Question:
Concerned About Orange Juice And Dumping Now
I have been drinking orange juice since I was about 2 weeks post op. I am now a little over 4 weeks post op, and still enjoy about 4 oz a day of OJ in the morning. It seems to get me going...and since I was never a big breakfast eater before or even now....it helps to give me a little appetite to at least eat something before 3 in the afternoon. So, I went to the doctor and mentioned to the nurse that I had been having orange juice and he looked at me like I was crazy! He told me it was loaded with sugar and would cause me to dump. Well...it has been going great for two weeks...and I haven't had ANY dumping that I know of. I didn't even realize there was sugar in it! So, I went home and read the back of the carton, and low and behold it has 28 grams of sugar!!!! Should I stop drinking it now? It hasn't affected my weight loss that I know of. I have lost over 36 pounds in just four weeks. I am not sure what to do. Does this mean that I am not a dumper? I haven't tried anything else that has sugar in it that I know of. Any advice would be helpful! — Shawnie S. (posted on August 23, 2002)
August 22, 2002
Hi - I am not a juice drinker but I do eat fruit from time to time. I
find that the so called natural sugar in the fruit does not cause me to
dump while too much sugar or even sugar alcohol (found in NSA products)
will! If you aren't having any problems and like it, perhaps you can
try diluting it with a little water? Good luck!
— Jean K.
August 22, 2002
I was having a small amount of juice in the morning and I wasn't dumping,
but I find that my weight loss has increased and my energy level have
skyrocketed since I started substituting the morning OJ with a protein
shake. You can even add some OJ to a protein shake if you truly need the
OJ in the morning. Just my 2 cents...
— pam29922
August 22, 2002
I have known people that do dump on OJ.. I am not one of them. Should you
stop drinking it? Probably. That is a lot of empty calories. Very little
nutritional value. My nutritionists have always recommended you eat the
actual fruit and skip the juices because of the high sugar content. But if
that little bit of OJ is making you happy and not interfearing with your
loss... Then do what makes you happy and is right for you.
— Virginia N.
August 22, 2002
I went through a phase early post op (maybe months 3-10) that I drank a lot
of OJ. I did have to find a certain kind. It seems that there are some
kinds that made me feel icky. Minute Maid pulp free is the best. I drank a
lot of it. I seemed to crave the tanginess of it. It didn't make me dump,
nor did it slow my weight loss. I don't have it nearly as often. I look
back on it as another food "phase". Shelley
— Shelley.
August 23, 2002
My nutritionist always put OJ on my list of this I COULD have. I even had
it as early as 5 days out. The sugars that you read about on the package
are not bad sugars and are natural. The same kind of sugars that you would
find in veggies. Good Luck!
— DRutherford
August 23, 2002
Everyone is different in their reactions to natural sugars. I am assuming
that you are drinking pure orange juice with no sugar added. If that is
the case, the sugar is from the fruit and it's not quite as bad as refined
sugar. I can drink small quantities of orange juice (the only juice I like
post-op) with no problems. But, one day after a support group meeting, my
friend and I were very thirsty and all that was left was juice. We both
emptied 4 (40z) containers into cups and left, drinking while we were on
our way to Wal Mart. Within 30 minutes, we were both violently ill -
shakes, clammy sweats, and diahrrea - classic dumping. Guess what - 16
ounces of orange juice at one time is way too much.
I have since had 4 ounce servings with no problem.
Grape juice is higher in sugar than orange juice and my surgeon has me use
grape juice daily for its laxative benefits. I only have about an ounce
but it is loaded with sugar and I do ok with it.
Hope you can continue with your juice - you might want to discontinue it if
your weight loss slows significantly
— Patty_Butler
August 23, 2002
Yes, that's 28g in 8 oz, not the whole carton! What do you use to revive a
diabtic FAST? OJ. Sugar is sugar. I have dumped on fruit sugars. this
summer has been mega-stressful and I've increased my sugar tolerance some.
(Stupid #1), Then, normally I use fruit sparingly. (smart thing). BUT
never has fruit tasted so good, so I've allowed myself free rein with fruit
for about 6 wks now. (stupid #2) And, accordingly, I am wearing 3-4-5
extra lbs. And then I denied to myself that the fruit was doing it (stupid
#3) I'm not looking at a scale, but things are snug. I feel chunky. I
don't like it. Shortly, fruit will taste like cardboard again and stop
growing my my yard & next door. I wll have to reset my dump-o-meter
AGAIN and put that dumping back in place to protect me from myself.
Personally, I would avoid it, esp since I thoughtfully went ahead of you to
put on a few lbs (in my arrogance). A little here, a little there is what
builds sugar tolerance. (stupid, stupid, stupid and I refer to myself)
— vitalady
August 23, 2002
As long as you can tolerate it, keep drinking it. I live in Florida and
have orange trees in my backyard. I drink fresh squeezed all the time. (
when they are in season). I also buy Tropicana with lots of pulp. Drink it
every day. Sure there is sugar in it but it's NATURAL sugar. Not the same
as the white stuff. It never affected my weightloss what-so-ever. Don't
deny yourself. I also drink it with my iron supps. Vitamin C helps to
absorb the iron.
— Kim B.
August 23, 2002
I am diabetic and my blood sugar jumps wildly when I drink juice of any
kind. I try to stick to whole fruit. Even so, my surgeon forbids citrus
fruit until several weeks post-op. He does not want the acid to cause any
problems. I don't know if it would make me dump or not, I am too chicken
to try it and most of the oranges we get around here are not worth
squeezing anyway. If I had a tree in my yard with naturally ripened fruit
it would make me crazy with temptation. Good luck, what ever you decide.
— Julia O.
August 25, 2002
LIKE A PREVIOUS POSTER,,IF YOU CAN DRINK IT AND YOU'RE O.K. I'D DO IT.. I
FOLLOWED MY DR'S ORDERS ALMOST TO THE LETTER.. BUT ORANGE JUICE WAS ABOUT
ALL I COULD DRINK UNTIL I WAS 8 WEEKS OUT. I DRANK IT. DIDN'T DUMP, AND
AFTER 9 MONTHS LOSING 230#'S IT DIDN'T HURT ME WEIGHT LOSS WISE EITHER..
TODAY WELL, I GRAB SOMETHING ELSE. BUT I'LL LOVE IT AGAIN SOON I'M SURE..
MY DR. SAID NO CREAM SOUPS OR O.J. I HAD BOTH AND WHEN HE TOLD ME HE
DIDN'T WANT ME TO HAVE THEM,,, I TOLD HIM THAT'S WHAT I CAN DRINK AND
THAT'S WHAT I CAN EAT AND I TOLD HIM I WAS DOING IT.. HE SAID WELL O.K.
— bruce M.
October 24, 2002
I am 7 weeks post-op and I LOVE drinking orange juice everyday, throughout
the day. In fact, that is the only juice I drink most nowadays. Maybe it is
a phase. Before surgery I couldn't drink it like I do now because of the
acid in it. But for the past week or so, I have been drinking it like
crazy, although I do mix it with apple juice and a tiny bit of water. I
have not had any dumping with it. I buy 100% orange juice and would not
dare by any fruit juice with added sugars. So there you go, drink on girl.
— Anderia T.
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