Question:
Why dump on some things, and not others?

Saturday night, I think I dumped on sunflower seeds. Stomach got really naseous, and then had to run to the potty. Sunday night, I had to drive about 4 hours, and I got some coffee at a rest stop. No sugar substitute, so I put sugar in the coffee.. and no dumping. Last night had low fat pudding (I thought it was sugar free, but it was low fat) and I dumped. Why am I dumping on things I didn't think I'd dump on? And not dumping on things I thought I would dump on? Does it matter if there is something in our stomachs prior to eating something with sugar in it? Two months post op, and first time I've experienced it.    — Michelle J. (posted on December 9, 2003)

December 9, 2003
Sunflower seeds bother me sometimes but not all but they do tend to have a laxative effect on me - it's probably the oils in them. As far as the sugar in the coffee, it probably wasn't enough to make you dump. For me there is no rhyme nor reason to dumping except that I tolerate fats more than sugars.
   — Patty_Butler

December 9, 2003
Appreciate that there are two types of "dumping", one of which is consumption-based and the other is sugar-based. As you adopt a low-sugar eating regimine, the consumption of concentrated sugars generates an over-production of insulin; consequently, you feel the dizziness and generalized crappy feelings until you ultimately get diareaha. But, if you overeat, blood flow increases to your pouch (and to your intestines) making you light-headed (and generally feel lousy), as the over-consumed food enters your intestine, it tends to absorb the fluids that are there leading to a feeling of dehydration. And, the body's way of dealing with those sensations is to speed up excretion. Now, not everyone will dump on sugars-- some will only dump if it's concentrated (say from a cake frosting) but not if it is a relatively low percentage (like in some brands of peanut butter), others (unfortunately) never receive the negative reinforcement that dumping brings. Chances are, you didn't put enough sugar in the coffee to promote dumping (giving that it was not as concentrated as it was in the pudding). Of course, whether the sugars are concentrated or not, they still contain carbohydrates which, when over-consumed, will undermine weight loss (and which will promote greater cravings for more carbohydrates). You seem to be on the right track, particularly in having avoided consuming the foods that would have caused dumping during your first two post-operative months. By being as aware as you are of how different foods impact you, you are well on your way to making the surgery work for you-- congratulations and good luck.
   — SteveColarossi

December 9, 2003
There is no rhyme or reason as to what makes some people dump and others don't and why some things make you dump and others do not. We're all different. Those low fat puddings actually have alot of sugar in them. Consider yourself fortunate if you dump on sugar, some of us do not at all....
   — Cindy R.

December 10, 2003
*not reading anything below* If you get the answer to this, don't tell me, PLEASE. The fact that I dump randomly keeps me away from everything sugar even though I think about it. I'm sure others said.. there's no answer. I marvel at what does and does not make me dump.
   — Lisa C.