hypoglycemia (severe)

[kay3osu]

hi,

just found out that i have severe reactive hypoglycemia. (31 blood sugar level at the 2 hour mark!) So i have a terrible time getting into ketosis and have not been able to. (plus am deficient in carnitine and iron and copper) anyone else have this and has this diet helped? when i start the diet i get really bad tinglies on arms and feet and legs and my hand falls asleep all the time. sometimes i feel like i will pass out so i eat something sweet and the whole cycle starts again. anyone else with hypoglycemia on this WOE and how did you do it?? would really appreciate any advice!!! good luck to all!!!

thanks,kay

[Arie]

I am the same way. (46 at 2 hour mark).. I am doing atkins since May, and am in ketosis for 2 months solid.
The trink is to start eating the atkins way (induction) without coundting calories or care about losing weight. Just make sure you eat as much as you need to feel good. Snack alot! I eat 6-7 time a day! It took me a week to get over the initial craving, but since that time I have not looked back.

I you are hypo, you will LOVE the way you feel once the diet kicks in. I am planing to eat this way for the rest of my life just because the way I feel on this WOE. I feel so much better that I don't eaven dream of cheating, I am affraid Ill feel the way I use to before...

[icefire]

hi,

just found out that i have severe reactive hypoglycemia. (31 blood sugar level at the 2 hour mark!) So i have a terrible time getting into ketosis and have not been able to. (plus am deficient in carnitine and iron and copper) anyone else have this and has this diet helped? when i start the diet i get really bad tinglies on arms and feet and legs and my hand falls asleep all the time. sometimes i feel like i will pass out so i eat something sweet and the whole cycle starts again. anyone else with hypoglycemia on this WOE and how did you do it?? would really appreciate any advice!!! good luck to all!!!

thanks,kay


How long between meals are you going? What are you eating? When you feel like you are going to pass out what had you last eaten and when?

My partner is hypoglycemic as are some very good friends and they follow low carb diets and do fine. The most severe reactive averages no more than about 30 carbs a day but she can maintain without crashing at that level.

[pepsi max]

eating little and often is the best way to stop this happening.
the supplement l-glutamine is what atkins suggests to help this condition.it does work.helps to prevent any cravings that the low blood sugar can set off as well.

[kay3osu]

Hi Arie,
Thanks for the reply and it gives me hope!!! You look great and I checked out your workout...impressive! I am not able to do anything that strenous yet. I feel REALLY funny after lifting weights. Walking is what I do and a little on the stat. bike at very low resistance. Even that can make my hypo though. I would like to ask you what you eat in a day? Should it be higher fat or higher protein? Also, I can't have dairy or mayo or nuts so it's a bit of a challenge. Obviously, you are larger and would eat more cals ( i mean that in a good way :) ) but, if you have some time and could list your average food day ( especially if you can remember how you ate at induction) that would really help. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE B4 YOU FELT GOOD AN HOW BAD DID YOU FEEL TILL YOU DID? BEDRIDDEN? :) I just do salads and proteins and oils ( the good kind) I wonder if i eat too much lettuce for induction? I eat about 10 cups. but it's only about 2 g per cup??? maybe i need less to get into ketosis. Well, keep up the great work!!! and thanks to all who responded to my post!
kay

i had to eat last night 12:30 ( 3oz buffalo and some lettuce and now feel very hypo...legs tingling, dizzy etc??????????)

[bevbme]

You ate 3oz of lowfat meat and lettuce 10hrs ago and now you are feeling hypo-You are Hungry-feed yourself. Ive only been up 2hrs and Ive already had 2eggs and 2 sausages. And I expect to have lunch in 3 hrs.

Thats a lot of salad but not a lot of nutrition if it is iceberg lettuce( altho it may count for your water)
It doesn't help to go real low cal on Atkins. 66-70% of your calories should be from fat-olive oil is great but you can have fat in your meat choices too.

Eat often, turkey slices(too bad about the dairy restrictions)avacado and olives are ok . The first couple weeks are rough while you de tox from carbs and learn to burn fat so just know it gets better...

