hypoglycemia/low blood sugar

I've had a bad habit of exercising first thing in the morning (on an empty stomach), which I did for quite a few months until I found out recently it causes low blood sugar.

My question is, does it cause permanent low blood sugar or just temporary? I've been eating before working out lately but I still feel the symptoms (feeling weak, confused, and on some days getting hungry REALLY easily). Is there any way to reverse this without going to the doctor?

Any help would be great.

The effects of low blood-sugars should be temporary and when you eat again, this should raise your blood-sugars.  If you're feeling as if you have low blood-sugars at other times then make sure you're eating enough, making good food choices (such as complex carbohydrates rather than simple sugars and starches) and that you're eating regularly.  If you're very, very hungry then the chances are that you're not eating enough for your age/size and level of activity.

Work out what your 'maintenance' calories would be using either the CC calculator (if you're over 21) or http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html this site if you're under 21.  If you're pretty active, factor that in realistically. Don't skimp.  Next step.... get that number of calories for about a week in regular meals/snacks and choosing good quality wholefoods.  If you're still feeling weak, confused and etc. then see your doctor.

okay - I'll try that. I also haven't had my period in 2 months and . . well, see my past posts. But I'll keep you updated. thanks!

hey superlovers,

i've read some of your past posts. it seems like we're twins in a lot of ways, just in different timeframes. i've had complications with blood sugar for a good part of my childhood/adolescence, so i hope maybe i can share something that will help.

i lost my periods about 2 1/2 years ago due to eating disordered behaviors with exercise while i was losing weight from being an overweight child/teenager. i had already lost a significant amount of weight over 2 years, unknowingly eating well below what i should have. before my weight loss, i had been diagnosed with insulin resistance/pcos. i proceeded to continue my rigorous, but albeit unknowing restriction along with a pretty rigorous workout routine, and lost about another 25-30 pounds within the span of 5-6 months. i ended up about 135-138 lbs at 5'9". my dieticians and endocronologist basically told me i was starving myself, needed to eat more, and that i was underweight. medical guidelines dictated that i couldn't be diagnosed with anorexia, even though i was showing a lot of symptoms, because my weight was not low enough (the low limit is 125 lbs for my height). i honestly believe that i am underweight at that level, even though it's just a few pounds below where i am now. i felt so sick and lacking energy, and notice the same symptoms whenever i dip back down there. it took a pretty severe gym accident for me to become willing to admit my warped relationship with food and start recovery, but i didn't take it seriously enough in my first year and kept playing around with calorie levels and not stabilizing my weight.

i started recognizing my hypoglycemia for what it was about 3 months after i admitted my problem. i had told my endo about the dizzy feelings, and subsequent binging i had all the time, and she gave me a blood sugar meter. sure enough the results showed biggggg dips in blood sugar levels. i had to start getting serious about my meal plans, and started a regimen that gave me enough calories, good ratios of protein:fat:slow-acting carbs measured out over about 6 meals a day.

if any of this sounds familiar, or if you miss another period, you should seriously consider getting in with a doctor at least. lost periods over a 3 month span indicate a female body in distress...or pregnancy, haha, but that varies by an individual to individual basis. you seem like a pretty smart gal, if you think that the amennorhhea might be caused by your dietary habits, please please please try to assess the problem now. if you need any more encouragement, take it from someone who know: i waited too long on the weight restoration and adequate nutrition balance with activity levels; now, even though my weight is relatively stable and at a healthier spot, i'm decreasing my activity, and getting adequate nutrition each day, i still get hypoglycemia and my ob-gyn/endo says that my pituitary hormone levels are still so low that it's likely i won't be able to get my period without birth control (which reacts badly with me because i'm super-sensitive to medication for some reason- oy gevalt i'm a mess!).

so please, if you're looking for encouragement in all these posts to get serious about this, please take this as an earnest insentive.

