[bulshtdecorator]

Hey everyone,

I was recently diagnosed with Hypoglycemia and have been having a really hard time figuring out the right things to eat. I seem to be a "reactive" hypoglycemic since I get dizzy, numb, confused and forgetfull when my blood sugar is really off.

I read through all the posts about this and FINALLY got some great information. I have a few questions though.

I was also diagnosed with clinical depression (no, I'm not sad, my body's chemicals are just all screwy so I had emotional swings and it made me suceptable to belly fat). I exercise a lot. I go to the gym 5-7 days a week and do cardio, weight lifting and just try to stay active. I am trying to lose about 5 pounds also but I am not a dieter and working out is a lifestyle for me. Reading about cardio exercise and what to eat for energy and weight loss is kind of hard to translate into the hypoglycemic diet. Apparently, your body has high blood sugar in the morning so that is a good time to do cardio. I read that it is a good idea to drink some OJ before doing morning cardio.....doesn't sound like a good idea for a hypoglycemic.

I love sugar (I was on a practically all sugar diet a couple years ago...no wonder I'm hg)

I love fruit

I love veggies but I guess my favorites are the ones taht are sweet (carrots, corn, ::sugar:: snap peas....lol

My favorite food is cereal

If I could, I would eat nothing but bread and water

I prefer not to eat tofu as a main source of protein since it contains a ton of estrogen which makes you store fat.

So you can see that becoming hypoglycemic was probably totally my own doing and that it was not a very welcome discovery...

So basically, I was wondering what you all thought about this. What's a good time to do cardio, what types of foods should you eat before and after working out, and generally what types of foods are best for this lifestyle? Are there any others out there like me who's sweet tooth got them into this whole mess? What do you DO???

 

[oregoncoastWill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulshtdecorator

I read that it is a good idea to drink some OJ before doing morning cardio.....doesn't sound like a good idea for a hypoglycemic.

Orange juice or milk and graham crackers are a good thing for a hypoglycemic to consume- This is what we give to diabetic patients in the hospital when their blood sugar gets too low. You need to maintain a steady level of sugar in your blood which means eating carbs. I have more experience with the other end- people who are hyperglycemic- but I would suggest doing some research to find some ideas on how to maintain your sugars- Definately though before excercising you need to have a snack!

 

[gaya]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oregoncoastWill

Orange juice or milk and graham crackers are a good thing for a hypoglycemic to consume- This is what we give to diabetic patients in the hospital when their blood sugar gets too low. You need to maintain a steady level of sugar in your blood which means eating carbs. I have more experience with the other end- people who are hyperglycemic- but I would suggest doing some research to find some ideas on how to maintain your sugars- Definately though before excercising you need to have a snack!

Actually, it's better to consume protiens or complex carbs. I don't mean to confuse the OP or contradict you but juice imo isn't the way to go. If she drinks juice her sugar and insulin will spike really fast and she'll be back where she started. Simple carb meals contribute to hypoglycemia. Complex carbs take longer to digest and this will keep blood glucose at constant levels rather than spiking. Same goes for proteins, which are converted to glucose if needed but this glucose enters the blood stream at a slower rate keeping levels again, more constant.

There's info all over the net about hypoglycemia and unless you have some serious primary conditions it shouldn't be that hard to control.

 

[oregoncoastWill]

What I meant, was a quick way to raise blood sugar that gets too low- it can be dangerous to bottom out- the orange juice/ milk and crackers would be a quick way to raise the low sugar- and when I said maintain blood sugar by eating carbs,I meant complex, I would never advise someone to base their diet on sugar! Hopefully you can find some good meal plans to learn how to keep your sugars even and stay healthy!

 

[Thalia]

I ought to look into this, too. I get a little hypoglycemic sometimes. When I exercise, I often get very tired and hungry. Sometimes I end up eating while I exercise, which makes me feel like a glutton, but really, it helps.

