Question:
How much sugar causes the "dumping syndrome"?
I'm 3 months post op and gave into my first dessert today expecting the dumping syndrome et al. NO reaction other than extreme guilt and concern because my body didn't negatively react... I have successfully avoided sugar for 3 months and I guess was a bit curious when we were at another social event today and another yummy dessert was placed before me... I seem to be able to hold down larger portions, more foods, and now sugar! I've lost 70lbs. since June and don't want to go back up, so I'm a little scared! I think I'm in control and didn't allow this fall to lead me into bindging afterwards. I'm ready to learn from my mistake and move on, but was just wondering if I'm alone in this? Any suggestions? Thanks! — zoeysgrami (posted on October 15, 2006)
October 15, 2006
This is a great question. Finally, a question that has not been asked.
Thank You.
— [Deactivated Member]
October 15, 2006
Its EXTREMELY individual! I am over 5 years out. General rule sugar fat
combo is generally worse than sugar or fat alone. Ice cream is a example of
a BAD combo. I dump mildly, but one day I ate a single small brownie at a
church flea market and felt like I died. Had to be driven home, slept for a
couple hours, woke up feeling fantastic. others report feeling really good
after serious dump. Its better if you hadnt found out you didnt dump, about
1/3 never dump. I WISH I dumped bad all the time.
— bob-haller
October 15, 2006
Hi!
I am 3 days out (yay me!) and having absolutely NO problems except for the
yucky face my husband makes when he changes the bandage where my drain
was...
On the sugar-- My brother is 3 years out, and recently found out he doesn't
have any adverse reaction to sugar, his mortal enemy. I can take it or
leave it, but he had a real problem with chocolate. So yea, it's an
individual thing, and I'd be curious to see stats on that!
Vanessa
— vosh
October 15, 2006
DO NOT GO THERE!!! One little bite turns into another bite &
than you are right back to th way you were eating before you
had the surgery. Treat Sugar as posion always & you will be
so much better off. O am 2 1/2 years out & have regaine 30 lbs I did
not touch it for 8 months than a little here & little there & no
problems. I can eat anything & quite a bit At one meal. Make strict
rules & Keep them as when this honeymoon period ends things get much
harder & if you are not set on a new way of living & eating the
surgery will
not work for you. Don't give into your old habits trying to
tell you it all right to do. It is not. It will hurt you down the road.
Take care & hope this helps. Marilyn, the Bearlady
— Marilyn C.
October 15, 2006
For me, I think it is even on an individual occurrence basis. I have given
in to temptation before with no ill results, yet there were times when I
barely had a bite of something with sugaar and became violently ill. So the
question, for me, is...if this does make me sick, is it worth it and do I
have time for it. Most of the time I answer no and avoid it. Sometimes the
temptation gets me and I give in, sometimes with no problem yet sometimes I
pay for it. So just because you ate something once and it didn't bother you
doesn't mean you can eat anything you want without ever dumping. But even
if you never do dump, just because you can eat something doesn't mean you
should. So try to remember why you had the surgery and resist the
temptations when possible and eat healthy. Be careful, sugar can sneak up
on you and hit you out of the blue one day. Best wishes for health and
happiness always.
— djfoz
October 15, 2006
I am 15 months out and have lost 175 pounds. I have not tasted sugar in
almost 2 years. I am afraid that I will not dump either. I know that sugar
is a big weakness of mine. And so I refuse to try it. There are so many
good tasting desserts out there with splenda in them that I see no reason
to take a chance. I am afraid that if I taste it and don't get sick from it
I will never stop eating it again.
Whenever a sugar dessert is presented to me or if I see some that I can
choose I ask " is there sugar in that" if the answer is yes, I
say "please, no thank you, sugar makes me deathly ill."
