Hungry? Hypoglycemic? Hope this helps.

Yes, but... Are you going to live on the Five Day plan forever?  It's not always realistic - nor entirely healthy, is it?  I have RHG, and it cannot be narrowed down to carbs, complex or otherwise sometimes, as it happens after plain protein too for me.

I'm not living the 5 day plan anymore.  I only did it for 5 days.  I'm eating fruit and vegetables, lots of fish, nuts, and some beans, but when I eat starch based carbs (even whole grains) I get sick! We don't need to eat starch to be healthy.  We evolved over millions of years eating very little starchy carbs.  If it wasn't such a big problem, believe me I would eat them.  I love bread and rice.  I can have them in small amounts now and then, but my problem is that when I have them it's like a hit of heroin to an addict.  I get hungry all the time and start craving more and more carbs and sugar.  Then it is really difficult not to spiral into overeating.  Not to mention the other lovely symptoms of hypoglycemia.  I've talked to my surgeon and he says that my diet is quite healthy and that I can continue doing this if it helps to control my hypoglycemia. Anyway, everybody is different.  What works for me may not work for others, but I thought I'd put the information out there in case it does prove to be helpful to someone. 

Beatrice: We could be twins!  I was following the core program of weigh****chers, incorporating whole grains into my diet.  I found I was getting hungrier and hungrier each passing day.   Although I was eating "healthy" and maintaining my weight, I would have occassional hypoglycemic attacks and it would ruin the rest of my day.  Before I started the 5DPT I did one days with a shake and a protein bar.  At dinner I had some whole wheat bread, and wham, hypoglycemic attack. I realized at that moment the whole grains were not good for me, despite what people say and I must avoid at all cost.  Since 5DPT:  NO HUNGER, NO HYPOGLYCEMIA, NO DIZZINESS AND MUCH MORE!!!!! I too was not eating bad before, but I realize now, I cannot eat these carbs.  I have not eaten sugar since surgery.   High five to you sister!

Awesome Angela!

 

I'm glad to hear it works for you too!  I'm going to try the chromium picolinate that someone suggested too and see if that lets me have some carbs now and then, but right now, I'm just really happy to have figured this out.  I was getting really tired of fighting the hunger all the time. 

 

Let me know how you keep doing.  Hopefully we can help each other. 

I'm one of those who has had part of their pancreas removed for hypoglycemia (60%).  I still have episodes of low blood sugar, even on nothing but protein.  But I have finally realized that while complex carbs are needed for a healthy diet, I just can't do very much of it.  The other day I dropped down into the 60's on a Slim-Fast low carb hi protein shake.  That's a first for me.  I was doing the 5 day pouch test and on day 2.  I had problems all day long keeping my sugar up.  Not sure why.  It's really a pain.  But I know I feel better when I don't eat carbs.  But I do crave them.  I'm going to ask my endo about chromium picolinate that someone else posted about.  

Hi Lyn,

 

Did your doctor tell you what he thought the cause is?  Can you eat fruits and vegetables or do these set you off as well?  You might want to get a list of portion sizes and glycemic loads (rather than just the glycemic index) of different foods.   Some foods with relatively low glycemic indexes have high glycemic loads because the Glycemic index doesn't take into account portion sizes actually eaten by people.

 

I hope the chromium helps you as well.  Let me know how you are doing! 

I'm not Lyn, but she was diagnosed with nesidioblastosis as far as I know - and it's not a matter of WHAT foods - nearly anything can trigger the overproduction of insulin and cause series of mind-numbing blood sugar lows.  It's nearly impossible to predict, and dangerous, which is why the pancreas is removed.

Thanks Melting,

You hit the nail on the head.  It is impossible to predict.  One day I can eat a food and no problem.  The next day the same food will drop my sugar dramatically.

I've tried every combination of foods, portion size etc known to man.  As for portion size, I ususally can't eat a lot at one time.  When I do the cottage cheese test, I can eat about 3 oz and be full.  Plus I'm trying to get off the remaining 12 pounds of my 15 pound gain from the whacked out insulin levels.   I eat mainly protein.  Some fruit, really like Clemantines at this time of year.  But I do have to be careful of fruit.  Before the distal pancreatectomy, I dropped to alarming levels from an apple.

 

 

 

 

Same with me. Yesterday, I dropped to 38 on four tortilla chips and chicken breast.

The cause is nesidioblastosis.  The beta cells produce way too much insulin.  Veggies are okay but I can't eat much of them because I'm usually full from my protein.  What I eat and when I eat can have absolutely no bearing on whether or not my blood sugar is going to drop.  I drop on protein shakes with 3 net carbs on some days.  I've dropped on an apple.  But the next day not.  It's unpredicatable and hard to manage.  My pouch still holds only 3 oz even almost 4 years out so it's not the case of eating too much of a high glycemic index food.  I eat like a bird.  Maybe 1200 calories a day and yet it's hard to lose wt because of the high insulin levels.   That's why everyone should be very careful if you are having hypoglycemic issues.  Get to an endocrinologist or your WL surgeon.  Ask about nesidioblastosis.  There can be far reaching consequences from hypoglycemia.