Hypoglycemia and Nutrition - questions and concerns

kpark0818

Hi there!

I've been diagnosed with hypoglycemia and I'm struggling to eat as much as the dietician recommended. I typically eat when I'm hungry, going for a little more after longer or harder workouts (say, a long run). To maintain my blood sugar, the dietician has recommended:

• 45g carb for breakfast
• 15g for snack
• 45g for lunch
• 15g for snack
• 45g for dinner
• Plus 30g per hour of activity before activity.

This is pretty intense. With the carbs and protein I have at breakfast, I'm not hungry for a snack, but I run over lunch. Then I'm not hungry for lunch. Anyone else deal with this? I want to follow what she says and stabilize my blood sugar, because I yo yo often, and I want to prevent diabetes.

For carbs, I eat fruit, nuts, whole grain bread, protein waffle, oatmeal. Very little sugar in anything. I use honey or agave for sweetener in coffee/oatmeal.

Oh, I she said 1650 calories to maintain weight plus extra for activity. Since I'm struggling with the hypoglycemia, I'm trying to eat more. I'm fairly active. I lift 3 days a week and run 4, so I don't need a low calorie plan.

Is the increase of food/carbs something I just need to get used to? Is there a specific thread here for hypoglycemia?

WholeFoods4Lyfe

I was previously diagnosed with Hypoglycemia and Insulin Resistance. I follow a low carb/ketogenic diet and my BG and A1C numbers are good for the first time in decades. My understanding was that the new recommendations for those struggling with the blood glucose and insulin levels should be a diet lower in simple carbs and higher in complex carbs like vegetables. Is this person who is giving you this advice giving you any sort of guidance regarding what type of carbs you should be eating? Remember, blood glucose isn't just affected by simple sugars, ANY carbohydrate that you eat will cause the body to release insulin.

WholeFoods4Lyfe

Also, what are your stats? Are you already at goal weight? 1650 is pretty low for maintenance if you aren't already pretty small.

kimny72

Are you struggling to eat enough calories, or enough carbs? Are you using a food scale?

I'm in maintenance 5'4, 125lbs and not very active and I pretty easily eat 1700cals and @ 200g of carbs (I'd eat more cals if I didn't care about my weight ).

I do eat cookies or ice cream pretty much every day, as well as pasta, potatoes, rice, Thomas' english muffins, oats, fruit, sweetened yogurt.

kpark0818

Hey there. So the person who recommended was a registered dietician through my doctor. She gave some information (pamphlet/diet plan) but didn't get too specific in what exactly to eat in terms of complex carbs vs. simple carbs. We talked about eating something like a muffin vs. oatmeal for breakfast. I try to stay away from anything but whole grain breads and have protein with any carb I eat. Fruit seems to be not great for me maybe.

Prior to seeing the dietician, I would really only have the hypoglycemic episodes on the weekends when I just didn't eat enough or very often and occasionally during the day between meals or after a workout. I wasn't really tracking carbs, but I wasn't eating a ton of them, especially in the morning, because it always made me feel like crap. I was doing 2 eggs + cheese+ grapes and felt more stable on that.

I'm about 115-120 (don't have a scale) and 5'2. So yeah, I'm not very big so I don't need to eat a lot to maintain. She didn't seem as concerned about total calories, though I know I don't eat 200-300 more every day I workout or run to make up for that exercise.

I'm struggling to eat enough of everything. No food scale and I'm not interested in losing weight. With all that I eat at breakfast, eating a snack two hours after so I can workout is tough. I just don't have any appetite.

Duck_Puddle

How many calories and carbs are you eating now (before following this advice)? I maintain at about what your recommendation is (I’m at 1665 plus exercise, I’m 5’4” and ~160 lbs but very sedentary aside from exercise).

It may be a matter of swapping some of your current choices for things that are a bit higher in carbs (I wouldn’t consider nuts to be a good carb source-they are really quite low carb).

And for the pre (usually during-how long are your runs?) Activity carbs, have you considered energy gels, chews, Tailwind (liquid), etc? Eating carbs during runs over 90 min or so is pretty standard. I would think it’s even more important if you have low blood sugar.

kpark0818

Duck_Puddle wrote: »

How many calories and carbs are you eating now (before following this advice)? I maintain at about what your recommendation is (I’m at 1665 plus exercise, I’m 5’4” and ~160 lbs but very sedentary aside from exercise).

It may be a matter of swapping some of your current choices for things that are a bit higher in carbs (I wouldn’t consider nuts to be a good carb source-they are really quite low carb).

