Hunger

[RisingMoon]

My main problem symptoms seems to currently be excessive hunger. I found out a few years ago that I have wobbly blood sugar, it's not bad enough to be diagnosed as hypoglycaemia but I do need to be careful what I eat. I follow a plan that involves eating 3 good meals a day with protein, wholegrains and veggies, plus snacks mid morning and afternoon and before bed. That has worked really well for me but since I had my son in 2005 (when my anxiety ramped up) I have been needing to eat more and more to keep my blood sugar steady.

It's got to the point now where I am eating over 3000 calories a day and still feeling hungry. I eat my breakfast and by 10am my stomach has hunger pangs. Sometimes I feel nauseous as well. It feels exactly like low blood sugar but recently as I have worried about it more I have noticed it has got worse. Initially I was advised that stress/ anxiety was causing me to need to eat more but I don't think that's true as I have gained weight. Then again, what I eat does seem to affect it (if I don't eat before bed I wake up hungry and nauseous versus if I do I am fine).

I need to cut down what I am eating but I don't know how because I feel hungry and I get worried about that because I know a blood sugar crash can make me feel off for days (and trigger cravings for sugary food, and I am a recovered binge eater). I am wondering if the more I worry about getting hungry the more my body will send out hunger signals as it thinks that means I am not going to get food. Like how if you worry about needing the loo at the cinema you feel like you need to go even if you just went!

help!

[Smiley?]

Do you think it might be worth seeing your GP again (if you haven't already done so) to see if your 'wobbly blood sugar' has developed into diabetes?

You are obviously very tuned in to your body and how you feel but to feel off for days after a sugar crash sounds a bit more that a wobble to me.

Also, are you on any meds that could be affecting your blood sugar?? Just a thought!!

And I share in your hunger! Am on Mirtazapine and could happily eat and eat all day long!!

[RisingMoon]

Hi, I had a test for diabetes recently as part of my MOT at the docs, which came back fine. I've had the blood sugar issue all my life and never had signs of diabetes including through 4 pregnancies either, so I don't think it is that.

A blood sugar crash throws me because it spikes my endorphins which leads to a downer afterwards which leads to sugar cravings... long story, it's why I follow the food plan I do (Radiant Recovery). It's normal for sugar sensitive people and doesn't indicate diabetes thankfully.

Hunger apparently can be a symptom of type 1 diabetes but thats because sugar isn't getting into the cells and results in weightloss, which certainly isn't my problem <blush>

Nope, no meds.

I am trying eating a sensible amount of good food at regular times and telling myself it's okay, I feel hungry but I am actually okay. Will see what happens.

[Anxious_gal]

aw sorry to hear your feeling hungry. i hate that feeling where you just never seem to feel full. i get it every so often .
I'm thinking there must be some doctor or alternative therapist who can help you.
i have also heard of a pill that will make you feel full.
hope it gets better for you x take care

[annie pannie]

Hi Risingmoon Hope you are feeling better and sorry to hear about your food difficulties. I have had hypoglycaemai for over twety years now - collapsed in Greece on Hol and was given intravenous dextrose to bring me round- ended up in hosp in uk -had tests and was told my adrenaline levels were high and my sugar levels were persistently low (less than 2!) Didn't get any advice or support bout what to do so have spent the last twenty years reseearching; trial and error and even had a couple of gp's tell me that either it did not exist or that i needed to eat more sugar agh!Low sugar is a bit like low blood pressure - its not the reading but what your body is telling you is low; its also to do with the rate of the drop - bit like going down in a lift either slowly or very quickly - stress and anxiety will use up more energy than you have and your poor adrenal glands will be on red alert - which is why i had high adrenaline levels - there is loads of good advice now on the web/books and the low GI approach works really well for me though I still get hypo's and have to make sure I don't get blase - had one today as was snowed in from work and forgot to eat for three hours- omg that was it- terror but by and large little and often and no simple carbs and lots of veg with protein at every meal- also you might want to try giving up bread if you haven't already - I went back to bread just before xmas after a break of 18 months - well I couldn't keep up with the need to eat- as fast as I had one meal/snack i needed more and more - hit the bread on the head after chrsitmas and now back to normal - so for you bread might be an issue. Thinking of you cos I know how hard and horrible it is - there is plenty of medical evidence to support the link between hypo and anxiety and in a way it doesn't matter which comes first - I have tried to work that one out over the years without any success - high stress levels burn up energy- equally low sugar will make your body rev up the adrenaline to get your body to respnd to the need for more sugar - somehow we have to eat well and reduce stress - not easy and if anyone can tell me how to do it I would give them a big hug at the least. Let me know how you get on - by the way- condition is worsened by PMT and menopause - hurrah !

Best wishes Annie x x

[RisingMoon]

Well, it turns out my problems were caused by gluten intolerance! It seems that it caused me to feel revved up and adrenaliny (hence the anxiety) and also to need a lot of food to keep my blood sugar steady (due to the adrenalin thing I guess). Just thought I'd come and update in case anyone else reads this and finds it helpful :).