[kay3osu]

thanks for all the feedback! the lettuces are the good kind (meculin, baby romaine, green, red etc...) i think i need to adjust my eating clock. when i eat late at night, it's not because i am hungry. it's because i feel funny. so alot of fat that late doesn't sound good but maybe that's what i need to do to turn the corner. will try to eat by the clock today and see if i still need food late at night. ( i'm sure that's what keeps me from losing) so, off to have some lunch. if anyone feels like volunteering their diet choices, that would be great. the blood type says i should stay away from avocados( i do get a rash when i eat it) and olives so my choices are so limited but i do love eggs and i guess i can try to make my own mayo without vinegar. How long do you feel "funny" or "scary weird" in my case bb4 you start to feel better? is it normal to feel extreme exhaustion where you can barely move?????

anything would be of help.....thanks again, kay

(as far as supplements, get hypo from those too. i would love to take glutamine but can only find it made with rice powder...too hypo for me. is there a brand that doesn't use it that would be good for me?)

i hope i can stick this out. i have been lean and thin all my life. this sudden weight gain has been difficult. 25 pounds in about 2 months??? ALL FAT!!! :) went from high energy to barely being able to walk around the block! but i trust you guys so i will give this a go. need to go lie down now :)

[Arie]

Hi Arie,
Thanks for the reply and it gives me hope!!! You look great and I checked out your workout...impressive! I am not able to do anything that strenous yet. I feel REALLY funny after lifting weights. Walking is what I do and a little on the stat. bike at very low resistance. Even that can make my hypo though. I would like to ask you what you eat in a day? Should it be higher fat or higher protein? Also, I can't have dairy or mayo or nuts so it's a bit of a challenge. Obviously, you are larger and would eat more cals ( i mean that in a good way :) ) but, if you have some time and could list your average food day ( especially if you can remember how you ate at induction) that would really help. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE B4 YOU FELT GOOD AN HOW BAD DID YOU FEEL TILL YOU DID? BEDRIDDEN? :) I just do salads and proteins and oils ( the good kind) I wonder if i eat too much lettuce for induction? I eat about 10 cups. but it's only about 2 g per cup??? maybe i need less to get into ketosis. Well, keep up the great work!!! and thanks to all who responded to my post!
kay

i had to eat last night 12:30 ( 3oz buffalo and some lettuce and now feel very hypo...legs tingling, dizzy etc??????????)


You must get used to living off fat and protein. It takes a couple of week to feel "normal" again on this diet (hence induction).

For the first two weeks eat a lot! don't worry about weight lose! Make sure you eat when ever you are hungry, and if you are not hungry, make sure you eat every 3 hours. Eat only induction approved food, in the quantities approved. Because you are hypo, you must stick to the types of food on induction. You, like me, just think of carbs, and our body pumps insulin (and then we get the shakes,light head, you know..).. eat only 2-3 cups of veggies. eat lots of fat! Fat is good! even when you eat your salads, soak em with olive oil!

You ask what am I eating now: I am still on induction (3rd months) and here's my typical menu:

BF:
coffee with lots (2+ tbls) of cream
two eggs fried in butter

Snack:
5-6 pork rinds toped with cream cheese and a slice of smoked salmon

Lunch:
1 or 2 hotdogs (jumbo - 300 cals from fat)
Sauerkraut, yellow mustard

snack:
half a small can of tuna on top of a bed of lettuce with olive oil/lemon/salt/pepper and some capers or olives
coffee with cream

dinner:
a small stake or lamb, or pork (9-10 oz)
a salad with oily dressing / or some green veggies (broccoli or such)

snack:
a couple of pieces of cheddar, or a slice or two of salami, or a deviled egg, etc.


Remember: I assume I a bigger then you, and I workout almost every day. (I added Aikido twice week). But I can not emphasize more: Eat a lot of fat!!!! Eat a lot of fat!!

Once you get used to this WOE, and you feel good (better then you felt in a long time I promise), then you can start lowering you quantities to match you metabolism. Eat eat eat.. If you get enough fat in you, you will not produce insulin and you will not go hypo. I also learned something from my Dr. Some people (like me) actually produce insulin when they taste sweets, even artificial!!! it lasts a very short time (the duration of the the food in your mouth), but it is enough to give you a reaction. I can tell you, that this gets better over time, and today I am eating splenda stuff with no problems at all, but in the beginning I could feel it... Maybe it was only in my head, but it felt like insulin...

[rhaazz]

Hey k3osu,
Here's a mayo recipe that you can make with lemon juice instead of vinegar. Obviously you want to leave out the sugar. And of course, you're always flirting with salmonella (though I take that risk with my homemade Caesar dressing and have no problems so far -- I buy organic free range eggs in the hopes of reducing the risk).

