Why am I so sensitive to eating sweets on an empty stomach?
March 30, 2020 11:31 PM Subscribe
Or just in general if I haven't eaten in a while and I eat a little bit, I will feel like crap. Sweets exacerbate this. I'm not diabetic!
So, over the years, many many doctors have thought I had risk of diabetes. Over the last 15 years or so I've probably been tested 5 times, including tests for rarer forms. It's never come up positive. Things which made them think I was diabetic: slightly-frequent urination, waking up at night to urinate, etc. Just some context.
I've noticed that I am quite sensitive to sweet foods, or eating a little on an empty stomach. I'm also quite sensitive to caffeine on an empty stomach. This in and of itself isn't crazy, but the level of sensitivity seems much higher than other people I know. I'm curious why this might be? Is this just a normal spectrum that I happen to be on an extreme end of, or is there potentially some underlying thing?
Oddly, I have no problem skipping meals...in general I only eat lunch and dinner, and I've done things like intermittent fasting in the past and find not eating vs. eating a little significantly easier.
For example, I eat a normal meal at noon. Then around, say 5pm, I eat like...a chip. I will almost certainly feel bad soon. Let's say I eat a scoop of ice cream, I will feel super shitty. Said shittiness generally is a general nausea, which goes away if I eat something "savory" and not sweet...say, meat, rice, bread, that sort of thing. If I eat a normal meal then have a reasonable amount of sweets after I'm totally fine.
In contrast, my wife can eat like...a cake for dinner and feel nothing. It's pretty amazing.
Any thoughts?
So, over the years, many many doctors have thought I had risk of diabetes. Over the last 15 years or so I've probably been tested 5 times, including tests for rarer forms. It's never come up positive. Things which made them think I was diabetic: slightly-frequent urination, waking up at night to urinate, etc. Just some context.
I've noticed that I am quite sensitive to sweet foods, or eating a little on an empty stomach. I'm also quite sensitive to caffeine on an empty stomach. This in and of itself isn't crazy, but the level of sensitivity seems much higher than other people I know. I'm curious why this might be? Is this just a normal spectrum that I happen to be on an extreme end of, or is there potentially some underlying thing?
Oddly, I have no problem skipping meals...in general I only eat lunch and dinner, and I've done things like intermittent fasting in the past and find not eating vs. eating a little significantly easier.
For example, I eat a normal meal at noon. Then around, say 5pm, I eat like...a chip. I will almost certainly feel bad soon. Let's say I eat a scoop of ice cream, I will feel super shitty. Said shittiness generally is a general nausea, which goes away if I eat something "savory" and not sweet...say, meat, rice, bread, that sort of thing. If I eat a normal meal then have a reasonable amount of sweets after I'm totally fine.
In contrast, my wife can eat like...a cake for dinner and feel nothing. It's pretty amazing.
Any thoughts?
Yes on blood sugar. I have this effect since I started medicating my insulin resistance and thus increasing my body's sensitivity to sugar. Makes it easier to keep to a low glycemic index diet. Anecdotally, dairy helps me the most to mitigate it.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 1:35 AM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by I claim sanctuary at 1:35 AM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Ah I get this too! My stomach is just really unhappy if I eat sweets when I'm hungry, makes me neauseous. I always figured it was a normal thing, I don't have any indicators of diabetes and am otherwise healthy. I also get absolutely raging hangry if I don't eat sometimes, I guess I figured they were related and I'm just sorta sensitive.
posted by stillnocturnal at 3:33 AM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by stillnocturnal at 3:33 AM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
I get this too, and had a glucose test a couple years ago. I have chronically low blood sugar, apparently?
posted by joyceanmachine at 3:55 AM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by joyceanmachine at 3:55 AM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have a theory, with nothing real to back it up.
Your two meals a day; are they large, or nutritionally dense?
I ask because I used to do this thing where I'd eat like a snake; 2000 calories a day? How about a single 2000 calorie meal at 3pm?
That had its own issues, but I found I'd also get symptoms like yours sometimes.
My idea was that I'd gotten my digestive system accustomed to "ok boys, they're backing up the trucks, get ready!". So if I ate just a tiny nothing, my stomach would knot up, anticipating a whole pizza and just getting a bonbon instead.
It wouldn't be as bad if the small thing was nutritionally dense, giving it something to work on. A couple of meatballs at IKEA, ok. But half a martini glass of sorbet? The stomach elves revolt - WTF are we supposed to do with just this? Where's the rest of it?
I could sometimes make up for density with volume; Listen guys, all I have for you is popcorn, not much to work with there. (groans) BUT - you're getting the entire bag! (approving murmurs)
Does this sound at all familiar?
posted by bartleby at 4:31 AM on March 31, 2020
Your two meals a day; are they large, or nutritionally dense?
I ask because I used to do this thing where I'd eat like a snake; 2000 calories a day? How about a single 2000 calorie meal at 3pm?
That had its own issues, but I found I'd also get symptoms like yours sometimes.
