Introductions!

hm_day

Hello, my name is Heather and since I'm the admin of this group, I'll start by introducing myself.

I have been hypoglycemic for as long as I can remember, and my treatment has always been to consume a packet of pure sugar (for emergencies only) or to have a snack.
During certain periods of time, I have a hard time keeping my blood sugar high enough. For example, when I'm coming down with an illness or during that time of the month. I tend to do the most snacking during this time.

I created this group because I thought it would be good to have a support group with other people who have hypoglycemia or diabetes (hyperglycemia) and we can support each other and trade tips and recipes on how to keep that blood sugar at a normal level.

Jenna70

Hi, I'm Jenna and was diagnosed with hypoglycemia way back in high school. I control it by eating small amounts every 3 to 4 hours. I believe a contributing factor to my weight gain was rationalizing eating often to not suffer from the hypoglycemia symptoms. For years I ate way too many unhealthy things in the bread/carbohydrate category and simple sugars (love chocolate) (and pizza and nachos and doughnuts and cake, lol). I was always reaching for quick and easy things like cereal, crackers, granola bars. I have found that restricting my carbohydrate intake to mostly vegetables and very small amounts of whole grains (grains only allowed in one meal per day, usually Kashi Go Lean cereal) has helped a lot. I also have cut out sugars and started exercising regularly again and have started losing weight and feeing healthier. I always eat something shortly before exercising and often have a low-carb protein shake after exercising if I've doe a lot of cardio.

chakaal

Hi, I'm Karen and I suffer from hypoglycemia caused by Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which was diagnosed back in 2004. It gets particularly bad after exercise, or if I leave too long not eating between meals. Generally I try to graze to keep a balance to avoid the insulin rushes that I get if I eat too much. I recently tried going on Atkins to help the weight and insulin balance and it was a very effective diet, but with the side effects of terrible headaches from the sugar lows. I'm now on a low carb diet, so that I don't ever allow foods that cause sudden rushes of sugar, which causes me to gain weight instantly!! It's better than Atkins as small amounts of carbs absorb the excess insulin and keeping the carbs low still help the weight loss! Hope this helps! Take care xx

hm_day

Welcome guys! You probably know exactly how I'm feeling right now. You ever just get to a point where your blood sugar is so low, and you go to eat something sugary, and it shoots your sugar up so high that you feel sick? Yeah, I did that to myself today. Was so hungry, had turkey, was fine. Had cake, and it was delicious, but now .. bahhhh.

Jenna70

I know how you feel! I don't allow cake and other sugary/bread type things in the house... if I did I would eat all of it... at once probably (serious addiction issues). But, sometimes when eating out I will indulge. If I only eat a few bites I'm okay so when I want to indulge I get my boyfriend to share a dessert with me and have him eat most of it. Once in a while I eat way too much dessert and I always regret it.

hm_day

Bread and stuff is fine. It's the super sugary things like marshmallows and the rich chocolates and cakes and ice creams that kill me. Everyone's always like "But it's sugar, isn't it supposed to help?" There's such thing as too much sugar for a hypoglycemic, especially at once

willaful

Hi, I'm pretty new here. I have type 2 diabetes and am pretty active, and have been having a hard time finding the right balance between eating enough so I don't get low blood sugar after exercise, and still being able to lose weight. A nutritionist gave me a handout about how much to eat depending on where you BG is before exercising and that's been helpful -- I'll type in the info if anyone would like it.

I eat very healthfully and have been moving to getting my carbs from plant sources like squash and sweet potato; I think that's been a beneficial change too.

hm_day

Welcome! Feel free to post that, I'm sure it will be really helpful!

Lara214

Hi all, my name is Lara and I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia just over 4 years ago when I was 17.

It took my doctor a long time to figure out why all I EVER wanted was ice cream and then I would eat it and sleep for 4 hours ruining my enitre day. Since the diagnosis I have not done much to help myself other than eat when I was hungry and always carry sugar and now mere days for turning 22 I'm paying the price with an extra 85lbs in 4 years. I've tried watching what I eat before but once I get so weak, I don't care about my figure anymore and I just eat what I want and then hate myself for it and vow to be good tomorrow... and the cycle continues.

hm_day

Lara, I totally understand. Pretty sure we all do, that's why we're here, and that's why I made this group.

