Having trouble staying full
KeshNZ
Posts: 73 Member
Lately I've been having trouble staying full, especially when I'm at work (9-5 office work). I'm finding if I don't eat every 3-4 hours during the day I start to feel faint and my stomach rumbles constantly... if I push it out to 4 hours I end up getting very shaky, dizzy, cold sweats and nausea. Even then if I eat something it can take around 30-60 minutes to feel normal again.
These symptoms have shown up every now over the last few years, I used to put it down to low blood pressure or PMS. However in the last 3 months they have been showing almost daily. I am overweight (162cm tall and 71kg) and would like to start eating less but I'm finding it very difficult too with these issues. My doctor mentioned possible hypoglycemia but he didn't give me any other advice than to eat smaller meals every 2-3 hours (which is what I do). I've managed to maintain my weight at 71kg, but it would be nice to be in the healthy weight range for my height.
I'm not overly active as for the last couple of years I've had issues with anxiety, depression, migraines and related chronic fatigue. I'm slowly becoming more active lately, introducing daily walking, weekly yoga sessions and I've signed up to a gym (I intend to do weight training 2 times a week for now until I can work my way up to 3-4 times a week).
My typical day consists of:
Breakfast: wholegrain toast with a protein based spread, or oats with fruit + 1 coffee with a splash of milk
AM snack: fruit or carrots with hummus
Lunch: Soup with a wholegrain bread roll, or a vietnamese bun salad, or a vegetarian filled flatbread with yoghurt, or leftover yoghurt
PM snack: fruit or a protein bar
Pre dinner snack (because I'm shaky when I get home!): Wafer crackers and cheese
Dinner: Generally a serve of meat with vegetables and sometimes rice or noodles (e.g. curry, stir fry, grilled meat with salad or steamed vegetables), or a vegetarian based meal such as frittata, bean nachos or soup with crusty bread
I also drink 2-4 cups of herbal tea a day and have a beer or wine with dinner a couple of times a week.
Any advice on what I can do to stop these symptoms, or find a way to eat less calories whilst still being able to eat every 2-3 hours?
These symptoms have shown up every now over the last few years, I used to put it down to low blood pressure or PMS. However in the last 3 months they have been showing almost daily. I am overweight (162cm tall and 71kg) and would like to start eating less but I'm finding it very difficult too with these issues. My doctor mentioned possible hypoglycemia but he didn't give me any other advice than to eat smaller meals every 2-3 hours (which is what I do). I've managed to maintain my weight at 71kg, but it would be nice to be in the healthy weight range for my height.
I'm not overly active as for the last couple of years I've had issues with anxiety, depression, migraines and related chronic fatigue. I'm slowly becoming more active lately, introducing daily walking, weekly yoga sessions and I've signed up to a gym (I intend to do weight training 2 times a week for now until I can work my way up to 3-4 times a week).
My typical day consists of:
Breakfast: wholegrain toast with a protein based spread, or oats with fruit + 1 coffee with a splash of milk
AM snack: fruit or carrots with hummus
Lunch: Soup with a wholegrain bread roll, or a vietnamese bun salad, or a vegetarian filled flatbread with yoghurt, or leftover yoghurt
PM snack: fruit or a protein bar
Pre dinner snack (because I'm shaky when I get home!): Wafer crackers and cheese
Dinner: Generally a serve of meat with vegetables and sometimes rice or noodles (e.g. curry, stir fry, grilled meat with salad or steamed vegetables), or a vegetarian based meal such as frittata, bean nachos or soup with crusty bread
I also drink 2-4 cups of herbal tea a day and have a beer or wine with dinner a couple of times a week.
Any advice on what I can do to stop these symptoms, or find a way to eat less calories whilst still being able to eat every 2-3 hours?
1
Replies
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Hi. I've been a hypoglycemic for 30 years.
It honestly took me until my early 20s to get it under control.
I eat every 3 hours. I NEVER consume just a carbohydrate alone. Every meal of mine is balanced between carbs, fats, and protein.
I usually never have quick digesting carbs either.
I am eating 1400 right now spread over 5 meals.
If I were you, I'd add in more protein to eat meal. The goal is to keep your sugars at an event level
never letting it spike (through sugar or just carbs) or crash. /\/\/\/\/\
I suggest reading up on it. I will add you.1 -
Sounds like low blood sugar to me (I get muscle tremors when I'm running low), which would also explain why you're hungry.
My first recommendation is to calculate out your Basal Metabolic Rate (that is your body's daily energy needs). Without knowing your age, I can't do it for you, but the formula is:
BMR = 10 * weight(kg) + 6.25 * height(cm) - 5 * age(y) - 161
Once you have your BMR sussed, you can start to factor in your exercise and workload (you can find a calculator which will include your activity level HERE). If you have a Fitbit or Garmin (I have a Vivosmart), this can help track how much you burn during exercise.
Standard weight loss numbers aim for an upper limit of 2-3lbs (1-1.5kg) per week of "safe" weight loss; as 1lb = 3500k/cal, that is a reduction of ~1000 - 1500 kcal/day, depending on your dietary intake and exercise output. However, if your BMR requires 1500 kcal/day, you're not going to starve yourself; you may consider dropping your caloric intake to 1000 kcal/day and burning at least 500 kcal/day in exercise; this will be slower gains in terms of weight loss, but the point is, you'll continue to lose weight.
Looking at your food selections, I'd recommend upping the fibre intake substantially; high fibre content tends to promote feelings of fullness and satiety for longer; for example,- Breakfast: 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal (~240 kcal) with fruit (50g of blueberries will give you ~30 kcal) for a total of ~270kcal for your first meal, which should also keep you feeling full for longer.
- Mid-morning Snack: Banana (large) (~121 kcal)
- Lunch: Mixed Greens and Spinach Salad with 50g Tuna (~ 85 kcal) with 1 cup tomato soup (~102 kcal)
- Mid-day Snack: Snackwells Protein Bar (~140 kcal)
- Dinner: 1 medium chicken breast, grilled (~147 kcal) and 1 cup Aloo Gobi (~216 kcal)
- Total Daily Kcal Consumption: 1081 kcal
If your BMR is 1500 kcal or more, you should be able to drop ~1lb a week without factoring in exercise.
These are just my suggestions. Feel free to friend me/PM me if you have any other questions.1 -
Sounds like you are eating at maintenance level now, with these conditions.
- start tracking your food in MFP, it will help you catch any triggers for this behavior. What you posted would sound like you are in calorie deficit, but you confirmed your weight is stable.
- consider walking more, which will increase your calorie budget
- experiment with adding more fat and protein to your snacks. I'd suggest string cheese or cup of yogurt
Get a thorough checkup since you shouldn't be faint and feeling ill, especially while at maintenance level0 -
My BMR is 1491.90
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I've read about people with hypoglycemia doing very well on a low carb/high fat diet. I found this thread on reddit r/keto subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/2yavmh/hypoglycemia_keto_and_me/2
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I just make sure I eat a significant portion of protein each time I eat. I still eat plenty of carbs (YUM), I just don't eat them alone or a lot of them early in the day - or if I do, things don't go well for me. If I start out eating/drinking a bunch of sugary crap, I have to constantly snack throughout the day. If I start with a higher protein meal I can go for several hours without any funky spells: I don't have cravings, get lightheaded or sick to my stomach.
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My BMR is 1491.9
Okay, so we know target values to aim for. You should be looking to intake about 1000 kcal per day, + ~75% of Exercise Output (so if you burn 500 Kcal, add 375 kcal to your total dietary intake).
As others have noted, don't simply rely on carbs for any meal (or snack), but give yourself a balanced meal/snack or at least one high in dietary fibre. Adding one large hard-boiled egg at breakfast will only add 78 kcal and give you necessary proteins (much less if you skip the yolk - as low as 17 kcal per large egg).0 -
My BMR is 1491.9
Okay, so we know target values to aim for. You should be looking to intake about 1000 kcal per day, + ~75% of Exercise Output (so if you burn 500 Kcal, add 375 kcal to your total dietary intake).
As others have noted, don't simply rely on carbs for any meal (or snack), but give yourself a balanced meal/snack or at least one high in dietary fibre. Adding one large hard-boiled egg at breakfast will only add 78 kcal and give you necessary proteins (much less if you skip the yolk - as low as 17 kcal per large egg).
1000 calories a day seems very low... the calculator you linked set my daily calorie needs at 1798 for sedentary. I get that I should eat less than this to lose weight with no exercise but cutting out 798 calories a day seems like a LOT!
I don't think I have the physical capability to burn 500 calories in a workout currently. The last time I burned that many calories was a solid 1 hour bike ride and I'm certainly not capable of anything like that right now (30 minutes at 20km/h is my max), although I'm building up to that but I'm stretching it out to over 6 months to get to that level of fitness again.1 -
We're not supposed to feel full all the time, our most of the day-feeling would be described as "empty". Then we're supposed to get hungry before meals, and full, or satisfied, after the meal. It's perfectly normal to eat every 3 or 4 hours. Just to try to set your mind at ease. It's easier to lose weight when your mind is at ease.
