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Reactive Hypoclycemia, acne and low carb

SugarSpike

SugarSpike

Active Member
Messages
34
Location
Milton Keynes
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Guys, hoping for a bit of encouragement and guidance.

I'm not diabetic, I have reactive hypoglycemia and pre-diabetes, basically I was only diagnosed with this 2yrs ago at 30 years old. I've suffered these hypo attacks since childhood and no Dr could tell me why as the standard tests for diabetes always came back normal. One day I went very low and finally got a referral to an endocrinologist and was given a 5hr GTT which showed reactive hypoglycemia as my blood sugars dramatically dropped, but as they also rose slightly I was told I was pre-diabetic, this is probably due to being undiagnosed for so long.

Anyway saw dietitian twice who was completely useless, told to eat 30% complex carbs with every meal and snack making sure snacks had carb content also.

Over the past few years I've cut refined sugar, but saw little improvement., never followed dietitians advice, I cut most really high carb foods anyway as I went gluten free.

Aswell as my health issues I have suffered acne for 20yrs and always searching for ways to make it better! I thought there might be a diet link and read up on it and found good evidence to suggest diet and high gi foods could be a link.

I've been dabbling in low carb on and off for a while and seen improvement so I'm determined to really take this seriously and hopefully above all else help my skin before I lose my sanity.

I've been doing the diet quite strictly for a month or so and really seen a good effect on my skin. My other issue is my energy levels, Im always so tired specially in the afternoon, this is when I'm most likely to have one of my hypos aswell. Past few weeks I've noticed I do have more energy. Ive upped my water intake aswell so this is probably helping.

Im not sure how much carb to restrict it to though, I have no weight to lose. Also how much fat/protein ratio to be aiming for?
On my fitness pal Ive got my goals currently set to 40g, 120g protein, 107g fat,
Ive looked into atkins and induction phase but worried how it will affect my health if I go too low and don't eat the right amounts of the other stuff.

My Main difficulties are with breakfast and lunch, I used to have porridge carefully weighed out and with almond milk, but have been having scrambled eggs and bacon every morning for a week and felt a massive difference, but I miss my porridge! and bacon and eggs can get a bit boring.

I also would have a gluten free sandwich most lunch times at work but have been trying harder not to, but running out of ideas, my main two lunch staples are basically salad or broccoli and cauliflower with tuna mayo, or sometimes egg mayo, tuna mayo topped with cheese.

I guess I just need some support as I'm doing this completely on my own, as a single mother with two children and skin problems which affect my everyday life, lets just say its hard. I need more variety and knowing exactly how much fat etc to eat to be successful.

The other very difficult thing is days out and something I'm dreading for the summer, what do you eat if you go out for a whole day, its not always possible to take something with you and all the stuff to buy is high carb, highly processed ****, I still have to eat regularly or I will crash so I cant skip a meal, so end up having to eat whatever is on offer sometimes, even going round friends/family houses is becoming something I dread.

There is no doubt in my mind that low carb has to be what I need to get my life back! Hope you guys can help me a bit :-)
 
SugarSpike said:
Hi Guys, hoping for a bit of encouragement and guidance.

I'm not diabetic, I have reactive hypoglycemia and pre-diabetes, basically I was only diagnosed with this 2yrs ago at 30 years old. I've suffered these hypo attacks since childhood and no Dr could tell me why as the standard tests for diabetes always came back normal. One day I went very low and finally got a referral to an endocrinologist and was given a 5hr GTT which showed reactive hypoglycemia as my blood sugars dramatically dropped, but as they also rose slightly I was told I was pre-diabetic, this is probably due to being undiagnosed for so long.

Anyway saw dietitian twice who was completely useless, told to eat 30% complex carbs with every meal and snack making sure snacks had carb content also.

Over the past few years I've cut refined sugar, but saw little improvement., never followed dietitians advice, I cut most really high carb foods anyway as I went gluten free.

