Proteins make me feel weak
yirara
Posts: 9,943 Member
So that's an odd one. I can't eat lots of protein as pretty much all protein-rich food is a massive reflux trigger for me. I'm still trying to get in a bit more.
However, on days where I have a dinner hat contains from about 10gr more protein than usual I get really, really weak, confused, ravenous, shivery and basically feel rubbish about half an hour after dinner. This is usually protein in exchange for carbs (fats leave me hungry). I can't find out what the issue is. I did some tight-spaced blood sugar tests for two hours after dinner and there's nothing unusual. Overall the sugar is a bit higher with more protein, but nothing that would point towards diabetes.
However, the feeling is the same with an elevated blood sugar that I had when I had to take steroids for 3 weeks once in the past. It was elevated but not super high, and my gp said I should not feel rubbish with these values, but I did. Of course I had extensive testing with this protein issue, but nothing came up. Anyone else experience something similar?
edit before someone asks: yes, I'm maintaining, not losing. Thus eating enough.
However, on days where I have a dinner hat contains from about 10gr more protein than usual I get really, really weak, confused, ravenous, shivery and basically feel rubbish about half an hour after dinner. This is usually protein in exchange for carbs (fats leave me hungry). I can't find out what the issue is. I did some tight-spaced blood sugar tests for two hours after dinner and there's nothing unusual. Overall the sugar is a bit higher with more protein, but nothing that would point towards diabetes.
However, the feeling is the same with an elevated blood sugar that I had when I had to take steroids for 3 weeks once in the past. It was elevated but not super high, and my gp said I should not feel rubbish with these values, but I did. Of course I had extensive testing with this protein issue, but nothing came up. Anyone else experience something similar?
edit before someone asks: yes, I'm maintaining, not losing. Thus eating enough.
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Replies
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Have you spoken to a nutritionist or doctor about this?
Also, my first thought was "I wonder how much she chews her food?" Like, perhaps more mastication would help? 🤷🏿♀️
Ask your doc: protein is an important macro!2 -
Definitely speak to a physician and get a blood analysis at the least. An inability to digest protein would create serious, life threatening, problems.7
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An amino acid called tryptophan, which occurs in many protein-rich foods, helps the body produce serotonin. Carbohydrates help the body absorb tryptophan. For these reasons, eating a meal rich in both protein and carbohydrates may make a person feel sleepy and weak.
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Have you spoken to a nutritionist or doctor about this?
Also, my first thought was "I wonder how much she chews her food?" Like, perhaps more mastication would help? 🤷🏿♀️
Ask your doc: protein is an important macro!
Like I said: I was at my GP, who did lots of glucose related tests, and a general blood tests. I'm fine in that respect.2 -
mhamzikhan9292 wrote: »An amino acid called tryptophan, which occurs in many protein-rich foods, helps the body produce serotonin. Carbohydrates help the body absorb tryptophan. For these reasons, eating a meal rich in both protein and carbohydrates may make a person feel sleepy and weak.
Ok, but I don't get tired when I eat carbs. I might have a dinner consisting of 90% carbs (doesn't happen often) and I'm fine. It only happens when I eat a few grams more protein and less carbs.1 -
Have you spoken to a nutritionist or doctor about this?
Also, my first thought was "I wonder how much she chews her food?" Like, perhaps more mastication would help? 🤷🏿♀️
Ask your doc: protein is an important macro!
Like I said: I was at my GP, who did lots of glucose related tests, and a general blood tests. I'm fine in that respect.
Noted. So then I'll clarify my last statement to read...
Continue asking your doc: protein is an important macro!
Self-advocacy is a sucky necessity when it comes to the healthcare system. Perhaps loop a nutritionist in, if you haven't already. At the very least, continue tracking your symptoms (date, time, what was eaten, quantity, other activities during the day...conveniently all trackable here) and highlight concerns/patterns for ongoing discussion with your GP. You may even want to consider asking for a specialist physician's insight.
Regardless, I do hope it gets sorted sooner rather than later.