And you could also look at your food choices and play around with meal timings. Add more fat while keeping calories the same. Never eat fruit separately. Have vegetables for every meal. Have different foods through the day and from day to day. Drop the protein bars, and don't eat crackers every day (if this is the same as biscuits) - replace them with nuts for the same calories. Don't double up on carbs - for instance, have either rice or bread, not both, for the same meal. Plan to have alcohol no more than once per week.1 -
Not enough protein from what I see in that sample of your daily diet,I too have hypoglycemia and I must eat protein at every meal and put limits on the carbs,my breakfast is usually eggs and ham with one light bread,if I choose to have oatmeal I always add nuts but the ham and egg days keep my blood sugar much more stable than the oatmeal days0
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1000 calories a day seems very low... the calculator you linked set my daily calorie needs at 1798 for sedentary. I get that I should eat less than this to lose weight with no exercise but cutting out 798 calories a day seems like a LOT!
Ah - you said your BMR was 1491.9 - I was running off of that number. If you're assessed at 1800, then aim for 1300 kcal/day + ~75% of your energy expenditure (so if your energy expenditure is 100, then add 75 kcal to it - is that more likely what you're burning now?). Essentially you want to be -500 or more from your total calorie expenditure per day, which will help you lose 1lb a week. As you improve your fitness levels, you can safely lose more.
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I'll try to add more protein. Could be tricky as eggs and beans don't really agree with me (I have IBS to add to my long list of invisible illnesses!). Maybe protein powder in my oats or smoothies would be the best bet?2
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I second what people are saying - never have carbs alone. Don't have oatmeal with just fruit, it's a recipe for disaster, especially first thing in the morning. Have some fat/protein with everything. Focus on whole grains, but limit bread to a couple slices a day.
Regarding tea though - for some unknown reason having tea between meals make me extremely hungry.Sounds like low blood sugar to me (I get muscle tremors when I'm running low), which would also explain why you're hungry.
My first recommendation is to calculate out your Basal Metabolic Rate (that is your body's daily energy needs). Without knowing your age, I can't do it for you, but the formula is:
BMR = 10 * weight(kg) + 6.25 * height(cm) - 5 * age(y) - 161
Once you have your BMR sussed, you can start to factor in your exercise and workload (you can find a calculator which will include your activity level HERE). If you have a Fitbit or Garmin (I have a Vivosmart), this can help track how much you burn during exercise.
Standard weight loss numbers aim for an upper limit of 2-3lbs (1-1.5kg) per week of "safe" weight loss; as 1lb = 3500k/cal, that is a reduction of ~1000 - 1500 kcal/day, depending on your dietary intake and exercise output. However, if your BMR requires 1500 kcal/day, you're not going to starve yourself; you may consider dropping your caloric intake to 1000 kcal/day and burning at least 500 kcal/day in exercise; this will be slower gains in terms of weight loss, but the point is, you'll continue to lose weight.
Looking at your food selections, I'd recommend upping the fibre intake substantially; high fibre content tends to promote feelings of fullness and satiety for longer; for example,- Breakfast: 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal (~240 kcal) with fruit (50g of blueberries will give you ~30 kcal) for a total of ~270kcal for your first meal, which should also keep you feeling full for longer.
- Mid-morning Snack: Banana (large) (~121 kcal)
- Lunch: Mixed Greens and Spinach Salad with 50g Tuna (~ 85 kcal) with 1 cup tomato soup (~102 kcal)
- Mid-day Snack: Snackwells Protein Bar (~140 kcal)
- Dinner: 1 medium chicken breast, grilled (~147 kcal) and 1 cup Aloo Gobi (~216 kcal)
- Total Daily Kcal Consumption: 1081 kcal
If your BMR is 1500 kcal or more, you should be able to drop ~1lb a week without factoring in exercise.
These are just my suggestions. Feel free to friend me/PM me if you have any other questions.
That breakfast and mid morning snack are a recipe for disaster for someone with hypoglycemia.My BMR is 1491.9
Okay, so we know target values to aim for. You should be looking to intake about 1000 kcal per day, + ~75% of Exercise Output (so if you burn 500 Kcal, add 375 kcal to your total dietary intake).