Please love yourself enough to never put sugar in your mouth again,
Rita
— Incredibleshrinkinglady
October 15, 2006
I am a registered dietitian with several years of bariatric surgery
experience and would like to add some extra comments on this question. As
previously stated, it is very individualized and can vary from food to
food. We generally recommended a limit of 4-6 grams of sugar (not
carbohydrate) per meal time right after surgery. Many people after the
first 12-18 months would find that they may tolerate up to 15 grams of
sugar at one time. However, many would not be able to progress from the
4-6 gram range and even worse there were SEVERAL people that could tolerate
as much as they ate. I would also like to add, those who found out they
could tolerate "unlimited amounts of sugar" 1 were not happy to
find that out and 2 it made it much more difficult from them to avoid. I
recommend, just don't push to see how much you can tolerate out of
curiosity. Also, usually with that first or second introduction time of
sugar you really don't consume very much out of fear...just tell yourself a
bite or two EVERY NOW AND THEN is ok, but that 3rd bite will make me not
feel well (physically or emotionally). Good luck and congratulations on
your weight loss!!
— RDatUNJURY
October 15, 2006
I am 2 and a half years post-op. I have not regained any of my weight and
I eat what I wan't. I have not ever had the dumping syndrom. I have felt
really light headed and weird after eating certain sugary items. I can eat
a small piece of cake and it not bother me. I do not eat sweets on a daily
basis just in moderation. My husband on the other hand is 2 and a half
years post op and he can only tollerate certain sugars and in small
amounts. If you need any help please feel free to e-mail me at any time.
Godd luck and God bless you on your journey.
— red_neck_girl561
October 15, 2006
I'm right about where you are - surgery in June, about 70 pounds lost.. I
rarely dump - or what I consider dumping - a violent reaction with
sweating, pain, etc. I do find that if I munch on processed carbs in
general (including sugar), I find myself very low energy, very tired.
It's taken me a while to corelate that to the processed carbs but I don't
like that feeling and it takes me days to get over it. So I try to avoid
them for that reason.
— KC
October 16, 2006
As everyone said, it is individual and it can also vary from day to day.
One day something is fine, then the next I get sick. Just because you got
away with it once doesn't mean it will be the same experience the next
time. Different sugars react differently to me also. Muffins or cake
will make me sick most of the time but hard candy and chewy things don't.
Thin pizza crust will make me sick over thick. For me, it depends on how
quickly the carb (not just sugar) exits the pouch into the intestine. Now
as for avoiding sugar: That too is an individual thing. Everyone has
their own path that they have to navigate where they think they will find
long term success. For me, I lived my life dieting and avoiding certain
things in fear of going nuts and gaining weight back. I would diet, then
"fall off the wagon" and binge on what I "shouldn't"
eat. For me, I had to change my relationship with food in order to feel
like I could succeed. What that means for me is allowing myself some of my
trigger foods from the past. It takes knowing yourself in order to find
that comfort zone though. I've been through a lot of counseling to
understand myself and that has helped a lot. But apparently there is a new
diet method out there that is very similar to what I started to do. It
involves surrounding yourself with your triggers at all times, and
eventually the compulsion goes away. I have sugar/candy and such all over
the house. Because it's there all the time, I'm not really interested in
it. But if I want something, I will have a bite size candy bar...and
that's all I need/want. I don't focus on it so much anymore and I don't
binge like I used to. My past was filled with deprivation and bingeing.
When you take away the deprivation, the bingeing can subside. It doesn't
mean you don't have to put effort in to continue losing weight, but not
having anything completely off limits keeps you from feeling that
deprivation that triggers the "falling off the wagon." So I
allow myself a little bit here and there. I started off at 325 and am 181
now. My goal was 150 and I haven't made that after 2.5 years, but I do
continue to lose a little here and there. I've lost maybe 10 lbs in the
last year...after my honeymoon was over. So for me, keeping myself getting
on the scale and watching it if I start to creep up, not having anything
100% off limits and trying to keep my wits about me has helped me a lot.
For you it may mean avoiding these things altogether. But if you have
already tested those waters, you may find yourself needing to re-evaluate
how this will work for you. The goal is to keep yourself from bingeing on
the foods because that is where most of the damage will occur. That and
eating these kinds of food all day long. Also, you want to watch for late
dumping syndrome which is hard to recognize at first. You may find a few
hours after eating that you are having what feels like a hot flash....very
hot, sweating and weak and shakey. That is essentially hypoglycemia and
you'll need to eat some crackers or something carby to bring your blood
sugar up. Something with a bit of protein & carb will help bring up
the blood sugar and help keep you from rebounding again. Some choose
peanut butter crackers. I didn't start having this until about 18 months
out myself, so it was long enough that I didn't recognize what was going on
right away. Good luck to you and try not to obssess on all this stuff.
