Question:
Getting detoxed of sugar

Hey guys.. need some advice on getting detoxed of sugar. My goal was 147, and needless to say, the lowest I have got was 158. I am 5' 7"ish and I am two years post op next month. My lowest weight was in May-158. I am now up to 166 and needing help on how to detox my system of chocolate. I am truly addicted. I need some advice on how to handle sugar better and not become addicted. Additionally, I have severe problems with being hypoglycemic after surgery.. if i dont eat sugar, my sugar level drops in the 40 range within an hour or so after eating some days. I didnt have this problem pre op. Anyone else in the same boat? How to balance out the sugar level without eating candy and chocolate? and How can I get these pesky pounds off (like 8 of them)? Am I going to be stuck with these pounds?    — Carla M. (posted on January 5, 2005)

January 5, 2005
I don't have an answer except calling your doc or talking to a dietician. Fruit would work too, wouldn't it? I have a problem with hypoglycemia when I go too long between meals...maybe you need more frequent mini meals? I guess I'd call the pro's!
   — Dedicated

January 5, 2005
You probably need the advice of a good nutritionist to get the best balance for your type of hypoglycemia. I have problems with hypoglycemia and was told the best thing to do was to balance my protein levels throughout the day. I was trying to get it all early in the day and was crashing in the afternoons. The protein worked for me, but a nutritionist could advise you best.
   — Cathy S.

January 5, 2005
I'm also hypoglycemic as a post-op. We have almost the exact same stats by the way. I find that it's best if I avoid ALL refined carbs like white flour and white sugar, and eat more frequent meals consisting of protein and whole grain carbs/veggies. The best thing I've found to kick the sugar addiction is the South Beach Diet program. The key for me for the initial detox, is to not limit HOW MUCH I eat, but rather WHAT I eat. So for the first few days, I allow myself all the protein I want to try and get through the worst of the carb withdrawal. E-mail me if you want to chat. I'm REALLY back into the carbs since Christmas (did way too much baking and eating), and now am facing the detox too! So far this week I've made it to 11:00 AM before heading to the freezer for the leftover cookies, so I'd better start taking my own advice, review that South Beach book, and re-read the pouch rules :)
   — mom2jtx3

January 5, 2005
Kick the carbs. If you are Hypoglycemic then eating sugar, starch high carbs foods actually make it worse not better long term..I had this problem before surgery. No more. Eat protein FIRST, low starch veggies second and fruits or carby things last or better NOT at all whenever possible. If you are going to eat something sweet..eat protein to balance your blood sugars. Best of luck.
   — FaithMills

January 5, 2005
Every time you eat sugar it takes you up to the top of the mtn and then drops you down again later. I understand since I got caught up in that cycle for awhile. We need to work with our reactive hypoglycemia. Altho not medical, many, many of us have this issue by 2 yrs out and I'd recommend you go to the grad group and mention it there. Sugar only makes it worse! And the docs can only help to a degree, because, typically, our bodies don't follow the rules. What works on paper doesn't work for us, necessarily. sigh. Here's the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG
   — vitalady

January 5, 2005
First let me say that I'm not sure how my detox process would affect Hypoglycemia so check with Michelle Curran or someone else who's a little better educated regarding that. I am currently right in the middle of a detox week and have done surprisingly well. However, for 2 whole months I planned and got my mind set where it should be and let me tell you - that makes a difference. I think impulse diet changes always result in disaster. Give yourself at least a few days to get your mindset right. The first day I did NOTHING but protein supplements. No protein bars - just high quality protein drinks. For me that just seems to cleanse the system and get the detox process started. The headaches are killer so have some Tylenol on hand. The next day I vowed that I would give up anything junky. I wouldn't put myself on some unreasonable strict diet that is doomed to fail from the start. I just gave up junk. Let's face it - giving up little Debbie's won't kill us. Before my husband and I started this process we also cleansed our home so there would be no temptation. That has been a major help. I realize folks with children might have a hard time eliminating all junk. When my kids were home I made them take anything junky they wanted and hide it somewhere so I couldn't get into it. The 2nd day was tough - I'll admit it. The demon I call the "Food Whisperer" sat on my shoulder and whispered "Food, food, food, food" in my ear about twice a second all day. But, I kept telling myself that all I had to do was keep control of food for one day and we'd face tomorrow when it got here. I made it through the 2nd day without going completely nuts but I did have a headache. The third day was much, much, much easier. I think the Food Whisperer was dozing - because he didn't torture me nearly as much. I make sure to put some type of nutrition into my system every 2 hours. I might mix 1/2 a protein supplement or have a bit of oatmeal, etc. (Sidebar - I make instant oatmeal with WATER not milk and add splenda to taste and a splash of sugar free caramel syrup. Can you say sweet and delish?) I make SURE it's something I like because if we're forcing ourselves to eat things we hate then we fall into that diet and gain weight, diet and gain weight cycle. I am diligently supplementing protein and drinking plenty of fluids. I'm eating higher quality food. I know it's a bit more expensive but I'm eating less so it's a wash. I will stay sugar free for the first week to completely detox. After that I'm sure I'll eat some sugar but in serious moderation. It's too easy to fall into a vicious cycle with sugar and the pounds can creep up without even realizing it. As much as I love sweet treats - they're not worth the pounds they can pack on or the difficulty of detoxing. I know lots of people don't like protein supplements but I'm tellin' ya - if I crave something sweet I have a bunch of wonderfully tasty protein supplements that will kill that craving and lessen future cravings. Sugar is a demon; the enemy. Lastly, I also experienced reactive hypoglycemia for several months when I was about a year post op. Cheerios fixed it for me. It was almost always in the middle of the night and I'd find myself stumbling downstairs to the kitchen to look for anything. When I realized cheerios worked for me I just kept a ziploc bag of them in my purse, car and nightstand. You still will need to check with someone who knows more about that than I do to be sure. Best wishes to you!
   — ronascott

