Hypoglycemia?

lbatkins
lbatkins Posts: 6 Member
edited September 28 in Food and Nutrition
I have constant issues with hypoglycemia which cause me to overeat or go to sugary foods for relief from that weird headache and dizzyness. I'm trying to get it under control but it's been difficult, especially when it comes to keeping my caloric intake low, since I usually go for very heavy foods to stay full and avoid sugar. Any advice on how to keep it under control without breaking the calorie bank?

Replies

  • wg2011
    wg2011 Posts: 4
    I have had the same issues in the past. Once I started a Atkins type diet, lean protein and vegtables, low carb and low sugars, I have eliminated hypoglycemia.
  • j_fattler
    j_fattler Posts: 94 Member
    First of all, TALK TO YOUR DR !!

    in the meantime, try smaller meals more frequently - hypoglycemia isn't something to mess around with, as I'm sure you know - so be careful, stay hydrated, and most importantly -

    get advice from your Dr. about maintaining a healthy diet while you are dealing with it!

    Good luck!
  • mem50
    mem50 Posts: 1,384 Member
    Speaking from another fellow hypoglycemic. I find eating 6 smaller "meals" a day helps me out tons. I read labels and try to get items that have at least 18gram of carb in them. Applesause is great. Picks me right up without the crash out. I always keep raisins in my bag at work for emergency's. How long have you had this. Going on 5 years for me. It has gotten easier to keep normal in the past 2 years. I still crash out every now and then but not as often as before. Just try to keep all snacks at 100 calories or less. I do a protein/carb shake for breakfast that has about 210 cal in it. Maybe try the ceral bars for a quick fix. The weight may come off slower but it does come off! Message me if you would like to talk.
  • riley711
    riley711 Posts: 298 Member
    You may need to work with your physician to adjust your medications. I have type 2 diabetes. What works for me is eating smaller meals more frequently. Also, I keep a supply of glucose tablets with me at all times so that if that weird dizzy feeling comes over me, I can chew 2 tablets to get my glucose level back into a safe range quickly. The glucose tablets are sold in most drug stores, near the pharmacy department, by the diabetes supplies. They come in very nice fruity flavors.

    It is the lows that make you overeat, and ultimately make you gain weight or hinder you in losing weight. So it is very important to get your glucose levels under control. Using MFP to help me watch what I eat has actually helped me keep my glucose levels under control. Your food diary wasn't public, so I couldn't see what you've been eating, but smaller meals more frequently may help you too.
  • lbatkins
    lbatkins Posts: 6 Member
    Your post was especially helpful. I've never heard of glucose tablets. I'll have to check them out. I made my diary public; I've only used this for about five days and it's usually through the app on my phone. MFP has already helped me so much to see how much sugar I was actually taking in - I couldn't believe the crap I was eating! Thanks again for your input.
  • fsugirl26
    fsugirl26 Posts: 207
    I'm borderline hypoglycemic, and I ALWAYS have a "no sugar added" apple juice in my fridge. It's low calorie, and it has just enough natural sugar to help alleviate my symptoms. I don't drink it every day though, only when I wake up feeling really dizzy and lightheaded.
  • jujubean1992
    jujubean1992 Posts: 462 Member
    i have hypoglycemia too and i try to stick with natural sugars. fruit! i try to always start my day with fruit, (today i had cheerios but there's sugar in those.) other than that small frequent meals. my DR told me to not go more than 3-4 hours at most with out eating.
  • CarrieGelser
    CarrieGelser Posts: 3
    It's nice to see there's other people with HG like me. It's hard to deal with sometimes when you want to lose weight but keep having blood sugar drops. I've found the best way to control it is to eat healthy and do low-impact workouts. I read a book when I first found out I had HG that helped a lot. It basically outlined good and bad things to eat and what kind of exercises are best. I would recommend anyone struggling with this to get a book and read up. It helped me a lot.

    Some things to stay away from - anything with more than 5 grams of sugar, alcohol, white flour, caffeine. These are the 4 major ones from what I remember. Each person will have different triggers. Sugar and alcohol drops my blood sugar mnore than white floud and caffeine.

    The best things to have when you feel your blood sugar dropping are high protein foods. I try to keep chicken cooked up that I can throw in the microwave if I need a quick meal. Peanutbutter is a great help because of the high protein as well, but it also has quite a few calories so its a trade off. Another great thing are protein shakes. I like the Jillian Michaels vanilla protein shake mix. You can add fruit for flavor and ice cubes to make it more like a smoothie. And it only takes a couple minutes to make!

    Eating healthy and having regular workouts is key. It will be hard at first because your body needs to adapt to the changes. But if you stick it out through the first couple weeks you will notice you'll start to have fewer symptoms. And the most important part - never push yourself too far. If you start feeling symptoms, eat something. Just aim for something with fewer calories than you're having now.

    Hope this helps!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories