Is this induced by stress or possibly hypoglycemia?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 21, 2004

It sounds like you are creating havoc on your system. A granola bar is a horrible breakfast. It causes a rapid rise in blood sugar and subsequent fall, which could be why your glucose levels drop suddenly.

Americans tend to eat too high on the glycemic index for breakfast. Eat more substantial meals that include some protein, fiber and fat. Boiled eggs, large grain oatmeal (the slow cooked kind, not instant), peanut butter on pumpernickel, etc.

Skip the chips and soda and eat complex carbs for snacks like an apple, blueberries, yogurt, etc.

Eating sugary foods like soda, chips and granola bars (which is a processed food much like a candy bar) isn't the answer to low blood sugar. Eating foods that don't cause a rapid rise in blood glucose and that sustain you for a long time does.

Good luck. It might be a good idea to track your blood glucose for a record prior to visting an MD.

rsh3rn · Aug 21, 2004

Maybe the caffiene if I remember right caffiene lowers blood sugar before making it rise don't quote me its just something I think I remember

armyrn · Aug 21, 2004

Christine:

First off, congratulations on the weight loss! That can be a very difficult thing to do and you are to be commended. Now for the "mean" part...

Your diet, to me, sounds horrible. I am not really familiar with weight watchers (other than their delicious frozen mini-pizzas) but if they have taught you to rely on "starburst candy, soda, and McDonalds" (your words)to manage your hunger, then they have done you a grave disservice. 3rdshiftguy already broke down a lot of what your problem probably is, so I won't go into depth. Suffice to say, you (your body) needs protein and complex carbs, stay away from the simple sugars, especially soda, which is inherently evil. Drink water! It's better for you, and cheaper (free in most taps and fountains). Buy a nice insulated bottle and carry it with you everywhere!

If you have taken a clinical nutrition course, break out that book and get reading! If you have not taken clinical nutrition yet, make friends with someone in the class and ask them to plan a diet for you, see if they can get credit for it as a class project. That shouldn't cost you anything.

You mention diet, but not exercise. Essential for (healthy) weight loss and will help you manage stress, too. 60 minutes of moderately strenuous exercise is recommended for everyone everyday. You'd be surprised where you can fit this in. Take the money you save drinking water instead of buying soda and invest in a gym membership (if your school doesn't have one you can use free of charge) and do your reading on a treadmill instead of on the couch. Walk to class or around town instead of driving. Take a date hiking instead of to dinner and a movie. Do what you can!

One word of caution, fix your diet before starting to exercise. Think of food as fuel for the machine. You can't go for a drive with no gas in your car!

***Of course, if you make these changes and still have problems, see a doctor. You may also want to consult with someone before starting an exercise program. Time and $$$ are most people's biggest reasons for avoiding exercise, so I tried to help with those. If you have a legit medical condition then obviously you need medical advice before beginning any exercise program.***

Good Luck!

FarmgrrlRN · Aug 21, 2004

Christine:
First off, congratulations on the weight loss! That can be a very difficult thing to do and you are to be commended. Now for the "mean" part...
Your diet, to me, sounds horrible. I am not really familiar with weight watchers (other than their delicious frozen mini-pizzas) but if they have taught you to rely on "starburst candy, soda, and McDonalds" (your words)to manage your hunger, then they have done you a grave disservice. 3rdshiftguy already broke down a lot of what your problem probably is, so I won't go into depth. Suffice to say, you (your body) needs protein and complex carbs, stay away from the simple sugars, especially soda, which is inherently evil. Drink water! It's better for you, and cheaper (free in most taps and fountains). Buy a nice insulated bottle and carry it with you everywhere!
If you have taken a clinical nutrition course, break out that book and get reading! If you have not taken clinical nutrition yet, make friends with someone in the class and ask them to plan a diet for you, see if they can get credit for it as a class project. That shouldn't cost you anything.
You mention diet, but not exercise. Essential for (healthy) weight loss and will help you manage stress, too. 60 minutes of moderately strenuous exercise is recommended for everyone everyday. You'd be surprised where you can fit this in. Take the money you save drinking water instead of buying soda and invest in a gym membership (if your school doesn't have one you can use free of charge) and do your reading on a treadmill instead of on the couch. Walk to class or around town instead of driving. Take a date hiking instead of to dinner and a movie. Do what you can!
One word of caution, fix your diet before starting to exercise. Think of food as fuel for the machine. You can't go for a drive with no gas in your car!
***Of course, if you make these changes and still have problems, see a doctor. You may also want to consult with someone before starting an exercise program. Time and $$$ are most people's biggest reasons for avoiding exercise, so I tried to help with those. If you have a legit medical condition then obviously you need medical advice before beginning any exercise program.***
Good Luck!

