Serious?? How to gain weight after RNY w/hypoglycemia

I really am serious when I say I need to gain weight and am having a very difficult time doing it, I see my nutritionist next week but am hoping somebody here can help me too! I think that the combination of having no appetite (haven't since surgery) and the reactive hypoglycemia are my big problems.

I add butter or olive oil to everything I eat, but really have to be careful with sugar and carbs because within an hour and a half my blood sugar crashes. I feel like I am eating all day and don't want to. My life is more based around food now than it was when I was 250+ pounds! 

Never in this lifetime did I ever think that I would want/need to GAIN weight, I have come so close to going under 100 pounds. I am back up to 103, but need to be at least 115. I have been fighting this battle since April when I had a failed spine surgery. I don't imagine that the pain medication that I am on is helping either. I guess I should mention that all my labs were perfect, so nutritionally I am doing something right. 

Hmmmm, interesting challenge.  Can you tolerate sugar alcohols?  If so, that would be a way to effectively get carbs without the RH blood glucose swings, (sugar alcohols have much less impact on blood glucose or insulin).  A number of "low carb" bars are chock-full of sugar alcohols, and many Atkins dieters complain that when they start eating these, they start gaining weight.  The sugar alcohols could help boost your appetite, as well.  Just a thought.

Thanks Brian, but the sugar alcohols in larger volumes act the same way for me.    I seem to be getting MORE sensitive to carbs than I was even 6 months ago. I used to be able to eat a whole wheat English muffin drenched in butter with sugar free jam without a problem. Now.....no so much. I still love them, but crash without eating again.

Are you tracking everything you eat in something like MyFitnessPal.com? Eating something that is almost pure carbs like an English Muffin with Jam would make me crash too and I don't have RH!!!!

If you want to gain weight I would suggest adding complex carbs WITH protein at mealtimes and maybe supplementing your protein intake with shakes with a higher carb value as snacks. Just adding sugary foods to your diet is a long term recipe for disaster, both in terms of health and healthy weight gain.

Years 3-4 which you are just entering are when the vast majority of us enter true maintenance - the time where it is possible to gain weight - if you want to do so, it would be better to do it with good quality protein and complex carbs rather than upping your intake of simple carbs.

Thanks Kim,

I used the English muffin with sugar free jam as just an example of the worst I could do, not as a regular intake. I track all my food on Livestrong with a target of gaining 2 lbs a week. After 9 months of trying with little success I am grasping. Most of what I eat is quality protein, with protein shakes as supplements and complex carbs.

I really appreciate your input!

Wow - must blow your mind to have the complete other side of the spectrum in the whole weight world...

Are you able to use sugar substitutes?  I have read ALOT that these actually cause weight GAIN... just a thought.. hopefully you can sort it out and get back to being HEALTHY skinny :-)

Love, prayers & hugs
Liz

OOOO I just thought of something else - are you able to drink those protein shakes?  There are ones that are made for GAINING weight as well as losing.. the body builders use them... not sure the actual ingrediants would work for you - but its worth you looking into .. Iwould just call your gym and ask them - they should know .. 

 It is definitely mind blowing!!

 I haven't had an appetite since surgery either, so often I will forget to eat.  When I started tracking my food intake, I found that I was only getting 400 - 500 calories a day.  I got a great suggestion on the boards - they suggested setting an alarm on my phone to remind me to eat something every two hours or so.  

I don't know what your eating schedule is like, but maybe eating more OFTEN would help?

Good luck!

Thank*****ie,

I am eating about every 2 hours just to prevent the blood sugar crashes, and am getting in 1800-2400 calories daily. Sometimes by the end of the day I just want to cry because I am sick of eating when I don't want to 

This really seems like a pretty serious problem.  Have you had your thyroid checked?  I'm wondering if maybe your thyroid, like your pancreas, has been thrown out of whack?  Have you seen an endocrinologist?  He could help you with that.  If you have hyperthyroidism your metabolism is way to fast and you are now burning calories off the chart.  I have RH and have been working with an endocrinologist and he said my pancreas is out of whack and therefore is releasing insulin too late and too long, causing my issues. But, all in all, probly more protein would be a good start.  Good luck!