Help I just don't know what to eat anymore

Ok I admitt I have really falen off the wagaon a bit in the past, but I have been eating a really healthy diet ( for normal people) here lately.  The problem is it is a very high carbohydrate diet. A throwback from my weigh****chers days or something, and now I am having symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia and really need to start restricting my carbs, but I dont know what to eat anymore!
I feel like a WLS baby again. I can't even remember what I ate at the begining so Im asking for suggestions please. Thanks

Here is a good link for basic eating rules

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/lapband_postsurger y_diet_nutrition_exercise.html

Good luck on your journey. Post here often for support.

Shasta,
   I've been where your at on several occasions and it took me going to some extremes to get back on track.  My doctor encouraged me to start using the glycemic index (GI)for choosing foods.  He told me not to eat any food with a GI number higher than 40.  No potates, no pastas, very few breads.  The next thing I did was clean out my frig and kitchen cabinets of any food with a GI number of over 40.  I then did the "Five Day Pouch Test" to get back the full feeling I used to get right after my surgery.  I also started planning my meals and keeping a food log.  To keep me accountable, I post my daily food menu and exercise routine to the BOTT Cafe hosted by Cathy Wilson.

   Has any of this helped.....yes!   Has it been easy.....no!  I have lost 11 pounds since starting in March which is 10 more pounds than I lost in the previous six months.  I've also had to reduce my insulin and oral diabetes medicine due to some hypoglycemic events.  I still battle with my food addiction and being lazy but this group has been a big help.  Just knowing I'm not alone in this battle is motivation enough.

You can find plenty of information on the net on the glycemic index and the five day pouch test.  Whether or not you follow any of my suggestions, keep posting you progress and reading the group posts.  What I like most about this group is that everyone stay on subject and there is very little non-value added discussions.  Everyone is very encouraging.

Good luck!  You can do it!

Big Ed

I'm not sure how to deal with reactive hypoglycemia, but I do want to welcome you and wish you all the best of luck.

Just remember, protein first, and try not to drink your calories (unless you have protein shakes)...

If you're trying hard to restrict carbs, check out the stage one diet of Adkins. I did this for 2 weeks, felt great and lost a few pounds. It was good for a kick start.

Welcome to the board and good luck!

I was on a pretty normal diet until last year too. Had some reactive problems, but my body broke last year.

I understand the fear of food. I finally went to a dietition last week and she put me on a gluten and carb free diet. It works like a charm, but is really boring. I am seven days spike/drop free - I may even be able to get my license back someday now!

Here is what I have found out. We don't have the lower stomach enzymes to digest specific food - hence the hypoglycemia. Without the enzymes there are protiens that we cannot digest at all - namely the gluton problems. The rapid gastric dumping doesn't help either which can cause the hyper and hypoglycemia. If you aren't testing your blood sugar levels, start. You need to know what you react to, and how long you have. There is a science to it if you start charting.

One of the things that I find misleading about the "gastric bypass hypoglycemia" is that no one ever mentions the HYPERglycemia. Let me know (if you start testing) what you find....Im interested!

So, go back to the basics:

Chicken
Pork Loin
4% ground beef
Low fat fish
Whatever vegis you can stomach (My new favorite is edamame)
Vinegarette dressings for salads

One of the things that I have noticed that I CANNOT do that was OK after my surgery is Yogert. Too many carbs.

I have found that fruits are on a touch and go basis. I, personally, can't do more than 1/4 orange (too acidic), can't do apples (too hard on my stomach), strawberrys make me spike, bananas make me spike....so fruits are off my menu.

Foods to avoid:
Mayo/Dressing/Mustard/Ketchups/Sauces
Rice
Potatoes
Corn
Grains
Wheat
Ice Cream
Cakes
Cookies
Pasta
Bread (even whole wheat breads)

Trust me - I know that this really limits what we can do with food. But I have also found that the drops that I had were bad enough to change my cognition, my perceptions, my mood...I have had more people tell me in the last couple of days that I "seem happy" again. I don't notice that much of a change, but they sure do.

Please, don't let yours get as bad as mine.

Hi thanks for teh suggetions. I,m actually religious about taking my blood sugars after meals. A family memeber is diabetic, and so I have free access to a glucometer. Usually though I only take it about 2-3 hours after meals when my hypoglycemia is likely to develop.  your not the first to mention that these are usually proceeded by spikes though, so I think all start checking right after meals too. I'll let you know what it brings up.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. i'm really taking them to heart. I have actually started the five day pouch test today as a way to get rid of all the carbs in my diet, and all the cravings and BS drops.

Educate me...What is a 5-day pouch test?

http://www.5daypouchtest.com/  

Its basically just a way to reintroduce yourself to the rules of the pouch, and to get off high carb foods, and junkfood.