hunger on hypoglycemic diet Posted: 06-17-08 10:33am
I%u2019m 3 weeks into my new diet and I
can reassuringly say I%u2019m still in the
%u2018worse before it gets better%u2019
stage.
I%u2019m struggling to space my meals
without overloading on carbs and I%u2019m
concerned its halting my recovery time.
Currently I%u2019m already on quite a high
150g of carbs a day considering the stage
I%u2019m at in handling my hypoglycemia.
Attempts to cut this down have only made
me hungrier quicker, usually within 1.5
hours. I%u2019m also consuming as much
protein as my body can efficiently digest
at around 30g per meal, so wouldn%u2019t
feel comfortable increasing this to try
and compensate. Fat is at around 10-20g
per meal.
I%u2019ve always had a super fast
metabolism. I%u2019m a big guy but
underweight, and I maintained a constant
weight prior to discovering I had
hypoglycaemia, even with all the sugar I
was consuming.
The advice I%u2019ve been given is that to
stave off hunger you should increase carbs
and to prevent sugar crashes you should
consume more protein. Due to being at the
limit of protein and exceeding the
recommended carb intake for someone not in
control of there hypoglycaemia, I%u2019m
struggling as to what I should do.
My current intake of 150g carbs, 180g
protein and 75g fat (15g sat) is split
between 7 meals. Most advice websites
I%u2019ve been to advocate between 30-120g
of carbs a day during the early stages.
If I do need to cut down, can anyone offer
any advice to help stave off hunger beyond
1.5 hours?
In terms of symptoms, having a foggy brain
is the predominant one. I have lapsed a
few times in my recovery so far (a couple
of delayed meals/exercising to exhaustion
on a hot day and a naughty pack of crisps)
which may have something to do with it. I
haven%u2019t experienced a fully blown
sugar crash as yet but have been close to
it, usually at the same time every day
between 9-12am.
I%u2019m also taking L-Glutamine (5g
morning, 5g afternoon), GlucoBalance, and
a multivitamin.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
|
VictoriaGB
Supporter
Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 180 Location: Wales, UK
Thanks: 3
Thanked:0
Posted: 07-07-08 15:44pm
120g is the minimum carbohydrate you
should be looking at. Any less than that
and your body will start entering
ketosis.
Low carbohydrate isn't always the best
advice for people with reactive
hypoglycemia. At least I assume it's
reactive hypoglycemia you've been
diagnosed with? Your doctor should have
given you at least a brief dietary outline
for you to follow, which would have
sounded something like "eat small regular
meals, include fibre with each meal, and
avoid sugar". 'Sugar' is what will cause a
hypoglycemic attack, not complex
carbohydrates.
My advice with regards to your
carbohydrate intake would be to increase
it until you're more comfortable. Get your
carbs from veggies and good wholegrain
sources. Don't be afraid of the finer
details and what monstrous carbs could
possibly be lurking in your food like
ninja's, this will come in time. The most
important thing is to cut out sugar and
processed foods so you can avoid the blood
sugar drops.
My advice with regards to fat, you can
increase that quite a bit more. A lot of
men on low carb diets (some as low as
20g!) will increase fat massively. As long
as your fats are coming from 'good'
sources (not saturated fat) then that will
be fine.
For me, I used to be on a 20g carb, 150g
protein, and 92g fat. This amount of fat
was too high and with the carbs being so
low I found my body in ketosis, not nice.
I'm now on 120g carbs, 120g protein, and
62g fat which is a much better balance for
me.
For you, you'd need increase all three of
those values according to your total
calorie intake which will obviously be
higher than mine. What you detailed above
is only 2000 calories, which seems quite
low for a well built but underweight male
(and is probably why you're hungry!). You
might want to reconsider your total
calorie intake. 2500 may be better,
depending on your activity level you could
be look at higher again.
You could try 180g carb, 180g protein, and
110g fat. I know the fat seems high at
first, but get this from healthy fat
sources and you should find you're fine.
Don't worry about consuming excess
protein. Excess is 'converted' to glucose
through a process called glyconeogenesis.
This glucose synthesised by the body can
be used (to an extent) in the absence of a
higher carbohydrate diet. It's more
complicated than that, but still, don't be
afraid of a little excess protein
As for what to eat for hunger, some good
ideas include peanut butter (if you like
this, stock up!), cheese (but not 'too'
much cheese), eggs, milk and shakes
(possibly protein shakes if you want to go
down that route), complex
carbohydrates...There's plenty of lower
carb recipes on Google as well as snack
ideas and tips. Preparation is the key
here.
If you're really into the more scientific
side of your diet let me know and I can
point you in some directions.