I'm hoping we can get more active members so that we can keep track of each other on here. Hypoglycemia is hard, especially chronic hypoglycemia.

davert123

Hello fellow hypoglycemics. I've been sugar sensitive for as long as I can remember and realize the only way to keep sane is to keep off simple carbs as much as possible. Once I start I can't stop so most of the time I resist temptation now. I think this condition makes loosing weight hard but I'm sure its not impossible so I'm here to share ideas and experiences along the way with the hope we can learn off each other. for me the way forward is to try and have protein with every meal and to exercise along with this. I've tried to loose weight a few times but after some initial success I've always lost focus so I'm hoping that by joining in here I can keep myself motivated. My real ambition is to run. With the help of another on line group for sugar sensitives I managed to get reasonably fit but picked up an achilles tendonistus which put me out for a couple of years. Just started to tentatively break into the occasional jog again. I'm sure dropping a few kilo's will help this as well so I do feel motivated at the moment. With my sugar sensitively I also occasionally use something called 5-HTP which they sell in health food shops. This can help serotonin levels in the brain which seem to help me stay focused and helps me say no to the evil sucrose :-) Good luck everyone, looking forward to getting involved :-)

hm_day

Hello fellow hypoglycemics. I've been sugar sensitive for as long as I can remember and realize the only way to keep sane is to keep off simple carbs as much as possible. Once I start I can't stop so most of the time I resist temptation now. I think this condition makes loosing weight hard but I'm sure its not impossible so I'm here to share ideas and experiences along the way with the hope we can learn off each other. for me the way forward is to try and have protein with every meal and to exercise along with this. I've tried to loose weight a few times but after some initial success I've always lost focus so I'm hoping that by joining in here I can keep myself motivated. My real ambition is to run. With the help of another on line group for sugar sensitives I managed to get reasonably fit but picked up an achilles tendonistus which put me out for a couple of years. Just started to tentatively break into the occasional jog again. I'm sure dropping a few kilo's will help this as well so I do feel motivated at the moment. With my sugar sensitively I also occasionally use something called 5-HTP which they sell in health food shops. This can help serotonin levels in the brain which seem to help me stay focused and helps me say no to the evil sucrose :-) Good luck everyone, looking forward to getting involved :-)

Hello! I'm the admin of this group. I've been trying to find a steady group of members so that I can begin challenges and stuff and so that we can work together. So far, not a whole lot of hits.

I have been hypoglycemic for most, if not all, of my life. I do find that it is difficult to resist temptation because sometimes the only fix is a simple sugar, and it's almost a given that once you start, you can't stop. So I just try not to start Eating reasonable amounts of protein really helps as well as your body takes longer to break it down, so it keeps you full longer.

Hopefully we will be working together in order to beat the hunger horrors!

davert123

Hiya,
Thanks for getting back to my post :-) By the sounds of it we are very similar. I remember my behaviour towards sugar when I was a kid and I was hypo then. I am sure its genetic in some way because my son is as well. I think I understand the biology/psychology of what is going on with me well so I can share this as well if people would find it useful. I agree that keeping off it is vital because once i start I find it difficult to stop but I believe there are things I can eat which can really help us. I started to investigate for the emotional side of what happens to me rather than to loose weight but now I need to loose I realise that I need be very careful so I'm hoping that by keeping close to people similar to me will keep me focused enough to get through the ups and downs while hopefully being able to do the same for others :-) I identify with you about the hunger horrors :-) I think though that there are things again we can do to stop or at least reduce them. Again I'll start sharing these if they may be of use :-)

Cheers
Dave

hm_day

Not a problem! I keep track of everything I'm involved in Mine isn't genetic, because no one in my family is hypoglycemic, that I know of. However, there is a history of diabetes in my family so I'm at high risk, especially because of the hypoglycemia. I have a schedule that was set primarily by my mom as I was growing up, and I just continue to follow it as an adult because it works. Feel free to add me so you can look at my diary as well!

glowbuggy

Hello Everyone.

My name is Chalin, and I am a type 2 diabetic. Have been for the past 20 years. I am very over weight and need to lose about 100 pounds. My issue is that when I take my insulin, sometimes it drops waaay to fast and too far. Now that my sugars are not in the 450's (!!!!) I dont feel my drops until they are in the 40's-50's (!!!!!!). By then all I want is to stuff my face w/ anything and everything to raise them and fast.

I am a SAHM of 2 little girls. Caitlyn is 5 and Erika is 3, almost 4). They keep me on my toes and keep me totally insaine 24/7. I am almost always cleaning or doing something, and now adding a "workout" time in during the day is a bit tricky, but I am finding a time for it.

My biggest issues are when my sugars drop and I reach for anything and everything to get them back up. I dont think about my calories when it happens, just raising the sugars. Then the guilt hits afterwards.

I hope to hear how everyone else handles the lows w/o blowing their calories...

hm_day

Okay, so we have a decent amount of people on here. How do we want to go about doing this? Challenges? Recipes?

sassyl

Hi,
I'm Sarah, and have just been diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia, so my blood sugar crashes after I eat virtually anything.

