The FastDay Forum

I have a question, it might seem a little basic. I'm new to the forum.

I have a feeling I might be hyperglycemic because everytime I eat something I feel tired, I change from feeling sociable to quiet, I basically just need to go and lie down. Am I getting confused between hypo and hyperglycemic?

although I'm very skinny, i eat healthily,I'm of the opinion that my insulin sensitivity is pretty bad and I often feel I crash. Today I actually noticed when I crashed I had some coconut oil and I felt more stabilised which was a nice discover. But I'm looking for more tips and tricks to keep my insulin level stable, I know of low gi/low carb, eating protein and fibre etc.

I would like to start taking control of my insulin sensitivity,(I'm going to buy some chromium) but just wanted to check if I was right in thinking I'm hyperglycemic (too high blood sugar, as opposed to hypo- too low sugar level).

What I do know is that when I fast - and my insulin level lowers or stabilises, I presume, I feel fantastic - very confident, sociable , almost euphoric and I as soon as I eat I lose this 'high'. I think it might have something to do with using up all the glucose in my system and switching to glucagon from the liver. I get in a similar euphoric state when I do intense cardio exercise for 20 mins plus....im really keen to work out the science

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts

Thanks

Have you been to a doctor for an HbA1C? Not sure if that's what they call it "over the pond", but here in the States, it's a 3 month measure of where your glucose has been. If it's high, they can tell you and you can have more of a plan. Don't work blindly, get the information to design an informed plan. Good luck!

Ok mary lynn, I'll look into that but I was going to buy a blood glucose monitor anyway so hopefully that will help me determine where I'm at.

Thanks

About the coconut oil butter made you feel better, when I am on my fast day and am looking across the hours to when it is my dinner time, what gets me there from about 1pm to 6pm is my almond milk + coffee made from grinding the beans and I sweeten with stevia and in it has a good dollop of the coconut oil. Like a bullet coffee.

You know hate to nag but if you get chromium why not in a food I keep my chromium levels in very good knick thank you with dark chocolate which I eat a couple of times a week when I get a choc urge

Agree with the idea of your getting your blood glucose done as MLCDz suggests by your doctor then when you are there you can have discussions about what you are mentioning on the forum about your feelings around food. As Rawkaren mentioned on your other thread circulating, you might have a wheat/gluten intolerance issue. I understand that as when I have some gluten containing foods they make me very tired. But I don't feel antisocial it for me is just like lethargy. It is important that your GP is up to date with what you are doing. I was very surprised as to how positive the general practitioners in the practice I go to are, open minded and chatty which helped me to know I was going in the right direction.

Agree the science here is an amazing collection of information and most of us are here because we really like eating. I can't speak for other forum members but I have always loved my food, maybe too much. also I have a passion that I eat top quality ingredients to the point I grow my own herbs and veggies and some fruit so I can go out into my garden and pluck a salad. I am lucky I crave green and my body is unhappy with out it. Not so much on 5:2 as I have a very high plant based diet and I am scrupulous to make sure I am ingesting the nutrients my body needs. Would just hate to have gone to all this effort and find I have depleted my body in some way. Apologies if I have waxed on here, all the best Joey

[carorees]

It is unlikely to be hyperglycaemia that.causes your symptoms. More likely reactive hypoglycaemia from eating high GI carbs or a food intolerance such as wheat.

I think you meant glycogen not glucagon. Glycogen is the body's stored form of glucose. When you are fasting (I.e. from around 4 hours after eating) your body uses a mix of glycogen and fats for fuel. The exact mix depends on the kind of activity you're doing, how much glycogen you have left and whether you are a "fat burner". Some fat is converted to ketones and some is burnt directly. Some people do experience euphoria when burning ketones.

I agree with the others that it might be worth chatting to your doctor about your reactions to food and also keeping a food and symptom diary so you can see what kinds of foods make you feel lethargic/itchy etc.

Good luck!

I would invest in a glucose monitor and check fasting glucose plus before and after meals for a few days to see how what you eat affects your glucose levels. Keep a food diary too so you can relate your level to the type of food you've eaten.

Glucose meters are cheap enough but the strips are expensive. If you're in the UK try eBay for strips. In the UK you are unlikely to get an hbA1c test straight off. They tend to just do a random or fasting glucose unless you are diabetic.

I have a question about digestion times because I am aware that in the morning, well I feel like I am still digesting my dinner. I eat at about 8-10pm so makes sense. But I want to know is it a gradual process that we stop using glucose direct from food and start using glycogen stores, surely the two must happen simultaneously as they cross over. And what about ketosis? That must be gradual too so once we get near the end of our glycogen stores we must slowly go into ketosis. I'm just intrigued as it would mean we're never just solely in one process but have both going on simultaneously.

Any thoughts?

Its relevant to me because I think i get my feeling of wellness when my body starts coming off its glucose from food stores and starts using glycogen stores. And throughout the glycogen depletion process I feel really good. I think it coincides with my insulin levels being really low at this point. Has anyone heard of anything like feelings of calmness/confidence/positivity during glycogen depletion phase or very low insulin levels? As I work in an office there's very little I do in terms of energy output so I can make it last a good few hours. It may even last into ketosis, I need to experiment. I think basically low insulin makes me feel really good so I want to do what I can to keep my insulin as low as possible often and improve my insulin sensitivity.