Reactive Hypoglycemia

Reactive Hypoglycemia If you are anything like me when it comes to weight training, or exercising period for that matter, you hate to miss a workout! When I first started having problems with Reactive Hypoglycemia or Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome, it affected everything!I could no longer eat like before.

I could no longer train hard like before. I had no idea what was going on, what to do and couldn't seem to get a straight answer from anyone on what I should be doing...and yes, anyone included my doctors! So, I had to try and beat this thing on my own. The dizzy spells, the panic attacks, the hypoglycemic episodes, the weakness, the fatigue, the shakes, the heart palpitations...and, well, I did!

I didn't get the right formula in a day's time! It literally took almost 2 months to get my diet nailed down and for my body to adjust.

I researched everything on the net. I talked to dietitians, nutritionists, bodybuilders, personal trainers and honestly tried to avoid doctors, they only seemed to make it worse!

For the sake of keeping things short, and getting right do the heart of what "works" (for me anyway), I found that a diet high in fat, protein, fiber and very low in carbohydrates kept me from having any episode at all! That's right! My diet eliminated my episodes all together and for good!...but don't ask your doctor(s) about this, because chances are they have no idea and only want to stick you on some medicine!

Hopefully by now you know that eating refined foods, simple carbohydrates and sugars, caffeine and alcohol will cause you (a person with Reactive Hypoglycemia or Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome) to have an episode. However, if you are working out, you are definitely going to need some carbohydrates right?...Complex carbohydrates that is!...but getting the perfect amount and knowing how to eat them is key!

What I did when I first changed my diet was to go on the Ketogenic diet for about 5 days straight. (You should research the Ketogenic diet more. Basically it's a diet that gets your body to switch from burning carbohydrates as a fuel source to burning fat as a fuel source.) I recommend not working out and consulting someone knowledgeable about this diet (or your physician, if they truly know about it) before doing this.

Now, it's workout time, what do ya do? Well, remember, your diet has to always fit your activity. So, you have to take in enough carbohydrates to get through your workout (think about intensity and the length of time you will be training), but not so many carbohydrates you kick your body out of ketosis (that whole deal where your body is burning fat as an energy source). Your complex carbohydrates from breakfast and lunch may work fine, but, if you are doing high intensity training, you may want to try eating 2 to 4 glucose tabs while working out. These tabs are made of Dextrose and are immediately absorbed and will be used immediately for energy to help you get through your workout.

Now, if you are eating every 2 to 2 and a half hours a day, you will be eating about 7 meals a day give or take, and only 2 of those meals will include small servings of complex carbohydrates depending on your workout for the day. The rest of the meals should include foods like, whey protein shakes, cottage cheese, steak, eggs, fish, bacon, almonds, peanuts, peanut butter, decaf coffee with heavy cream, etc. (For more information on a sample diet, see my website.)

There are a lot of unknowns in all of this because obviously every individual is different. It make take some people 5 days to reach Ketosis and other people 10 days to reach Ketosis on the Ketogenic diet. Some people may do just fine with a half of a bowl of oatmeal in the morning for their workout others might need the quarter to half sweet potato and the glucose tabs. You will have to learn by trial and error what works for you. Keep a detailed food journal and tweak your diet as needed, but remember the key points here. Don't eat sugar, refined foods, simple carbohydrates, caffeine or alcohol. Eat more fat, protein, fiber and when you do eat your small amounts of complex carbohydrates, eat them with fat. Eat small meals 2 to 2 and a half hours throughout the day, and be consistent! This is the key to stopping your episodes!

By Elvis Jackson Jr | ezinearticles.com