I've been holding myself together with Lucozade for the past 2 years, but I know it's been going on a lot longer than that.

I'm also coeliac and lactose and fructose intolerant, and right now I'm feeling like there's not much left out there to eat! I've just started off on 6 very small meals a day, removed sugars, alcohol and caffeine but I'm still crashing after I eat. My bread is made from rice flour, so I'm trying to limit that. Potatoes and bananas are sending me spinning too

I have got a GI/ GL guide book that I'm trying to follow but it's so complicated to balance everything.

I'm in need of help, advice and motivation!

hm_day

Hi,
I'm Sarah, and have just been diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia, so my blood sugar crashes after I eat virtually anything.

I've been holding myself together with Lucozade for the past 2 years, but I know it's been going on a lot longer than that.

I'm also coeliac and lactose and fructose intolerant, and right now I'm feeling like there's not much left out there to eat! I've just started off on 6 very small meals a day, removed sugars, alcohol and caffeine but I'm still crashing after I eat. My bread is made from rice flour, so I'm trying to limit that. Potatoes and bananas are sending me spinning too

I have got a GI/ GL guide book that I'm trying to follow but it's so complicated to balance everything.

I'm in need of help, advice and motivation!

Feel free to add me! That's definitely a rough combination of problems you got going on there. Have you tried speaking to a nutritionist about what you can eat?

kindlegirl1971

I was diagnosed with Reactive Hypoglycemia and Pre-Diabetes a month ago. I had gained 8 pounds in six weeks. Luckily I have lost all of that in the last month and am back to a good weight. I am usinig my fitness pal to lose a few more pounds and to track my eating. The nutritionist really helped and I have taken this very seriously. I have no risk factors, so I am learning to eat properly. my issue is not getting enough calories. I have 30 carbs with each meal and 15 with each snack. Gone totally whole grain. Had no simple sugars at all. My husband has been really supportive. Would love if we could share products on here that you have found that are whole grains and low carb. My nutritionist suggests 30-45 carbs per meal and 15 to 20 per snack. Because I am smaller (5'8" and 128 pound) she wants me to stay on the lower end of the carbs. Can't wait to see wehre this group goes and maybe we could all get some helpful product/food ideas from each other.... Mine today was polenta. Pretty good.

hm_day

I was diagnosed with Reactive Hypoglycemia and Pre-Diabetes a month ago. I had gained 8 pounds in six weeks. Luckily I have lost all of that in the last month and am back to a good weight. I am usinig my fitness pal to lose a few more pounds and to track my eating. The nutritionist really helped and I have taken this very seriously. I have no risk factors, so I am learning to eat properly. my issue is not getting enough calories. I have 30 carbs with each meal and 15 with each snack. Gone totally whole grain. Had no simple sugars at all. My husband has been really supportive. Would love if we could share products on here that you have found that are whole grains and low carb. My nutritionist suggests 30-45 carbs per meal and 15 to 20 per snack. Because I am smaller (5'8" and 128 pound) she wants me to stay on the lower end of the carbs. Can't wait to see wehre this group goes and maybe we could all get some helpful product/food ideas from each other.... Mine today was polenta. Pretty good.

I'm still trying to find some good low-carb foods. My father and I are trying to go low-carb, and he just got some bread that's whole grain. We try to eat more chicken and beef during dinner instead of pork and ham in order to keep away from the carbs and fats.

wannabe2229

Hi, I'm pretty new here. I have type 2 diabetes and am pretty active, and have been having a hard time finding the right balance between eating enough so I don't get low blood sugar after exercise, and still being able to lose weight. A nutritionist gave me a handout about how much to eat depending on where you BG is before exercising and that's been helpful -- I'll type in the info if anyone would like it.

I eat very healthfully and have been moving to getting my carbs from plant sources like squash and sweet potato; I think that's been a beneficial change too.

I would love the information. I an not diabetic but am too having a hard time finding the balance. I have determined that i cannot exercise in the morning. I think i need the cumulative effect of my meals through out the day.

davert123

Hiya

If you think sugar is giving you a problem take a look at this site

http://www.radiantrecovery.com/

I went there a while ago and the information on it made a big difference.. I try not to touch sugar because once I start I find it very difficult to stop. It also affects my mood - I get depressed and anxious and generally feel crap. Not good for general life let alone when trying to shed some weight

wannabe2229

Hiya

If you think sugar is giving you a problem take a look at this site

http://www.radiantrecovery.com/

I went there a while ago and the information on it made a big difference.. I try not to touch sugar because once I start I find it very difficult to stop. It also affects my mood - I get depressed and anxious and generally feel crap. Not good for general life let alone when trying to shed some weight

I agree 100%