No refined sugar or carbs.. what do you eat?
Options
Replies
-
ClosetBayesian wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »So it looks like this is my lot 10 days every month. I could cry.
I'm already sick of beans, but I need something more filling than plain veggies...
Help?
I'm confused how you are coming to this conclusion? You have had no blood sugar test show this up according to your thread last night.
I really can't work out why you would want to do this under the guise of blood work. Are you just wanting to try low carb out? If so just try it, you have been on these boards way long enough to know which foods low carbers eat.
Ok listen. I've been suffering from horrible PMS for almost 2 years. Feeling awful and weak and shaky and dizzy all the time until I end up eating sometimes 2000 calories over maintenance to make it stop. I've tried everything I could think of, until I read up on hypoglymecia linked to PMS, so I figured I'd give it a shot and just cut refined carbs to see if it helps. So far it's been 2 days and I'm not hungry, my hormones are in control, and I'm not eating the whole house (ok I cut down on caffeine too, which sucks). Before, even one piece of toast with my eggs in the morning would set me off... So that's good enough for me. However I've been eating a whole lot of beans and I'm wondering if there's any other filling options that I could eat without raising my blood sugar... plain veggies just don't typically cut it for me. I know I probably can't have potatoes, and I'm unsure about carrots (but testing that tonight I guess).
So yeah, I'm asking for options... I never intended to cut anything from my diet so I never really paid attention to all the low carb threads (besides, is it still low carb if you eat 150g of carbs from fruit, veggies, and oats?).
So no, I'm not trying 'low carb' out, just looking for things I can eat to keep me full without raising my blood sugar for 2 weeks every month. The rest of the time, I can eat anything I want without any issue.
If you are hypoglycemic, your blood sugar is too low. You fix that with carbohydrates.
If you're eating fruit, you're eating sugar. The difference between sugar from fruit and refined sugar is negligible.
I am not sure of what you're trying to accomplish, given your rather contradictory statements.
Not at all, it's all about glycemic load, apparently? Everything above 15ish is more likely to raise your blood sugar.
Apple = 6 GL
Cake = 24 GL
Potato = 25 GL
Hardly 'negligible'.
I'm not going to pretend that I know what's going on, heck I have no clue. I just try to avoid foods with high glycemic load (because apparently I was clueless to just worry about glycemix index) so my blood sugar doesn't spike last crazy and ends up leaving me in a 'I need to eat now or I'm going to pass out' state... which is what happens, I believe, to hypoglycemic people, and why they need to regulate their carb intake... although in my situation, I seem to do fine for 4 hours without food, as long as I watch what I eat.RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »So it looks like this is my lot 10 days every month. I could cry.
I'm already sick of beans, but I need something more filling than plain veggies...
Help?
I'm confused how you are coming to this conclusion? You have had no blood sugar test show this up according to your thread last night.
I really can't work out why you would want to do this under the guise of blood work. Are you just wanting to try low carb out? If so just try it, you have been on these boards way long enough to know which foods low carbers eat.
Ok listen. I've been suffering from horrible PMS for almost 2 years. Feeling awful and weak and shaky and dizzy all the time until I end up eating sometimes 2000 calories over maintenance to make it stop. I've tried everything I could think of, until I read up on hypoglymecia linked to PMS, so I figured I'd give it a shot and just cut refined carbs to see if it helps. So far it's been 2 days and I'm not hungry, my hormones are in control, and I'm not eating the whole house (ok I cut down on caffeine too, which sucks). Before, even one piece of toast with my eggs in the morning would set me off... So that's good enough for me. However I've been eating a whole lot of beans and I'm wondering if there's any other filling options that I could eat without raising my blood sugar... plain veggies just don't typically cut it for me. I know I probably can't have potatoes, and I'm unsure about carrots (but testing that tonight I guess).
So yeah, I'm asking for options... I never intended to cut anything from my diet so I never really paid attention to all the low carb threads (besides, is it still low carb if you eat 150g of carbs from fruit, veggies, and oats?).
So no, I'm not trying 'low carb' out, just looking for things I can eat to keep me full without raising my blood sugar for 2 weeks every month. The rest of the time, I can eat anything I want without any issue.
Have you ever been assessed for anxiety issues? I had the same problem, and I ended up figuring out it had nothing to do with my blood sugar; I was having anxiety and panic attacks. The symptoms are almost identical, and I have reactive hypoglycemia, so I always just assumed it was low blood sugar.
That's very interesting, but then I don't really know why cutting refined sugar seems to have helped? Believe me, I've been trying to find a way to get rid of this issue for over a year, I'm just glad at this point that I've found something that works... whether it's hypoglycemia or not... It's just ironic I guess because I was always the first to say 'oh I eat what I want within my calories' and I'm the last person who wants to cut things out.Queenmunchy wrote: »Have you tried adding more fat? I've been eating things like deviled eggs for breakfast or roasted veggies with an egg on top, a creamy soup/stew/chili/curry, and stuffed veggies (with meat and cheese) or stir fry, or even just veggies and meat.
