• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Is this RH?

New Haven Neil

Well-Known Member
Messages
126
Location
Isle of Man
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Arrogance, awkward people
Waking BG, 6.4

Bowl of shredded wheat.

1 hr afterwards, 11.0
2 hrs afterwards, 7.4
3 hrs afterwards, 3.6 Hypo symptoms.

If I wait, my BG recovers to 5 by hour 4, but I feel shaky, ill and get the brain fog for that hour. So is this RH? Or just a bit of poor control after eating carbs? I generally follow a lowish carb diet, and control my BG quite well, HBA1c generally 36-38 over the last 3 tests.

My GP dismisses it as just 'how it is' and not to worry about it. Yes, yes I know 'don't eat wheat' but I struggle to eat alternatives to cereals for breakfast. Spelt puffed stuff was OK but has become unavailable over here (Isle of Man) due to the CV19 situation, as has a lot of more unusual foodstuffs.

Just interested to hear a few non-medical but experienced opinions!
 
Hi,

That looks very similar to what I would experience, and yes I have RH.

My blood glucose is always worse with gluten foods, but that isn’t the case with everyone.

I went for years skipping breakfast all together, because that low several hours later knocked me off kilter for most of the day. Horrible.
As soon as I realised it was the carbs that were doing it, I dropped breakfast, switched to a very low carb way of eating, and goodness the relief! Felt better from day 1.

Since then, I’ve tried all sorts of different things in the morning, from cheese to full fry ups, to coffeencream, to last night’s leftovers, to nothing... every single one of them left me feeling better than cereal, or toast, or porridge, or carby stuff.

Hope you find a solution that works for you.
 

Yeah, very similar except my blood glucose levels drop further into the fourth hour.
Have you ever recorded a hypo, under 3.5? Even though you do get hypo symptoms above hypo levels, this could be a normal reading for you.
What are your fasting levels before breakfast?
What is your last Hba1c?
What tests have you had?

Best wishes
 
ave you ever recorded a hypo, under 3.5? Even though you do get hypo symptoms above hypo levels, this could be a normal reading for you. Yes, 3.4 several times.

What are your fasting levels before breakfast? In the first post - 6.4 or around that. say 6 -7 as a range.
What is your last Hba1c? 38
What tests have you had? Just several HBA1C and usual full blood panels, GP doesn't see anything else needed. I've only just convinced him about low carbing. Kidneys fine, everything fine, actually. Lost 3 stones in 12 months, now 12 dead.

Breakfast is the one meal I can't miss, I run a business and other meals are as and when, especially at the moment. I don't like cooked breakfast, I like er, cereals...bad I know but that puffed spelt was fine when I could get it. Like sugar puffs with no sugar/honey. Until recently shredded wheat was OK, the RH thing in the morning is a new phenomenon, is this perhaps as my insulin resistance has decreased with low carbing over the last year?
 

I would just like to ask if you don't mind, have you tried fasting,?

The reason I ask is, if you are able, you would be able, like me, do without breakfast and still work normally. I do a very busy job, it's a manual job, plenty of walking and thinking, not having to worry about food whilst doing this doesn't half help.

Shredded wheat is not an option for me, I'm wheat intolerant and even if you have T2, I would not recommend it! If you take another meal that you eat at other times, and have that at breakfast time instead of the cereal, that should give you a better control during your working day. The only other thing I can think of, is to eat more smaller meals every couple of hours, just a low carb snack, that is if you can, not for me though, no time!
You definitely need to find an alternative to cereals, is the bottom line.

If your insulin resistance has become less, then you would not have so much of a problem with the cereal.
 
Last edited:
I'm a Director and technical manager of an e-retail business and am very, very busy. I cannot think straight if I don't eat at breakfast time, and am already getting up at the crack of dawn to cope with things, especially at the moment. Our very survival is dubious, hence the hassles. Fasting unfortunately wouldn't be helpful as I just can't think when hungry, and I do wake hungry! I have read Jason Fung's books!

So I don't have much time, and also sleep badly due to having two orthopaedic disasters I have to cope with, a damaged hip and screws in my foot after a Lisfranc fracture (not recommended - nasty-hurty!). Cooking a breakfast thus isn't really an option, because of all this.

I'll be OK when I can get that spelt cereal again, but supplies here on Fraggle Rock have stopped as the distributors seem to prioritise the UK supplies and cut us off. Same trouble getting the soya noodles which are great, and Burgen bread. I'm sick of eating leaves and plants and meat......#sigh# That's our life I suppose.
 
I’ve found that since going low carb, high fat.... I’m not even hungry anymore. Especially in the mornings. I can easily fast until around 1-2pm.

I would never had thought I could feel this way and obviously it is hard to give up things I have loved for so long.

My point being, you have to ditch the cereal and find an alternative. It will be difficult for a short spell but long term it will make a huge difference to your energy levels and hunger levels.
 

Can you have dairy?
If so, what milk are you having with the cereal?
If you want an alternative then some Greek style yoghurt, full fat, with some berries.
That will satiate you enough till lunch (ish). Some cheese for on the go snack.
That is just one alternative.
Unless like me, you are lactose intolerant!

There are other alternatives all over the low carb forum, I get the leaves and meat diet, I have to improvise my dietary intake around all my intolerances.

Keep safe

Best wishes
 
I'm OK with dairy, and now have full fat 4 star blue cap (local on the island - it's good) milk as we have decided the vitamins are preferable to have, which are not present in semi or skimmed, as well as the fat content for me. Berries - ugh. No way. Hate them I'm afraid, too bitter.

I have been L(ish)CHF for a year now with good control without any drugs, and have battled this hunger all that time. I have lost quite a lot of weight (needed...!) without trying any other dietary restrictions, and still eat quite decent portions. I still am slowly losing weight, Mrs NHN doesn't want me to lose any more as she thinks I look about right now! A lot thinner than in that photo in my avatar taken 18 months ago. It makes me look older though (I'm 61). At least my BP is better as a result, despite work stress issues.

I know I have to accept I can't now eat breakfast cereal, but I didn't have this reactive issue when I was 'diabetic', as in HBA1c was 51. Annoying. I have eaten the same stuff for 50 years.

Spicy chicken for dinner, with heaps of leaves.....

I suppose my issue is I am a picky eater, there are so many things I don't like much, or at all. See berries above. I am trying really hard to try other foods but find a lot of the recommended things hard on my palate. How on earth do people eat tomatoes? I can eat them cooked, in lasagne or something like that, but raw..... eugh.
 
Last edited:

I have always been a really picky eater. Not because of my RH but since a kid, how does anyone eat margarine? How can anyone put cooked really smelly greens in their mouth, and to me they taste like /!£?!.
I was an everything that I could eat with chips guy! Even salad!
Yea because of my dairy intolerance my options are so limited, as to how I get my full fat , but I eat mainly meat with the fat on.
Salad and eggs are an important part of my diet and I eat two to three tomatoes each day, the bigger the better.
I do put small amounts of some of those horrible vegetables in soups, and I cook and freeze them, and usually can't taste them.
So experimenting and trial and error has served me well, along with intermittent fasting and very low carb.
I do often cook ahead of myself, with boiled eggs, sausage and roasted meats as a meal at work, because the food laid on is for sport based people, full of carbs and sauces! A bit of fruit and lots of strong black tea!!!!!

Keep safe

Best wishes
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…