Hypoglycemia

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ced1389
ced1389 Posts: 96 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been using my fitness pal since last August and have had great success! Too many keggers in college :) I've lost about 40 pounds so far AND completed my first half marathon! However, now I'm running into some problems. I have really low blood sugar and if I don't eat every so often, I feel dizzy and/or like I'm going to vomit. It's very discouraging and of course the first thing I want to do is eat sugar for a quick fix. I know there's things I can be eating throughout the day to keep my blood sugar levels in check, but I'm clearly not eating them.

I don't have much time in the morning so I usually eat a hefty bowl of Special K for breakfast, a yogurt around 10 am, always a sandwich (turkey) with veggies and hummus for lunch, a snack in the afternoon (fruit and almonds, usually) then high protein/carbs for dinner (salmon, turkey, or chicken with rice or veggie sides). I work out every day after work and I'm definitely taking in enough calories. I just don't know how I can adjust my diet to balance my sugar levels. I really NEED to stop having these episodes.

Any suggestions??

Replies

  • cressievargo
    cressievargo Posts: 392 Member
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    You need to re-evaluate your carb intake. You are eating too many carbs at one time and then spiking and bottoming out.

    Honestly - ditch the special k. If you are using regular milk (ie dairy, not soy or almond) - you are taking in a ton of carbs with little to no fiber / fat. Oatmeal and quinoa are both better choices - just NOT the instant crap. They both have carbs, but they also have fiber and protein, which slows down digestion and thus also the effect on blood sugar. Or even a piece of whole wheat toast w/ some peanut butter.
  • Gizziemoto
    Gizziemoto Posts: 430 Member
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    My first question is hav eyou talked to your doctor? I have hypoglycemia too and worked out a plan with my doctor and a nutrionist. You will see the juice because of digestive issues.

    My day consists of greek yogurt/coffee with honey/ kashi bar for breakfast, morning snack is a v8 fusion or v8 low sodium with string cheese, lunch is a low carb wrap with deli meat and cheese and another kashi bar if needed, afternoon snack same as morning, then dinner.

    Everyone is different and if it is causing you a lot of issues, please seek medical advice for the best solutions for you. Once you find the right combination and times, you will feel better.

    Good luck.
  • QueenE_
    QueenE_ Posts: 522 Member
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    I have a Drs appointment to get this checked out. The last 2 times this has happened to me and I felt like I was going to pass out and that's a scary feeling. For now I'm having a snack 2 hours after I eat a meal.
  • melissawilson61
    melissawilson61 Posts: 18 Member
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    I'm in the same boat! I know that if I ate a "hefty bowl" of any type of cereal I would be crashing. I think it's too much carbs. I eat yogurt w/some flax seeds for breakfast, tuna on whole wheat bread for lunch, and stick with a high protein dinner. I snack on fruit, vegies, almonds. I think it's just a matter of figuring out what your triggers are. I love steel cut oatmeal, so I still do that once in a while, but only if I'm going to be home for the rest of the morning.
  • minijag06
    minijag06 Posts: 70
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    I used to get sick in the morning from low blood sugar. I started making sure I have protein for breakfast - eggs and canadian bacon, etc. I don't get shakey, sweaty, and feel like I will vomit anymore. Really sucks when you're at work and have to dash out when you get that feeling! Morning time was the worst time for me. Sometimes I will have a slice of turkey and swiss cheese (as a roll up). Holds off the hunger until lunch!
  • cressievargo
    cressievargo Posts: 392 Member
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    Also - looking at what you are saying - how much fat do you have in your diet? All the stuff you list is relatively low fat (With the exception of the nuts)...are you getting enough?
  • hskriver
    hskriver Posts: 33 Member
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    I've had issues in the past with my blood sugar levels dropping throughout the day. One thing that really helped me was focusing on the quality of my carbs (not trying to lower my overall carbs). I tend to look at the Glycemic Index of foods and try to eat low GI foods and it helps a lot. One of my favorite breakfasts that fit into this is oat bran cereal mixed with nonfat greek yogurt and peaches. Found that breakfast to be super filling and kept my blood sugar levels stable. Also make sure you are using a really good whole wheat bread for your sandwiches.
  • LauraDotts
    LauraDotts Posts: 732 Member
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    Decrease your carbs and increase your fat. Carbs spike your blood sugar and then drops you when your pancreas over responds with too much insulin. Fat will help balance out your blood sugar.

    Don't eat anything labeled "low fat", "fat free" or "reduced fat". Go for full fat everything. When manufacturers remove fat it is replaced with sugar. That will spike your sugar and then drop you.