Well yeah I've increased my fat and protein by quite a bit to reach my goal, obviously. Those things sound tasty! And yes to the Brussel Sprouts recommendation, they're just so expensive that it's tough to fit in.
Oh and I did get workout done a couple months ago, it was completely normal, but it wasn't during PMS either so who knows. I guess hormones just do very weird things.
This is the article I found that made me try this - I don't know how accurate it is but I don't care, as it seems to work.
http://www.pmscomfort.com/pms-pmdd-symptoms/pms-food-chocolate-cravings.aspx
http://www.pmscomfort.com/pms-diet/pms-pmdd-balance-diet-hypoglycemia.aspx
Anyway, thanks again for all the suggestions, going to look up some stew recipes (without potatoes!).0 -
The "I have to eat now" shakiness and other symptoms are from your blood sugar being too low not a spike unless pms hypoglycemia is different than other types. When this happens a high carb quick to digest food is recommended to quickly raise your blood sugar to normal.0
-
I am confused did you self diagnosis yourself with this, or has a medical specialist diagnosed you?
If this is self diagnosis I would suggest getting to a doctor and getting tested to find out what the actual problem is, and not just going with what you read on the internet….0 -
As a former diabetic I have a few ideas to keep the blood sugars stable. Start with a protein heavy breakfast. An egg included in breakfast can help. Any carb, complex or not, eat with a little fat and a little protein. Like peanut butter, nuts, cream cheese or regular cheese. The combined fats and protein slows the absorption of the carbs. No spikes.0
-
RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »So it looks like this is my lot 10 days every month. I could cry.
I'm already sick of beans, but I need something more filling than plain veggies...
Help?
I'm confused how you are coming to this conclusion? You have had no blood sugar test show this up according to your thread last night.
I really can't work out why you would want to do this under the guise of blood work. Are you just wanting to try low carb out? If so just try it, you have been on these boards way long enough to know which foods low carbers eat.
Ok listen. I've been suffering from horrible PMS for almost 2 years. Feeling awful and weak and shaky and dizzy all the time until I end up eating sometimes 2000 calories over maintenance to make it stop. I've tried everything I could think of, until I read up on hypoglymecia linked to PMS, so I figured I'd give it a shot and just cut refined carbs to see if it helps. So far it's been 2 days and I'm not hungry, my hormones are in control, and I'm not eating the whole house (ok I cut down on caffeine too, which sucks). Before, even one piece of toast with my eggs in the morning would set me off... So that's good enough for me. However I've been eating a whole lot of beans and I'm wondering if there's any other filling options that I could eat without raising my blood sugar... plain veggies just don't typically cut it for me. I know I probably can't have potatoes, and I'm unsure about carrots (but testing that tonight I guess).
So yeah, I'm asking for options... I never intended to cut anything from my diet so I never really paid attention to all the low carb threads (besides, is it still low carb if you eat 150g of carbs from fruit, veggies, and oats?).
So no, I'm not trying 'low carb' out, just looking for things I can eat to keep me full without raising my blood sugar for 2 weeks every month. The rest of the time, I can eat anything I want without any issue.
apart from the already suggested whole grains, I would try foods high in resistant starch (like cooked and cooled rice and cooked and cooled potatoes)
0 -
What helped my PMT was that 10 days before and also during my period I would have a calcium tablet and a vitamin B tablet. Calcium helps with cramps and vitamin B calms and helps your nerves. That brought my PMT under control. Also exercising most days of the month helps too.0
-
I am confused did you self diagnosis yourself with this, or has a medical specialist diagnosed you?
If this is self diagnosis I would suggest getting to a doctor and getting tested to find out what the actual problem is, and not just going with what you read on the internet….
Does it matter? I'm not taking meds or anything. Just changing my diet for 10 days to make it more tolerable. I really don't see what the big issue is (and doctors basically have told me it's just normal to be hungrier before your period anyway).singingflutelady wrote: »The "I have to eat now" shakiness and other symptoms are from your blood sugar being too low not a spike unless pms hypoglycemia is different than other types. When this happens a high carb quick to digest food is recommended to quickly raise your blood sugar to normal.
I know but the whole point is to PREVENT that. Which is what I've been (successfully so far) doing. Because if I don't, it's pretty much over for the day and just having a high carb snack will only help for an hour or so... then I need to eat again and it starts again. So I'm trying really hard to avoid that.As a former diabetic I have a few ideas to keep the blood sugars stable. Start with a protein heavy breakfast. An egg included in breakfast can help. Any carb, complex or not, eat with a little fat and a little protein. Like peanut butter, nuts, cream cheese or regular cheese. The combined fats and protein slows the absorption of the carbs. No spikes.
Thanks, it's pretty much what I've been doing!RosemaryBronte wrote: »What helped my PMT was that 10 days before and also during my period I would have a calcium tablet and a vitamin B tablet. Calcium helps with cramps and vitamin B calms and helps your nerves. That brought my PMT under control. Also exercising most days of the month helps too.