much love and support,

naskigi

hey superlovers,

i've read some of your past posts. it seems like we're twins in a lot of ways, just in different timeframes. i've had complications with blood sugar for a good part of my childhood/adolescence, so i hope maybe i can share something that will help.

i lost my periods about 2 1/2 years ago due to eating disordered behaviors with exercise while i was losing weight from being an overweight child/teenager. i had already lost a significant amount of weight over 2 years, unknowingly eating well below what i should have. before my weight loss, i had been diagnosed with insulin resistance/pcos. i proceeded to continue my rigorous, but albeit unknowing restriction along with a pretty rigorous workout routine, and lost about another 25-30 pounds within the span of 5-6 months. i ended up about 135-138 lbs at 5'9". my dieticians and endocronologist basically told me i was starving myself, needed to eat more, and that i was underweight. medical guidelines dictated that i couldn't be diagnosed with anorexia, even though i was showing a lot of symptoms, because my weight was not low enough (the low limit is 125 lbs for my height). i honestly believe that i am underweight at that level, even though it's just a few pounds below where i am now. i felt so sick and lacking energy, and notice the same symptoms whenever i dip back down there. it took a pretty severe gym accident for me to become willing to admit my warped relationship with food and start recovery, but i didn't take it seriously enough in my first year and kept playing around with calorie levels and not stabilizing my weight.

i started recognizing my hypoglycemia for what it was about 3 months after i admitted my problem. i had told my endo about the dizzy feelings, and subsequent binging i had all the time, and she gave me a blood sugar meter. sure enough the results showed biggggg dips in blood sugar levels. i had to start getting serious about my meal plans, and started a regimen that gave me enough calories, good ratios of protein:fat:slow-acting carbs measured out over about 6 meals a day.

if any of this sounds familiar, or if you miss another period, you should seriously consider getting in with a doctor at least. lost periods over a 3 month span indicate a female body in distress...or pregnancy, haha, but that varies by an individual to individual basis. you seem like a pretty smart gal, if you think that the amennorhhea might be caused by your dietary habits, please please please try to assess the problem now. if you need any more encouragement, take it from someone who know: i waited too long on the weight restoration and adequate nutrition balance with activity levels; now, even though my weight is relatively stable and at a healthier spot, i'm decreasing my activity, and getting adequate nutrition each day, i still get hypoglycemia and my ob-gyn/endo says that my pituitary hormone levels are still so low that it's likely i won't be able to get my period without birth control (which reacts badly with me because i'm super-sensitive to medication for some reason- oy gevalt i'm a mess!).

so please, if you're looking for encouragement in all these posts to get serious about this, please take this as an earnest insentive.

much love and support,

naskigi

omg. so we really are twins.

just wondering, are you diabetic?

anyway, the thing is, I took the BMI thing and I'm pretty much eating enough..around 2000 calories, and the calculator says I should be eating 2200. My exercise schedule is like 150 minutes of cardio a week and strength training 3x a week. Is that too much??

lol, yup, i guess. no, i haven't been diagnosed with diabetes, but i come from a long line of type on both sides of my family, and was borderline diabetic for a time when i was 13 when i was about 257 pounds. i'm around 140-145 now and have to eat healthfully, so needless to say the weight/dietary factor is not the problem here, but i may be very well predisposed to having insulin problems and amennorheic PCOS because of my hereditary history. it's still something my endo and I are trying to figure out because my eating disorder primarily manifests itself in exercise bulimia...which we both know, too much exercise can lead to ammenorhea.

so i would honestly ask a professional, my dear, and be honest with yourself and them about your activity level. topically, it looks like a relatively good amount, but here are a few things to consider:

1. how much time do you spend in the gym each session?

2. how intense are your sessions?

3. how active are you in general?

if you want to keep in touch, i'd love to give you my e-mail/facebook (i'm rarely on CC- i use another site to track but come here occasionally for the wonderful parts of the forum). we can be buddies as we try to figure this out. :]