Question:
I need some support 2 years post op

Hey guys, over two years post op and I have been slowly gaining due to bad eating habits and problems with hypoglycemia. I have seen an endocrinologist and they have not come up with any solutions.. I need some support ..i am really feeling down with the RNY right now.. I am 5' 6.5" and I am 167ish. My lowest was 159, so I have gained. My 10s are tight.. so I am a 12-14 now. I have been eating sugar to help with the hypoglycemia.. and i seem to be getting nowhere but fat. So, please give me some advice and support.    — Carla M. (posted on March 17, 2005)

March 17, 2005
Hi Carla, I will be two years post-op in April 05 and I also am hypoglycemic. Instead of eating lots of sugar I eat a spoon of peanut butter. I am 5'5 and today's weight was 167. My lowest was 161. I would still like to loose another 20 pounds, but it is hard. I am going to start a new program April 2nd. If interested email me and I will let you know if it does anygood. In my studies I see that those who are actively involved in a support group tend to keep their weight off. Do you have a support group in your area? My email addy is [email protected] Skinny Wishes, Becky
   — becky

March 17, 2005
It's time to join the Grad list. No guarantee that you'll get the rest of the wt off, but there's also the trick of maintaining the loss you have achieved. There is a lot of combined long term experience on this list and I'd recommend it in conjunction with this site and any local lists you use. We talk about the RHG often, since it's pretty common http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG
   — vitalady

March 17, 2005
Time to chuck the sugar. Hypoglycemia occurs when your pancreas has put out too much insulin. The reason your pancreas would put out too much insulin is because you are eating too many carbohydrates. In my years and years of low-carbing I have never once encountered someone who had a problem with hypoglycemia before starting low carb, continue to have problems with it after being on low-carb. Get rid of the sugar and carbs (not totally, but go lower carb and HEALTHY carb) and you won't have hypoglycemia. You'll also lose more weight.....
   — Dinka Doo

March 17, 2005
Carla, Check out this website...there are a lot of natural products here to help keep your blood sugar level as well as enhancing you weight loss efforts. www.stephisstore.com guest password: enter
   — Stephanie T.

March 17, 2005
Carla, old habits die hard. I am 12 yrs post op on 3/31 and I have done the regain thing 3 times. For me it is back to basics. 1. eat protein first then veggies then starches if you have room 2. only 4 eating events per day..No grazing 3. do not drink with meals 4. drink 8 glasses of water daily. 5 . take your supplements 6 and most importantly, exercise daily.....(yeah, I know, that E word again) Hang in there, you know what to do...You can do this. Rita in Vermont Open proximal rny 3/31/94
   — vt_rita

March 17, 2005
Wow, your question stuck out like a sore thumb to me lol. I as well have started to gain some weight back and am 3 1/2 yrs post op. I was told by one doctor that I was hypoglycemic and went to my reg doctor and she did my lab work and found no signs of it. She said there was a slight question mark with my thyroid but, just wants to monitor it right now. She did find that my B2 was 140 and that is on the low low end so, I am doing the once a month shot again. Also, I have returned to eating the smaller more frequent meals that I used to do and am just trying to maintain right now versus focusing on losing it. Hopefully it will all work out for all of us post oppers. Hint of advice for the candy eating. It was that I showed the physical signs of hypoglycemia by having shakes and seizures and then, I started keeping the healthy snacks with me again to prevent these spells and it seemed to work. So, maybe you don't have hypoglycemia and you just need to eat something good for you. Good luck!!
   — ncgal

March 17, 2005
Hypoglycemia is very tricky to manage if you are consuming sugar. When you eat sugar this triggers the pancreas to release insulin which drops your blood sugar. If you eat sugar to bring it up you will be hypoglycemic again. The best thing to do is to eat a good quality protein. Protein does not raise your blood sugar and should stablize your glucose better. If you have to eat sugar, make sure you eat a quality protein with it. When you have excess insulin in your bloodstream this cause your sugar to be converted to fat and this is why you gain weight faster.
   — Dollene T.

March 21, 2005
Carla, It may be time to start supplementing with L-Glutamine. There is significant research that suggests that adding this amino acid to your regime will help with blood sugar control including hypoglycemia and it reduces cravings for sugar and fats too. What a bonus. I have been supplementing with L-Glutamine with MSM by adding it to my protein shakes each day. I find that I don't crave like I used to. email me if you want some more links and info. I'll be happy to share. ......Hugs from your Okie friend,
   — wealthgvr