Am I Reactive Hypoglycemic?

Hi All, this week I have been having a low carb breakfast of 2 slices of hi lo bread with a nut butter. I then set a stop watch and ate something else by 1.5 hours or so after. At this time I had some coconut vanilla yoghurt (made from coconut not dairy) with some chia seeds and bit of fruit. So far this has been ok so I'm sticking with this formula for a while in case its a chance thing. Previously I was having fruit nuts and oats for breakfast, but hear oats can make BG spike, and then the fruit on top. I have tried just fruit and yoghurt too and within an hour or so I'm having a crashing feeling and getting migraine. I think its trial and error but defo going low carb at breakfast and then maybe relaxing a bit as go through the day as seem to manage much better later on with higher carb amounts. I want to keep metabolic flexibility where I can and not opt for v low carb all the time. I've tried with bed time snacks and without and still experimenting with that. This week I've gone without and it seems ok with the hi lo bread for breakfast. It has on 5g of carb per slice. Hovis also do a low carb one. I also decided to start using the stop watch from first mouthful as Lamont D mentions that is when all the digestive mechanisms kick in, so I usually doing a snack around 2-2.5 after breakfast.

However, this morning I have run out of the hi lo bread so has a 50g slice of rye sourdough with the same nut butter. Started stop watch and within an 1 hr 8mins |I'm weak a bit shaky and getting a migraine. I panicked and thought to bring my break forwards and started the coconut yoghurt , then though this is too fatty and I should go for the 15;15, so now I've just had some glucose tabs and am waiting. I've had to cancel my yoga class

I know I may be better off bread, but this as all trial and error and I was doing OK on the hi lo, but now I guess I better not have the sourdough rye or try again another morning and see if i get the same effect.


Im still pondering a glucose sensor on my arm as i can then move faster with identifying if certain foods cause spikes and crashes causing my migraine or to rule this out. It may be idiopathic and im not really hypo but definitely feel it, and the 15:15 works to a degree. Some of the apps get poor reviews though which is why I'm still pondering that one...

Lamont D said:

Congrats on the progress you have made.
It will take time to get through your favoured foods and I would agree that you do need a blood glucose monitor to actually know what is causing your symptoms.

All through my experimental period, I was surprised at which foods triggered the reaction. Some vegetables, some bread especially if it had wheat in, oats, I even tried pumpernickle and German low GI breads, it still happened. Having lactose intolerance it was really difficult to understand how I got my vitamins, but I can tolerate small pieces of fruit, but I still have to be careful, berries are the best, you can get frozen berries and store them in the freezer using little amounts of say, summer fruits in the yoghurt you mentioned.
Until you do try every variety of food, and you start eating to make sure you can tolerate them, can you really start getting your health back.
Always look after yourself whilst in this time, control is good, no control is bad.

It is a blessing, that I can tolerate meat and a choice of fish, because I wouldn't know what else is my main source of protein, along with salad, this is what I depend on so much.

Keep safe

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Thank you for your support. I felt rubbish all day with migraine. Still not great now but I think it did help getting in with the 15:15 quick, but once that dip had started the migraine couldn't be reversed just managed for intensity. Sometimes it not a headache but what is called a silent migraine, and I just feel like I've been poisoned or have a really bad hangover even though not touched a drop. I'm still a bit iffy this morning not knowing which way it will go. I'll keep posting updates for those interested or who may be experiencing something similar.

Hi All, Interesting to readback on my posts from a few months ago and I have learned a lot. Well I tried a cgm (free style libre) and the results have been interesting. It too am very spikey with potatoes (probably my worst food), corn and rice. Wheat doesn't seem that bad. As long as I keep dinner 30 - 60g carbs I don't seem to have a nightly hypo, which I was having sometimes. I also found a breakfast that seems to work well. I was almost given up on the oats when I just sort of fell up on it. If I have oats, peanut butter and soya milk and chia seed, I seem to be Ok in the main (30%C, 50% F 20% P). If I add fruit, even to same macro ratio by (decreasing oats) then its another story and BG increases and the really weird hypo feelings, even though I'm not hypo. Even as much as 2.5ml of maple syrup made all the difference, found it quite unbelievable really. I think when I have been feeling ill, its because of the raising and falling of BG. Also If I go below about 5.2mmol (my average) I quickly start feeling unwell. I still have to have a mid morning and afternoon snack though which I wish I could get rid of. I tried to remove a morning snack this week and for the first time in weeks ended up with a migraine (Mon to Thurs) just for the trying to miss one snack which are generally 15g carbs - is that really worth it. I had breakfast later and tired to do an earlier lunch to miss it, but as lunch had a slight delay (poss 1/2 hr max) it was enough to push me over the edge and I couldn't reverse the migraine. I have found out that I can go without a night time snack which is good as I hate eating before bed. I can also get up and leave breakfast a little while 1-2 hours as |I do get a natural glucose spike on waking so do this to try and get a 12 hour fast in. From this cgm, it has given me the incentive to decrease my carb levels and the high peaks are less now. I have checked out the Angela Stanton Protocol so thanks for that tip. It's a lot to take in and to be honest, I was doing ok with what I was doing so was sticking with it for now, but may move to next stage if I need to. So, I'm not going hypoglyceamic (sometimes at night, and if I exercise too vigorously) but I do feel really ill as if I am when my levels drop below normal. I sip a bit of apple juice in yoga and it helps to keep me level. The sensor estimated my A1C is 4.9% - 30mmol/mol which I think looks good by googling. I will carry on with the quest to perfect towards lower carbs but all takes time and a lot to manage with the logging etc. Thanks All.

Lamont D said:

I totally agree with you about the quick spikes and quick drops that are causing your symptoms, but I would still persist in recording your results.
You have done so well to get here and you have found out so much of how your body works, but it is still a work in progress, so don't stop testing.

Keep safe, keep asking, keep testing.

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Thanks so much for your help and encouragement. I hope you are feeling a bit better yourself now.

I know what you mean. Everything has been so much effort this year. Can't go anywhere without booking ahead etc, so most of the time not bothered. Looking forward to Christmas too but will be different in many ways and hope to keep the carbs low. Best keep the potatoes to a minimum Take care and thank you.