Aswell as my health issues I have suffered acne for 20yrs and always searching for ways to make it better! I thought there might be a diet link and read up on it and found good evidence to suggest diet and high gi foods could be a link.

I've been dabbling in low carb on and off for a while and seen improvement so I'm determined to really take this seriously and hopefully above all else help my skin before I lose my sanity.

I've been doing the diet quite strictly for a month or so and really seen a good effect on my skin. My other issue is my energy levels, Im always so tired specially in the afternoon, this is when I'm most likely to have one of my hypos aswell. Past few weeks I've noticed I do have more energy. Ive upped my water intake aswell so this is probably helping.

Im not sure how much carb to restrict it to though, I have no weight to lose. Also how much fat/protein ratio to be aiming for?
On my fitness pal Ive got my goals currently set to 40g, 120g protein, 107g fat,
Ive looked into atkins and induction phase but worried how it will affect my health if I go too low and don't eat the right amounts of the other stuff.

My Main difficulties are with breakfast and lunch, I used to have porridge carefully weighed out and with almond milk, but have been having scrambled eggs and bacon every morning for a week and felt a massive difference, but I miss my porridge! and bacon and eggs can get a bit boring.

I also would have a gluten free sandwich most lunch times at work but have been trying harder not to, but running out of ideas, my main two lunch staples are basically salad or broccoli and cauliflower with tuna mayo, or sometimes egg mayo, tuna mayo topped with cheese.

I guess I just need some support as I'm doing this completely on my own, as a single mother with two children and skin problems which affect my everyday life, lets just say its hard. I need more variety and knowing exactly how much fat etc to eat to be successful.

The other very difficult thing is days out and something I'm dreading for the summer, what do you eat if you go out for a whole day, its not always possible to take something with you and all the stuff to buy is high carb, highly processed ****, I still have to eat regularly or I will crash so I cant skip a meal, so end up having to eat whatever is on offer sometimes, even going round friends/family houses is becoming something I dread.

There is no doubt in my mind that low carb has to be what I need to get my life back! Hope you guys can help me a bit :)
Click to expand...
Hi @SugarSpike

Welcome to the forum.
Do have a look around the reactive hypoglycaemia thread.
Also read my blog 'a reactionary' which tells my story.
Welcome to our unique club.
As for your acne, I really have no idea!
But I low carb and that has alleviated all my symptoms, so I can't see why it shouldn't.
As far as diet is concerned, I very low carb, as this is the only way I am good, I don't do carbs or sugars. It is like being allergic to them.
I have found some great food to eat in the low carb forum, some great recipes and ideas. I do have one salad a day and go through loads of eggs, in omelettes, scrambled, poached, boiled etc. I have curries and soups and stews.you can have butter, ream and full fat yoghurt with a few berries and a couple of pieces of 85% dark chocolate.
I recommend low carb as my health has turned around, and I can work full time, with lots of energy. I'm sixty and good for my age.
Control is the key. I never spike so I don't hypo.
Hope this helps.
Again welcome, let us know how you are doing.
 
Thanks for the welcome, I didn't realize there was a section for reactive hypoglycemia so will have a read through tomorrow.
I eat alot of full fat greek yogurt, usually with some walnuts, flaxseed and sometimes berries, its my go to snack when I'm hungry as its quick and easy but probably eating it too much!

Its such a shame the medical professionals don't have a clue about RH, it took me 30yrs to get diagnosed and still I get no support anyway, its very hard and I'm sure there must be so many people out there with the same problems.

Its been a real learning curve for me the past few years and Im amazed at how much sugar is in our standard diet, Im also faced with the challenge of feeding my children right.

What is your usual carb intake for a day @nosher8355 ?

