Currently crashing and a little shaky

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CarbingTemptation
CarbingTemptation Posts: 50 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi there,

I was hoping someone can advise me a little. So today I've had a chicken and sweetcorn (sandwich filler so includes mayo) sandwich in white bread. I'm aware my choices aren't great. I've had that and some grapes and about 3 hours on I feel a bit weak, tad shaky and mostly like I want to gorge my face.

I'm not concerned that there's something seriously wrong, when I get too hungry sometimes I can feel weak and shaky. But I know it's down to my food choices. Rather than eat my dinner super early and then need another meal this evening, what would you recommend to keep me going?

Or should I have my dinner early and then something like oats late in the evening as a supper?

I'm not incredibly healthy, I'm only just beginning to make small changes so suggestions of drastic immediate change aren't likely to work for me right now.
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Replies

  • Pipsg1rl
    Pipsg1rl Posts: 1,414 Member
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    you should talk to your physician.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
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    How about a smoothie to fill the hole. I get shaky when I have worked out really hard or am hungry too.
  • CarbingTemptation
    CarbingTemptation Posts: 50 Member
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    Pipsg1rl wrote: »
    you should talk to your physician.

    It's not a serious problem, it's fairly rare, but I know that when I eat poorly and then get really hungry it happens. It's a normal response, particularly for someone as anxiety prone as me.
  • blktngldhrt
    blktngldhrt Posts: 1,053 Member
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    Pipsg1rl wrote: »
    you should talk to your physician.

    this.

    are you eating enough? do you have a medical condition?

    i get this way when my blood glucose is low..but the symptoms could be a variety of things.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I get like this when my blood glucose is low, too. I have a snack that includes a carb and a protein, about 100-150 calories. See if that helps you feel better.
  • CarbingTemptation
    CarbingTemptation Posts: 50 Member
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    Thanks, I'm mainly trying to stop myself just binging because I already have poor self control :P
  • oedipa_maas
    oedipa_maas Posts: 577 Member
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    This exactly describes me when my blood sugar crashes. I find that I need to eat high protein *and* high fat to prevent them. I also need to make sure I eat things like whole grain instead of white bread, because I digest the latter way too fast and it spikes my blood sugar then sends it into a crash. There's a lot of info out there about preventing blood sugar crashes.
  • CarbingTemptation
    CarbingTemptation Posts: 50 Member
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    oedipa_maas wrote: »
    This exactly describes me when my blood sugar crashes. I find that I need to eat high protein *and* high fat to prevent them. I also need to make sure I eat things like whole grain instead of white bread, because I digest the latter way too fast and it spikes my blood sugar then sends it into a crash. There's a lot of info out there about preventing blood sugar crashes.

    I'll have to seriously consider that because I've never paid too much attention to the types of food I eat but I do eat a lot of carbs and a lot of sugar, so I'm not doing myself any favours.
  • Iamnotasenior
    Iamnotasenior Posts: 234 Member
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    I have this too. It's low blood sugar. Try to stay away from white bread, sugar, white rice, etc. as this causes spikes in your blood sugar and then the "crash" is that much worse. When you feel shaky, eat some protein, a piece of cheese, a handful of nuts, a slice of turkey, etc. and you should feel better. Replace that white bread with whole wheat bread. More fiber and protein will help you have fewer of these episodes and help you feel full longer.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Do you just feel like you need to eat, not really sick?

    I'd try to maybe have a snack that includes protein, like a greek yogurt, or fat and protein, like some nuts. Keeping track of when you feel hungry is a good thing to do, as you can start switching around your meals to help with that.

    Are you eating a reasonable number of calories?
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,266 Member
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    How many calories are you eating in general? Your diary is closed so we really have 0 information to help you with.
  • CarbingTemptation
    CarbingTemptation Posts: 50 Member
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    Just hungry from it, it's nothing new but since I'm trying to begin making healthier changes I want to see what a sensible approach to it is because previously I'd get something carby/sugary which obviously isn't a good idea.

    Right now I normally eat about 2000 calories, sometimes over by less than a hundred. I really have just started trying to change and I'm restricting myself, but I'm making poor choices and rather than do what I'd normally do which is to just eat more I was hoping to get healthier advice.

