Can Low-Calorie Equal Low Blood Sugar?

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sapphire1166
sapphire1166 Posts: 114 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've lost nearly 50 lbs over the past 8 months by (mostly) following a 1400 calorie diet. I'm now at 187 at 5'7. I eat whatever I want in moderation (yay for nightly Cheetos!) but my everyday staples tend to be oatmeal, fiber bars, ham sandwiches, chicken/pork/fish, nuts, and fruits and veggies. My husband and I recently got lab work done while applying for life insurance. My numbers were great, except for my blood sugar, which was low at 67. I was not fasting, and in fact had eaten a small Three Musketeers bar about 2 hours earlier (a small meal an hour before that). I felt totally fine when my blood was drawn. I'm reading that 67 is low even for fasting, and at <70 most people experience heart palpitations, sweats, shakiness, etc. I didn't.
I don't have a family history of diabetes. Even when obese (for 10+ years), my numbers were always good during yearly physical blood draws. Is there any way that eating a low calorie diet can contribute to low blood sugar? Plan to ask my doctor but can't get in for a whole week.

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  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    Classic. It's called insulin rebound or the reactive hypoglycemia and it is due to the Three Musketeers you ate. Your body released a lot of insulin to deal with what appeared as a large meal (due to the easy availability of the sugars in the candy bars) and voila, your blood sugar crashed afterwards.

    Not an issue unless it is seen a few times in tests or if you are having dizzy spells, etc... If it is something that is happening chronically, there can be some concern.

    Do talk to your physician, explaining what you ate before.

    http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/reactive-hypoglycemia/faq-20057778

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