I will have a read through your blog thanks

I slipped up today and had a bowl of GF porridge but the rest was

B - 2 scrambled eggs with butter, 2 rashers of bacon fried in coconut oil
S - satsuma, handful of walnuts
L- GF Porridge with flaxssed and blueberries (bad)
S- Full fat greek yogurt with two strawberries and chia seeds
D - 3 soft boiled eggs with cucumber sticks wrapped in ham

Does this sound like an ok day?
I had loads of energy this afternoon which is a rarity, managed to mow the lawn and clear some stuff, feels good to actually be getting more stuff achieved even if just round the house!
 
Hi @SugarSpike

Sorry i didnt get back to you last night but by that time i was dreaming and snoring my head off.

My usual carb count is i dont count but it is very very low, i am permanantly in ketosis.
Which means i get my energy from ketones,

Your food intake is fine except the porridge, but then you might be able to cope with certain things that i can't.

As i've said i stay away from the baddies and it is working. The last time i had a hypo (i believe) was my last OGTT. I didnt like being in that place again!

I will quote from my consultant, RH is such a rare condition, that my local hospital which covered the whole of Wirral, there were 2 people diagnosed with RH. And from Wirral to Greater Manchester there is 9 confirmed diagnosed. I have a feeling there is more misdiagnosed.
Of course GPs dont have a clue, but then some endocrinologists wouldn't recognise it either.

There is a video on my thread 'According to my consltant 2015'. it is about the drug sitagliptin, and the way its helped RH patients in America.
I take this med and it has helped me a lot by keeping me in control.

Gotta go to work soon. Long day ahead, Will look in if I can.
 
Hi and Welcome, @SugarSpike

Another one to join our exclusive club. Congratulations on finding us!

Your story (RH in childhood, then prediabetic) mirrors mine exactly. Except that I went on to develop type 2 diabetes. In my early 30s I was also diagnosed with a rare hormone thing (prolactinoma of the pituitary) which has added to the situation, but I have no idea if that started in childhood. So it is quite possible that you have something going on, under the surface, that the doctors have not yet found. The question is, how much energy you have to keep pushing them to investigate...

Like you, I have found low carb to be the single best factor in control. And although my skin was never bad, it definitely improved with the low carbing.

I usually eat less than 50 g carbs a day. Yesterday was less than 20g. I very rarely eat more than 70g and I feel dreadful if I do. I have also found that I tolerate grains the worst, with ridiculous BG spikes after bread or rice, so I eat a LC, high fat, grain free (ish) diet.

You were asking about proportions of fat/protein/carbs.
The way I do it, is to control my carbs strictly. Then I eat 'normal' amounts of protein, as many non-starchy veg as I like, and then add enough cheese, cream, butter, coconut, olive and rapeseed oils (incl mayo) so that I don't feel hungry.

If you wand to be all techie, try My Fitness Pal app, and aim for approx 5-10 % carbs, then adjust up or down to suit you!

There is a nutritional calculator here that you may find very useful too.

And just one more thing (sorry if this is information overload).

If you don't want to lose weight, then you need to adjust your fat, and especially protein, to make up for the lost calories from carbs. Most people lose weight easily on LC, so think about it immediately, or you may be surprised by the loss. Dr Bernstein (eminent diabetic doc, researcher and runs a clinic) suggests that protein is the key to controlling weight on a LC diet, suggesting that his patients increase the protein intake to prevent weight loss, and then increase it again to gain weight.

Hope that helps.

Pls keep posting, and let us know how it goes?
 
Hiya I too hav similar prob to you although its not officially diagnosed as RHit sounds like thats prolly what ive got.ive been struggling with it for 12yrs.seemed to come on after I had my first child. Im now 35 and too struggle with acne.i dropped all dairy products completely and it cleared it up a lot. I notice when my BG id out ofcontrol and I get heaps of adrenalin rushes it gets worse.i think its the hormonal stress thatccausesit.mayb try dropping dairy too and see how u go.
I find a breakfast of half a cup boiled pumpkin, a fillet of steamed fish and lots of greens works well.
If u can stick to it just eating meat , pumpkin in small amounts and loads of veges works fantastic for me.i stick to this during the working week .
 