    Low fat or reduced fat dairy removes all the benefits of fat and just leaves the sugar spiking lactose. Buy plain, whole milk yogurt (greek or otherwise). Add your own fruit, preferably berries, vanilla and limited sugar/sweetener. Most yogurt single serving tubs are low or fatfree and filled with tons of sugar. That combination will spike your blood sugar and then drop you in a heart beat.
  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
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    Also - looking at what you are saying - how much fat do you have in your diet? All the stuff you list is relatively low fat (With the exception of the nuts)...are you getting enough?

    fat is so important!! if fat is taken out of a product, they add in sugar to make it more palatable. when i switched to full fat yogurt, 2%, fatty cuts of meat, my satiety skyrocketed.

    also lifting heavy weights has increased my insulin sensitivity. i cannot stress this enough, LIFT WEIGHTS!! i can go a full 6 hours without eating now. i feel the hunger, it bothers me, but it doesn't control my life like it used to. it's truly amazing.

    i second everyone with saying cut out processed carbs, they always make me crash. even with good oatmeal (bob's red mill, steel cut) i am wary because while the protein amount is good at ~8g of protein, it's really not enough to balance out the 20+grams of carbs. for me at least. i have eggs, bacon, avocado and maybe some fruit every morning.
  • MommaKit79
    MommaKit79 Posts: 852
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    I am hypoglycemic as well. It does SUCK when it comes to all those good sugary foods. Agreed...DITCH the Special K Cereal!! I was wondering why when I ate that, an hour later I felt like my sugar bottomed out...because it did. I read somewhere, after I changed cereals, that Special K is HIGH on the Glycemic index and can cause your levels to jump then plummet if you are that susceptible, which I am!

    Unfortunately, you will need to limit your sugar intake overall. The carbs isn't as bad, if they are good carbs but, you still need to watch them. I try to have more carbs in the morning then in the evening.

    Start reading labels on EVERYTHING!

    I, personally, cant take whole milk and my nonfat milk works well. I have heard that other milks, i.e. Almond Milk, aren't bad subs but, I like my dairy! My favorite breakfast for work is Cheerios mixed with Dannon LIght & Fit Greek Yogurt.

    You WILL have to cut your meals to 5 or 6 short meals a day. Eating more frequently causes your "sugar" to keep level and less episodes.

    And remember, we ALL may have the same symptoms of Low Blood Sugar but, how your body reacts to certain things is different from person to person...find what works for you!! Feel free to add me if you'd like!! :-)
  • ced1389
    ced1389 Posts: 96 Member
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    I guess I should have been more specific, I don't stick to JUST those foods. I saw someone mentioned avocados, I LOVE avocados and use them to top just about anything (even on my sandwiches). According to MyFitnessPal app, my fat intake is always sufficient? I don't know, I eat cheeses and such in addition to what I listed in my first post.

    I'm definitely questioning my choice of the Special K! I love eggs, especially hard boiled. I was using those as a snack for a while, so I might go back to that. I think I mostly eat that for convenience but if I'm going to keep having these low moments then I should wake up 15 minutes earlier to make a good breakfast.

    Thanks for all the advice!
  • ced1389
    ced1389 Posts: 96 Member
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    I am hypoglycemic as well. It does SUCK when it comes to all those good sugary foods. Agreed...DITCH the Special K Cereal!! I was wondering why when I ate that, an hour later I felt like my sugar bottomed out...because it did. I read somewhere, after I changed cereals, that Special K is HIGH on the Glycemic index and can cause your levels to jump then plummet if you are that susceptible, which I am!

    Unfortunately, you will need to limit your sugar intake overall. The carbs isn't as bad, if they are good carbs but, you still need to watch them. I try to have more carbs in the morning then in the evening.

    Start reading labels on EVERYTHING!

    I, personally, cant take whole milk and my nonfat milk works well. I have heard that other milks, i.e. Almond Milk, aren't bad subs but, I like my dairy! My favorite breakfast for work is Cheerios mixed with Dannon LIght & Fit Greek Yogurt.

    You WILL have to cut your meals to 5 or 6 short meals a day. Eating more frequently causes your "sugar" to keep level and less episodes.

    And remember, we ALL may have the same symptoms of Low Blood Sugar but, how your body reacts to certain things is different from person to person...find what works for you!! Feel free to add me if you'd like!! :-)

    I certainly know what you mean! My mother is also hypoglycemic and she can eat the same things I do on a daily basis and not have any problems! She can also eat a ton of sugar and not crash. Makes no sense to me! I am definitely going to reconstruct my diet accordingly. Thanks :)
  • ced1389
    ced1389 Posts: 96 Member
    Options
    Also - looking at what you are saying - how much fat do you have in your diet? All the stuff you list is relatively low fat (With the exception of the nuts)...are you getting enough?

    fat is so important!! if fat is taken out of a product, they add in sugar to make it more palatable. when i switched to full fat yogurt, 2%, fatty cuts of meat, my satiety skyrocketed.

    also lifting heavy weights has increased my insulin sensitivity. i cannot stress this enough, LIFT WEIGHTS!! i can go a full 6 hours without eating now. i feel the hunger, it bothers me, but it doesn't control my life like it used to. it's truly amazing.

    i second everyone with saying cut out processed carbs, they always make me crash. even with good oatmeal (bob's red mill, steel cut) i am wary because while the protein amount is good at ~8g of protein, it's really not enough to balance out the 20+grams of carbs. for me at least. i have eggs, bacon, avocado and maybe some fruit every morning.

    I lift! I actually lift more than many other women I see at the gym. Do you have a certain method to what you eat before and after lifting? When I had an episode this morning, I realized I ran last night and then lifted heavy, and only ate my normal dinner. Sometimes I'll grab a protein bar for between workout and dinner time. But if I don't, I find I crash 10x worse the next morning. What's your secret?

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