Hi Baby, we chatted a bit on another thread but I'm sorry to see here that blood sugar issues seem to be rearing their ugly head for you - seems to be quite a common problem at menopause. I've posted quite a bit about this in the past so hope you don't mind if I recycle an old post here. I've scanned this thread & agree with the wise comments the other ladies have already made & apologise to everyone in advance if I repeat any advice already given. Should perhaps also say that if you are at all concerned, please mention it to your GP who may want to test your sugar levels. I had a home testing kit for a few days a decade or so ago, so we could be sure I wasn't diabetic.
Hypothyroidism can also bring a tendency to hypogylcaemia so it can be something of a double whammy for hypo ladies to manage blood sugar at this stage in our lives. Moderate meal size rather than large, making sure you eat complex carbs & good portions of protein at each meal with healthy snacks between (oatcakes, nuts, apple) helps stabilise blood sugar, which can otherwise lead to shaking, panic sensations, weakness & flushing if it falls too low. Protein is especially important as it slows digestion & helps to spread the glycaemic load from the carbs we eat. Very low carb diets are not a good idea at this time of our lives, especially not in hypothyroidism as carbs are needed for Thyroxine to be utilised to the full. Making sure any carbs are of the complex variety is key. Try to avoid sugary drinks/snacks & if you have fruit juice, perhaps take it in small amounts/diluted & only with a main meal.
As breakfast is often high carb, I pour natural yoghurt (high protein Greek 2% fat/Onken full fat) diluted with milk over fibre-rich cereal, add nuts, seeds &/or a boiled egg with wholegrain/rye toast & always have some mixed fresh fruit, though fruit salad on its own is probably best avoided as it can pack a big sugar punch. Porridge is great but without nuts & egg is too high in carbs to sustain me until lunch.
Main meals are easier to include protein - lean meat, fish, beans. Cottage cheese can be helpful if you like it (minimal sat fat with reasonable protein). Pasta based meals became a no-no as the carb portion was simply too big, causing a sugar spike then crash. I do still eat (GF) pasta but in smaller portions & always with a sauce containing adequate protein & veg.
Before bed, maybe try some no-added-sugar muesli (check label to be sure not high in sugar from any dried fruit) or a small bowl of yoghurt with some complex carbs like a couple of oatcakes, to help keep blood sugar more stable overnight, reducing the number of wakenings & sweats.
Oh & can I say never exercise on empty?! I found I had to eat a little about an hour before cycling, otherwise I'd crash (not literally!)
I hope all this doesn't sound preachy, but it's easy to waste years wondering what on earth's going on once everything begins to change at peri - I knew very little about blood sugar control beforehand & suffered more than I needed to because I was not eating in the right way for my body's new needs! Hope you start to feel better soon.
Wx
P.S. there's increasing opinion that hypothyroid patients do better on low gluten or GF diets. This is certainly the case for me - I'm not strictly GF as I have a little whole rye bread now & then but eat no wheat & only GF oat products. Over time, this has made a massive difference to the way my digestive tract functions, improving transit time & gastritis. Chronic inflammation can result from ingestion of gluten in susceptible individuals & in an inflammatory state, absorption is compromised which can also result in chronic hypogylcaemia. This may be something to think about once your optimal dose of thyroid replacement has been established, if you are still feeling unwell at that stage.
Gosh - several more posts in the time it took me to do this - sorry - server seems to have been up & down all day, making posting a haphazard affair. Apologies again for repeating other posters' advice!
