!!!!!!! Now that I'm done whining, I'm off to take some more vitamins!!! Julie

Julie, I also eat 3X/day and find that I get weak and shakey if I don't eat enough protein with my meals. Also, when I eat refined carbs, I crave more. One other thing that I have noticed, as I eat according to my plan, that is very little refined carbs, then I do eat them, they cause more dumping then they used to. lots of observations for one small post. Have a great weekend!! -L.

Thanks for your reply. I hate to even type this, but I wish that I would DUMP from carbs like some other "lucky" people do. I might need to start counting my protein/carbs/fat again. I THINK I'm doing fine, but there can always be room for improvement. Julie

Julie, sounds like hypoglycemia to me. Something that many post-ops (especially those 18+ months out) are experiening. I have had several episodes myself and keep peanut butter crackers with me at all times, as it seems to raise the sugar up quick and keeps it regulated. I avoid crackers usually except when needed. Usually 2-3 crackers do the trick, my problem is once I start I want to eat the entire package which is too much. I recently found packages of 4 instead of the 6 per packet which has helped me stop, lol. Dana

"avoid crackers"...that sounds like me, except I attempt to avoid the entire aisle that houses them in the grocery store. You're right about just a couple of crackers doing the trick. I don't know if it's my head or my hormones "needing" beyond those couple and just finishing off the pkg. All I know is that I hate this feeling, carbs were an addiction for me prior to surgery. Luckily, I am not dealing with the carb "hangover" since I am eating much less than I could. I hated that feeling pre-op, but couldn't seem to stop myself. Being honest with myself, I will admit that I fear getting sucked back into that addiction. I'm going to e-mail my nut right after this and get some advice,maybe some other food will work for the shakes. Thanks for your reply, by the way. Julie

I agree with Dana. It sounds like hypoglycemia - low blood sugar. Here is my standard reply to hypoglycemia questions, so I apologize for the impersonal "cut and paste" but I don't want to forget anything. About 5% of people who have GBS develop Reactive Hypoglycemia. When we were overweight and, most likely, insulin resistant, our bodies developed an over abundance of the cells in the pancreas (islands of Langerhans) that produce insulin to combat our bodies resistance to it. The reason for this is to flood the blood with insulin, because insulin is how glucose gets into each individual cell. And glucose is our body's fuel. Now, when we eat carbohydrates (which metabolizes into glucose really fast), these cells still go into overdrive producing insulin, not realizing that we are consuming a much smaller amount of carbohydrates than before. Therefore, there is too more insulin in our system in ratio to the glucose, hence the low blood sugar. The way to combat this problem is to eat a steady diet of protein every 2-3 hours and DO NOT consume carbohydrates alone. Always eat them with a protein: meat & veggies, peanut butter crackers, meat & potatoes, etc. Your best bet is to limit simple carbs, like white rice, potatoes, white bread, pasta, etc. Instead, when you eat carbs, focus on complex carbs, like whole grains, brown rice, veggies, fruit, etc. I hope this helps. Good luck. XOXOXO, Sharyn