January 5, 2005
As usual, Michelle is right-on. Reactive hypoglycemia is beating you up. Get thee to a competant endochrinologist who understands the requirements of a WLS patient. A steady intake of healthy protein throughout the day will help with that hypopglycemia. <br> When I would try to treat low blood sugar with carbs/sugar, it would only get worse. I have not had an episode in months.<br> she of little pancreas :) <br> shelli k.
   — kultgirl

January 6, 2005
The Physiology of Dumping Syndrome Dumping syndrome is usually divided into "early" and "late" phases - the two phases have separate physiologic causes and will be described separately. In practical fact, a patient usually experiences a combination of these events and there is no clear-cut division between them. Early dumping is caused by the high osmolarity of simple carbohydrates in the bowel. The various types of sugar all have small molecules, so that a gram of (for example) sucrose has MANY more molecules than a gram of protein, creating a higher concentration (number of molecules per cc) from simple sugars than from other foods. This matters because, inside the body, fluid shifts will generally go toward the higher concentration of molecules. So, if a patient consumes a bite of milk chocolate (lots of sugar), when it gets to the Roux limb it will quickly "suck" a significant amount of fluid into the bowel. This rapid filling of the small bowel causes it to be stretched (which causes cramping pain). This also causes the activation of hormonal and nerve responses that cause the heart to race (palpitations) and cause the individual to become clammy and sweaty. Vomiting or diarrhea may follow as the intestine tries to quickly rid itself of this "irritant." Late dumping has to do with the blood sugar level. The small bowel is very effective in absorbing sugar, so that the rapid absorption of a relatively small amount of sugar can cause the glucose level in the blood to "spike" upward. The pancreas responds to this glucose challenge by "cranking up" its output of insulin. Unfortunately, the sugar that started the whole cycle was such a small amount that it does not sustain the increase in blood glucose, which tends to fall back down at about the time the insulin surge really gets going. These factors combine to produce hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) which causes the individual to feel weak, sleepy, and profoundly fatigued. Late dumping is the mechanism by which sugar intake can create low blood sugar, and it is also a way for gastric bypass patients to get into a vicious cycle of eating. If the patient takes in sugar or a food that is closely related to sugar (simple carbohydrates like rice, pasta, potatoes) they will experience some degree of hypoglycemia in the hour or two after eating. The hypoglycemia stimulates appetite, and it's easy to see where that is going.... The reason that sugar does not cause dumping in non-operated people is that the stomach, pancreas, and liver work together to prepare nutrients (or sugar) before they reach the small intestine for absorption. The stomach serves as a reservoir that releases food downstream only at a controlled rate, avoiding sudden large influxes of sugar that can occur after a Roux-en-Y. The released food is also mixed with stomach acid, bile, and pancreatic juice to control the chemical makeup of the stuff that goes downstream and avoid all the effects outlined above. Obviously, surgeons consider dumping syndrome to be a beneficial effect of gastric bypass - it seems to be important to provide quick and reliable negative feedback for intake of the "wrong" foods. In practice, most patients do NOT experience full-blown dumping more than once or twice. Most simply say that they have "lost their taste" for sweets. Of course, this is always a great topic to ask patients about directly, so you may want to ask about it at our support group in person, or in a support group online.
   — **willow**