Hypoglycemia

EBA84 · 08-20-2009, 12:01 PM

Has anyone ever had issues with this? I have been having some pretty bad attacks in the last few weeks. I had planned to do the North America (just did the Masters Nationals five weeks ago) but this may stop me from doing it. I got a blood-glucose monitor and for example, I checked it this morning after doing cardio and it was 52 which is extremely low. I also seem to be retaining a lot more water then I did leading up to my last contest. I have been dieting for 23 weeks so my body may just be rebelling and telling me it has had enough....lol

JC480 · 08-20-2009, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBA84

Has anyone ever had issues with this? I have been having some pretty bad attacks in the last few weeks. I had planned to do the North America (just did the Masters Nationals five weeks ago) but this may stop me from doing it. I got a blood-glucose monitor and for example, I checked it this morning after doing cardio and it was 52 which is extremely low. I also seem to be retaining a lot more water then I did leading up to my last contest. I have been dieting for 23 weeks so my body may just be rebelling and telling me it has had enough....lol

Going to guess you know a bit about nutrition judging by your avatar.

Kind of curious what kind of diet you're running right now? I was hypoglycemic for quite a while when I was very overweight, sedentary and had a poor diet. Attacks, for me, were brought about by eating carbs in the morning with no protein and some coffee....the sugar spikes and crashes were scary indeed.

The last one I had I had sweat pouring off me and I was cold/clammy. Thought I was going to die.

Timed eating, proper diet and always eating protein with carbs has pretty much eliminated this from my life...thank God.

mavrick77 · 08-20-2009, 02:21 PM

I get it to man....its weird. I can go for months with no attacks, then out of the blue, I will get 3 in a week. they are bad, my feet and legs go numb, I get spacey, start sweating profusely, and can barely move.......only thing I can do is get a good serving of sugar and hold on....... I have found when dieting, the GLUCOSE tablets they sell at the pharmacy are good, they are only like 10-15 calories, and 2 of them should pull you out of it.

the weird thing is, my wife NEVER got theese before....then she started training with me, and now she gets them too??? WTF......

Shells88 · 08-20-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBA84

Has anyone ever had issues with this? I have been having some pretty bad attacks in the last few weeks. I had planned to do the North America (just did the Masters Nationals five weeks ago) but this may stop me from doing it. I got a blood-glucose monitor and for example, I checked it this morning after doing cardio and it was 52 which is extremely low. I also seem to be retaining a lot more water then I did leading up to my last contest. I have been dieting for 23 weeks so my body may just be rebelling and telling me it has had enough....lol

I had a horrible case of this a couple years ago. what helped me with the attacks is to always have apple sauce on hand and eat it when I felt an attack coming on - apple sauce is a great source of which straight glucose so your body doesn't have to turn any sugars into glucose which is what it is not doing right now for some reason. Once it hits that sugar low you get the attacks so eating sugars that your body doesn't have to convert will help lessen the attacks. In my experience this helped.

EBA84 · 08-20-2009, 02:30 PM

Thanks for the responses guys. I was on a carb cycle type diet for 16 weeks before my last contest. I would run 3 low/1 high with lows being 80 to 120 grams a day and the carbs only in meals 1, pre and post workout. The last few weeks I switched to a very low carb, higher fat type diet (was going to do another contest). I had more bouts of hypo with this type of diet then I did on the other. I suspect it is probably because of the very low carbs (30 a day or less). My protein is always around 1.25 to 1.5 grams per pound. I switched back to my previous diet a few days ago but the hypo is still here. This is what has me worried. I figured I should start feeling ok again but I am not.

I like the idea of the glucose tablets. Thanks!

EBA84 · 08-20-2009, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shellsc

I had a horrible case of this a couple years ago. what helped me with the attacks is to always have apple sauce on hand and eat it when I felt an attack coming on - apple sauce is a great source of which straight glucose so your body doesn't have to turn any sugars into glucose which is what it is not doing right now for some reason. Once it hits that sugar low you get the attacks so eating sugars that your body doesn't have to convert will help lessen the attacks. In my experience this helped.

Thanks a lot!

ptbrakefield · 08-20-2009, 02:31 PM

The truly old timers called them "sinking spells"... I haven't had one in awhile, but I too keep the glucose tabs in the car. I HAVE to eat breakfast soon after I get up or I'll drop. My waking up sugar even before I started watching carbs would be low to mid 70s. I had to eat as soon as I could and still do. The last one I had I was talking to a guy when I was suddenly in a self imposed tiltawhirl... got an order of fries in me because that was all I could think of at the time and it did the trick. Started keeping the tabs afterward.