As others have noted, don't simply rely on carbs for any meal (or snack), but give yourself a balanced meal/snack or at least one high in dietary fibre. Adding one large hard-boiled egg at breakfast will only add 78 kcal and give you necessary proteins (much less if you skip the yolk - as low as 17 kcal per large egg).
1000 calories a day seems very low... the calculator you linked set my daily calorie needs at 1798 for sedentary. I get that I should eat less than this to lose weight with no exercise but cutting out 798 calories a day seems like a LOT!
I don't think I have the physical capability to burn 500 calories in a workout currently. The last time I burned that many calories was a solid 1 hour bike ride and I'm certainly not capable of anything like that right now (30 minutes at 20km/h is my max), although I'm building up to that but I'm stretching it out to over 6 months to get to that level of fitness again.
500 calories is about 5 miles... 1.5 hour of walking. Just try and have a few 15 minutes walks during the day and it will help too.
I'm confused about how much you're eating and what your TDEE (not BMR is). How much are you trying to lose a week?4 -
I used to be one of those people who "had" to eat every few hours. Had to eat as soon as I got up in the morning, had to plan out meals or make sure I brought snacks with me whenever I left the house. My issue was not just habit or hunger but also blood sugar swings and the weak, shaky feeling when I tanked. I finally learned that what I was eating had a lot to do with the physical discomfort I was having. An overabundance of carbohydrates and very low protein and fiber in my diet. Once I learned to make sure that I had adequate protein, fiber, and fat in every meal, all of that stopped. Most days now, I don't even eat until around noon and I have no problems running errands, exercising, or being late for a meal. I just feel kind of empty if it's been more than a few hours but it's no big deal.
Starting with your breakfast, eat more protein. Shoot for a minimum of 25g of protein, 10g of fat, and 5g fiber in every meal, and make sure that your snacks have a decent amount of at least one of those nutrients in them. It was a life-changer for me.1 -
THe conventional advice for hypos is to eat more often and consistently, along with never eating carbs alone.
But I did read about another approach that has worked well for me. I cant vouch for the science or explanation so much, but it might be worth a try. I believe it is only for reactive hypo (after meals).
The concept is that when you start eating, your body releases insulin. It expects you to eat a full meal, so it sends out enough insulin in anticipation to counteract a FULL meal. If you dont eat a full meal (i.e. snacking, grazing), you now have too much insulin floating around and your blood sugar tanks. So eating smaller meals more often is actually counterproductive.
Now it could be only certain people, especially those with a history of large meal eating trying to switch to more frequent smaller meals are more affected, since their body has been "trained" to expect a large amount of food. I dont know - it seems reasonable?
In any case, to experiment, plan 3 larger meals with NO snacks (split your calories fairly evenly between them). Do the usual combining of protein and fat for sure (not just carbs). Low carb may help? Try to stick to that for a few days and see if it gets better. By eating a full large meal, you "use up" the insulin (i know that is not how it works!) and keep your blood sugar stable.
I fully expect to get push back on this Its not my idea, just something I tried and found some success with. You might at least research some other options if the suggestions above to do not help much. 1 -
I'll try to add more protein. Could be tricky as eggs and beans don't really agree with me (I have IBS to add to my long list of invisible illnesses!). Maybe protein powder in my oats or smoothies would be the best bet?
If I eat oats without protein powder it's guaranteed that I will be weak and shaky quickly.0 -
I drink around 32oz of water in between meals (3) to keep myself from getting that sick-hungry feeling1
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I'll try to add more protein. Could be tricky as eggs and beans don't really agree with me (I have IBS to add to my long list of invisible illnesses!). Maybe protein powder in my oats or smoothies would be the best bet?
And I was going to suggest eggs and beans for breakfast
Protein powder does absolutely nothing to me in term of satiety, unfortunately. If I have oatmeal, I'll have some Greek yogurt on the side or something instead.
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I get low blood sugar at times too. Awful feeling. I find if I focus on complex carbs and some protein I do much better. What you are really trying to do is not get a glucose/insulin spike, so anything that keeps that spike down and spread out. You mention wholegrain bread, but that can be misleading... you want 100% whole grain. Also fresh fruit and vegie and nuts are good.0
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I'm confused about how much you're eating and what your TDEE (not BMR is). How much are you trying to lose a week?
I'm not sure about all that, the calculator linked put my energy needs at 1798, is that TDEE? At this stage I'm just trying to maintain my weight and stop having these blood sugar crashes. I'd like to get to a point where I feel like I can eat less and/or exercise more so that I can drop 5kg to be in my healthy weight range but with these symptoms I just don't feel that's possible right now.
