Keto and hypoglycemia?

[totoroincanada]

Powerlifter turned bodybuilder. Currently dieting at 2500 calories and have lost an average of 1.5 lbs a week. Progress is slow, but that's part of the game.

Keto has helped but I had a scary moment today. During a presentation I started to feel hypoglycemic. It got to a point where I felt like my body was forcing all available energy to my head. I was achy, shaking, short of breath and felt like I would pass out any moment. Because of the work I do, I couldn't just stop and rest. I pushed through.

I had breakfast, chicken, almonds and greens for breakfast at 8am. Because of poor planning and work, I hadn't eaten again until 4.30pm. I had this hypoglycemic like feeling once at 3pm (short break between presentations) and again at 4pm. Then I ate, chicken, mixed nuts and greens.

I normally eat 6 meals a day (Habit) and this wasnt a normal day. I plan on bringing snacks to my next presentation just in case.

Does this happen to others on keto? What do you do (besides making sure you time your meals properly) to either prevent or quickly turn around a hypoglycemic episode.

I plan a doctors visit. I'm sure the doc will run a bunch of tests to rule out any other issues. However, I just had a medical the end of 2016 with healthy markers all around.

35 years old
6ft
200lbs at 15-17% bf

Keto has been a great tool for me. It would suck if the doc told me to reintroduce carbs now. While I normally carb cycle, I've used keto to rid myself of winter weight. I could switch back…but would prefer to stay in keto until June.

[Heisman2]

Have you had hypoglycemia before? Maybe this was anxiety from the presentation and had nothing to do with your blood sugar levels? If it was only once and your meal timing was messed up then making sure you have snacks with you is a great idea. If this recurs you also may want to have a quick source of sugar with you (sugar tabs, apple juice, etc). Not great for keto but you may be in a situation where you have to do something (IE, if you are driving and start feeling this way you should pull over and get some sugar in you).

[capierce2003]

Have you had hypoglycemia before? Maybe this was anxiety from the presentation and had nothing to do with your blood sugar levels? If it was only once and your meal timing was messed up then making sure you have snacks with you is a great idea. If this recurs you also may want to have a quick source of sugar with you (sugar tabs, apple juice, etc). Not great for keto but you may be in a situation where you have to do something (IE, if you are driving and start feeling this way you should pull over and get some sugar in you).

I have had this happen 1 time before to me but I am on a VERY low calorie Keto diet, not a normal keto lifestyle, so my situation is different. I had skipped a meal and a snack and had worked out my accident (was helping a friend build something). I suddenly got very light headed, had to sit down and rest, and it took me awhile to be safe enough to drive home and get food. Calories fixed it, never happened again. Looking back on it, extreme irritability will be my warning signal that I need to eat NOW.

[capierce2003]

I have had this happen 1 time before to me but I am on a VERY low calorie Keto diet, not a normal keto lifestyle, so my situation is different. I had skipped a meal and a snack and had worked out by accident (was helping a friend build something). I suddenly got very light headed, had to sit down and rest, and it took me awhile to be safe enough to drive home and get food. Calories fixed it, never happened again. Looking back on it, extreme irritability will be my warning signal that I need to eat NOW.

[libtolu]

chicken, almonds and greens seems like it wouldn't have enough fat to be Keto, unless you're eating a ****ton of almonds and only a small amount of chicken

[heartandsoul]

I agree with libtolu...by just looking at the one meal that was posted, it doesn't seem like enough fat, but not sure how many almonds were involved lol!
Are you getting 75% of your calories from fat? Also, I would recommend using MCT oils and coconut oils as they are an immediate source of ketones as fuel for the brain. Another very important thing to keep an eye on with the KD are you electrolytes. This is mega important as the KD causes a loss of water and electrolytes. It is necessary to make sure that you are getting enough magnesium, sodium, and potassium.