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Why Am I So Hungry?

MsPrim

MsPrim

Well-Known Member
Messages
90
Location
Ireland
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Lemons
I have been a type 2 diabetic for 10 months now. I have reduced my hba1c from 88 - 35 and my Metformin has been reduced from 2 x 500 mg daily to 4 tablets a week. I have also gone from 16st 1llb to 13st 1llb. That's the background info done.

I had a hypo last Monday - my blood sugar level dropped to 3.4 before I got any hypo symptoms and it happened in between breakfast and lunch. I took 4 glucose tabs and 15 minutes later my blood sugar level was 6.0. I then felt nauseous and tired which is normal for me after a hypo.

An hour later I was so hungry so ate my lunch and after 2 hours I got hungry again - so I had an early dinner.

Since then I am constantly hungry - I eat and then 2 hours after I get hungry again. I don't know what's going on.

Last night for example I went to bed and then my stomach starts to rumble even though I have had my 3 meals.

What is happening?
 
Baffled. High or low BGs can cause hunger. Sometimes I've just noticed I crave carbs as I cut them down.
 
Thanks for the response eddie1968 - I have never had this before, so I am equally as baffled.
 
Well as a guide for me personally -
BG < 4 mmol/l = starving
BG >10 mmol/l = starving
Funny that!
 
I used to take Metformin before going onto insulin and they do speed up your digestive system...gave me the runs lol
 
If I had only started taking Metformin you could have been onto something there eddie1968

Whatever my last hypo has done to me I don't know.

The thing is I can't eat every 2 hours as I may put on all the weight I have lost and it's just not normal for me to eat so often - I could quite easily keep eating this is how hungry I am. I am even hungry now
 
Like the avatar - my sister has a humongous monster pleck in her tank - I have a pic somewhere lol. Just keep monitoring your BGs.
 
msprim said:
If I had only started taking Metformin you could have been onto something there eddie1968

Whatever my last hypo has done to me I don't know.

The thing is I can't eat every 2 hours as I may put on all the weight I have lost and it's just not normal for me to eat so often - I could quite easily keep eating this is how hungry I am. I am even hungry now
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I have had gastroparaesis, it's common in diabetes. Basically it's delayed stomach emptying and can throw your BGs all over the place - suggest you google it!
 
NoCrbs4Me said:
What do you eat, in general?
Click to expand...

For breakfast I eat eggs, bacon, salad.
For lunch I eat soup, sandwich, salad, tuna salad.
For dinner I eat various meat, vegetables, salad, fresh fish, I will either have a small potato or a small portion of brown rice/brown rice.

Apples, bananas, grapes, watermelon also
 
Are you really hungry, or confusing it with either thirst or cravings? Our bodies are good at fooling us. Next time you feel hungry, have a drink and see if that helps.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Are you really hungry, or confusing it with either thirst or cravings? Our bodies are good at fooling us. Next time you feel hungry, have a drink and see if that helps.
Click to expand...

I will try this Bluetit1802

I don't give in to the stomach rumbling as I don't want to put on weight and also
I don't want high blood sugar readings also.
 
msprim said:
I will try this Bluetit1802

I don't give in to the stomach rumbling as I don't want to put on weight and also
I don't want high blood sugar readings also.
Click to expand...

When you say you feel hungry, are you just plain old hungry, or are you craving something in particular?
 
AndBreathe said:
When you say you feel hungry, are you just plain old hungry, or are you craving something in particular?
Click to expand...

I am hungry for any food I can get my hands on - my stomach rumbles most of the day now since my last hypo!! It feels like extreme hunger.

I obviously don't give into it but I have to check my blood sugar more often just to be sure it's not a sign of a hypo.

I just wish it would stop.
 
