12:30PM
Spinach salad with eggs, bacon, cheese, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and Ranch dressing, mashed cauliflower with butter, beef patty with cheese, pickle and mayo
5:00PM
Key lime low-carb cheesecake with whipped topping
6:30PM
Stallone Chocolate protein pudding
7:00PM
150-minute recreational volleyball
10:15PM
2 low-carb wraps with cheese
10:45PM
Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Bar
CURRENT WEIGHT: 267.4
NOTE: I discovered something very odd today for the first time in the more than four years I've been livin' la vida low-carb. This is pretty freaky and may even explain in part why my weight has been playing hard to get down this year. Have you ever heard of anything like this? Tell me what you think!
Out of pure curiosity, I decided to purchase a blood glucose monitor today at the drugstore along with the lancets and testing strips to check my blood sugar levels. I'm not diabetic and don't NEED to check this, but I was very, very interested in something...what happens to my blood sugar AFTER I eat? Well, let's see.
After a night of fasting, I attempted to test my blood sugar levels (I have SO much respect for diabetics who do this EVERY SINGLE DAY--more power to ya!) and the fasting reading was 107. That seemed a bit high after 15 hours of no food, but I was pleased with it being well within "normal" range. Then Christine and I ate a pretty large meal for lunch and I tested my blood again one hour after this meal. This is when I got a BIG SHOCK!
My blood sugar levels DROPPED 26 points down to 81 AFTER my meal. Now, wait a minute. I thought your blood sugar was supposed to go UP after eating a meal? Keep in mind I even had some carbohydrates from the spinach, cheese, dried cranberries, Ranch, mashed cauliflower, and eggs. With all these carbs, wouldn't my blood sugar go up under normal circumstances? Strange, huh?
Three hours after eating, I decided to check my blood again (man, my fingers REALLY hurt with all this testing!) and it had risen back up to 94 again. A slow rise back up towards my fasting blood sugar level from this morning, but still kinda low making me hesitant about eating something else lest it drops again.
I ate my cheesecake this afternoon and then some protein pudding to fuel up for my volleyball cardio workout on Tuesday nights. When I got home from playing, I checked my blood sugars one more time which was three hours after eating the pudding and my reading was 91. Weird doesn't even begin to describe this.
Yes, I realize these numbers are fabulous and that people with hypoglycemia have their blood sugars drop dangerously below 60 with all kinds of negative effects. But does your blood sugar go DOWN after eating? Everything I've ever heard is that it goes UP and then comes back down again. That's what Christine's did. She started at 83 fasting and then jumped up to 127 one hour after eating lunch. That seems normal.
So wassup with me? Any thoughts.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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7 comments:
Hi Jimmy!
I tested myself similarly before and was told that because proteins and fats have such a mimimal effect on the blood sugar it could take as much as 15 hours to see a difference in things. Even though you at some carbs, you still ate primarily protein and fat (as a good low carber should! ;-) ), so I'm guessing the carbs had negligible impact on your readings. I'm sure your doctor could explain in greater detail, but I'm not sure what you're describing is so strange for someone who really does do better on a low carb diet.
THANKS Jen! I appreciate your input. I am actually thinking of doing something crazy today with my menu just to see what will happen. It's just for one meal, so we'll see how it goes and I'll report tomorrow.
Reactive hypoglycemia, possibly indicating an excessive release of insulin? I know reactive hypoglycemia is usually a result of ingesting carbs, but eating protein also triggers the release of insulin.
Yes, Jimmy!
This is NOT weird - I have had this all my life!
Basically, fats and proteins (and some foods) can actually make blood sugar go down in some people!
The other thing is: Insulin!
This can be from a variety of factors such as insulin resistance, insulin hypersensitivity, or insulin overproduction, yada, yada.
The bottom line is: there is probably nothing wrong with you, and you can experiment with your diet to find out what works for you.
After a long while of being on a certain diet, it's normal for the body to adjust a bit.
My guess is still that you need to eat more frequently, and that you need more protein.
But don't be afraid to keep experimenting!
Try less and more protein, fat, and carbs, until you get the right mix.
The glucose monitor is a great tool, and while it can hurt your fingers (I think you can also do it on your forearm?), it can tell you a lot about how you react to foods!
Good Luck!
And I totally believe you can figure this out!
Hi Jimmy,
As a Type 2 diabetic who tests a couple of times a day, let me give you a tip about where to prick your fingers for blood. Never prick the finger pads, but instead use the sides closer to the nails of your fingers...and I mostly use the middle to pinkie fingers, both sides on both hands. For some reason, those areas seem to have fewer nerve endings to hurt.
It is interesting that you've seen a drop in blood glucose after meals, and think it needs to be told to your doc...could be an excess insulin response and insulin is what drives fat into our fat cells. Maybe that is partly your answer to gaining and not losing weight?
I had hypoglycemia for most of my life and only in the past couple of years became diabetic. I was told that is sometimes the path...burning out your insulin system till it slows down or stops production. Don't know for sure if that is true, though.
BTW, did you read Dr. Mike's interesting blog today on Low Carb and Calories?
Also, looking forward to meeting you and Christine on the cruise! I was able to talk a friend into going with me, so we are both signed up.
Carol, that's awesome you're coming on the cruise. WOO HOO! Can't wait to meet you and everyone else. Is it January yet? :D
THANKS for the advice about pricking myself for the blood sample. I started with my forearm and couldn't get any blood (plenty of bruises, but no blood). Then I did my ring finger, pointy finger, and thumb several times each before figuring out that my middle finger worked the best with very little pain. I even BRUISED my thumb which was weird, but it made me appreciate people who do this all the time that much more. :)
I have alerted my doctor about this and I'm planning on interviewing another low-carb diet physician this Friday who says he is seeing this happen more and more in his practice with people following an Atkins low-carb diet over the long-term. That interview will air on my podcast show sometime in June.
Hey buddy i think your on to something there. I would suggest a Hemoglobin A1c this will tell you what your blood sugar has been up to the last three months. since creatine affects the pancreas it might be an eye opener.
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