Awwww... Sugar, Sugar

May 27, 2008 1:50 PM

Is this a low-blood sugar crash?

Hello,

About four years ago, I began a pretty large workout routine in order to get fit and lose weight. I was very successful with it due to the help of a trainer who put me on a diet.

I suppose about 1.5 years into the routine, I started experiencing something during my aerobic routines that, to this day, no one (including doctors) have been able to pin point.

It manifests this way:

About 30 minutes into a heavy routine -- say stair climber or elliptical -- I'll start to get ravenously hungry. My hands shake uncontrollably and, if I wait too long to eat, I'll start to break out in a cold sweat and get dizzy. It's excruciating and I can barely contain myself from eating anything in front of me. (I once thought about eating a pre-chewed Mary Jane candy discarded in a parking lot.)

I know it has something to do with hunger, so I'm betting it is a low-blood sugar crash. If I eat a lot of food before I work out, it never hits me.

The problem is I am on a diet. If I screw up the diet, I don't experience this. If I don't, I experience this. I feel as if I can't win here.

How can I find out whether this is really a low-blood sugar crash? Are there things I can do during the routines to help? I've heard of people eating fruit while they work out. Would this help me? Would eating a sugar cube when I feel bad help? Could I tweak my diet to eat something before the routine so I don't experience the problem?

I have taken a fasting hypoglycemia test. This was, however, awhile ago. It found mild hypoglycemia, but since I was terribly unhealthy then it was chalked up to that.

Thanks!!!

posted by tcv to health (18 comments total)

Go see your doctor about this - your diet is clearly not doing you any good with regards to your workout routine. As a minimum, the doctor can refer you to a nutritionist or a dietician, who can provide expert advice.
posted by LN at 2:01 PM on May 27 [1 favorite]

Totally sounds like a sugar crash, but yeah, you should have it checked for sure.

Anecdotally, I've learned over the years that when this happens to me, eating sugar is NOT the way to go. It only makes things worse an hour or two later. For me, protein is the best thing to eat. Nuts, cheese, slice of meat (usually fake meat, for me) -- these are what kick me out of the plummet.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:16 PM on May 27

Bring some OJ with you to the gym
posted by sero_venientibus_ossa at 2:21 PM on May 27

I'm a type-1 diabetic, and this sounds exactly like a textbook low blood sugar. I'm shocked that wasn't the reaction you got from your doctor.

Buy some glucose tablets and pop a few whenever you start to feel like that, and it should go away without affecting your diet very much.
posted by Oxydude at 2:22 PM on May 27

I assume when you say "diet," you mean "self-imposed weight loss diet," and not "eating plan in which I am only allowed to eat certain foods at certain times prescribed by a doctor to combat some medical condition." If the latter, please see your doctor for a revised eating plan. If the latter, you need to reevaluate your weight loss plan, because it is jeopardizing your health. Your body is trying to tell you that it is not getting enough fuel to sustain the activity that you are putting it through. Listen to your body.
posted by decathecting at 2:47 PM on May 27

I'm no expert, but it definitely sounds like low blood sugar. You don't mention how much you're eating or how much you're exercising, but it really sounds like you're not eating enough for your activity level. (I got intimately acquainted with the dizziness and ravenous hunger in college, when my "pretty large workout routine" and "very successful diet" turned into an eating disorder, so I'm worried that your current routine might not be healthy for you. I apologize if I'm jumping to conclusions.)

I've heard you're supposed to eat a combination of protein and carbs before working out. Try having a pre-workout snack - nuts, a turkey sandwich, an energy bar or an Ensure - before you hit the gym and see if things improve. Better to eat a little more beforehand than to risk a post-workout binge or conk out on the treadmill.
posted by Metroid Baby at 2:49 PM on May 27

How can I find out whether this is really a low-blood sugar crash?

Buy the lowest priced blood sugar meter you can find and test yourself while you're feeling the symptoms. That will tell you for sure.
posted by amyms at 2:50 PM on May 27 [1 favorite]

I'm no expert, but from my own experience and reading, a sugar cube won't help in the end, avoid simple sugars, they're just a roller coaster. You probably need things like more complex carbs to help balance things out.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 2:52 PM on May 27

Have a diet prescribed by a nutrienist/dietician, not a 'trainer' - you're body is quite clearly telling you that you're not giving it enough energy to perform your workout. Personal choice here but I'd go with real food over glucose tablets/sugar cubes - while they'll give your body the most energy for the least amount of effort (in digestion) if you're going to be taking in extra calories they might as well be from something tasty and nutritious.