And for the pre (usually during-how long are your runs?) Activity carbs, have you considered energy gels, chews, Tailwind (liquid), etc? Eating carbs during runs over 90 min or so is pretty standard. I would think it’s even more important if you have low blood sugar.

I'd eat around 1500-1700 depending on the day. Carbs were more in the AM, and more around exercise, but I wasn't really tracking a solid amount. I'd go meals with no carbs or very little (salad for lunch, for example or dinner of salmon and roasted broccoli, but not much else). I have a desk job outside of exercise, but don't sit around too too often. I am usually always doing something.

I do use chews and gels and carry them on my longer runs. I have had some issues during/after exercise feeling faint, but not too often. During my last HM training I was okay except after a couple of runs.

Duck_Puddle

kpark0818 wrote: »

Duck_Puddle wrote: »

How many calories and carbs are you eating now (before following this advice)? I maintain at about what your recommendation is (I’m at 1665 plus exercise, I’m 5’4” and ~160 lbs but very sedentary aside from exercise).

It may be a matter of swapping some of your current choices for things that are a bit higher in carbs (I wouldn’t consider nuts to be a good carb source-they are really quite low carb).

And for the pre (usually during-how long are your runs?) Activity carbs, have you considered energy gels, chews, Tailwind (liquid), etc? Eating carbs during runs over 90 min or so is pretty standard. I would think it’s even more important if you have low blood sugar.

I'd eat around 1500-1700 depending on the day. Carbs were more in the AM, and more around exercise, but I wasn't really tracking a solid amount. I'd go meals with no carbs or very little (salad for lunch, for example or dinner of salmon and roasted broccoli, but not much else). I have a desk job outside of exercise, but don't sit around too too often. I am usually always doing something.

I do use chews and gels and carry them on my longer runs. I have had some issues during/after exercise feeling faint, but not too often. During my last HM training I was okay except after a couple of runs.

If you have hypoglycemia - you may want to consider adding some carbs to your meals to help raise your blood sugar. Salmon and broccoli is fine, but if you need to raise your blood sugar, then you might want to consider adding some carbs (rice, potato come to mind immediately but certainly aren’t the only options).

Maybe a banana before a run? And how many carbs are you having per hour when you do longer runs? 30g is a reasonable number. If your blood sugar is low anyway, getting in enough carbs when you’re running long is even more important.

I know the world tells us we need to be low carb always and forever or sin and evil will follow us all the days of our lives, but the best/fastest way to raise low blood sugar is carbs.

kpark0818

If you have hypoglycemia - you may want to consider adding some carbs to your meals to help raise your blood sugar. Salmon and broccoli is fine, but if you need to raise your blood sugar, then you might want to consider adding some carbs (rice, potato come to mind immediately but certainly aren’t the only options).

Maybe a banana before a run? And how many carbs are you having per hour when you do longer runs? 30g is a reasonable number. If your blood sugar is low anyway, getting in enough carbs when you’re running long is even more important.

I know the world tells us we need to be low carb always and forever or sin and evil will follow us all the days of our lives, but the best/fastest way to raise low blood sugar is carbs.

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do, but it feels like a lot of food, especially in the morning.

I'm not exactly sure of the carbs I intake when running. I usually have some of the honey stinger chews, pretzels, or regular fruit gummies. I do usually eat before, but not with all runs. If I run at 630 I don't get up early enough to have any kind of meal. With the hypoglycemia diagnosis, I probably should.

I'm not anti carb and haven't been, but it does seem like a ton of carbs and that I'm eating constantly. I don't want to overdo it and feel like crap. I think it will just take some getting used to.

DancingMoosie

My doctor actually told me to have more protein snacks, not carbs. She said everyone thinks they need more carbs, but the protein stays with you longer and helps keep blood sugar level. But, she did not give me any actual #s. I was just asking because my blood sugar and blood pressure tend to drop and I get lightheaded. for the BP, I just need to add salt.

FL_Hiker

DancingMoosie wrote: »

My doctor actually told me to have more protein snacks, not carbs. She said everyone thinks they need more carbs, but the protein stays with you longer and helps keep blood sugar level. But, she did not give me any actual #s. I was just asking because my blood sugar and blood pressure tend to drop and I get lightheaded. for the BP, I just need to add salt.

I also have hypoglycemia and that is exactly what my doctor told me as well. Ever since I added more protein to my diet I feel so much better!

jgnatca

The dietitians plan looks solid.

Here’s a tip. Carry snacks with you everywhere. I suggest Edamame (frozen, thaws through the day), nuts of all kinds, protein bars, tuna, yogurt drinks, hard boiled eggs, and cheese and cracker packs.

Over time you will get a sense when it’s been too long and you have a snack ready.

Eating to a schedule will also help you stay stable.