I hope you get it straightened out... hyPO is harder to control than hyPER, believe it or not. Thank goodness it's not as prevalent.

MattinNC · 08-20-2009, 02:37 PM

I used to have big issues with hypoglycemia. I find that protein/fat breakfasts and avoiding artificial sweeteners has pretty much eliminated it from my life.

silverlightning · 08-20-2009, 02:39 PM

i use to get it when i'd drink coffee and not eat. now, i get it if i go more than 4 hours not eating, very rare though.

Mr. Someday · 08-20-2009, 03:14 PM

I only have them late into contest dieting, which sounds like what you are experiencing. Usually hit me late into my PWO cardio when I was at the point of doing cardio twice/day. I had to be very careful about when I ate last my meal before hitting the gym in that depleted state. I would often eat on my way to the gym and this usually always prevented it. Some days it just didn't work out that way and I was susceptible to it. Not fun....the sweats, the lightheadedness. I remember one time shooting home and couldn't help myself from slamming down two bowls of frosted flakes in two minutes flat! Not advisable when prepping for a show! lol Anyhow, as someone mentioned, I grabbed glucose tabs to keep with me. They do work, even though they aren't anywhere near as tasty as Frosted Flakes!!

EBA84 · 08-20-2009, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Someday

I only have them late into contest dieting, which sounds like what you are experiencing. Usually hit me late into my PWO cardio when I was at the point of doing cardio twice/day. I had to be very careful about when I ate last my meal before hitting the gym in that depleted state. I would often eat on my way to the gym and this usually always prevented it. Some days it just didn't work out that way and I was susceptible to it. Not fun....the sweats, the lightheadedness. I remember one time shooting home and couldn't help myself from slamming down two bowls of frosted flakes in two minutes flat! Not advisable when prepping for a show! lol Anyhow, as someone mentioned, I grabbed glucose tabs to keep with me. They do work, even though they aren't anywhere near as tasty as Frosted Flakes!!

This sounds exactly like me. How do the tablets work? Do they get rid of it? I am 9 days out from the contest and can't afford to stuff myself with food. Thanks a lot!

gbg · 08-20-2009, 04:12 PM

I train early in the am and get light headed and sweat a lot, I started oly lifting so I thought It was just kicking my ass but it very well may be hypo.

Mr. Someday · 08-20-2009, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBA84

This sounds exactly like me. How do the tablets work? Do they get rid of it? I am 9 days out from the contest and can't afford to stuff myself with food. Thanks a lot!

I haven't competed in nearly two years now, but if I remember right, you take 3 tabs (15g of glucose) immediately when hypo sets in. If you are not relieved of your symptoms within 15 minutes, you take 3 more.

ChocoChick · 08-20-2009, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shellsc

I had a horrible case of this a couple years ago. what helped me with the attacks is to always have apple sauce on hand and eat it when I felt an attack coming on - apple sauce is a great source of which straight glucose so your body doesn't have to turn any sugars into glucose which is what it is not doing right now for some reason. Once it hits that sugar low you get the attacks so eating sugars that your body doesn't have to convert will help lessen the attacks. In my experience this helped.

Apples, like most fruit, have far more fructose than glucose.

EBA84 · 08-20-2009, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Someday

I haven't competed in nearly two years now, but if I remember right, you take 3 tabs (15g of glucose) immediately when hypo sets in. If you are not relieved of your symptoms within 15 minutes, you take 3 more.

Well I picked some of the tabs up tonight on the way home from the gym. I was starting to get hypo and chewed on a couple. Symptoms went away pretty quick. Thanks for the advice. Seemed to do the trick without having to eat a ton of food.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and all the advice. I really appreciate it. I think I will be ok once this diet is over. Nine more days to go if I make it ...lol

NattyQ · 08-22-2009, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBA84

Well I picked some of the tabs up tonight on the way home from the gym. I was starting to get hypo and chewed on a couple. Symptoms went away pretty quick. Thanks for the advice. Seemed to do the trick without having to eat a ton of food.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and all the advice. I really appreciate it. I think I will be ok once this diet is over. Nine more days to go if I make it ...lol

Just curious to know how its going with the tabs? I am suffering the same sort of thing and like you I dont want to stuff things up so near to comps..

I also have a situation where this leads to bouts of dizziness when standing up at home in the evenings post training- would this be BP related or Hypo?

and finally- does anyone know if this situation (if bareable) is an indication of a good fat burning plan in terms of sheer gains or an indication of the opposite??