Bear in mind I'm still effected by monthly migraines (hormonal), IBS, depression+anxiety (I'm on meds for this) on top of all this! Not saying that I can't overcome all this (I can and will!) or that I'm worse off than anyone else but much of the time I feel like I'm taking 1 step forward, 2 steps back in the path to getting well... It's all quite overwhelming at times!
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I cheat and take a dose of Bronkaid on days where I dont feel full. Wouldn't really recommend it for the long run, but it's a life saver to me. It makes me not want to eat for 6 hours. No hunger pains or cravings.0
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We often get hungry due to our body craving specific micronutrients. I don't see a lot of protein (macro nutrient) in your daily eating. If you are vegan/vegetarian I would reccomend getting a brown rice based protein shake to get your protein intake up. I get similar symptoms if I don't get enough protein (I now personally aim for 175-225 grams a day depending on activity.)0
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I deal with hypo. What helps is eating 5 small meals a day, spaced out 3 hours. I consume a low GI diet, meaning I stick with carbs that are slow digesting (whole wheat, veggies, low sugar fruit) paired with a protein or healthy fat. It has totally turned things around for me. If you do have refined sugar/white flour, pair it with some sort of fat or protein. If you have a piece of fruit, pair it with cheese or PB.0
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Oatmeal and fruit = pretty much all carbs.2 -
Oatmeal and fruit = pretty much all carbs.
I often add coconut (both dried and milk) and chia seeds to my oats so it's not ALL carbs. The fruit I use is either blueberries or banana. I guess I could stir in some almond meal or sliced almonds and/or psyllium husk to try and up the protein?0 -
Oatmeal and fruit = pretty much all carbs.
What you are forgetting is the fibre content. Oatmeal is a good source of fibre, both soluble and insoluble, which means that any carbohydrate break down will be more gradual, allowing the energy to be accessed over a larger period of time. Same goes for blueberries as well as bananas, particularly green ones, which also add resistant starches.
Take a look into high fibre diets and hypoglycemia - it's the not the disaster you envision.0 -
Oatmeal and fruit = pretty much all carbs.
What you are forgetting is the fibre content. Oatmeal is a good source of fibre, both soluble and insoluble, which means that any carbohydrate break down will be more gradual, allowing the energy to be accessed over a larger period of time. Same goes for blueberries as well as bananas, particularly green ones, which also add resistant starches.
Take a look into high fibre diets and hypoglycemia - it's the not the disaster you envision.
In my experience, it was though, but I guess we're all different (it might depend on the type of oatmeal though... instant vs steel cut).0 -
This has worked for me as well.0
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In my experience, it was though, but I guess we're all different (it might depend on the type of oatmeal though... instant vs steel cut).
Perhaps - I know that hospitals routinely provide oatmeal for diabetic and hypoglycemic patients that stay over (whether for observation, illness, or post-surgery). There may be other factors that make it a trainwreck for you, but the standard dietary criteria for hypoglycemics and diabetics is high-fibre carbs. You may, for example, have other issues with digesting fibre that led to your negative experience or, as noted below, you may have been using instant oatmeal packets that contained added sugars.
A quick check on differences between steel cut vs. rolled/quick oats:
"Nutritionally, steel-cut oats and quick oats are the same, with the exception of instant oatmeal packets, which often contain added sugar. The main differences between the two lie in taste and texture as well as cooking time. Keep both on hand in the kitchen for various uses, including breakfast cereals and baking needs.
Steel-cut oats and quick oats have the same nutritional profile because they're both made from whole oat groats. In general, both contain 74 calories, 3 grams of protein and 2 of grams fiber per 1/2-cup serving, according to registered dietitian Leslie Beck, author of "Foods That Fight Disease." The nutritional value may vary greatly, depending on the brand, however. Steel-cut oats and quick oats are high in vitamins E, B-1 and B-2. Eating three servings of whole grains, including steel-cut oats or quick oats, reduced the risk of having a heart attack or dying from heart disease by 30 percent, according to Harvard University's Nurses' Health Study. A 2007 study found that women who ate two to three servings of whole grains daily were 30 percent less likely to develop type-2 diabetes than those who rarely ate whole grains. Although steel-cut oats and quick oats are nutritionally identical, watch out for instant oatmeal cereals, which usually contain large amounts of sugar and sodium."
For more info, check out this article on The Relative Benefits of Steel-Cut vs. Quick Oats.0
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