Thanks for your replies 3rd Shift Guy and ArmyRn...

My recent 'diet' of candy, soda, and chips is NOT what WW recommends....its was poor planning on my part in the AM; running out of time in the AM to eat properly, etc.

I have also tended to stick to the the simple but horrible granola bar or Nutrigrain bar as it causes me the least gastric discomfort. I had my gallbladder removed in May '03 and I tend to shy away from breakfasts that may send me running to the BR. The oatmeal doesn't sound bad, but pretty anything with fat I do shy away from; at least until I know I have the opportunity to get to the BR when I need to.

When I started WW I was only drinking one soda a day, with dinner. With the advent of Coke C2 and Pepsi Edge, I now drink two of those everyday...Now I find myself buying reg. sodas at the vending machines if I feel like I need it.

I do drink H20 everyday. I carry out two 20 oz bottles of Deer Park at school and drink at least one more when I get home in the evening. That way it's easier to keep track of...

Exercise is something I definitely don't do enough of. The city I live in just recently acquired some fitness equipment, including a precious treadmill! I did get my membership to the rec center and did start excercising back in July. Unfortunately, I did fall off the wagon. Between the havoc of the end of summer semester and the hours of availabilty at the rec center (M/W/Th from 4-6pm only) I was having a hard time. Now that fall semester has started, I'm hoping to get back in there.

So, I will get back to excercising, cut down my sodas (even the low sugar ones), and eat a better breakfast as well as get back on track with my WW. Oh yes, and pack my own lunch on the 6 hour school days.

I will work on this and I'll probably still track the BS to see how it goes.

Thank you guys, it sounds like I needed a wake-up call... :uhoh3:

armyrn · Aug 21, 2004

Eggs are also great with the oatmeal, or as a snack. boiled eggs are very portable, and tasty. or a peanut butter sandwich, easy and fast.

You should pack your own food if you want to eat right. I work in a freaking hospital, and the cafeteria sickens me. you would think a hospital would have some interest in people eating healthy, right? WRONG!

I would try to cut out the soda! i have soda maybe one every 2-3 weeks. sure they taste good every so often, but they are evil. especially for women, soda leaches the calcium right out of your bones. well, in men too, but it's not as big a risk in men.

checking your BS won't hurt, but i'd go more by how you are feeling. try to get yourself on a (healthy) repeatable pattern of diet and exercise and I think your problem will be solved.

Best of luck!

Audreyfay · Aug 21, 2004

Sometimes a person develops insulin resistance and subsequent hypoglycemia if they glucose load their system. (i.e. regular soda.) People who develop hypoglycemia usually eventually go on to develop type 2 diabetes because of slow pancreatic burn-out. Think of "borderline diabetes" = type 2 diabetes. We try very hard not to use borderline diabetes. There is no such thing as borderline. Either you have it or you don't. If you can, borrow the meter and start checking your blood sugar one time per day, at varying times. Before breakfast, the result should be 100 or less. Also check 1-2 hours after a meal, from the time the first bite is taken to the testing time. Normal is less than 140. Normal fasting blood sugars are 70-100; impaired (pre-diabetes) are 101-125; diabetes is 126+; 1-2 hour after meal normal is

For a "test", check your blood sugar before you drink a regular soda and then again 1-2 hours after drinking. That will give you a good idea as to what is going on. Sure sounds like rebound hypoglycemia to me!

zambezi, BSN, RN · Aug 21, 2004

Another good thing to try is having some easy snack available so you don't rely on the vending machine so much. buy some fruit at the store, banannas, apples, or whatever is in season...or some precut veggies and bring these along with you. I find myself getting a little shaky, etc if my BS drops too low (something that happened often when I started working nights). I just make sure that I eat well...a good breakfast, some eggs or something that sticks a little. Then I have a snack every two to three hours...usually just a piece of fruit or a yogert...I always have a bag of popcorn (low-fat...not the greatest snack ever, but it fills you up, is easy to snack on and is bettr than what is in most vending machinces...)It is a weird habbit to get into but it does make you feel a bit better once you get the hang of it...

As for the anxitey part...that could be coupling with the diet to make you feel icky. Try to find ways to help reduce your stress. Don't procrastinate (I don't know if you do, but it was always one of my issues), try to exercise (a good stress reducer), have a plan of when you will study and when you will have a break or time to yourself...