Thanks for all that info @Brunneria I probably do have some underlying thing as I've had this since I can remember, there must be a cause and yeh I can't fight with the Dr's anymore they don't have a clue, so I can only research and try things for myself. I was once told by a gp that I will probably end up with diabetes, told to try not to gain any weight and given a print off of low gi foods and sent on my way...gee thanks.

@Fran13 I tried cutting all dairy recently and didn't see a significant difference in my skin, I'm back on it, the only thing I try and avoid is milk straight from the cartoon. In a way Im glad it didnt make a difference as that was really hard, harder than avoiding wheat.

Ive seen that Loren Cordain book, but its well expensive! I should think it would probably just explain the role sugar plays in the formation of acne and what foods to eat and Ive done alot of reading up on paleo aswell, and actually would consider my diet primal/low carb.

Just trying to think of something to make for lunch at work tomorrow, I only have a microwave and 25 mins to eat, need ideas!

@nosher8355 do you take that drug daily? Ive never heard of it, but from the brief description Ive just read it increases the amount of insulin the body produces? I think my issue is I have too much insulin, the consultant said it basically lingers around too long, driving my blood sugar lower than it should.
I tried taking chromium supplements recently as Id read it stabilizes blood sugar, but I found I felt alot hungier and feel more likely to have a hypo if I didnt eat on time.
 
SugarSpike said:
Thanks for all that info @Brunneria I probably do have some underlying thing as I've had this since I can remember, there must be a cause and yeh I can't fight with the Dr's anymore they don't have a clue, so I can only research and try things for myself. I was once told by a gp that I will probably end up with diabetes, told to try not to gain any weight and given a print off of low gi foods and sent on my way...gee thanks.

@Fran13 I tried cutting all dairy recently and didn't see a significant difference in my skin, I'm back on it, the only thing I try and avoid is milk straight from the cartoon. In a way Im glad it didnt make a difference as that was really hard, harder than avoiding wheat.

Ive seen that Loren Cordain book, but its well expensive! I should think it would probably just explain the role sugar plays in the formation of acne and what foods to eat and Ive done alot of reading up on paleo aswell, and actually would consider my diet primal/low carb.

Just trying to think of something to make for lunch at work tomorrow, I only have a microwave and 25 mins to eat, need ideas!

@nosher8355 do you take that drug daily? Ive never heard of it, but from the brief description Ive just read it increases the amount of insulin the body produces? I think my issue is I have too much insulin, the consultant said it basically lingers around too long, driving my blood sugar lower than it should.
I tried taking chromium supplements recently as Id read it stabilizes blood sugar, but I found I felt alot hungier and feel more likely to have a hypo if I didnt eat on time.
Click to expand...
Hi @SugarSpike,

Yes I take sitagliptin, every day.
And yes, it does produce extra insulin.
But it inhibits the production of glucagon, which is the hormone that takes you down.
I know that it sounds a bit weird, but, it has worked for me. Really successfully!
It prevents the spike, so therefore I don't get the hypos.
I don't do dairy except yoghurt, full fat. I'm not lactose intolerant but the likes of butter, cream, cheese makes me want to vomit.
I've not thought about my skin, but I've always had really nice skin, the usual teenage stuff, but I have an olive skin, and I tan quickly, I love the sun.
I don't take supplements, I don't believe in them, mainly because I've never needed them.
I really believe that if you find a diet that suits you, your health and well-being responds, it's took me a long time to get here, a tweak or two, the omission of carbs and, of course sugar, has given me so much energy and given me my life back.
I had a choice, that my specialist gave me, I grasped it in both hands, and now, well I'm preaching and reaching out to help other RH sufferers and try and help them not go through what I have gone through.

Best wishes, keep asking, either myself o r @Brunneria (who is my mentor) will answer.

If you want to learn more, read about sitagliptin on Wikipedia.

Read my blog please.
 
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