Will look into calcium and vitamin B!0 -
It matters because only a doctor can truly diagnosis a medical condition and tell you what the correct treatment is. you already incorrectly tried to treat yourself by saying that you are hypoglycemic and you wanted to lower your blood sugar, which was was pointed out is not correct.
go to a doctor, get tested, figure out the correct problem, and get the correct treatment….
0 -
It matters because only a doctor can truly diagnosis a medical condition and tell you what the correct treatment is. you already incorrectly tried to treat yourself by saying that you are hypoglycemic and you wanted to lower your blood sugar, which was was pointed out is not correct.
go to a doctor, get tested, figure out the correct problem, and get the correct treatment….
As I said, my blood work is fine and doctors are brushing it off. I'd have to get tested during PMS *when* my sugar level drops (or whatever happens when I get the shakes). That's just not possible.
I don't need 'treatment' either (quite sure there isn't one, anyway). This is just a diet that seems to be working, so I was just asking for food options... not what your opinion about my health is.0 -
Have you thought about being tested for anemia? Back in my premenopausal days, I had terrible PMS (depressed, ornery, and tired 10 or more days before onset) and heavy flow. It turned out I was anemic. The regular blood test that I had at the doctor's didn't pick it up, but I was rejected several times from donating blood because the test they give there showed low iron. There's an additional test for iron you can ask for. I began to increase my uptake of iron rich foods -- eggs, red meat, dark green vegetables. Also, often women are low in magnesium before onset, so I also started taking a magnesium supplement. By the way, chocolate is high in mangesium, which is why women at that time crave it! The other thing that helped me was to avoid salt before and during my TOM.0
-
My hypoglycemia showed up on a fasting blood test. My sugar drops when I haven't eaten anything for a while (it doesn't spike before it drops, it just drops). I'm weird though as I am not diabetic.0
-
kristen6350 wrote: »Meat, eggs, full fat dairy? Not really sure what your goals are though...
Just nothing that will spike my blood sugar.
Keep the ideas coming! I just wish veggies were not so expensive right now.
I understand about the expense. When I had to go low sodium my hardest purchase was chicken. I had always paid $ per lb but to get chicken that didn't have the "solution" shot in to it I had to pay $$$ per lb. It took me some time to accept that if I wanted to go low sodium that I had to be willing to pay for food items that made my life easier and healthier. Any diet specific food is more expensive and seldom on sale. I just adjusted my budget in other places.
Yes some vegetables are expensive right now...others are still reasonable. Focus on the less expensive and save the higher priced vegetables for maybe once a week. Search the internet for recipes that will allow you to add plenty of the less expensive vegetables.
The other thing that I had to get over when my diet changed...spend my time finding solutions instead of whining about things. I have no idea if what you are doing is correct or necessary but if you feel it is then you are going to have to find a way to make it work.
I recall seeing many of your posts about always being hungry so I know you have been battling this for some time. If this new way of eating works for you then go for it...adjust your budget to include the foods that you can eat for those 10 days by maybe lowering the cost of food for the other 20 days.
0 -
Take a look at the www.Whole30.com. It isn't a diet but rather a 30-day elimination of the foods that give people problems. After the 30 days, you begin adding them back and noting if they produce symptoms or distress. That way you know what you need to avoid. I wonder at your beans, though for they are loaded with carbs.0
-
On vegetable expense, I checked the grocery yesterday and a head of cauliflower is back down to $2.99, at least.0
-
In the winter, frozen vegetables are often a much cheaper option. Frozen vegetables can actually be more nutritious than fresh because they are frozen soon after picking and fresh has been warehoused, driven around, stored at the store and half the nutrition is gone.0
-
I agree, but I know Francl already eats lots of frozen veg, so didn't think there was a need to tell her about them.0
-
I can totally relate to your problem. I've found protein shakes very helpful and will often chug down just protein powder dissolved in water, even! Hope this helps.0
-
If you are using the glycemic index to decide what to eat remember that if you add protein and fat to these foods, the whole thing becomes a different glycemic load.
As far as getting cross with people asking you to clarify with doctor, the questioning is probably mostly in benefit for everyone who may stumble across this thread and get ideas about self diagnosis when the issue could be lying in another place completely. I know it's your thread but its a public discussion.
Maybe an issue that needs looking at as it is a health risk.
Also, how do you know it's not just one thing, like caffeine, so maybe a proper elimination diet might be an idea. Taking one thing away per month? Caffeine drives my reproductive system haywire.0 -
if you want to amp up the protein and turn down the carbs, at breakfast with your eggs instead of toast, as you said you eat toast, have a few slices of avacado it's a healthy source of protein and fat. At lunch instead of having your tuna,egg salad or turkey and cheese on bread, put it in between lettuce to cut the carbs.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 393 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 931 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions