non diabetic hypoglycaemia +exercise

A lot of the RH forum members have found that eating in a low carb way has helped stop the spikes that then lead to RH crashes.
Sports drink with their sugars are likely to be far worse than a nice bacon and egg breakfast.

tilly97531 said:

Thanks for your help!
I will definitely keep that in mind
I used to be anorexic so I dont want to cut out carbs completely.
I have switched to wholemeal and am trying to not eat as many refined carbs too.
Do you when is best to eat before a workout to prevent sugar lows?

thanks in advance

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Unfortunately most carbs will likely cause a peak and then ensuing crash which is what you probably want to avoid.
Edit to add the colour of the carbs doesn't seem to make much difference to many. But refined will be undoubtedly worst for you.

Better to use fats and proteins for sustenance.

I'm not an "exerciser" so have no tips on workouts sorry.. some might use a whey protein drink with zero sugars and very few carbs maybe? Avocado too nicely fat and protein mixed with fewer carbs?

tilly97531 said:

Thanks for your help!
I will definitely keep that in mind
I used to be anorexic so I dont want to cut out carbs completely.
I have switched to wholemeal and am trying to not eat as many refined carbs too.
Do you when is best to eat before a workout to prevent sugar lows?

thanks in advance

Click to expand...

I don't know the ins and outs of anorexia well enough to properly advise, but if you eat low carb, you can have a very, very full plate all the same. I mean, if you have 4 or so eggs with high meat content sausages, ham, bacon, grated full fat cheese and what have you before a workout, maybe some low carb whey protein stuff before or after as well, that doesn't sound particularly anorexic to me. It is, however, low carb, and it won't spike your blood sugars, and won't get your blood sugars to drop like a stone afterwards when your pancreas overreacts. Yet you'd still have enough fats and protein to have something to burn while you work out. A carb is a carb is a carb, really, so brown or white, wholemeal or processed to death doesn't really matter all that much to your metabolism, most likely. Key here is to keep your pancreas from overreacting. That doesn't mean eating less, just eating differently.

Hi @tilly97531 and welcome to our forum.
If you have non diabetic Hypoglycaemia, that has been modernised to reactive hypoglycaemia, there are quite a few different types of Hypoglycaemia.
RH is caused by food, in the main carbs and sugars, this why many call it carb intolerance, as any carbs will trigger an episode of hyper/hypo. And all the symptoms you are getting. I can't and won't eat carbs.
When you eat carbs, the amount of glucose derived from them rapidly spikes your blood glucose levels, this is because of a lack of the initial insulin response. This is the trigger for your body to react to the high levels by producing what is known as an insulin overshoot. This will drive your blood glucose levels down into hypoglycaemia, unless you have eaten or drank again, which is what you are doing. But it doesn't stop the symptoms or helping with control, this is why it effects every aspect of exercise. Because of the overshoot of insulin, the body will react again with a liver dump, it is a natural reaction to low levels of blood glucose.
Then because of the symptoms, your brain is telling you to eat more carbs.
It is a vicious cycle.
I can walk miles and some relaxing swimming, but not weights or distance running. But what ever you decide to do, how much exercise is your way forward.
Dietary advice is critical and if you eat very low carb before exercise this might not work. It's a case of trial and error.
I am in ketosis most of the time, I find I can work all day if I fast. I use intermittent fasting and only eat in a five hours window, say from 3pm to 7pm. I don't have a particular time to eat but I won't eat after 7pm, so I know I'm not going to hypo overnight.
Research dietdoctor.com, for dietary advice.
Research exercise on Keto.
Research RH.
Get to know why your body is weird, because the importance of understanding RH and the excess insulin you produce. It is quite a rare condition.
Read our forum. The knowledge is from those who have experienced RH, and of course how we control the condition.
When you have carbs, and you go hypo, if you treat the hypo with more carbs to boost your blood glucose levels, this will cause a rebound effect and the likelihood of getting hypos all day long. This is not healthy. Be careful what eat in the morning, as that will effect your blood glucose levels through the day.
What tests have you had?
Have you got a glucometer?
What meds are you on?
Has your endocrinologist recommended any meds?
I would recommend keeping a food diary and testing to see if your body copes with certain favourite foods.
Let us know how you get on.

Keep safe.

tilly97531 said:

Hi,

I have recently been diagnosed with non diabetic hypoglycaemia. I am a personal trainer who does resistance training but am now finding it hard to exercise. I never used to eat before I worked out as it made me feel sick however, I am so shaky now. I have been taking sports drinks to the gym which has helped but then it makes me worse after.

What would you recommend to eat before a workout and how long before as I am stuck?

thanks so much!

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Hi, I have struggled with managing exercise and RH - every body responds differently but, if it helps, I found that I need to ensure exercise takes place around 1.5 hours or more after eating (so glucose has stabilised and is not going down) and I eat very small amounts of lowish carb food (I eat single protein balls which have @4g carbs plus fibre /protein/fat) at regular intervals while exercising- eg every 20 minutes depending on exercise intensity- to keep glucose from either crashing or spiking. Aim is always to key it as steady as possible and, for me, exercise pushes it down so I use the balls to keep it up. It’s finely balanced and helps to track your blood sugar to understand how your body is reacting during exercise. Hope that helps and good luck

What form of exercise are you doing?
Are you still getting hypos?

The only way to control RH, is not to get to glucose levels that trigger the insulin overshoot. The problem is if you do too much, then you get a liver dump, which will always trigger the reaction.
I exercise by walking in the morning, at the same time I'm in fasting mode.
If I do feel that something is happening, I stop and have a small bite to nudge my bloods back into normal.

It's all trial and error, but the ultimate aim is not having hypos.

Keep safe