I think a sudden and significant increase in appetite could be a sign of something going on in the body that needs to be investigated by a doctor. I'm not very familiar with thyroid issues but I wonder if it's a bit like diabetes, in that there are conditions, and tests, and treatments, but things are sometimes not as straightforward as we would like. Appetite is affected by the thyroid. It's also affected by a hormonal/neurological pathway between the brain and the gut. I wish I could shed more light on the situation but I can't. I just suggest looking beyond diabetes for answers. It could be related to diabetes, or to something else.
 
CatLadyNZ said:
I think a sudden and significant increase in appetite could be a sign of something going on in the body that needs to be investigated by a doctor. I'm not very familiar with thyroid issues but I wonder if it's a bit like diabetes, in that there are conditions, and tests, and treatments, but things are sometimes not as straightforward as we would like. Appetite is affected by the thyroid. It's also affected by a hormonal/neurological pathway between the brain and the gut. I wish I could shed more light on the situation but I can't. I just suggest looking beyond diabetes for answers. It could be related to diabetes, or to something else.
Click to expand...

I am hypothyroid brought on by Hashimoto's Disease and I am on levothyroxine for it - I know it slowed down my metabolism to the point I could only eat one meal a day and even that was a struggle but that changed over time once I was given the right dose of levothyroxine.

I will leave it for a few more days as I need to see my GP anyway and I will mention this to him and see what he thinks.
 
Hormone related by any chance? the only reason I ask is normally my appetite increases for a sweet chocolate substance at a certain time of the month - there has been the odd, rare occasion where the food craving has been so bad that everything in the cupboard could have been eaten and still be left me wanting more.
 
msprim said:
I am hungry for any food I can get my hands on - my stomach rumbles most of the day now since my last hypo!! It feels like extreme hunger.

I obviously don't give into it but I have to check my blood sugar more often just to be sure it's not a sign of a hypo.

I just wish it would stop.
Click to expand...

As the symptoms started on the back of a hypo you treated with what feels like quite a big hit of glucose, in your shoes, I might try to do a few days of very low carb, filling up on fat. In my experience, and that of some others, filling up on fat quite quickly deals with hunger/carb cravings.

Personally, I also think that some of the"feelings" we have surrounding food and drink are habit based. Once we've had a few days of feeling full/less full/hungry or whatever, we can continue to feel that way, whether we are or not. There is some work written around the "last meal effect", although that's focusing more on the digestive enzyme and hormonal functionality.

Looking then towards your hypo. Your profile contains conflicting information about your medication regime. Your signature talks about Metformin, but your profile talks about Diamicron? I would comment on your hypo, but my comments would differ depending on your current drug regime, as I understand Daimicron contains Gliclazide. Could you clarify that aspect for me please?
 
AndBreathe said:
As the symptoms started on the back of a hypo you treated with what feels like quite a big hit of glucose, in your shoes, I might try to do a few days of very low carb, filling up on fat. In my experience, and that of some others, filling up on fat quite quickly deals with hunger/carb cravings.

Personally, I also think that some of the"feelings" we have surrounding food and drink are habit based. Once we've had a few days of feeling full/less full/hungry or whatever, we can continue to feel that way, whether we are or not. There is some work written around the "last meal effect", although that's focusing more on the digestive enzyme and hormonal functionality.

Looking then towards your hypo. Your profile contains conflicting information about your medication regime. Your signature talks about Metformin, but your profile talks about Diamicron? I would comment on your hypo, but my comments would differ depending on your current drug regime, as I understand Daimicron contains Gliclazide. Could you clarify that aspect for me please?
Click to expand...

On diagnoses I was taking 500mg of Metformin twice daily but I found it made me light headed, dizzy and unsteady on my feet, so my GP changed my medicine to Diamicron for a couple of weeks but that messed with my memory.

My GP then decided to give me 500mg of Metformin once daily and this suited me.

I then got a hba1c of 35 and my Metformin was reduced to just 3 tablets a week.

In May I got an Implanon implant (contraception) and my blood sugar started to rise before I went to bed - day readings were fine. After 6 weeks my GP increased my Metformin to 500mg 4 times a week.
 
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