Need help

benjo123456

Well-Known Member
Messages
92
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Hi. Reading through other posts I know that a lot of this has been asked before, but I need reassurance.

I'm a male who weighs around 250lbs. I've always overeaten, and recently tried to loose some weight by cutting back on the amount I ate. I was fine for about 2 days, and then suddenly all hell seemed to break loose on my body and mind. I suddenly, (from being a very stable, normal person,) became incredibly depressed, tearful and full of panic to the point where I honestly felt like I was having a nervous breakdown. Eating large amounts of carby food gets me back in a normal place pretty quickly, but I don't ant to have to do that.

My blood sugar always stays within normal ranges, but although I never took a test when I was over eating, it must have been high most of the time. I just want to feel normal again, but also to become healthy too.

I have tried to cut out all the carbs and only eat fats, but it was unbearable. Hunger pangs I can cope with, but I turned into a complete monster with anger, depression and panic. I have no started to eat small, regular meals but I am having some brown rice in the meals. Is it okay to do this? I don't think I can go completely carb free yet, so is it okay to slowly taper by having some wholegrains on top of fat and veggies?

Even though I've always overeaten, I also love exercise, but even light exercise now leads me into a hypo. How can I get over all this? Thanks for your help.
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome benjo! :D

I would hate you to get some wrong info, so could you give us a bit more info? To give us a better idea of what may be going on?

Are you diabetic? Pre-diabetic? Reactive hypoglycaemic? Other?
What medication (if any) are you on?
Do you test your blood glucose?
If so, what were your readings before you lowered your carbs?
And did you test while you were feeling so grotty?

What are your reasons for wanting to go low carb?

Sorry to bombard you with questions, but it will really help people respond to you :)
 

benjo123456

Well-Known Member
Messages
92
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Hi. Thanks for your reply. I'm not diabetic. I never took my blood sugar while eating junk, so I'm not sure. Since then, the highest I've seen them is 7.7 my guess is that they would have been permanently high before I started being careful.

As far as I can figure, I seem to be having false hypos though I may be wrong. I have seen a doctor, explained what was going on and he brushed it off. I asked him about false hypos and he said there's no such thing, that it is impossible to get hypoglycemic symptoms unless you take insulin.

I only take asthma meds. My blood reading are only about 4.4 when I feel terrible, which is usual around 4 hours after eating. I know that's not particularly low, but nonetheless I get these symptoms around 4 hours after eating, and only food can stop them. I feel fine after eating.

Reading around, many people say low carb is the way to deal with this?
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks :)

Yes, you can get hypo symptoms without being on insulin. I can and do. Far less frequently nowadays, but i still do sometimes.

Did your unhelpful doc do any blood tests? If so, what and what were the results?

When are you timing your home blood glucose tests? I know the strips are quite pricey if you are self funding, but some systematic testing may help you work out what is happening.

A 'normal' person (without impaired glucose tolerance) won't get high readings at any time. My husband can gorge on xmas truffles, fudge and cakes, and never budge out of 'normal'. And your reading of 7.7 is well within the normal range. But the timing is important.

If you have the strips, test when you wake up (known as Fasting Blood Glucose). Then test before food and 2 hours after. That will build up a picture of what is happening around food. Also test when you get your symptoms.

Having said all of the above, real proper hypos are classed as being under 4. Sometimes 'normal' people experience 3s with no problems, but officially it is a hypo if under 4, especially for people on diabetic medication - which you are not.
So most ppl will confidently say 'it ain't a hypo if you are above 4'.

Me? If my bg is dropping fast, then i feel dreadful, whether i am above 4 or not. It is the speed of the drop that does it. But i wouldn't call a fast drop from (for example) 14 to 5 a hypo, no matter how bad i feel, because it stays above 4.

I'm not trying to put you off, or imply there isn't something going on, I am just trying to give you an idea that there may be several factors at play. :)

By the way, giving up carbs is NOT obligatory. :D
It works for me.
It may help you, but the transition from overeating to no carbs is huge!
If you are still interested in reducing carbs, then you may find a stepped approach (with bg testing) is a more comfortable way of doing it.
 

benjo123456

Well-Known Member
Messages
92
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
My doc didn't know what to do, so we left it at that!

