Have missed you all!!!

Man life got busy on me lately! I'm missing out on all the fun here I had my Calorie Analysis visit with the Nutritionist and discovered I'm not doing all that badly ... still need to hone down the carbs-fat percentages, but they were way better than I expected. She gave me some really good advice I've been following and it's bumped me right off the summer-long plateau and I'm losing again. Finally! She added another meal to my day ... now it's 6 ... 3 real meals, 3 snack meals ... with the last one really late in the evening. She said it was designed to keep my blood sugar levels more evened out ... and only wants me to eat fruit for the late evening snack. She also said to vary my workout routine ... that our bodies get "used" to the routines and adjust accordingly to keep fuel supplied ... and if we vary what we do each workout we sort of confuse the way our bodies have been reacting, and we lose weight easier. Don't know about all that, but I have been trying it ... like doing upper work one day, lower work next... etc. She also had me restart my protein shakes, substituting those for daytime snack meals and gave me a ton of "homework" nutrition material to study. So far, what she suggested I do has worked so "go figure" I try to lurk to keep up with everyone and really regret not being here more often. I miss all my friends. (((hugs to all!!))) Myra G

Myra, I know the feeling of being so busy.. Seems the past few months I spend less and less time on the board. I go days without even checking it now. Before I was on all day everyday.... Changing your exercise routine up does help! It got me to jump start myself again when I stalled out. I dont know why, but it really does help! Guess it shocks out body when we do something its not used to. Good job on the eating! I have to eat 5-6 meals a day too.. Thats the only way I can keep my blood sugars level.. Ive started with the up and down sugars to the point of being sick again.. Not a good feeling at all.. What did they figure out for you with your sugars? Do you have them under control now? Im still looking for any info if you find any... I love my PCP but he isnt always the brightest when it comes to RNY... Take care! Amber

Hey, Amber ... (((hugs))) Basically, they (PCP and BS) called the whole thing "Late Dumping Syndrome" and "Rapid Emptying". The BS said they're common issues with some POSTops after about a year out. My BS says it's usually a passing thing, but it's been around now for me since about April. What I've learned is that I need to become wiser about glycemic indexes of foods and work my proteins and carbs together in the right way. The one thing my nut and BS agree on is that when I feel hypoglycemic, I shouldn't try to fight it with ONLY a protein (since we can't do sugar) ... but to eat a protein WITH a CARB ... like meat and cracker or pb and cracker ... because the results will last longer that way. They said a protein alone will do the trick, but will make my body go into overdrive to deal with it and end up making blood sugar plummet even worse than before the protein. Trouble is crackers are just empty calories. But the combo usually works and I've found that the fat-free Saltine brand with low-fat PB is pretty tasty!!! LOL It does begin to ease somewhat and the episodes don't come at you quite as often after a while ... it's more predictable for me now, especially when I'm really mindful about how fast I'm eating ... as life has become more and more normal again, I know I've gotten faster with eating. Slowing back down and putting a bit of time between bites helps. AND not sneaking in those sips of water as I eat (yeah I do that once in a while even though I KNOW it's a no-no ... and everytime I pay for it). Be sure and keep telling your PCP and BS about it, Amber ... keep it on your medical record as ongoing ... and (((hugs))) to you as you ride it out ... it's not fun at all. ing at you from Missouri, Myra G I looked both issues up on the web and here's what I found: ----- Gastric dumping syndrome, or rapid gastric emptying, happens when the lower end of the small intestine, the jejunum, fills too quickly with undigested food from the stomach. "Early" dumping begins during or right after a meal. Symptoms of early dumping include nausea, vomiting, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, dizziness and fatigue. "Late" dumping happens 1 to 3 hours after eating. Symptoms of late dumping include weakness, sweating, and dizziness. Many people have both types. In addition, people with this syndrome often suffer from low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, because the rapid "dumping" of food triggers the pancreas to release excessive amounts of insulin into the bloodstream. ----

Myra, Thanks so much for the info! My BS has me starting the day out with oatmeal with some protein powder in it. That holds me over longer and keeps me from getting sick before lunch.. My worse time was from the moment of waking until about lunch. It seemed like I was going crazy.. The shakes got so bad that I thought something was seriously wrong.. I carry those cheese and cracker packets in my purse for emergencies. and cheese sticks in the fridge at all times.. Ive been using the crackers for some time now, they seemed to work the best for me. Empty calories yeah, but I still dont consume enough calories to maintain the weight Im at. So Im still struggling with trying to maintain. I go up and down the same 10lbs every week. As long as I dont gain more then 10 Im okay... I dont have a NUT anymore. I fired her! She insisted that I try to keep losing weight, saying I was too heavy for my height. But she wouldnt look at the fact that when I did the bodpod to measure body fat Im in the normal range. If I dropped down to the weight she wants then Id be underweight.. And she insists that I dont need fruit or veggies- just protein... We couldnt see eye to eye, I didnt believe what she was telling me, so I just got rid of her. Im looking for a new NUT but havent found one yet.. My BS has a NUT on staff that I can email for help, but my insur wont pay for her and she is 2hrs away from me! So thats just too much for me.. Im doing pretty well on my own anyways.. I made goal, stay within 10lbs of it, have plastics started, and Im healthy! Thats all I wanted from surgery was to be healthy again... Minus the sugar issue things are just about perfect with my health.. Keep in touch! So glad you finally got the info on blood sugars and have it under control now. It sure is scarey not to understand when your body goes crazy like that! HUGS Amber

Missed you, too, Myra! Kix