The end of my trial with intermittent fasting and exploring my hypoglycemia
For the last couple of weeks, I have been attempting to participate in intermittent fasting. I had heard and read so much about it that it seemed like a good option to help me not only lose some weight but to also retrain my brain into healthier eating patterns. The problem with this method is that I am hypoglycemic and my body requires me to eat specific types of food in very small portions throughout the day to prevent my blood sugar from dropping dangerously low. You can see why fasting is difficult for someone like me to do. I still chose to give it a go for the last couple of weeks and here is how it went.
Week one
My first week of intermittent fasting didn’t feel like much of a challenge since my eating hours and my fasting hours didn’t change. I also didn’t change what I was eating, how much I was eating not did I reduce my wine intake or exercise at all. So, I vowed to make the appropriate changes for week two. I would adjust my eating and fasting hours to be more challenging, I would change what I ate and how much of it I was eating, and I would reduce my wine intake and start exercising.
Week two
The second week of my intermittent fasting, I changed the program that I was on. I chose to try a “power week” which promised fast weight loss and also warned against being used by beginners. Unfortunately, I did not listen. I jumped into this program where every day the eating hours and fasting hours would change and become steadily more difficult. By the end of the week, I was supposed to fast from 12 am Monday (December 2nd) morning until 6 am Tuesday (December 3rd) morning. I stopped following this plan by Saturday evening.
I did make the effort to adjust my meals by portion size and I tried to choose healthier foods or healthier cooking. However, the other factors we’re not implemented as I had vowed and mainly because fasting has been very difficult on my body. So, I will no longer be participating in it. But, I still want to reach my goals and I am determined to do so!
How to lose weight as a hypoglycemic
I was diagnosed as hypoglycemic my junior year of high school after a severe drop in my blood sugar caused me to pass out while walking down a flight of stairs. I was told by the doctors in the ER that I would need to start eating a high carb and high protein diet and eating smaller “meals” more frequently than the typical three big meals a day. But, when it comes to losing weight the last thing you think you should do is eat frequently. So, how am I supposed to reach my goals?
The important part is that I am choosing the right foods that will not only keep my blood sugar level but they are also nutritious. For example, I should try eating some Greek yogurt with berries for breakfast. I should also eat small “meals” like this every 3 to 4 hours a day. By making this simple adjustment I should be able to reach my goals and keep my body from going into a “low blood sugar from fasting” shock as I had experienced these last couple of weeks with intermittent fasting.
Going forward
While I was unsuccessful at participating in intermittent fasting, I believe that I can implement the above concept into my daily life and retrain myself on how to properly eat and exercise while being a person with hypoglycemia.
