Question:
wILL i EVER BE ABLE TO EAT SUGAR AGAIN?
IM 3 WEEKS POST OP AND WAS JUST WONDERING, WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO HAVE SUGAR AGAIN? WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU WHEN YOU DUMP?? — Karen W. (posted on December 27, 2002)
December 27, 2002
Sure you will- however- like everything with no nutritional value you will
see how it is not *AS* important to you as it was prior to surgery. Some
things, as you get further out, do not hold such importance, nor do they
taste the same or satisfy the same. I don't believe saying you can NEVER
have something again is good for anyone. Denying yourself a simple
pleasure now and again is not wrong. However it is why they stress for you
to be very good in the beginning, so you learn new eating habits for the
long haul. For instance a sip of soda will satisfy me whereas prior to
surgery I could not imagine not ever guzzling down a 32 oz. again. As for
dumping, for me, I get major gastro-intestinal distress. I feel my
intestine's contents moving very rapidly. I must head to the bathroom to
relieve myself, all the while I am feeling like I have the flu, am fatigued
and I will sweat at the same time. Usually this passes once I am finished
with my business. But some people must lay down for a while. It's not
pretty, but I have had this happen to me my whole life- so I am used to it.
Having it after surgery was nothing new to me.
— Karen R.
December 27, 2002
Ahh everyone can eat a bit of sugary stuff. Many like me dont dump. The
most I will get is a icky feeling if I eat too much. Early on one oreo was
fine, 2 not so hot. Now I can eat more.
— bob-haller
December 27, 2002
I have to admit that I wondered the same thing early on. It's only been a
little over 2 months for me since my surgery but there have been several
times that I've had a little bite of cake or candy. For the most part I do
fine but there are times when I know I've overdone it. Last Saturday I
tried to drink a small container of orange juice from Hardee's....within 30
minutes I felt terrible. I got very sleepy and felt like I was coming down
with the flu. After about 30 minutes it passed but it was not a pleasant
sensation at all. This week I stayed with my daughter who just had a baby
and while I was there I tried a small piece of red velvet cake. I just
needed a taste and it didn't hurt me physically at all. As far as dumping
- I guess I've been lucky compared to some people. I will get chills and
major intestinal discomfort with diahrrea but it passes quicky and I don't
normally have to go to bed or go home from work. I've heard that things
change and that what may not bother me today may give me trouble next
month. We'll see. Right now I'm enjoying the weight loss. Food is not
the most important thing in my life anymore. Saturday night I went to get
some tea out of my fridge and I realized that I had not eaten all day and I
was still not hungry - wow!!! I was amazed!! I am still pretty picky
about what I eat. I have not tried steak yet and probably won't for a
couple more months. Chicken gives me that "stuck" feeling unless
it is very tender and even then I must eat it slowly and chew it until it
has no taste at all. Don't think badly of me but I usually end up spitting
it out after the taste is gone. Not sure if that's good or not but it sure
beats having to go to the bathroom later to get it unstuck....if you don't
know what I mean - you will eventually. God Bless You. Debbie By the way
- in a little over 2 months I'm down 54 pounds and it feels GREAT!!!
— [Deactivated Member]
December 27, 2002
Karen....I've never had more sugar than I should, so I haven't dumped and
don't know what it would really feel like. I stay away from white refined
sugar and use fructose or turbinado sugar, which are phenomenal!
Especially the turbinado sugar. Check out my profile page or
www.freewebs.com/recipes-after-rny for a recipe book for RNY patients that
has unbelievable recipes in them that are 2g of refined sugar or less.
— Lynette B.
December 28, 2002
I try to avoid refined sugar. I have dumped several times on foods that
had natural sugar and maybe some refined that I wasn't aware of (in
restaurant foods). I am thrilled that I dump because it keeps me honest.
And I don't eat a lot of "sugar-free" sweets either because they
are just as high in calories as the ones sweetened with sugar. Those foods
are not for weight loss but for diabetic patients. I will allow myself
treats occasionally when I am at goal and have stabalized. In fact, I do
now, occasionally, have a no sugar added ice cream bar but only about once
every three months.
Dumping can be anything from suddenly feeling very warm, to being flushed,
having cold sweats, nausea and severe diahrrea. It normally lasts about 30
minutes to an hour and is very unpleasant. It isn't dangerous but it will
make a believer out of you. I understand that you don't dump as easily
later on as you do early out, but I haven't tested it. I am sitting here
at my computer with the bag with my son's candy from his Christmas stocking
right beside me and I am not even tempted to test those waters. Just stay
away from high fat foods and sweets and you will have tremendous successes
- not only will you not dump, but you will lose weight.
Open RNY 11/29/01 -160 pounds
— Patty_Butler
December 29, 2002
I am a little over 3 months out. I can eat pretty much any type of sugar.
(Not that, that's a good thing). I wish I dumped more because I have been
very tempted by chocolate this holiday season. When I dump, I have a slight
reaction. I can't really explain it well, but it's kind of like a real icky
feeling and I burp over and over. Sometimes I get dizzy and then I get
really sleepy. I have to lay down and go to sleep for about 30 minutes. I
try not to deprive myself of some sweets. For the most part I have done
very well. But I really wish I had a more adverse reaction to eating
sweets.
— alexis G.
December 30, 2002
Dumping is AWFUL!!! Dumping for me is like this...My heart starts
pounding, I get the chills, start sweating, get the shakes, get dizzy and
then I end up sick to my stomach. This can last anywhere from 20 minutes
to an hour. I dump easily on anything that has more than 7 grams of sugar)
or sugar alcohol per serving. But you know what, I wouldn't change a
thing. It keeps me honest and sometimes it helps keep me in check. With
all of the sweets around the holidays it would have been difficult to
resist if I wasn't so paranoid about dumping!
— pam29922
December 30, 2002
This issue is one of the major reasons why I chose to have a duodenal
switch WLS and keep my stomach functioning normally with a pyloric valve.
"Dumping" because I want to eat a piece of birthday cake or pie
or whatever seems barbaric and a continuation of "diet mentality"
to me. I eaat "healthy" 99.8% of the time and am sustaining my
weight loss (and am still losing 2-5 pounds per month). I am responding to
your post in an attempt to help those who are still deciding know that
'dumping' isn't a necessary component of WLS, just a side effect of the RNY
procedure. Good Luck to you and best wishes for a continued healthy
recovery...
— merri B.
December 30, 2002
Dumping is unpleasant. BUT if you dump easily early on it helps you reset
your palate. I find that things made with less sugar taste just fine to me
now and full sugar things usually taste unbearably sweet. Not that I don't
eat chocolate now and then but I eat a whole lot less than I did before!
And am just as satisfied. When you are early post op it does seem like you
will never eat normally again, but you will once your new system matures. I
think that the RNY does teach you to eat the way we ALL should if you let
it. Plenty of lean protein, veggies, fruits, a little
bread/pasta/potatoes/rice and moderate amounts of sweets. What's wrong with
that? It's all about moderation--even the sugar part. If you want, look at
my profile. I have listed what I ate at 4, 9, and 18 months postop. You can
see that I eat normal foods--even eat out.
— ctyst
December 31, 2002
The best advice I can give you is to read labels. When you are a new
post-op, very small amounts of sugar will cause you to dump. With me, I get
a rapid heartbeat, feel nauseous and weak, and sometimes I will throw up a
little bit. I have been known to eat a little sugar from time to time, but
feel so much better when I don't. With sugar, some times you are the
wind-shield, sometimes you are the bug. Good Luck!
— Cara F.
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