The Carbs Go In, the Cravings Come Out, thats What Weight Gain is All About
It can happen with one bite. The moment those refined carbohydrates enter my body, it sets off this chain reaction. Even the most innocent “healthy” carbs can cause an immediate and intense craving cycle. Think, pretzels, popcorn, crackers, etc. Those kinds of foods are easily eaten in quantity with a small pouch, and are all empty calories that I shouldn’t bother with. You’d think just one snack couldn’t harm the situation. You’d think one single-serve bag of pretzels wouldn’t send you in a downward spiral for an entire day. They do trigger an intense reaction, sometimes without even being aware that I am picking and and grazing on worse carbs.
If the food I ingest is not only a carbohydrate, but a carbohydrate containing refined sugars in any form, I may begin to have a slight dumping sensation. It begins with a wave of feeling like You Must Lie Down For Just A Minute, dizziness, general lethargy, and if the food was something I really shouldn’t have, it may be compounded with sweating, heart-racing, gagging, retching, nausea, but never an actual vomit. Vomit would be a welcome addition to the true nasty dump session, because it would help alleviate the discomfort.
You’d think that knowing you’re risking “taking a dump” by eating inappropriate foods, you’d steer clear of all foods that set off that internal warning system. DING DING DING, RED LIGHT, RED LIGHT, STEP AWAY FROM THE PRETZELS, DRY CEREAL, CRACKERS!
How many of us post-op gastric bypass folks cheat anyway, knowing full well a food may make us sick, but the hell with it?
How many of us find logical reasons to support our choices in inappropriate foods?
You do know, I am referring to the really basic stuff, like mentioned above (like a graham cracker, dry cereals, pretzels, tortilla chips, etc… those comfort carbs that go down so easily that it’s scary), not the foods that are the most obvious and would be insane to mess with at large amounts (think, Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk?).
Eating either type of food (“harmless carbs vs. high sugar high fat sweets”) is reason to question your motivation to eat, since it’s not for nutrition, but sometimes it’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that a handful of Shredded Mini-Wheats is really not good for you.
Think about it for a moment. When was the last time you ate _______? (Your main comfort trigger food, something you wouldn’t start eating in front of other people because you know you shouldn’t be having it at all, for me, it’s dry crunchy carbs!)
Was it for nutrition? Did the calories count? The protein? Did you eat it mindfully, and take note of every bite? Did you add it to your food journal, or perhaps “forgot” that you had it altogether?
I should note, since I’m not a dietician or anything, that if you’re underweight and past goal and needing to gain weight/maintain a precarious weight, you’re supposed to “break the rules.” That includes adding back these refined carbs, or drinking with meals, etc. Why? It works if you break the rules, you can gain weight.
You can gain weight, you can even gain all your excess weight back. According to the research, most of us do gain, at least some of our weight. We all know how to lose weight, the surgery gives us that tool, but what we don’t realize is that it doesn’t take away the motivations we have to overeat, nor does it teach us that we can gain weight back, and fast.
Melting Mama
http://meltingmama.blogspot.com
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Dumping Syndrome: The Dirty Secret Gastric Bypass Patients Keep
Dumping syndrome is an effective result of the gastric bypass system which alerts the body of inappropriate eating. Dumping syndrome is described as a shock-like state when small, easily absorbed food particles rapidly dump into the digestive system. This results in a very unpleasant feeling with symptoms such as a cold clammy sweat, pallor, butterflies in the stomach and a pounding pulse. These symptoms may be followed by cramps and diarrhea. This state can last for 30-60 minutes and is quite uncomfortable.
That was the clinical description of dumping.
This is what I experience when I dump: shortly after eating a food I don’t tolerate (sugar, milk, sugary milk products or starchy carbs) I begin to feel a bit disoriented, maybe dizzy and then an overall sense of confusion or panic takes over my mind and body. This is a mild state of delirium. Then I begin sweating. Profuse sweating that can completely soak my hair, my clothes; it drips and glistens on my skin. During this state of sweaty panic I feel like I’m out of my mind! A few times during extremely dramatic dumping episodes I literally thought I was dying, the state of distress was that severe.
At this point during a dumping episode I have learned it is best to lie down on my side and let it nature take its course. The body is efficiently, albeit painfully, correcting a chemical imbalance in the cell system. It takes great presence of mind to calm myself and lay down, but even in a state of near-delirium I now know this is the only action to be taken. I know the event is passing when the sense of panic is replaced by exhaustion and cold chills instead of sweating. Occasionally I have suffered diarrhea at this point. If I have the luxury I’ll try to take a nap or go to bed after dumping. If it is in the evening I’ll sleep through the night, and wake feeling like I’ve been run over by a truck.
The mild delirium associated with dumping is the result of an interruption of nerve impulses affecting cerebral metabolism. The interruptions are caused by metabolic disturbances such as fluid or electrolyte imbalance. When the incorrect foods are consumed and dumped into the digestive system the electrolytes get out of balance. Dehydration will also cause an electrolyte imbalance. This mild delirium is characterized by a reduced ability to maintain attention to surroundings or disorganized thinking. The daily routine can become confusing. In extreme cases a person who is dumping may experience rambling, irrelevant or incoherent speech.
After the dump passes the interrogation begins: what caused that dump? I have dumped on yogurt, sugar cookies, lobster bisque and blackberry sorbet. I have dumped after one margarita. A particularly impressive dump followed a love-fest with a piece of pecan pie. Salty potato chips that should have never crossed my lips knocked me flat quicker than a prize-winning boxer could have. I have dumped a few times for which I never determined a cause. In most cases eating the inappropriate food for my gastric bypass system is the culprit. Through trial and error I can predict most things that make me dump and I avoid them contemptuously.
The most efficient way to avoid dumping is to maintain the strict regimen practiced during bariatric infancy: follow the four rules. Eat protein first making sure it comprises one-half of every meal. Avoid snacking. Avoid all sources of simple sugar; and yes, this includes cookies, cakes, candy, sodas, ice cream and sorbet. Sip water throughout the day. When you practice this eating behavior your blood sugar will not fluctuate and you will not dump. Most patients, who crave a taste of something sweet, have learned they can tolerate a bite of fruit at the end of the meal. Proceed with caution and discover what works for you.
The first reaction when dumping begins is to try and make it stop. There is a feeling of helplessness – like trying to stop an earthquake. I have tried eating myself out of it. I have tried flushing it away by drinking water. I have tried physical motion – pacing – to get myself out of it. I have not successfully stopped a dumping episode. I don’t know anyone who can successfully halt a dumping episode. Sipping a sports drink like Gatorade will relieve my symptoms, although my surgical weight loss specialists do not recommended this practice. If you find something to bring relief during a dump, and it causes no further harm, then do it.
It is important to note that the dumping experience is different for every person. Some will always have extreme dumps and others more mild episodes. Individuals will notice dumping episodes will vary by incident. No two people dump the same and no two dumps are alike.
Dumping is a bittersweet fact of life after weight loss surgery. Because we must fuel our bodies by eating we will experience dumping. Adherence to the four rules will prevent dumping in most cases. However, every now and again we will be blindsided by a dump caused by a food never suspected. Keeping a list of poorly tolerated foods will help you avoid them. The acutely dramatic event of dumping is a convincing motivator to follow the rules and avoid the foods that have trigged a dumping episode.
Kaye Bailey is a weight loss surgery success story having maintained her health and goal weight for 5+ years. An award winning journalist, she is the author and webmaster of livingafterwls.com and livingafterwls.blogspot.com – Fresh & insightful content is added daily, check in often.
Copyright ? 2005 Kaye Bailey – All Rights Reserved.
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