My idea was that I'd gotten my digestive system accustomed to "ok boys, they're backing up the trucks, get ready!". So if I ate just a tiny nothing, my stomach would knot up, anticipating a whole pizza and just getting a bonbon instead.
It wouldn't be as bad if the small thing was nutritionally dense, giving it something to work on. A couple of meatballs at IKEA, ok. But half a martini glass of sorbet? The stomach elves revolt - WTF are we supposed to do with just this? Where's the rest of it?
I could sometimes make up for density with volume; Listen guys, all I have for you is popcorn, not much to work with there. (groans) BUT - you're getting the entire bag! (approving murmurs)
Does this sound at all familiar?
posted by bartleby at 4:31 AM on March 31, 2020
Yeah, I have insulin resistance due to PCOS and I am the same if I eat anything sweet without taking my meds.
posted by Young Kullervo at 6:14 AM on March 31, 2020
posted by Young Kullervo at 6:14 AM on March 31, 2020
I too had chronically low blood sugar, until I put on some weight. Now my doctor still feels I should be diabetic or pre-diabetic but it's balanced off itself to be normal.
posted by mumimor at 7:10 AM on March 31, 2020
posted by mumimor at 7:10 AM on March 31, 2020
I forgot to mention: like you, I had no problem with savory foods. It was a joke among our group of friends that I would always have a sandwich when they were having cake. But if I needed a snack outside of mealtimes for some reason, the best option would be a vegetable, like a carrot. I could eat a tomato as well, with salt on it. I don't know why the salt helped, but it did.
posted by mumimor at 7:30 AM on March 31, 2020
posted by mumimor at 7:30 AM on March 31, 2020
I don't have any scientific insight to add, but I am also like this. I was the small child who hated sugary cereal because it made me feel so sick. As an adult, the idea of eating a donut for breakfast, or even just fruit, is horrific because of how terrible I would feel. For me, in general, I find that eating less sugar and more protein is the best way to avoid feeling like garbage. My bloodwork is normal.
Which is all a way of saying that you are not alone.
posted by past unusual at 7:35 AM on March 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
Which is all a way of saying that you are not alone.
posted by past unusual at 7:35 AM on March 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
Eating a really healthy diet as if you are pre-diabetic - limited sugar and simple white carbs, plenty of fiber, high nutrition-density - is a good way to eat. Your body's response to sugar may be over-sensitive, and I'd treat it as if it were pre-diabetic.
posted by theora55 at 8:01 AM on March 31, 2020
posted by theora55 at 8:01 AM on March 31, 2020
You sound like me and eventually I was diagnosed with insulin resistance.
posted by kitten magic at 2:02 PM on March 31, 2020
posted by kitten magic at 2:02 PM on March 31, 2020
Oh, this is really neat--I noticed that I don't feel as clear-headed and have a little bit of vague stomach discomfort if my first meal of the day is primarily sugary or starchy. When people bring in bagels, donuts, sweet coffee drinks, or pastries to work I have to decide whether I would like to indulge my sweet tooth at the cost of discomfort for an hour or two afterwards.
I also only really noticed this happening around 2016--so in my mid-twenties. If I have a protein shake in the morning, I feel great and have no problems. My ideal diet (going by feel) would be a protein shake in the morning, a lunch with some sort of chicken, fish, or beef with vegetables, then after physical activity in the evening, a dinner with meat and then whatever else I want. I don't seem to have the carbohydrate sensitivity after most of the day is over.
I don't think you have any underlying thing necessarily--sounds in the range of normal variation. The last few physicals I've had, nothing odd has come up. I am also fairly physically fit. In regards to your mention of caffeine, I have noticed I am more sensitive to caffeine than other people in a specific way--I can take 100 mg of caffeine and feel a good effect from it. However, I can also fall asleep fine after taking caffeine in the evenings as a pre-workout, and I don't get any jittery or other negative side effects or withdrawal effects from caffeine. I think it may be a metabolic quirk (I seem to recall something in my 23andme test that mentioned an enzyme with slower activity so I may break down caffeine slower?).
posted by Iron Carbide at 6:31 PM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
I also only really noticed this happening around 2016--so in my mid-twenties. If I have a protein shake in the morning, I feel great and have no problems. My ideal diet (going by feel) would be a protein shake in the morning, a lunch with some sort of chicken, fish, or beef with vegetables, then after physical activity in the evening, a dinner with meat and then whatever else I want. I don't seem to have the carbohydrate sensitivity after most of the day is over.
I don't think you have any underlying thing necessarily--sounds in the range of normal variation. The last few physicals I've had, nothing odd has come up. I am also fairly physically fit. In regards to your mention of caffeine, I have noticed I am more sensitive to caffeine than other people in a specific way--I can take 100 mg of caffeine and feel a good effect from it. However, I can also fall asleep fine after taking caffeine in the evenings as a pre-workout, and I don't get any jittery or other negative side effects or withdrawal effects from caffeine. I think it may be a metabolic quirk (I seem to recall something in my 23andme test that mentioned an enzyme with slower activity so I may break down caffeine slower?).
posted by Iron Carbide at 6:31 PM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by Zumbador at 1:30 AM on March 31, 2020