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Right mate. Instead of clicking Diagree why not write why you disagree with this? Does this trigger you somehow?2
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Have you spoken to a nutritionist or doctor about this?
Also, my first thought was "I wonder how much she chews her food?" Like, perhaps more mastication would help? 🤷🏿♀️
Ask your doc: protein is an important macro!
Like I said: I was at my GP, who did lots of glucose related tests, and a general blood tests. I'm fine in that respect.
Noted. So then I'll clarify my last statement to read...
Continue asking your doc: protein is an important macro!
Self-advocacy is a sucky necessity when it comes to the healthcare system. Perhaps loop a nutritionist in, if you haven't already. At the very least, continue tracking your symptoms (date, time, what was eaten, quantity, other activities during the day...conveniently all trackable here) and highlight concerns/patterns for ongoing discussion with your GP. You may even want to consider asking for a specialist physician's insight.
Regardless, I do hope it gets sorted sooner rather than later.
I know. But even without this problem I can't eat too much protein due to reflux. And I still get the normal setup protein recommendation on most days. Thus it's not that I don't eat protein at all. Plus the health system here is like: if nothing obvious comes up and you're not half dead then you just accept it as your gp won't investigate further.3 -
In the interim, I hope someone chimes in with some ideas for you to try!0
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I'm not sure if this will help, but do you think your symptoms might be connected to being dehydrated? I've read eating more protein can cause a dehydrated feeling. I'm not sure how accurate that info is, but something to look into.
I hope you get your answers.3 -
I'm not sure if this will help, but do you think your symptoms might be connected to being dehydrated? I've read eating more protein can cause a dehydrated feeling. I'm not sure how accurate that info is, but something to look into.
I hope you get your answers.
Good thought! Not sure, but certainly worth looking into when I have a more protein-rich dinner next time. Thanks a lot.2 -
OK: I get that you eat enough since you're maintaining.
I don't have any info on how large these meals are normally. Are they 300Cal meals, 500Cal meals, 750Cal meals, 1000Cal meals, 1250 or 1500 meals?
Also, I get that you seem to be doing meals that are heavy on one macro or another.
My first suggestion would be a "normal sized" good meal with a full mix of carbs, protein, and fats and fiber closer to a more standard MFP "suggested" mix to monitor an alternate reaction....3 -
OK: I get that you eat enough since you're maintaining.
I don't have any info on how large these meals are normally. Are they 300Cal meals, 500Cal meals, 750Cal meals, 1000Cal meals, 1250 or 1500 meals?
Also, I get that you seem to be doing meals that are heavy on one macro or another.
My first suggestion would be a "normal sized" good meal with a full mix of carbs, protein, and fats and fiber closer to a more standard MFP "suggested" mix to monitor an alternate reaction....
Yes, my dinners and deserts are usually 800 calories together. I'm using the standard 50/30/20 split throughout the day, and I'm naturally eating like this without having to think about it. Thus my dinner is the biggest meal of the day. Overall, fats and protein tends to be highest at dinner as I'm a typical European who eats lots of slices of bread with something meaty or cheese on it. Not American type fully loaded sandwich but a thin slice of cheese for example. Plus a bit of yoghurt and fruit.0 -
Weakness, confusion, ravenous hunger are symptoms of hypoglycemia. It isn’t the presence of protein so much as the absence of carbs that will cause that. Proteins take longer to metabolize while carbs are relatively quick. You may be waiting too long to eat and triggering a hypoglycemic response.6
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Does it make any difference if you vary the protein source, like meat vs. fish vs. eggs vs. yogurt vs. quinoa vs. . . . . ?4
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ljashley1952 wrote: »Weakness, confusion, ravenous hunger are symptoms of hypoglycemia. It isn’t the presence of protein so much as the absence of carbs that will cause that. Proteins take longer to metabolize while carbs are relatively quick. You may be waiting too long to eat and triggering a hypoglycemic response.
This was my thought exactly. I have reactive hypoglycemia and this sounds like all the same symptoms. But OP you said your doctor did a glucose test already so I’m not sure what else it could be.2 -
Does it make any difference if you vary the protein source, like meat vs. fish vs. eggs vs. yogurt vs. quinoa vs. . . . . ?
