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Hypoglycemia
I tend to have pretty low blood sugar. If I don't eat in a while, I get weak, shaky, clammy or too hot, irritable, and lightheaded. Haven't fainted yet, but that's only due to experience: I know I gotta eat when I get like that, so I eat before I fall down. The only actual glucose level reading I've had showed me in the high forties or low fifties (can't remember exactly) - somewhat below the normal range, and that was when I was feeling okay.
I hear hypoglycemia is an overused word -- that it's not a disease, but a symptom (after which the same author refers to it as a "syndrome", in which case I think he's just dicking with semantics in order to appear well-informed). I hear from other sources that it is in fact a disease and can have one of two causes: low glycogens in the liver (rare) or overemphatic insulin response (more common, a pre-diabetes condition). I do have diabetes in my family. I don't know what to think about my situation without a glucose tolerance test. Given my needle phobia and the general unpleasantness of getting woozy without food, a glucose tolerance test seems about as attractive as napping on train tracks. But for now, I have tentatively self-diagnosed as hypoglycemic and will take the suggestions provided by dieticians on how to handle that.
This means I have to cut WAY back on simple sugars - no more fruit, sodas, cookies, chocolates, etc. I am going to cheat and allow myself a budget of one bite-sized chocolate in a day. So far, I'm way under budget, so I feel like that's not a danger. Also, very low blood sugar can apparently be treated with an application of simple sugars as long as it's not a big whale of a lot.
I also have to eat more protein and a bunch of complex carbs. Doing this without my fat intake going through the roof will be a challenge. And I should eat many small meals instead of three big ones. That is very difficult for me; I usually eat two meals a day. And I'm hoping to avoid gaining weight OR cholesterol. I have extra as it is.
Omega-3,6,9 fatty acids are apparently good. Olive oil! and those horrid large flaxseed oil pills. Too bad protein doesn't come in pill form. Those powders are pretty bad.
Wheee. Good luck to me.
I hear hypoglycemia is an overused word -- that it's not a disease, but a symptom (after which the same author refers to it as a "syndrome", in which case I think he's just dicking with semantics in order to appear well-informed). I hear from other sources that it is in fact a disease and can have one of two causes: low glycogens in the liver (rare) or overemphatic insulin response (more common, a pre-diabetes condition). I do have diabetes in my family. I don't know what to think about my situation without a glucose tolerance test. Given my needle phobia and the general unpleasantness of getting woozy without food, a glucose tolerance test seems about as attractive as napping on train tracks. But for now, I have tentatively self-diagnosed as hypoglycemic and will take the suggestions provided by dieticians on how to handle that.
This means I have to cut WAY back on simple sugars - no more fruit, sodas, cookies, chocolates, etc. I am going to cheat and allow myself a budget of one bite-sized chocolate in a day. So far, I'm way under budget, so I feel like that's not a danger. Also, very low blood sugar can apparently be treated with an application of simple sugars as long as it's not a big whale of a lot.
I also have to eat more protein and a bunch of complex carbs. Doing this without my fat intake going through the roof will be a challenge. And I should eat many small meals instead of three big ones. That is very difficult for me; I usually eat two meals a day. And I'm hoping to avoid gaining weight OR cholesterol. I have extra as it is.
Omega-3,6,9 fatty acids are apparently good. Olive oil! and those horrid large flaxseed oil pills. Too bad protein doesn't come in pill form. Those powders are pretty bad.
Wheee. Good luck to me.
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Or six of them a day! ;-) Yeah, turkey has been one of my favorite sandwich stuffers since I started fighting the cholesterol thing for real.
I am not a doctor but I talk out of my ass on the net.
A balanced diet is best. People with glucose problems shouldn't eat really high-protein because it is hard on the kidneys. The best thing is to eat some of all 3 food groups at each mealette.
Re: I am not a doctor but I talk out of my ass on the net.
Normally blood sugar never goes below 80 or above 120.
I've heard conflicting reports on this. Some say a fasting reading as low as 60 is just fine. (Mine was a fasting reading.) My doctor seems unworried, but he seems unworried about a lot of things including major pain, so I think I will go ahead and concern myself. :-)
A balanced diet is best. People with glucose problems shouldn't eat really high-protein because it is hard on the kidneys.
Is 20% of your calories from protein "really high"? It's what was recommended for me BUT I don't know how "high" that really is. I know I probably don't eat that much protein naturally, so it'd be an effort to get it.
Re: I am not a doctor but I talk out of my ass on the net.
20% isn't really high. The standard recommendation is 10%. I was just hoping that you weren't contemplating one of those "protein only" types of diets.
Re: I am not a doctor but I talk out of my ass on the net.
That worries me, too. It makes me wonder what my blood glucose levels are like when I AM feeling bad.
20% isn't really high. The standard recommendation is 10%. I was just hoping that you weren't contemplating one of those "protein only" types of diets.
Oh, okay. I didn't know whether double the standard number was enormous. I do have a few Atkins bars to plug into the "holes" in my meal schedule, but that's just to bring the total up a bit.
Re: I am not a doctor but I talk out of my ass on the net.
When you feel bad, it probably has more to do with how fast your sugar dropped than with the raw number. Fast drops cause the body to release adrenaline.
Re: I am not a doctor but I talk out of my ass on the net.
If you mean one of those finger-prick test kits, yeah, they're not that bad. I should just go get me one. They can't cost thaaaaat much.
When you feel bad, it probably has more to do with how fast your sugar dropped than with the raw number. Fast drops cause the body to release adrenaline.
That makes sense out of some confusing things. Thank you!
Re: I am not a doctor but I talk out of my ass on the net.