Avoiding Hypoglycemia

[81Kellogram 101]

I've never been diabetic but I'm prone to low blood sugar when working out. I'm four weeks post-op and started going to the gym. Yesterday was cycling and today was kickboxing and I had the shakes and light headedness pretty bad both times. Yesterday, I drank a 1/2 cup of juice. It worked but not happy with all the sugar and it just creates a blood sugar spike. I'm looking for something that works fast but isn't a refined carbohydrate. Today I ate a Tbl of Peanut Butter and three saltine crackers. Worked fast, but still not ideal.

Any ideas?

[gryffen 176]

This happens to me a lot and I need to watch weight but also don't want the sugar spike. Maybe a glucose tablet (think they are called Dextrose here) and basically are fast release glucose but without the horrific sugar rush. Maybe also something like Berocca?

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[Healthy_life2 8,324]

@@81Kellogram

I'm a type one diabetic and now get low blood sugars after surgery. I feel your pain..lol

I dilute orange juice with Water. The glucose tablets work. They're easy to keep on hand when you need them. It's an instant sugar rush.They upset my stomach a bit.

Do you have a blood sugar/ glucose meter? You may want to track your sugars to find when it go's below 70. It will help you to get a better idea if low's are happening when you workout or at other times.

[Ssze1109 163]

Try to have a snack with Protein so there is no spike then crash.

Someone once told me chocolate milk was the perfect after workout snack. Although post op I'm not sure? Not really sure how much sugar is in it.

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[BigViffer 3,544]

I am prone to my blood sugar getting too low post workout. But I have found that if I eat proper amounts of a complex carb like oats or shredded wheat about 20 minutes before working out, I do not dip so low. Those carbs take longer to break down and will not cause dumping like post workout juice.< /p>

[RickM 1,747]

I think that BigViffer is on the right track here, with some complex carbs that take longer to absorb and not make such a big insulin spike (with the consequent hypoglycemia) but will give you the needed energy boost. P butter and saltines prob aren't that ideal since the saltines are a simple carb that breaks down quickly (though they do work well early on and are easily tolerated,) but perhaps a whole grain cracker may work better.

I never had a real hypoglycemia problem when working out - never had diabetes and kept the overal carb levels on the higher side, relatively speaking, during the loss phase, but did run into endurance problems with some workouts. The advice offered by my RD was a pre-workout snack that is high in complex carbs, moderate in Protein and low to moderate in fat. I settled on a small meat and cheese on whole grain bread bread/toast sandwich as being convenient for me and meeting that profile, and it worked well to extend my swimming endurance beyond an hour; a similar Peanut Butter sandwich worked less well, so for me, the bit of extra Protein from the meat was important. YMMV

Experiment with foods that you tolerate and are on your plan that you can conveniently work into your schedule. My nephew, who is an RD in training, likes some of the CLIF bars as fitting the profile for pre-workout use - not ideal as a high Protein Bar that we typically go for in our weight loss efforts, but check the profiles of the different products to see what fits if the convenience is a big priority (though I prefer making something up at home.)

[Kumbaice 44]

Try 15 grams of complex carbs before work out with some Protein .

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