 

[Jessica Alana]

I've had some unexplained weight gain just within the past couple months (since I stopped raw, actually..), and my hair had changed and become kind of fragile, so my stylist and I both thought it might be thyroid related. My doctor did a panel and the only abnormal thing was my fasting glucose, which was at 55, with 70-95 as normal. So I'm kind of checking into this as well.

 

[Thalia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessica Alana

I've had some unexplained weight gain just within the past couple months (since I stopped raw, actually..), and my hair had changed and become kind of fragile, so my stylist and I both thought it might be thyroid related. My doctor did a panel and the only abnormal thing was my fasting glucose, which was at 55, with 70-95 as normal. So I'm kind of checking into this as well.

Crud!! Your post just reminded me that I forgot to get my blood taken for thyroid and other labs AGAIN!

 

[gaya]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oregoncoastWill

What I meant, was a quick way to raise blood sugar that gets too low- it can be dangerous to bottom out- the orange juice/ milk and crackers would be a quick way to raise the low sugar- and when I said maintain blood sugar by eating carbs,I meant complex, I would never advise someone to base their diet on sugar! Hopefully you can find some good meal plans to learn how to keep your sugars even and stay healthy!

oh yea, agreed. bottoming out would be dangerous. hopefully the OP is not in such a dangerous situation. I was just figuring the OP was correct in her own diagnosis...that she may have been stimulating her issues from a sugar based diet. I can relate as well. Once i stopped eating sugar, i no longer had hypo symptoms. And i had them pretty bad (sweating, shaking, almost passing out). I would combat it with a sugar item and then two hours later, there i was again. Now my carbs only come from whole veggies and it was amazing how the issue just went away for me. I wonder what havoc that kind of yo yoing did to my body.

 

[sandybeachbums]

I grew up with wonky bloodsugar. I had three children and with my last I developed gestational diabetes. My blood sugar just hasn't been the same since.

A few things that help me are the following:

Your blood sugar is lowest in the morning for sure. If you work out first thing in the morning make sure you get something to eat. I like a smoothie or sprouted toast with almond butter. For a smoothie I might use a small banana, some rice or hemp protein powder, Vitamineral greens, ground flax and water or UNSWEETENED soymilk. If you throw in some strawberries or blackberries it hides the hemp, greens and flax really well.

Sprouted bread is amazing stuff for your blood sugar. It's hard to get used to, but there are some times in life where you just suck it up and decide to change.

Eat salads before any meal that you can stomach it!

Take it easy and carry around a bit of a snack whenever you are out. A half a cliff bar, a smoothie in a thermos. You don't want to play around with your blood sugar. Your goal should be to eat well, exercise regularly and keep it balanced.

 

[Jessica Alana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thalia

Crud!! Your post just reminded me that I forgot to get my blood taken for thyroid and other labs AGAIN!

You're welcome!

 

[bulshtdecorator]

Thank you so much for all the help. That all makes a lot of sense. I like the smoothie idea. I loooooove smoothies.

Yesterday I had a midmorning snack of salted pretzels with some organic pb and it seemed to really help balance me out. By lunch I was feeling good and had a lettuce, black bean, sprout and hummous sandwich (sounds gross but it is sooooo good). It seemed to give me a lot of energy so if I add a smoothie before I go to the gym in the afternoon I should be good. And if I start running in the a.m. maybe I'll just start with some sprouted bread.

Thanks for the ideas

 

[LisaP]

You need meals with equal amounts of protein, complex carbs and fat. No simple sugars at all. The more fiber, the better. Eat small frequent meals. Large meals that distend the stomach cause more insulin release. Protein, fat and fiber will slow down your absorption of carbs so you stay level instead of having extreme highs and lows. Look at your diet. Too many carbs, your pancrease is working overtime. Hard to do on a vegetarian diet, but still very important. You will find it challenging, for sure, but its the only way to get better. You should never eat a carb food alone if you have either hypo or hyperglycemia. (unless you're having an extreme low blood sugar emergency) Remeber complex food, long digestion is the better way to go. Eating regular cereal and milk is no different than shooting sugar into your veins. Then, in your case, your pancrease overreacts and sends you into a low. Its a vicious cycle.