Question:
Why can't we use real sugar post-op? Even just a little bit?
— ncgal (posted on August 5, 2001)
August 5, 2001
I don't use real sugar directly on anything anymore because I was afraid of
dumping. I started using Splenda. it's found at Wal Mart and the grocery
stores. I prefer Splenda over sugar now. I was not told to never have sugar
I was told to try and stay away from it. However, I don't dump on surgar...
or dump at all for that matter. I just have to really watch myself when it
comes to that 'time of the month' LOL. Everyone handles sugar differently.
If I wanted I could use about 1 - 2 teaspooons in a 16oz glass of tea and
not dump, but that just is not sweet enough for me, so I use 1 teaspoon of
splenda and that is just fine. I don't know if I answered you or not sorry
for rambling....
— Heather C.
August 5, 2001
Not all surgeons and dieticians require their patients to stay completely
sugar free. My surgeon does not require his patients to do so. He states
that it's not the amount of sugar but the rate at which you ingest it. When
I was on the liquid diet immediately after surgery (Lap rny - proximal) I
ate jello, ice pops, iced tea, gatorade, etc all with sugar. I also drank
apple and grape juice (not drink, watered down with no additional sugar
added). I am 3 1/2 months post-op. I've lost 60 of the 100 lbs that I wish
to lose. I give myself a treat most evenings like No Sugar Added Klondike
bar (6 gms of sugar), a few mini-oreos, a bowl of wheaties, etc. I use my
RNY as a tool to control the amount of sugar I take in. I did dump one time
about 6 weeks after surgery. I ate some of the ice cream only from a
McDonalds sundae (about 1/3 of the cup with no toppings) and got so sick
that I never want that to happen again. That episode has caused me to be
careful when I eat sugar and to learn when to stop. Some people and doctors
feel that WLS patients must keep totally sugar free. I have found this is
not the case for me. But as always, everyone is different and you should
listen to your doctor and your own body. Hope this helps.
— [Anonymous]
August 5, 2001
Sugar is calories. Sugar is directly converted to carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates make us fat. Not eating sugar speeds your weight loss
because it is that much less calories and less converted carbos to
overcome. Use Splenda, NutraSweet or Sweet-n-Low. You get used to them.
Also sugar puts your blood sugar on a roller-coaster ride up and down,
makes you craves more sweets (medical studies have proven this). View
sugar as your enemy. Once you're off it for a few weeks, you find your
sweet tooth growing less acute, just like you crave any addictive substance
less the longer you're away from it. This surgery is the chance to CHANGE
all the old ways that got you (all of us) to the point that this surgery is
the last resort. Focus on exercising, eating like they tell you to. Those
who follow the advice lose weight and get healthier. Those who try to find
ways to "get around" eating right and don't exercise, lose
slowly, not enough, and then they wonder why.
Gotta put your heart and soul into this, forever, if you want it really
work 100% for you.
— [Anonymous]
August 5, 2001
I too, find moderation the key. I eat sugar and have no dumping problems.
(However, if you dump, I can totally see why you'd stay away from it! I
once dumped on some soup, wasn't sure if I ate to fast, or it was to fatty)
Anyway, I really don't understand those of us who've had the surgery
saying to Totally stay away from it. Makes no sense. If it doesn;t make
you dump, then why not stay away prior to surgery? Anyway, I allow myself
an occasional treat with sugar in it. Like tonight we were at a family
renioun, I shared a piece of cake with daughter, I had like 3 bites, it
satisyed me, and yet because of the surgery, that is all I could tolorate.
Good luck!
— [Anonymous]
August 5, 2001
You can have all the sugar you can tolerate. It's not like it will put you
in jail. Just be aware that all you take in fuels the need for ever more
of it. Ultimately, it will defeat your wt loss, esp small amounts taken
often. It takes a few years for the damage to hit, but it is devastating.
At 5.5 yrs out, I suddenly packed on a few lbs. How can this be with my
radical distal? I got complacent with sugar. I started taking in a few g
here, a few g there, a few times a day. I was taking in the equivalent of 4
glasses of skim milk per day and it cost me 6# in 2 weeks. Scary, huh?
And my wt has been stable for years.
— vitalady
August 5, 2001
As a diabetic and someone who is not only allergic to aspartame,
(Nutrasweet & Equal), but on medications that worsen the gastric
problems with other artificial sweetners, I can tell you first hand that in
small amounts sugar is fine. Not only RNY patients can have dumping
problems, I can trigger my digestive system to dump by eating too many
carbs and too much fat at one time, and I haven't had the surgery yet!
What I do is purchase it in the one teaspoon packets and only use it in
beverages. When I go to the store and think of buying anything new, I read
the nutrition label to see if it works into my diet with total carbs and
sugar carbs. Working with a dietician really helped me learn how to eat as
a diabetic, and she was absolutly wonderful about helping with this issue.
I realize that I'll never be able to eat an entire regular Snicker's bar,
but one of the fun size now and then is something I can do now without
dumping and or adverse effects on my blood sugar. Just work with a good
dietician, mine is already lined up for my post-op help and I've just
submitted the work for insurance approval and am waiting for a surgery
date----but I've learned her help will be just as important as the surgeons
or my endocrnologists post-op!
— [Anonymous]
August 6, 2001
If you have RNY surgery, you may or may not be able to use sugar. Then, if
you cannot, you may later find that it has changed and you can. I dumped
early on on sugar, but now I don't. I use sugar in my coffee, no problems.
Be aware of how much you use, watch the scales, do you exercise
religiously, and eat your protein first and you'll do fine. Oh, drink you
water. I don't always practice what I preach, which is why I still have 15
pounds to lose, but hey, I'm happy with the weight loss and the surgery.
And I don't feel the need to give advice anonymously. Isn't that funny?
— Cindy H.
August 6, 2001
Just an FYI - I think the reason why some want to post anonymously (like
me) is cause if you have a differnt view from the "norm" you
will/can get totally blasted. So many feel that sugar is your enemy and
you CANNOT have it. That is NOT correct. MOST naturally thin people eat
anything -but all in moderation. If I could have stayed away post surgery,
then why not pre surgery?? (Unless you have dumping, then it is obvious.)
I have posted against the grain before, and not only have I been
"yelled" at on the posting, but have also gotton private emails.
Unreal. It is fine that we all share our opinions/options, but it is to
bad that some of us feel that we cannot post our name, but hey, the last
thing I want is a bunch of emails telling me I'm gonna fail cause I
sometimes eat sugar. It's just not true...
— [Anonymous]
September 25, 2001
Almost every issue relative to weight loss surgery is an individualistic
consideration. Pain, recovery time, eating beef, sugar, whether or not you
need to exercise - it's different for everyone.
I had an RNY 5 months ago and haven't paid the slightest attention to
whether or not something had sugar in it. I have never once dumped. I can
only say I'm not a sugarholic to start with and am much more tempted by a
ham and swiss sandwich than a Snicker's bar. But I've had occasional
encounters with ice cream (all the sugar and fat, thanks) and it's gone
perfectly well.
You won't know until you have the surgery and have some experience under
your belt, what you can and can't get away with. I don't think there's any
way to predict what your future with sugar is going to be ahead of time.
It will of course impede weight loss if you do enough of it, but we all
have priorities and if losing a lot of weight in a hurry is one of them,
best to keep the sugar down to a dull roar.
— Dr. Vance R.
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