Thanks for your help
 

TIANDB

Well-Known Member
Messages
77
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Hi benjo.. Any kind of diet regime change can give you some symptoms. You must go slowly and if you chose to do lower carb for overweight reasons you must also listen to your body and not fly in and shock yourself. Your readings are in the normal range and could well have been normal while eating your previous diet. You need to have some blood tests to check your readings you could be anemic or vitamin deficient in some way many are Vitamin D deficient. Also ask to check for diabetes if you are concerned.. Get the results published for your records they will do this if asked or register for online viewing. Help will be here if you need assistance with the numbers. The doctor will know if your bloods are out in any way.. Best luck..
 

kokhongw

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,394
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
It would be helpful if you get a glucose meter and start testing on a more regular basis, eg before meals and 2-3 hours after meal, especially when you feel off.

Take a look at my blog post and see if it helps you to connect some dots...
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/newbie-guide-to-t2d.1858/

As @CherryAA pointed out in many of his post, a low insulin diet is what would be very helpful today...so you can start exploring if that path makes sense.
 

Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,793
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes

Hi @benjo123456
Welcome to our forum.

Your doctor hasn't got a clue, mate.

People do have Hypoglycaemia for so many reasons although the majority it is insulin the main cause, but like myself I don't inject, but I do and will hypo if my dietary balance of carbs (baddies), protein and the good fats is right for you.
Because of my experience and experimentation of blood glucose monitoring since 2012, and a food diary full of information, to get my health back and stop the dreadful symptoms and prevent the hypos.
I have had the battle to get a true diagnosis, I had to finally convince my GP to refer me and luckily enough, I got referred to a specialist endocrinologist who recognised the symptoms and I got the tests for that diagnosis.

If you can get over the initial bad hunger, stopping the high carbs and change to a healthy diet for you. The benefits are really great. But it is not easy, it's a daily battle of trying to stop something you have been doing all your life, it's not east but it is possible. If you have ever had to give up something it is similarly difficult.
But do take it slowly. Do it constructively, lower your carbs by about ten percent a day until you are comfortable at a lower level, then if you are ok at that point, then stay there. Once the symptoms lift, then try lowering again.
It is what you believe is best for you.
To start, I would eat small meals every three hours, however you choose, with a small portion of rice in one or two, if you wish. If you do eat fruit, only berries or half an Apple, but no citrus, small and low GI to start, then see how you do by monitoring.

I had terrible anxiety and a lot more symptoms that I didn't even know I had.
Anger, rage, forgetfulness, eyes, shaking, sweating, and like you so emotional!

I have got my life back and I very low carb, I have sacrificed the carbs, to be healthy, I'm never hungry, I don't suffer the symptoms, I don't hypo!

It can be done.

Keep asking knowledge is so important in understanding what you are going through and why!

Best wishes.
 
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Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello Benjo.
I think part of the problem is how you are perceiving low carb - it isn't no carb, and nor is it a choice between none and something really high carb like bread rice and potatoes.
There are lots of foods which are medium to low carbs and which most diabetics can eat - as you are not in the diabetic range then you might have more freedom in what you eat, but the heavy carbs are like the big kid on the seesaw kicking off the ground and slamming the other end down hard, then gravity drops him down, but he's ready again to kick off - and until the carbs are under control you'll be up and down just like that.
Take a look at just how many carbs you are eating - you can look up the values on line, get the percentage, then weigh the food. If you use grams for weighing then you know what the carb value per 100 grams is and you can calculate what you are eating and when. If you then use your meter and note down how a meal affects you then it night be obvious what it is that causes problems - you might need to check before eating then every half hour afterwards - but only until you begin to see a pattern - hopefully.
Try to have medium to low carb foods so you can eat quite a bit of it, and not feel deprived.
 
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