Difficult to say as I don’t eat lots of meat or fish for ethical readons. Never more than 100gr, if at all. Thus it would be either of those with yoghurt for sauce, pulses, maybe goats cheese.0 -
RunsWithBees wrote: »ljashley1952 wrote: »Weakness, confusion, ravenous hunger are symptoms of hypoglycemia. It isn’t the presence of protein so much as the absence of carbs that will cause that. Proteins take longer to metabolize while carbs are relatively quick. You may be waiting too long to eat and triggering a hypoglycemic response.
This was my thought exactly. I have reactive hypoglycemia and this sounds like all the same symptoms. But OP you said your doctor did a glucose test already so I’m not sure what else it could be.
Exactly. Plys I did 10 minute sampling myself from dinner oneards to see if there’s something odd. Nope, there isn’t. It does give me the same odd feeling I had when I was on steroids and had an elevated sugar. But if that was cause of the sugar or something else I don’t know.
I also know I get the same kind of feeling when I’m low in salt, but here it doesn’t help.0 -
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RunsWithBees wrote: »ljashley1952 wrote: »Weakness, confusion, ravenous hunger are symptoms of hypoglycemia. It isn’t the presence of protein so much as the absence of carbs that will cause that. Proteins take longer to metabolize while carbs are relatively quick. You may be waiting too long to eat and triggering a hypoglycemic response.
This was my thought exactly. I have reactive hypoglycemia and this sounds like all the same symptoms. But OP you said your doctor did a glucose test already so I’m not sure what else it could be.
Exactly. Plys I did 10 minute sampling myself from dinner oneards to see if there’s something odd. Nope, there isn’t. It does give me the same odd feeling I had when I was on steroids and had an elevated sugar. But if that was cause of the sugar or something else I don’t know.
I also know I get the same kind of feeling when I’m low in salt, but here it doesn’t help.
The fact that you stated protein rich foods also trigger reflux for you makes me think this could possibly be an enzyme deficiency issue. Maybe your stomach is not producing enough of the enzymes necessary to digest protein and it makes you feel ill, very much in the same way lactose rich foods make people lacking lactose digesting enzymes feel ill. Maybe your body just can’t handle breaking down the protein very well? I don’t know, just brainstorming here
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RunsWithBees wrote: »RunsWithBees wrote: »ljashley1952 wrote: »Weakness, confusion, ravenous hunger are symptoms of hypoglycemia. It isn’t the presence of protein so much as the absence of carbs that will cause that. Proteins take longer to metabolize while carbs are relatively quick. You may be waiting too long to eat and triggering a hypoglycemic response.
This was my thought exactly. I have reactive hypoglycemia and this sounds like all the same symptoms. But OP you said your doctor did a glucose test already so I’m not sure what else it could be.
Exactly. Plys I did 10 minute sampling myself from dinner oneards to see if there’s something odd. Nope, there isn’t. It does give me the same odd feeling I had when I was on steroids and had an elevated sugar. But if that was cause of the sugar or something else I don’t know.
I also know I get the same kind of feeling when I’m low in salt, but here it doesn’t help.
The fact that you stated protein rich foods also trigger reflux for you makes me think this could possibly be an enzyme deficiency issue. Maybe your stomach is not producing enough of the enzymes necessary to digest protein and it makes you feel ill, very much in the same way lactose rich foods make people lacking lactose digesting enzymes feel ill. Maybe your body just can’t handle breaking down the protein very well? I don’t know, just brainstorming here
Oh, interesting idea! Something to follow up on somehow. Thanks a lot.
My dinner tonight was probably a new low in protein. I had quiche loraine (I also normally can't eat egg due to reflux, but this works) with a huge pile of red cabbage with apple and pumpkin seeds. And two very carb-rich deserts. And I feel fab.
Tomorrow should be interesting as my dinner will have nearly twice as much protein as today. I make sure I'll add enough salt and have enough to drink to start with. Then evaluate how I feel.2
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