Hi everyone!

I was diagnosed several years ago with hypoglycemia, over time I have adapted to "listening" to my body & not letting it get out of control. I have never been one to follow strict diets, rules, etc. I could never get into - "eat "A" at 7:30 am, then exactly 1hr. 14min (not 15 min but 14min) eat "B", etc, etc, etc... ok so I'm exaggerating.....

I had a situation today that caught me off guard. Typically I have "signs" that let me know we are entering the "danger zone" - sugar going to low. There is a "certain" headache I get, lots of yawning, the beginning of the "foggy" feeling.

Today I didn't have those, I went quickly into "deep fog", weak legs, blurred vision, etc. My sweetheart was with me, went to my van to get my peanut butter crackers or my reese cups or glucose tablets that I always kept there for such occassions - ALAS - they are gone. Yes, I ditched them for a pursuit of a healthier life.

The part I have failed in is not researching what would be some good alternatives & for not going back to check my sugar levels thru out the day, like I orignally had done when diagnosed to learn my warning signs.

Oh I have never introduced myself, I am a 41 year old single mom of one son who is 14 (going on 30! ). I have my own business, a smoker trying to quit & in the solid pursuit of a healthier lifestyle need to lose 45 lbs (lost 10lbs have 35 more to go! ) I try to approach life with some humor - OK lots of humor!

So there's the intro now back to some suggestions or insight or direction on where to research this would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Something fatty and/or protein based would probably be of great help to you... though slower acting that "sugar", but at least you won't have the crash that follows from a sugar rush.

Also... you should try to eat very frequently... even if it's a small snack... maybe even as frequently as every 2 hours.

One of the aims of Atkins (though I don't know if you're doing a particular plan), is the regulation of your blood sugar.

It might take some time to "repair" your metabolism and get your blood sugar "stabilized", but if you "eat clean", you should see improvement. And you should lose weight.

I agree with SJ....once you get into a plan you should have fewer (if any) episodes.

In my opinion, the first thing you should do is invest in one of the many low carb books out there. Dr Atkins' books, especially the diabetes ones would be helpful, as would any of the Protein Power books. Dr Bernstein's books are also excellent and with this guy you've got a long term Type 1 that is also a physician!! Checking out Dr Vernon's site is also a good thing and you can even email her for advice, help.

Starting out you should keep your carbs as low as possible (20-30g rams/day), getting 90% of your calories from fat and protein. Until you get this under control the higher carb plans probably aren't a good choice. You should make sure you always have something quick and easy to eat, but something that is very low in carbs....no more than a few grams per serving. Keeping some beef jerky, some nuts and maybe even a snack bar (check carbs AND ingredients!!) on hand is very important.

Low blood sugar, especially when it hit this fast, is almost always caused by a reaction to something you ate that gave you more glucose than you need. If you didn't knowingly eat something too high in carbs, check what you did eat....there are probably hidden carbs in there.

Eating smaller and more frequent meals is probably best right now, but once you get yourself regulated this may not always be so.

Good luck and keep us informed!!

GREAT ADVICE everyone. I agree with Cindy, EAT OFTEN and that should help. Fat and protein is a MUST! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

sjm & Cindy -

Thank you for the input!

I will check the mentioned books out at the library first to see which ones are better suited for me. Thank you for giving me direction in this! I have the Atkins book but left it at one of the job sites - still trying to find out which crew has it!

I never even thought about keeping jerky on hand! Thank you for the great idea!

sjm, will give eating something every couple of hours a shot. I will admit it can be difficult at times as my business keeps me hopping & sometimes at a moments notice! It's not a "9 - 5 job" - I have a "personal & business concierge service". Which includes managing over 400 rental properties, overseeing cleaning service, lawn care, etc. There really isn't much my business doesn't cover! I have a tendancy to get wrapped up in whatever situation is going on & the next thing I know hours have passed! Oh, light bulb moment - I have 2 cellphones, I could set one up for the alarm to go off every couple of hours! DUH!

Yes, I have a knack for making the simply difficult!

Thanks again for the advice! Much appreciated!