Dizzy and weak if I don't eat for a few hours

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Replies

  • I would do an 8 hour feeding window every day for a week to get used to it, then progress from there, but a cup of steamed veggies such as broccoli or asparagus will definitely fill you up a little more and have very little in calories while giving you proper nutrients, hope this helps!
  • xarge
    xarge Posts: 484 Member
    Thanks everyone for the helpful advice.

    I am not too thin - I am probably overweight if anything. But I have noticed this problem more since I came off the contraceptive pill a few months back. Could it be hormonal?

    My GP said it may be something I have to live with.
    I fainted once a few years back due to this problem, its very frustrating because the more I eat, the more calories I am taking in.

    Oral contraceptives are known to raise blood sugar levels in some women (as opposed to causing hypoglycemia in some) so that may be the reason. Going off the pill may have caused your blood sugar levels to decrease.

    It's strange that your blood sugar levels are normal, though. Dizziness is a rather severe symptom and very hypoglycemic.
  • cobber01
    cobber01 Posts: 6 Member
    Have you found a solution yet? Thanks Jen for the post.

    I am in the exact same boat, Jen. Although I have not recently taken birth control nor quit. I have gone gluten free, which helps with head aches, although i was tested and do not have celiac disease, but was told i still can have a high sensativity. I am so frustrated with it. Every few hours i get so dizzy..and quickly without hardly warning sometimes. I have even been pricking my finger to test myself...no low blood sugar...if anything maybe a tad on the high end since eating only helps. But all the calories add up. And I have litterally run into walls from being dizzy. My doctor thought it was just stress. But I don't think I am that stressed out, but I do have back pain, which could be a for of stress triggering my fight or flight hormone and perhaps we have reactive hypoglycemia?

    I found a link... http://diabetes.about.com/od/whatisdiabetes/qt/reacthypoglycem.htm
    What is the cause of reactive hypoglycemia?
    The exact cause of reactive hypoglycemia is still unknown, but there are several hypothesis that might explain why it can happen.
    Sensitivity to epinephrine, a hormone that is released in the body during times of stress.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I'm following a low carb, high fat whole foods based diet and that fixed the problem for me -- so much so I was able to fast for two DAYS without issue which seemed inconceivable to me when going a few hours without eating used to make me sick.

    I've never felt better and I imagine I'll be eating like this for the rest of my life, it's very similar to Paleo/Primal but less restrictive I think.

    http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
    What's your typical daily calorie intake?
  • cobber01
    cobber01 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks AlabasterVerve, I'll try that. My calorie intake is normal for me...about 2,000 calories, and I work out regularly, 3-5 times per week.
  • 007daddy
    007daddy Posts: 1 Member
    since getting a stomach bug 5 years ago my life has been dominated by dizziness, extreme hunger and fatigue (i've had every test under the sun) - the only they can determine is that I have excess stomach acid. I have to eat every two hours or else I'll collapse - it's a joke, before all this I could go the whole day just on coffee... anyone had similar and cured this??
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    I've had this too - literally down to seeing my physician multiple times and having everything come back completely normal. Even my A1C came back super normal so my blood sugar levels are fine.

    Things I do to avoid symptoms:
    Eat in a timely manner.
    Keep a reasonable snack on hand such as a protein bar or a few apple slices with cheese.
    Ensure my electrolytes are ok via salt consumption, and moderate water intake.
    Get up slowly from chairs.
    Exercise regularly.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
    This used to happen to me too. I'd get nauseous and shaky - I'd be so hungry on my way home from work that my hands would be shaking and I'd start getting dizzy. And I'd need to just shovel food into my mouth as soon as I stepped in the door.

    But after I switched to a keto diet, it completely stopped happening. I think it was being caused by sugar crashes while following a high-carb diet. So once I switched to low-carb high-fat, it totally helped. Now my hunger levels are very stable - I feel a very slow progress towards hunger and none of the awful side effects of sugar crashing.

    Just something to look into!
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,122 Member
    jenfidge wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for the helpful advice.

    I am not too thin - I am probably overweight if anything. But I have noticed this problem more since I came off the contraceptive pill a few months back. Could it be hormonal?

    My GP said it may be something I have to live with.
    I fainted once a few years back due to this problem, its very frustrating because the more I eat, the more calories I am taking in.

    Eating more frequently doesn't have to mean eating more calories, you can eat smaller meals across the day or factor snacks into your calorie allowance. Pre-logging can be a big help. You could also change your meal names to time periods i.e. instead of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Snacks have 00:00-06:00 06:00-12:00, 12:00-18:00 & 18:00-00:00, you can do this in diary settings.

    If you're trying to lose weight, you can also just adjust to a lower weight loss rate and lose slower to give yourself a bit more allowance - not sure if you are as you mentioned being overweight and this is the general diet & weight loss board but didn't specifically mention wanting to lose.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member

    I used to have this too, still do once in a while. For me, it's related to caffeine intake. Decrease the tea consumption, and I don't get the shaky, dizzy, hungry feeling.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    I used to have that problem and like you my blood sugar levels were fine according to blood work. When I changed my diet and stopped eating so many refined carbs like white bread, white rice, pasta and potatoes which had made up the majority of my diet, and cut out drinking soda/pop, the problem went away. So even though I was not presenting as a diabetic I was having a problem with too much sugar/carbs in my diet.

    I still eat pasta, bread and rice but now I most often choose whole grain bread pasta and rices like brown and wild. Less potatoes and more often red than russets as they have a lower glycemic index. I eat those things less often and in slapper proportion to my overall diet and eat more things like lentils, barley, beans, cheeses, plenty of veg and lean protein.

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    Looks like the zombies are out this morning
  • roxym5
    roxym5 Posts: 8 Member
    Omg! thank you for posting about this issue. I been trying to figured out what is going on with me. Same my doctors says I have nothing wrong but I been feeling overwhelmed with these symptoms. I been reading most of your postings and find very interesting suggestions on how to lessen these symptoms. Thank you!!
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,122 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Looks like the zombies are out this morning

    I hadn't even noticed the original post that was old lol
  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,216 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Looks like the zombies are out this morning

    Somebody flagged you for pointing out the necro. lololol
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I'm following a low carb, high fat whole foods based diet and that fixed the problem for me -- so much so I was able to fast for two DAYS without issue which seemed inconceivable to me when going a few hours without eating used to make me sick.

    I've never felt better and I imagine I'll be eating like this for the rest of my life, it's very similar to Paleo/Primal but less restrictive I think.

    http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

    Funny to see such an old post. Four or five years later and I'm still eating a low carb diet and can easily skip a meal if need be without feeling sick.
  • singerwithabass
    singerwithabass Posts: 1 Member
    That is a great website (www.dietdoctor.com). I'm bookmarking it. Great that it is working out so well for you! I starting eating low carb when I turned 40, 11 years ago. I immediately stopped getting the afternoon crash/food coma, I gained a lot more consistent energy throughout the day and have maintained my weight (5'8" 130) within about 4 lbs either way. Stopped getting bloated also. I haven't bought bread in years and if I do eat an occasional fast food meal (I had my first Jack in the Box meal in years last week) I pay for it with stomach cramps.
  • DumbledoresPhoenix
    DumbledoresPhoenix Posts: 27 Member
    Does your heart race or have trouble adjusting when sitting/standing, too? You could look into POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome).