My Hypoglycemic Experience on Day 25

[senorita_]

Hello,

I wanted to share my W30 experience when I complete it, which would be on Tuesday, 18^th, but yesterday on my day #25 I've had horrible hypoglycemic experience.

I have been diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia in 2004 due to hormonal misbalance. I have diabetes in my family and I've been very attentive to what I eat since diagnosis. In 2012 I switched to Paleo and been informing myself on W30 so this is my first W30 round. Due to my hypoglycemic experience I decided to keep carbs low by eating green vegetables, and avoiding fruits and veggies such as sweet potato or squash. It was all good until yesterday, or at least I believed so. I did feel a bit week some days (especially after running-I run 2times a week), but still healthy. I ate proteins and fats and kept carbs up to 10-15% of total daily intake. Somehow, this might have been very bad idea – I haven't had an attack like the one yesterday since 2009!

My meals yesterday were (and it's typical- mostly what I had throughout W30)

3 scrambled eggs in the morning (on lard with kale), coffee

for lunch: canned tuna in water, green butter lettuce, tomato, half of avocado, hard boiled egg, evoo, lemon juice

dinner: chicken breast with handful of almonds

snack (before workout that I could not have gone to): handful of cashews

Just after pre-wo snack I've had hypoglycemic attack. I wasn't even able to swallow without vomiting and it took me half an hour before I could eat a bite of banana. I measured glucose level then and it was 2.5 mmol/L.

I continued measuring today, in the morning it was too low for my Glucometer to show (I think it shows above 1.5). I've had chicken with sweet potato for breakfast and took banana with me. Levels were mostly normal throughout the day (from 5 to 10.2 just after the meal). Something else I realized: when eating proteins and fats with veggies such as leek (I've had chicken with leek- I use lard to grease the pan and ate coconut meat) my glucose levels drop to 1,6 mmol/L after 2 hours! Contrary, after I eat sweet potato instead of leek with the same source of proteins and fats, my glucose level is 5,1.

I'll keep measuring my glucose levels and see how the things go for the last days of W30… it did scare me a bit especially since I really believed that by eating fats I avoid sugar cravings that I used to have. Now I am thinking to add starchy vegetables to most of my meals, or see how it goes if I add forest fruits just after the meal (I've read someone's post here on forum who suggested it worked well with them and their hypoglycemia).

 

I'd like to hear other people's experience here as well as professional advice. I will be visiting my practitioner in the coming days but I am not sure that they would advise me continuing on Paleo. A note here: I live in a country where “the usual†nutrition is still advised by medical practitioners, health and nutrition practitioners, fitness trainers and I will be advised to take sugar substitutes and base my diet on carbs. I have to admit here that I am even not sure I would mention to my practitioner that I don't eat grains and processed foodL

Therefore, I'd appreciate your support here. Thank you in advance!

[Tom Denham]

I am neither a medical practitioner or a person with personal experience with hypoglycemia, but I think you need more carbs to be healthy. The low carb plan you have been doing sounds painful to me. I think your sugar levels would be more stable if you ate sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, or other carb-rich veggies regularly. 

[senorita_]

Thank you Tom for your reply. Yes, sugar levels would be more stable. I think I need to understand the mechanism behind it, I thought keeping low carb intake would keep my sugar level low and stable. I'll try with regular eating what you suggested.

[Lacey Crenshaw]

I am neither a medical practitioner or a person with personal experience with hypoglycemia, but I think you need more carbs to be healthy. The low carb plan you have been doing sounds painful to me. I think your sugar levels would be more stable if you ate sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, or other carb-rich veggies regularly. 

 

This! Im hypoglycemic as well and you have to realize that Whole30 alone is going to stabilize your sugars, so if you're trying to cut carbs your sugar is going to go so so low. I eat sweet potatoes and butternut squash A LOT and it really helps! 

[puppypower]

I am neither a medical practitioner or a person with personal experience with hypoglycemia, but I think you need more carbs to be healthy. The low carb plan you have been doing sounds painful to me. I think your sugar levels would be more stable if you ate sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, or other carb-rich veggies regularly. 

 

What Tom said

 

I have the symptoms of hyperinsulinemia without actually having that condition (I know, I don't understand it either). There have been many blood tests and much dialogue between me and my doctor. So, in a nutshell, whenever I eat a meal, my body overreacts with its production of insulin (so I am insulin-sensitive, not insulin-resistant...at this point anyway) so my blood sugar drops down rapidly back to my fasting level. So, I am as hungry 2 hours after eating a meal as I am first thing in the morning when I haven't eaten for 8 hours.

 

When I started my Whole30, I didn't incorporate starchy vegetables (such as winter squash, sweet potatoe, yams, etc) with each meal, and after the first 3 days, I was a trainwreck. I had super-low blood sugar: shaking, couldn't concentrate/focus, couldn't sleep, anxiety, couldn't remember things, dizzy...you get the idea. (I use a glucometer as well).

 

Two things that I did that helped a great deal was 1) increase the fat consumed with each meal, and 2) eat starchy vegetables with each meal. So I will pretty much have half an avocado with EACH meal (and that is in addition to any fat that is already in the meal), and if I find myself feeling peckish between meals, I will eat a spoonful of coconut butter or coconut oil. This won't have any bearing on your blood sugar, but will provide your body some energy to get it through until the next meal. If I don't have starchy vegetables at a meal, I am hungry literally 30-45 mins after eating (no joke). Starchy veg is the key.

 

For reference, I am getting about 65% of my calories from fat eating a la Whole30...and not only am I not gaining weight, I've lost 7 lbs. I don't know if you're already tracking your food/nutrient intake but I use www.cronometer.com and it has been very helpful for me.

 

Hope that helps!

[senorita_]

Thanks Lacey, thanks Puppypower!

I use MyFitnessPal app to track food and exercises, it's not too accurate but keeps me tracking and I'll definitely check cronometer.

I have not lost a pound for two years now, but I think it's my constitution: I am 5,41 ft tall and weight 130 lbs, have quite tiny bones, (was diagnosed with osteopenia as well) and most fats around my tights and although I'd like to tighten up or shrink a bit, I think target exercises would help more in my case. 

I eat fats (about 55-60%), and that's ok for me, I am used to them. Today I'm continuing with carb dense vegetables, the truth is I can't tell when I'm hungry after I eat them and feel stuffed. Still, I believe your words that eating them will still keep my sugar level normal and not slow me down, maybe my metabolism needs time and works even better with them.

Puppypower, how long did it take you to lose these 7 lbs? Do you have fats and carbs in the same meal or eat them separately?

[senorita_]

One more question, do you workout and what do you eat before wo?

I guess that not eating carbs before wo wouldn't work for us...

[puppypower]

Hi senorita_,

 

To answer your questions:

 

 

Puppypower, how long did it take you to lose these 7 lbs? Do you have fats and carbs in the same meal or eat them separately?

 

It took about 3 weeks for me to lose the weight. I definitely have weight to lose, but that was not my goal while doing a Whole30 (which in my case will be turning into a Whole60 for sure...) it was just an unexpected surprise (I'm one of those people who's always eaten well, paid attention to what she ate, but always had a hard time losing weight...while other people could eat whatever they wanted and remain thin...urgh!) My priority for doing a Whole30 was to see if my food choices affected my sleep (I have sleep issues, and am desparate to resolve them at this point). As per the meal template, I eat the fats and the carbs in the same meal, and have fats and starchy veg at every meal.

 

One more question, do you workout and what do you eat before wo?

I guess that not eating carbs before wo wouldn't work for us...

 

I haven't been working out while doing the Whole30 because (as suspected), I've had low energy levels (which to be fair, is in part due to my sleep issues). Yesterday, I went for a 2+ hr hike with a friend and our dogs, and I knew that I would need a pre-WO meal so I had some protein and fat (as per the template), but also took a W30-compliant electrolyte drink with me, and rehydrated during the hike, which helped a lot. My post-WO meal was protein and some starchy carbs (also, as per the template). 

 

While it would be "easier" to just eat some carbs before a workout, one of the main purposes (in my understanding) of the Whole30 is to retrain your body to look for, and burn, fats for fuel instead of the easy carbs. So, if you're feeding it carbs before a workout, you're undermining your progress.

 

Hope this helps!

[puppypower]

I forgot to add...

 

People who are doing the Whole30 with certain conditions are just going to have to be more rigorous with what they eat at each meal and the timing of those meals. Because diabetes runs on my mom's side of the family, and it's been years now that I've been really sensitive to my blood sugar levels (so much so that if my blood sugar drops below a certain point, I will wake up in the middle of the night needing to eat something in order to fall back asleep!) I am rigorous about tracking what I eat, and the timing of my meals. This has been the only way to see what works and what doesn't. I also have a gut feeling that 30 days will not be enough time to see the benefits I am hoping and looking for (hence, the plan to do a Whole60). It also helps to have a medical professional who is supportive of your efforts to improve yourself and your condition(s). 

 

Rome wasn't built in a day...hang in there!

[senorita_]

Hi senorita_,

 

To answer your questions:

 

 

It took about 3 weeks for me to lose the weight. I definitely have weight to lose, but that was not my goal while doing a Whole30 (which in my case will be turning into a Whole60 for sure...) it was just an unexpected surprise (I'm one of those people who's always eaten well, paid attention to what she ate, but always had a hard time losing weight...while other people could eat whatever they wanted and remain thin...urgh!) My priority for doing a Whole30 was to see if my food choices affected my sleep (I have sleep issues, and am desparate to resolve them at this point). As per the meal template, I eat the fats and the carbs in the same meal, and have fats and starchy veg at every meal.

 

 

I haven't been working out while doing the Whole30 because (as suspected), I've had low energy levels (which to be fair, is in part due to my sleep issues). Yesterday, I went for a 2+ hr hike with a friend and our dogs, and I knew that I would need a pre-WO meal so I had some protein and fat (as per the template), but also took a W30-compliant electrolyte drink with me, and rehydrated during the hike, which helped a lot. My post-WO meal was protein and some starchy carbs (also, as per the template). 

 

While it would be "easier" to just eat some carbs before a workout, one of the main purposes (in my understanding) of the Whole30 is to retrain your body to look for, and burn, fats for fuel instead of the easy carbs. So, if you're feeding it carbs before a workout, you're undermining your progress.

 

Hope this helps!

So, if I got it right, you eat carbs in every meal except the one before wo? 

That's what I've been doing, now got little scared since my last attack and haven't gone running since. I was also unsure about not eating carbs as pre-wo meal... thought it might be different for us, but will follow the rational W30 explanation, what you said, to retain my body to burn fats instead of carbs.

It would be great to find medical professional regarding my questions and unfortunately I haven't found one yet. I will keep looking for one and discuss it with different practitioners, but until then your support here has been of great help to me! It's finally someone to share it with and I am really grateful!

[puppypower]

So, if I got it right, you eat carbs in every meal except the one before wo? 

 

 

Yup!

 

 

It would be great to find medical professional regarding my questions and unfortunately I haven't found one yet. I will keep looking for one and discuss it with different practitioners, but until then your support here has been of great help to me! It's finally someone to share it with and I am really grateful!

 

You're very welcome! I'll try to help in any way I can.

 

And apologies for the delay in replying...I don't know how I missed this.