Low blood sugar?

[UrbanShaman]

Hi all:

I am starting on my second week of Induction and I've noticed this increasing tendency to have these weak low sugar episodes. I had suffered from hypoglycemia about ten years ago but it went away after learning to eat throughout the day. Suddenly it's back with a vengeance.

I was wondering if any one had experienced these kind of resurgences and what to do about it. I used to eat a granola bar or a fruit and string cheese when my sugar dipped. Obviously those options are out. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Elizellen]

Re: Low blood sugar?

Have you introduced anything new to your menus?

Blood sugar problems are one of the things that lets us know in OWL that a certain food or combination of foods is not good for our body and that we should drop it/them from our list of choices for the moment.

[DuchessOfDork]

Re: Low blood sugar?

I had that happen to me quite a bit during the first week of induction. What I did was start eating breakfast earlier and included cheese. Cheese has some natural sugars in there, and it seemed to help.

[spazzyhilo]

Re: Low blood sugar?

I also have hyposglycemia and Atkins has been the only thing to keep me balanced. What helps for me is veggies - sweeter ones especially. My favorite is red peppers. My tastebuds have changed so much that i can detect sugars so much easier now. Red peppers are almost like candy to me

[D14965]

Re: Low blood sugar?

I felt a bit like that during induction ... turned out I was low in potassium - I started taking a potassium supplement once a day and have been fine ever since.

[UrbanShaman]

Re: Low blood sugar?

Well, I took everyone's advice and went over my meals for the last few days and I think I've run into a couple things actually. Firstly, I don't think I'm eating enough carbs. I've been averaging 10-12 carbs a day and I'm sure my blood sugar is rebelling over it. I feel like I'm eating enough but I haven't gone into the higher carb veggies like peppers until yesterday and lo and behold I do feel better.

Secondly, I haven't been taking a multivitamin and I'm thinking the lack of some nutrients could be triggering my low spells too. So I'm going to buy a big bottle of multi's at lunch today and make sure to get closer to 20 carbs and see if that makes a difference. Thanks for everyone's ideas. Please let me know if you think the steps I'll be taking will help.

[julirama723]

Re: Low blood sugar?

Make sure that your multivitamin has NO IRON. We eat enough protein on Atkins that we don't need extra. Look for a 50+ or seniors vitamin like Centrum Silver.

Take advantage of those higher carb veggies! Eat peppers, pumpkin, spaghetti squash. I would also suggest moving on to OWL Rung 1 immediately after induction, adding another 5g serving of induction veggies each day.

[D14965]

Re: Low blood sugar?

Yes - i think the multi vitamin is ESSENTIAL . we drink so much water that a lot of minerals and vitamins get washed away and you really MUST take a mmulti vitamin daily and as Julie said - without iron . I ound it hard at first to ind an iron free multi so just took a regular multi . The extra iron made me constipated and as soon as I found an Iron free one I was back to my regular routine

[Ketone]

Re: Low blood sugar?

I would up your carbs. Do what ^^^^^ they say too. good luck.

[nursegal]

Re: Low blood sugar?

What I have learned in nursing school is that when you have an episode of hypoglycemia....even though you are on induction, a small cup of orange juice does the trick...and it won't put weight on you. You must respond to what your body is telling you and if your body is telling you that you are in a sugar low...and feel it physiologically.....then you need to get some sugar into your blood stream. Even a few sections of an orange will do the trick. It shouldn't throw your body out of ketosis. I hope this helps!

[LCer09]

Re: Low blood sugar?

I felt a bit like that during induction ... turned out I was low in potassium - I started taking a potassium supplement once a day and have been fine ever since.

Switching to lite salt (potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride) can take care of potassium issues as well. It took care of the nasty leg cramps I was getting during induction. Nobody in my house ever even noticed the change, and I haven't had 'regular' salt around for four years.

[ValidRouge]

Re: Low blood sugar?

I do not agree with the orange juice theory. Nursing school is just repeating the same old regurgitated "science" that IMO is wrong.

Drinking juice is just going to exacerbate the problem long term. Yes it might help the feeling RIGHT THEN, but in a couple hours it is going to continue to be a problem. Most of the time it doesn't happen because the majority of the population will eat something with more carbs and keep the carbs coming. If you are low carbing, then drink juice which will cause the body to release even MORE insulin, you are going to Perpetuate the vicious cycle.

Get your body through the detox and spread your veggies out throughout the day to keep blood sugars stable. Eat a snack, high fat and that will help stabilize it as well.

[floydgirl]

Re: Low blood sugar?

I suffer from hypoglycemia, too. What helps me is to eat frequently. I eat a snack about every 2 hours. If the snack is a carb, then eat some fat with it. It's a pain to constantly be snacking, but it is the only thing that helps me avoid the low drops.

The thing about low blood sugar, it is best to prevent it from happening. The frequent small snacks is the ticket for me!

The only time OJ should be used is in an emergency situation, if you are having very severe symptoms. Extremely low blood sugar is no joke, and should be treated as an emergency. Trust me, you'll know if it is happening to you, it's not pleasant.

[UrbanShaman]

Re: Low blood sugar?

Thanks again for all the wonderful replies. I've taken quite a bit of the advice. I'm taking vitamins and I've spaced out my veggies. I have a snack if I start to feel low, a bit of chicken salad with mayo and I haven't had a low episode this week.

I agree with several posters on the no OJ rule. If I'm low enough to need OJ, then I need to go to the hospital right after, because all it does is make my sugars spike all over the place.

You guys are such a great bunch! Thanks for all the info. Who knew I'd be eating chicken salad instead of a granola bar to get through low blood sugar?

[Bren]

Re: Low blood sugar?

Rule of thumb (for diabetics) is low blood sugar should be treated with 15 carbs every 15 minutes until a normal reading is achieved. But, I believe most people find just spreading the carbs through out the day keeps the balance.