    I've had some chicken and a tiny bit of cheese and I feel much better. Thanks to everyone who pointed out how to counteract it, I will focus more on maintaining my blood sugar as that might be feeding my bad habits too.
  • kpw818
    kpw818 Posts: 113 Member
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    I get this too occasionally (more when I wasn't eating enough + strength training). I lost a ton of weight not eating enough over the summer and weight training 4 days a week. I'm back up now and building muscle, but I still get shaky days if I'm not careful.

    I have a problem with low eating days paired with high eating days. I can't really fluctuate that much, so I'm trying to be more even over all. Maybe try dividing exercise calories over your whole week (this is what I'm doing, essentially) and see if that even intake helps with blood sugar.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    This is how I was trained to balance out a meal:
    Tools_PlateMethod_4Web.png
    It's the proportion that matters.

    Have pre-portioned snacks ready to go in case of a crash. If I were you I'd carry a protein bar around in case of emergency.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/mid-day-snacks-722504

    I think pre-portioning will be your way out from bingeing. Please eat when you feel shaky.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    Like others have said, it sounds like blood sugar. For me the secret has been to make sure I focus on getting my protein and fat, get most of my carbs as veggies rather than bread etc., eat snacks on days I work out and don't go too long without eating (I can't miss meals - it really doesn't work for me). I also found that oats are a no-no for me, even the steel cut ones which take a lot of cooking and even if they're mixed with protein (like greek yogurt). If I eat them I can guarantee 3 hours later I'll get the shakes, so I avoid them (and breakfast cereals in general).
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    See, and oatmeal is just fine for me. Rice, not so much. Experience is the best teacher.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    See, and oatmeal is just fine for me. Rice, not so much. Experience is the best teacher.

    ^Absolutely this. I found writing a little note on my iphone helped me identify what was setting me off.
  • mom2nicknat
    mom2nicknat Posts: 56 Member
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    This absolutely will happen to me as well if my meals are not balanced properly. For example, if I just had a bowl of oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, I would get shaky and sick feeling an hour or two later. Now I make sure if I have oatmeal I add some nuts or eggs on the side. Definitely make sure you incorporate a protein with every meal and eat frequently. Now that I know what works, it doesn't happen to me anymore. I eat 6 meals a day now to avoid that.
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
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    Making small changes will have big impact so I think that you're willing to do that is great. Something to help is to look at are the diaries of friends, make sure you have a variety of friends, some in maintenance, some that have lost weight all ready and some that are starting out. You'll find some great ideas here and you'll find a good round support system.

    Here are a couple of suggestions for subtle changes....
    Chicken, corn, mayo on white bread sandwich instead try putting chicken, corn, black beans, shredded cheese and plain greek yogurt into a whole grain wrap. The addition of cheese, yogurt and beans will give you more protein and a decent amount of fiber. The plain greek yogurt will taste more like sour cream than mayo but it's worth giving it a shot especially in a wrap.

    I found that smaller portions more often throughout the day helped me a lot. I would say I eat every 2-3 hours, snacks like greek yogurt with fruit and granola, celery with PB, grapes or apples and string cheese, veggies and yogurt based dip.

  • CarbingTemptation
    CarbingTemptation Posts: 50 Member
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    dawnmcneil10 wrote: »
    Making small changes will have big impact so I think that you're willing to do that is great. Something to help is to look at are the diaries of friends, make sure you have a variety of friends, some in maintenance, some that have lost weight all ready and some that are starting out. You'll find some great ideas here and you'll find a good round support system.

    Here are a couple of suggestions for subtle changes....
    Chicken, corn, mayo on white bread sandwich instead try putting chicken, corn, black beans, shredded cheese and plain greek yogurt into a whole grain wrap. The addition of cheese, yogurt and beans will give you more protein and a decent amount of fiber. The plain greek yogurt will taste more like sour cream than mayo but it's worth giving it a shot especially in a wrap.

    I found that smaller portions more often throughout the day helped me a lot. I would say I eat every 2-3 hours, snacks like greek yogurt with fruit and granola, celery with PB, grapes or apples and string cheese, veggies and yogurt based dip.

    Thanks! That's super helpful.
    I'm staying at my family home right now and it's so much harder because they eat differently and getting my food in and then not giving into the abundance of carbs is so much harder.

    I do prefer eating more frequently but I worry it just ends in me eating more because I had a bad fortnight before I decided enough was enough. A lot of social events meant I was dining out most nights a week and stuffing myself, so I only feel satisfied when I'm super stuffed.

    Giving into vegetables isn't so bad because at least there's nutrition to them. I need to figure out portions (not my strong point) and buckle up my willpower.

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