PS - I'm not saying trainers can't also be qualified to give nutritional advice but most aren't but will happily do so anyway - clearly the diet you've been put on is not appropriate for you.
posted by missmagenta at 3:03 PM on May 27

cyclists call this 'the bonk' or 'bonking'.

If I eat a lot of food before I work out, it never hits me.

The problem is I am on a diet. If I screw up the diet, I don't experience this. If I don't, I experience this. I feel as if I can't win here.


Change. The. Diet.
posted by tachikaze at 3:54 PM on May 27

sounds like the diet is the culprit. eat a tablespoon of peanut butter before your workout--it's not enough to ruin your diet, but it should help you make it through the workout.
posted by thinkingwoman at 4:03 PM on May 27

Step far, far away from the sugarcubes - this does sound like a low blood sugar situation, but throwing simple "sugar" into yourself at those crash moments will lead to even more horrible crashes a short time later. You might want to look into the whole glycemic index idea. Without getting in to a ton of detail, I've found that eating foods in the "low" or "medium" category on this index tend to be the best at getting me safely out of low blood sugar moments. As a matter of fact, I've just about managed to eliminate hypoglycemic "crashes" in my life by learning to avoid foods in the "high" category on the glycemic index, and by keeping a supply of almonds around at all times!
posted by Hellgirl at 4:05 PM on May 27

Before your workout, eat a snack that will release its energy slowly (i.e., has a low glycemic index). Peanut butter or cheese on coarse bread, for example.
posted by neuron at 4:17 PM on May 27

I'm also diabetic (Type 2) and this sounds like a classic hypoglycemia episode which I have gone through a few times. It might be interesting to check your blood sugars with a meter to see how low they are when it happens, but probably anything under 30 mg/dl would put you at risk of unconsciousness.

A much better description of your symptoms and the consequences is here. Maybe you can ask your doctor (and of course I am not only not your doctor, but not a doctor at all and I don't even play one on TV) about an A1C test which will give a better idea of your blood sugars over the last 3 months.
posted by 543DoublePlay at 5:19 PM on May 27

Agree with the others- change your eating patterns. Maybe not the amount and style of food, but the timing. Remember, food is fuel. You eat for the activities ahead of you, not to somehow replenish for things you've already done.
posted by gjc at 5:22 PM on May 27

I got the same thing fairly regularly. The South Beach Diet seems to smooth out the sugar spikes.
posted by electroboy at 7:05 PM on May 27

I get the same type of blood sugar crashes. I read all of the responses above and I didn't see the one factor that will determine whether or not I will get one if I'm exercising and eating to lose weight and that is CAFFEINE. If I have too much coffee, about an hour after my last cup I will crash, even if I'm just sitting at my computer. See if you cut the caffeine out of your diet if you still crash... also, I second the OJ solution, juice is the best way to stop these crashes in their tracks, then you have to follow up with complex carbs and/or protein.

Not sure if you're a man or woman, but I developed Gestational Diabetes when I was pregnant, and I've also been told that it's likely that I will develop Type 2 diabetes (if I don't take care of myself) as an older adult. Apparently when your body has trouble regulating your blood sugar in either direction, you can end up with Diabetes if you don't take care of yourself.

of course, I am not a doctor.
posted by vermontlife at 7:17 PM on May 27

Just an update for everyone.

I made some changes to my diet. I agree with everyone that I'm simply not fueling myself enough for the workout and that's why I crash.

I changed the amount of food I eat before I work out. Each meal in the morning is a little smaller. When I go to the gym around 6 or 7pm every night, I eat dinner. This allows me to pack away what I would have eaten after the workout. I also take a Balance Bar with me to the gym in case I need it.

So far, I feel very good. I'm not hungry during the day and I don't crash at the gym. Plus, I haven't had to change my target numbers.

It seems like a fit. I'll continue to monitor it.

Thanks for the kick in the head, guys.
posted by tcv at 3:25 PM on May 29