Question about Postprandial Syndrome! AKA low blood sugar

(Leslie Wood) #1

Ever since I can remember (I’m 67) I’ve been prone to feeling very unwell if I go too long without eating. I called it “low blood sugar” (or hypoglycemia) but since I have a glucometer I’ve never documented my blood sugar being low. Last time it was 120, although I obviously have never tested it right before an attack. It’s also not “reactive hypoglycemia” as it takes several hours without food for it to occur. I get shaky, fuzzy-headed and feel generally like crap, and even after eating it takes quite a while to get back to normal. So I’ve Googled the hell out of it as with this problem I can’t fast, as much as I would like to. (I am not type 2, but in spite of eating very low carb, (not quite ketogenic, although I’ve tried that) I have relatively high fasting blood sugar (100-117 and fasting insulin of 14)(I am female and weight 135, down 25 lbs in the last 2 years). I seldom have this while eating low carb and 3 meals per day, so I’m good most of the time. Recently I found the term “postprandial syndrome” which described the lack of actual low blood sugar (see wickipedia below). Sadly, further searching doesn’t yield much else in the way of solving the problem.

Here is the wikipedia info:

Sometimes I wonder if I could just tough it out and make it through a fast, but the main consensus seems to be against that (listen to your body?). Seems like if anyone might have further insights it would be this group, and I post this on Fasting Females as it seems to occur frequently among my women friends, (and I also am female).
Thanks!

(KCKO, KCFO) #2

Sounds to me like lack of electrolytes. Do you get in enough sodium, potassium and magnesium?

I think it is our carb addiction that makes us think we “need to eat something” to feel better. I know I was sure guilty of that attitude. I’m 68, female, no health issues just a yoyo dieter for the last 35+ yrs. I had bought into the “need carbs to feel good” most of my life. Since doing keto/LCHF, I could never go back to a high carb lifestyle. Aug.'16, I started on keto induction, worked my way up to @50 carbs per day, added fasting Spring '17, I have been in maintenance since May '17, so about 9 months now.

Good luck on sorting yourself out. We are all so similar but small tweaks can make a big difference for me it was IF and Efasting that got me where I wanted to go.

(mykittashi) #3

I only have my n=1 to share. Like you, I find I cannot fast regularly. I think fasting is a bit easier for me when my net carbs are lower than 20. I don’t try to force fasting and only skip meals if I don’t feel hungry. It’s easier for me to skip lunch or dinner than breakfast.

(Moriah ) #4

Leslie,
Hey thanks for finding this! I’ve never read anything about it. I am totally one of those postprandial people. I am 58 yo and have had it since for sure my early 20s. Sounds like we are a bit different, my blood sugar does run low but too high to be diagnosed hypoglycemia. I cannot drink orange juice for example if I don’t want to be shaking in a half hour. My opinion? We put out too much insulin when taking in carbs, an over reaction of our body if you will. Why do I think that? because Its almost impossible for me to loose weight. I have been to endocrinologists and asked numerous doctors. after reading obesity code and listening to Jason Fungs podcast, I felt like the clouds parted and ta dah! that its ! too much insulin.
If you feel like you wouldn’t be able to fast, try waking up and doing a fat fast as long as you can. If you drink coffee, put heavy whipping cream in it (yumm!) and then really pay attention to your body. Honestly, I would give a lot to be your weight. I have at least 30-40 lbs to loose yet. Cut down on the carbs and listen to your body. I’ve had some days where I feel like the energy and brain function just dropped out. I have a jar of coconut oil in my desk at work and I try to use that in coffee or tea if necessary. I have some crackers in my desk at work for emergency (although I’ve been doing fasting before I was doing keto). I was fasting 36 hours every other day but was eating carbs on my eating day, I am very carb conservative but was eating some. I have started keto slowly and am now not eating carbs at all (just in veggies) and I’m having a very difficult time fasting 36 hours. Now I can get to about 4 pm in a day (20 hours) and I have to eat. try doing it slowly, our bodies may just be very reactive and making changes too fast might trigger more insulin as well. if you are able to measure your glucose then you can see if your fasting glucose changes, I would be interested in hearing what your A1C is. Mine is 5.7 the last time I had it tested. Soon I will test again. So, be nice to your body and make changes slowly.
collaroygal said it sounds like electrolytes so it wouldn’t hurt to try salt (lite salt has potassium too), a good soak in epsom salts (bath bombs) will give you some magnesium. Good Luck!