Anyone have hypoglycemia?

julie_broadhead

I go in tomorrow for testing to see if I have hypoglycemia. The doc already told me that I will need to eat smaller meals more frequently. My question is what does that look like? I have always eaten 3 meals a day plus two light snacks. If you would be willing to share your eating schedule and what you eat in a day that would be helpful.

NutritionHealth4Life

I was diagnosed from a blood test as having non diabetic reactive hypoglycemia. If you friend me then I'd be glad to share more

Machka9

Diagnosed with a glucose tolerance test when I was 17.

I eat 9-10 times a day.

10:30 am - small snack
12:30 pm - small snack
2:00 pm - lunch
3:30 pm - small snack
4:45 pm - small snack
6:00 pm - larger snack
8:00 pm - dinner
9:30 pm - small snack
11:00 pm - small snack

Naruya

I've had hypoglycemia for years but I've got it pretty well under control now. I eat 3 larger meals each day and 3 lighter snacks inbetween. Usually around 8am, 10am, 12.30pm, 15.00pm, 18.30pm and 21.00pm.

I still have to watch out though, there's still times that I almost faint if I haven't eaten enough calories/carbs. I also try to avoid situations that trigger an attack (for me it's when there's lots of people around or I get really really hot) because I've fainted many times and one of them resulted in a nasty concussion which left me bedridden for months.

Francl27

Just have balanced snacks - protein, fat, fiber. So yeah, it will have to be 200-300 calories and not 100 (I have no idea how people can have a 100 calorie snack and be satisfied anyway).

Machka9

Francl27 wrote: »

Just have balanced snacks - protein, fat, fiber. So yeah, it will have to be 200-300 calories and not 100 (I have no idea how people can have a 100 calorie snack and be satisfied anyway).

Each of my "small snacks" is about 100 cal.

It's not about being satisfied ... I'm still hungry ... but I know I can function on 100 cal for the next 1.5 hours so I don't need anything more.

I only ever eat to satisfaction when I go on a deliberate diet break.

nvmomketo

I have reactive hypoglycaemia. I do not actually get hypoglycaemia like a T1D would but the fast fall of my BG caused shakiness, light headed ness, headaches, crankiness and fainting.

I took steriods for it for a while. It helped a bit. It also helped along my insulin resistance so I dropped them.

What helped a LOT was eating ketogenic. My body and brain no longer rely on carbs/glucose for energy. Instead I use a steady source of fat. The ONLY time I experience hypoglycaemic symptoms now is when I go off ketosis for a few days. Then the shakes and such come back.

It makes sense. I eat very few carbs so I get no spikes in blood glucose, nor any big dips. Even if my BG does go lower, like a low 3, I have no symptoms because I am not using much glucose for fuel. After becoming fat adapted, minimum glucose needs often drop and may get aa low as 40g per day, which the body can easily make on its own.

I can easily go many hours without eating too. No need to snack every two hours anymore.especially in the late afternoon. Ugh. I looked like I had Parkinson's. Not good. Now I usually just eat twice a day. If it is breakfast at 8am, I next eat at 5pm. More often it is breakfast at 2-3pm and then dinner around 7pm.

A LCHF diet has given me a lot of freedom. You might want to look into it.

Naruya

It's a bad idea to suggest to go low carb for anyone with hypoglycaemia. Going low carb might work well to battle diabetes where the problem is the spikes of blood glucose, but with hypo it's that your glucose is naturally low and you need to make sure to keep feeding it. Taking in no carbs at all will make it worse 9/10 times. It might work for you, but I'm betting you're one of the few people..

nvmomketo

Naruya wrote: »

It's a bad idea to suggest to go low carb for anyone with hypoglycaemia. Going low carb might work well to battle diabetes where the problem is the spikes of blood glucose, but with hypo it's that your glucose is naturally low and you need to make sure to keep feeding it. Taking in no carbs at all will make it worse 9/10 times. It might work for you, but I'm betting you're one of the few people..

I told what helped for me and my reactive hypoglycemia. As I said, I do NOT actually have hypoglycemia.

On my oral glucose tolerance test, my FBG started at a 6 (106). After drinking the fould glucose drink it went up to 9.0 (162) at one hour and then it fell fast. At 2 hours it was a 4.4 (80) and still falling so they made me eat. Based on my experiences, it probably would have gone to 3.3 to 4 (60-72). Still not actually considered low but my BG had fallen 4.4 (or 80) points in an hour and I felt crappy. Mild confusion, light headed, dropping BP, cold sweats and shakes...

So not hypoglycemia (below 3mmol/L or 55mg/dL) but it felt like it. I just had some of the symptoms when my brain got panicky over the fast drop in BG so I had the symptoms that would normally tell you to eat more. (Which I used to do every 2 hours or so. A band-aid solution for me.)

The only people, as far as I know, who actually get hypoglycemic are type 1 diabetics (too much insulin and not enough glucose for it usually) or others with hormonal issues or tumors causing hormonal problems (or severe alcoholism in some instances).

The liver makes glucose - gluconeogenesis. One can eat zero carbs and still have enough glucose to meet it's needs. If one eats low carb for some time, glucose needs actually get smaller. If your brain is mainly relying on fat for fuel, low glucose levels are a non-issue. I can hit a 3.3 and not even notice that my BG was low. I tried fasting for a few days while keto-adapted and my BG stayed between 3.3 and 3.8 for a day. I'd done a 10 km hike that day and felt fine. I mention that because most who say they have hypoglycemia do not actually experience a low. They just experienced a drop - usually reactive hypoglycemia like what i have.

Going very low carb usually solves that problem. It's a pretty reliable treatment. If the OP is actually getting hypos (below 55 or 3) for some reason, that reason should be addressed so the hypos stop. Eating more often, and including carbs, may not address the cause and perpetuate the cycle.

All JMO. Not a doctor here. Just someone who lived with it for decades and found a way to fix it.

julie_broadhead

Thanks everyone:-)

WickAndArtoo

Yes.

I make sure to eat a large protein filled breakfast in the morning and then I make sure every meal and snack throughout the day has protein, fiber, and healthy sugars (read: veggie or fruit). The most important part for me is making sure that I don't go so long without eating that my blood sugar drops. I don't eat candy or any carbs that aren't whole grains/fiber filled. I can't have sweetener in my coffee etc because my sugar spikes and then drops so low that I feel sick. It's all kind of trail and error for what works for your body. Good luck!

Naruya

nvmomketo wrote: »

Naruya wrote: »

It's a bad idea to suggest to go low carb for anyone with hypoglycaemia. Going low carb might work well to battle diabetes where the problem is the spikes of blood glucose, but with hypo it's that your glucose is naturally low and you need to make sure to keep feeding it. Taking in no carbs at all will make it worse 9/10 times. It might work for you, but I'm betting you're one of the few people..

I told what helped for me and my reactive hypoglycemia. As I said, I do NOT actually have hypoglycemia.

My bad, sorry

nvmomketo wrote: »

The only people, as far as I know, who actually get hypoglycemic are type 1 diabetics (too much insulin and not enough glucose for it usually) or others with hormonal issues or tumors causing hormonal problems (or severe alcoholism in some instances).

Not true. I don't have diabetes, I just have hypoglycemia. I just have a naturally low blood sugar meaning I have to control it by eating regularly. I've had it for as long as I can remember, but it took me a long time to figure out what it was. I just thought I was unfit to do any physical demanding work because I kept fainting. The doctor told me that as I get older I'll eventually get over it because my blood sugar will rise. This means that I'll actually have a very small chance of getting diabetes (type 2).