Makes 2 cups

2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp sugary 1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 1/2 cups salad oil
1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar

Beat the egg yolks in a bowl until thick. Beat in the salt, pepper, mustard and sugar. Add the oil, drop by drop, whisking vigorously between each addition of oil so that it is absorbed completely before the next drop. As the mayonnaise becomes thick and shiny the oil may be added in a thin steam. Finally add the lemon juice or vinegar

[rhaazz]

Forgot to include the rest of the recipe (troubleshooting):

Note : The mayonnaise may curdle if the oil is cold, or is added too quickly or if the yolks are stale. To serve a curdled mayonnaise whisk a fresh egg yolk and gradually whisk in the curdled mayonnaise. Alternatively whisk in a teaspoon of warm water until the mayonnaise is thick and shiny.
The mayonnaise may be conveniently made in a mixer. The procedure remains the same. If a lighter mayonnaise is required the whites of the eggs may be used along with the yolks. In this case it is necessary to use a mixer for complete blendings.

[kay3osu]

hello again!

Arie,
thanks for taking the time to write. greatly appreciated!! i will gladly feel miserable for 2 weeks if there is light at the end of the tunnel. i will eat it all other than the cheese and pile oil on everything. i thank you again. this is the first time i feel hopeful. it will feel good to be able to help someone else once i have mastered this as you have!! one more question and i will stop bugging you. Do you remember how long it took you to get into ketosis? and did you notice a difference in how you felt when your body shifted? and that was not completely true... i will bug you again when i am feeling better so i can thank you again!! take care, and keep me posted on your progress...

rhazz,
thanks so much for the mayo recipe. i will make it tomorrow. i use the same eggs. have you tried the ones with the added omega 3s. i think they are made by (well chickens of course) but the company is country hen and gold circle?? they taste great and now i can have them deviled!!
anyway, you are doing great! good luck to you....

[Arie]

hello again!

Arie,
thanks for taking the time to write. greatly appreciated!! i will gladly feel miserable for 2 weeks if there is light at the end of the tunnel. i will eat it all other than the cheese and pile oil on everything. i thank you again. this is the first time i feel hopeful. it will feel good to be able to help someone else once i have mastered this as you have!! one more question and i will stop bugging you. Do you remember how long it took you to get into ketosis? and did you notice a difference in how you felt when your body shifted? and that was not completely true... i will bug you again when i am feeling better so i can thank you again!! take care, and keep me posted on your progress...



I didn't check to ketosis for the first month. But I assume I the point I felt better was the time I went into ketosis. It took me probably a week or so to get over carbs, and I then realized that I feel so much better. it gets better slowly and gradually that it took me a few days to realize it..

Stick with it. If you stay with induction for 10 days and you still feel sick I would suggest you stop and see a doctor.

[nsmith4366]

Hi. I will find out in a few weeks if I'm hypoglycemic. I've been eating low/"good" carb, "enough" healthy fats and leaner proteins, nonstarch veggies for years now (lost 20 pounds) and because I cannot have fat between meals (medical condition) I eat nonfat plain yogurt between meals throughout the day - sometimes these are my only carbs outside of some low glycemic fruit like some grapefruit or a 1/2 slice of whole grain bread...yes bread. I STILL have sugar lows/I feel between meals an not being able to have fat between meals makes low carbing tough - but not impossible. I am constantly on the look for nonfat high protein snacks that don't have sugar. Some of they whey, egg and soy protein powders fit the bill, but I hate to go "artificial" so I do the nonfat yogurts as much as possible...they are more portable too (6oz). 5 c per/minus 8 carbs for the fermentation. I skip milk/too much sugar in that and avoid sugars completely - mayo doesn't have enough to do me in. My days:

eggwhite omelette, spinach, olive oil maybe a LITTLE bit of toast.

lunch/dinner - any leaner protein salad/cheese, mayo or olive oil...maybe some grapefruit or nuts

snacks up to 4 - 6 oz nonfat plain yogurt (20 carbs)

You just have to bring your own food and keep eating throughout the day...forget when it's mealtime and just eat a snack or a meal. Stick to LOW GLYCEMIC carbs for snacks if you get a sugar low...and eat enough at meals to sustain you - skip the sugar - skip the high glycemic carbs.

Tests will soon show if I am low glycemic. I plan to continue to eat this way no matter what the case is.

I was wondering...if Atkins does LOWER your need for insulin, and you naturally make too much...aren't you really making your hypoglycemia even WORSE whenever you eat ANY carbs?

Huh.

[gawdess]

I had a hypoglycemic reaction on day on Atkins....It was because I hadnt eaten right for 2 days previously and then skipped dinner one night...dont ever skip meals