That is what we've done for years and that is why many people are
overweight. For me, taking the focus off food is what I needed to do.
That means getting rid of the "dieting" mentality.
— Dinka Doo
October 16, 2006
After bypass surgery you can range from no dumping at all to extreme
distress. Many people fall somewhere in between. For instance, unless it
is a GREAT deal of refined sugar (that makes me feel a little icky), my
symptoms are usually gas, gas pain and diarrhea because my body simply
doesn't process sugar the way it used to. So if you have different
symptoms than just the extreme distress, they could just be your version of
dumping. But believe me when I say, even the bad gas will be enough for
you to avoid those foods or else nobody will ever want to spend time around
you! :)
— j_coulter
October 16, 2006
I was one of those brutal sugar addicts who could binge on donuts (glazed
crellars were a favorite as were Little Debbie bonut Sticks), ice cream and
chocolate. As a result, I have needed to establish very bright line rules
about avoiding sugar-- given my addictive past with it, I don't view myself
as being deprived, I just explain to myself that for me sugar was poison (I
don't complain that I can't drink antifreeze which is also sweet for the
same reason). I found out early one that I dump on even trace amounts of
sugar (found out the hard way in church taking a sip of the grape juice
used for a communion Sunday celebration), so it is relatively easy to
avoid. Fortunately, I have coffee to fill the void that desserts once
filled.
— SteveColarossi
October 16, 2006
Oct 17th will be my one year!!! I have to say I had my first taste of
surgar about 4 mths after surgery and didn't really get sick but a bit
shaky, I can drink sweet tea but I hardly use any surgar but I am staying
at 135 pounds with no problems. I can eat just about anything just can't
eat allot of it. It's best not to get used to eating like you used to but
for myself I tend to treat myself once in a while to something good.
I did found out that milk shakes and ice cream is a BIG No No for me so far
I stay away from it and I kinda miss it but my body tells me otherwise!
For being 3 mths after you surgery I would strickly stay on your diet and
do all you can the first year is very important. I have no health issues
any more thank God but having back, hip and leg pain which really never
went away but when your heavy Dr.s seem to point out that is the only
reason why you hurt in my case any ways so I am currently working out on
finding why I am in pain!
Best of luck to you hun...
— TracyDubyak
October 17, 2006
I'm 12 yrs out. Our technical limit was 6g per meal. That includes
natural sugars, like fruit, milk, etc. That was the official rule that I
followed for at least 2 yrs. I still dump, and have in fact reset my
dump-o-meter so that it is very sensitive again. BUT over time, a little
sugar here, a little sugar there, wasn't making me fat, wasn't making me
dump and PRESTO, I could eat a lot of sugar (maybe 30g?). That is not a
brag or a good thing. That's kinda like running to many red lights that
you don't even notice them any more, you know? Very bad. And sooner or
later, you get nailed. I've had 3 wt gains, now. Straight sugar, fruit,
and the final one, FUDGE. Um, what part of "no sugar" is fudge?
The first 2 times the extra lbs fell off as soon as I went cold turkey on
sugar. But THIS time, it's been a LONG time since sugar passed these lips
and I've only lost a few of the fudge pounds. (10 total, mostly 8 now). I
had to keep testing, keep testing. Or the cravings got me. Or I thought I
was bullet proof or, or, or. Whatever, it's done and I can't undone it
now!
— vitalady
October 20, 2006
Oh MY!!! Anything over 3 grams of sugar. Sick! Sick!! Sicker!!! Terribly
Sick!!! Dumping syndrome, and I'm almost 5 years out.
— tatterpuddin
January 7, 2007
I am only 2 months post-op and tried sugar and did not get the dumping, I
almost wish I did. I have lost 35lbs even though I have had sugar a few
times. I wonder if I will still lose weight?
— angel19
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