Good luck!

boulergirl, CNA · Aug 23, 2004

I'm glad to see a thread on this topic. I've struggled with this myself and never knew there was such a thing as "rebound hypoglycemia". My mom and I have both had low blood sugar episodes where if we skip a meal, we get light-headed, jittery and irritable. Recently I had an episode at work because I had eaten nothing but a packet of peanut-butter crackers for 24 hours. (Not smart!) I've also noticed lately that if I'm under pressure I get jittery and my hands start shaking. Of course my diet is crap so it's good to see some practical suggestions here.

P.S.,

I'll never forget one family vacation when I was riding with my sister and her husband in the car. We had a box of donuts and devoured them in half an hour on empty stomachs. It wasn't long before we were all fighting and arguing about nothing. That was an insane trip!

ktwlpn, LPN · Aug 23, 2004

My recent 'diet' of candy, soda, and chips is NOT what WW recommends....its was poor planning on my part in the AM; running out of time in the AM to eat properly, etc.
I have also tended to stick to the the simple but horrible granola bar or Nutrigrain bar as it causes me the least gastric discomfort. I had my gallbladder removed in May '03 and I tend to shy away from breakfasts that may send me running to the BR. The oatmeal doesn't sound bad, but pretty anything with fat I do shy away from; at least until I know I have the opportunity to get to the BR when I need to.:

Try fixing a few days worth of baggies of suitable goodies and throw them in the frige-you can just grab them and go......You need some protein and complex carbs throughout your morning-an apple or banana with some peanut butter,cottage cheese with some fruit cup.... pieces of low fat cheese.......Get some small containers and pack them up ahead of time-you'll not be caught un=prepared again...That low blood sugar feeling is the pits.....

Angela Mac · Aug 24, 2004

be very careful of fad dieting & eating junk foods on the go.

you need nutritional foods. potato chips and sodas are not providing you with nutrition or needed electrolytes, vitamins & minerals. sure, you will lose weight by drastically changing your eating habits, but to lose weight & most importantly- to keep it off- you must eat healthy. your weakness may be a sign that you are suffering from an electrolyte imbalance which can lead to a serious heart condition. if you are hypoglycemic- soda is not the answer- as tweety put it- your flip flopping with a quick burst of sugar. you need foods that will give you energy until your next meal. the granola bar would be more beneficial if you had it with a a piece of fruit and a glass of skim milk. i am a believer that the best diet is put out by the american diabetes association. the best advice would be to ask your doctor, he can do blood work to see if you have any underlying conditions & help you select a healthy diet. weight watchers is good, but i don't think they would approve of vending machines & fast food chains (unless you are ordering a salad). good luck & congratulations, but in order to keep the weight off- you must change your eating habits & make it a lifelong committment to eating healthy foods. :)

FarmgrrlRN · Aug 24, 2004

be very careful of fad dieting & eating junk foods on the go.
you need nutritional foods. potato chips and sodas are not providing you with nutrition or needed electrolytes, vitamins & minerals. sure, you will lose weight by drastically changing your eating habits, but to lose weight & most importantly- to keep it off- you must eat healthy. your weakness may be a sign that you are suffering from an electrolyte imbalance which can lead to a serious heart condition. if you are hypoglycemic- soda is not the answer- as tweety put it- your flip flopping with a quick burst of sugar. you need foods that will give you energy until your next meal. the granola bar would be more beneficial if you had it with a a piece of fruit and a glass of skim milk. i am a believer that the best diet is put out by the american diabetes association. the best advice would be to ask your doctor, he can do blood work to see if you have any underlying conditions & help you select a healthy diet. weight watchers is good, but i don't think they would approve of vending machines & fast food chains (unless you are ordering a salad). good luck & congratulations, but in order to keep the weight off- you must change your eating habits & make it a lifelong committment to eating healthy foods. :)

actually, ww does not disapprove of fast food, soda, or vending machines. its all about moderation...no you shouldn't always order fries and a cheeseburger but every once in a while is not a bad thing. i stopped at mcdonald's on that particlar day b/c i needed something to eat quick and it was on my way. on most days i eat very well, but sometimes everyone eats things they shouldn't. i did not lose 40+ pounds from mcdonalds or vending machines, but recently i haven't been counting my points (ww lingo) and have had this problem.

i do not usually rely on the vending machines to meet my nutritional needs but sometimes it just happens, as i'm sure happens to everyone else as we are all human.

thank you everyone for your feedback.