If you’re anything like me when it comes to weight training or exercise period, you hate missing a workout! When I started having problems with reactive hypoglycemia or idiopathic postprandial syndrome, it affected everything!
I couldn’t eat like before. I couldn’t train hard like before. I had no idea what was going on, what to do and couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone on what I should be doing…and yes, anyone included my doctors!
So, I had to try to beat this on my own. The dizziness, the panic attacks, the hypoglycemic episodes, the weakness, the tiredness, the tremors, the heart palpitations… and well, I did it!
I didn’t get the right formula in one day! It literally took me almost 2 months to get my diet to stick 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 things worse!
In the interest of keeping things short and doing what’s right at the heart of what “works” (at least for me), I found that a high-fat, high-protein, high-fiber, very low-carb diet prevented me from having any episodes. ! That’s how it is! My diet eliminated my episodes completely and forever!… but don’t ask your doctor(s) about this, because they most likely have no idea and just want to put you on a medication!
Hopefully, you already know that eating refined foods, simple carbohydrates and sugars, caffeine, and alcohol will give you (a person with reactive hypoglycemia or idiopathic postprandial syndrome) an episode. However, if you’re working out, you’re definitely going to need some carbs, right?…Complex carbs, that is!…but getting the right amount and knowing how to eat them is key!
What I did when I first changed my diet was follow the ketogenic diet for about 5 days straight. (You should do more research on the ketogenic diet. It’s basically a diet that switches your body from burning carbs for fuel to burning fat for fuel.) I recommend not exercising and consulting someone knowledgeable about this diet (or your doctor, if you really know) before doing this.
I can’t tell you how long you’ll need to stay on the ketogenic diet, it will vary from person to person. However, after you think you’ve reached ketosis (the state where your body burns fat for energy), you should be ready to reintroduce small amounts of complex carbohydrates (raw oats) back into your body to help you through the trainings. . If you’re going to train, and especially train hard, you’re going to need some type of carbohydrate.
Making the switch from carbs as a fuel source to fat as a fuel source will not be fun at first! You will be tired, moody and without energy! However, his blood sugar level is stabilizing. Again, check with someone who knows about this diet before starting.
Now, once you’ve spent “x” period of time on the ketogenic diet (the amount of time depends on each person), start consuming small amounts of complex carbohydrates in the morning, such as raw oatmeal (a quarter to a half cup with butter and/or coconut oil if you are weight training). The important thing here is to eat this with butter, a bit of heavy cream, and/or a tablespoon of coconut oil. This will slow down the absorption of carbohydrates and prevent your insulin levels from spiking. This is crucial to avoid an episode of reactive hypoglycemia. So remember that as a general rule; whenever you eat complex carbohydrates, be sure to eat them with fat.
Depending on your day and the intensity of your workout, you may want to eat a quarter to a half of a sweet potato at lunch with butter and a tablespoon of coconut oil. Along with every meal, have some protein and fat like steak, cottage cheese, whey protein, peanut butter, etc. (I have a sample diet on my website.) You will need to eat small, frequent meals about every 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Your body will adjust and you will feel normal again.
Now, it’s time to exercise, what do you do? Well, remember, your diet must always adapt to your activity. So you want to eat enough carbs to complete your workout (think about the intensity and length of time you’ll be training), but not so many carbs that you knock your body out of ketosis (that whole thing where your body is burning fat as a fuel source). of energy). Complex carbs from breakfast and lunch can work well, but if you’re doing high-intensity training, you can try eating 2-4 glucose tablets while you exercise. These tablets are made from dextrose and are immediately absorbed and will be used right away for energy to help you complete your workout.
Now, if you’re eating every 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day, you’ll be eating about 7 meals a day or so, and only 2 of those meals will include small servings of complex carbs depending on your training 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. Some people take 5 days to reach ketosis and other people 10 days to reach ketosis on the ketogenic diet. Some people may do well with half a bowl of oatmeal in the morning for exercise, others may need a quarter or half of a sweet potato and glucose tablets. You will have to learn by trial and error what works for you. Keep a detailed food diary and modify 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 1/2 hours throughout the day and be consistent! This is the key to stop your episodes!