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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to have no sympathy for people who suffer from low sugar

127 replies

roisin · 12/11/2007 19:22

OK, here's the scenario. Perfectly medically fit and healthy person claims they are trying to lose weight, but every 2 hours or so they 'have to eat' something high-sugar because otherwise their 'blood sugar levels drop' and they feel unwell.

Now in my rudimentary understanding of the biology of weight loss your blood sugar levels have to drop, as that is precisely the point at which your body realises it needs to start converting body fat to sugar to supply energy; so that is exactly the point where you will start losing weight. And if you eat at that point then you won't lose weight.

Clearly I don't suffer from low blood sugar levels. As I generally have 3 meals a day, and rarely snack at all inbetween those meals.

So AIBU? Is this something 'real' that I should have some real sympathy for?

OP posts:
LoveAngelGabriel · 13/11/2007 14:00

p.s. good point, margoandjerry

bozza · 13/11/2007 14:10

But you wouldn't be unreasonable to have no sympathy with someone with IBS who ate curries 3 meals a day, for instance, would you?

You are widening the context to all people with low blood sugar. And I do understand the effects, I did faint when pregnant, I did end up having to sit on the floor in the men's dept of Matalan because otherwise I would have collapsed, I did sit on the floor outside the local garden centre and got rammed in the back by the electric doors. But some of this was my own fault because of bad management, but that is more difficult when combined with morning sickness.

paolosgirl · 13/11/2007 14:16

This post is making me very

At the grand old weight of 8 stone, and with a healthy diet, I know that if I don't eat a small amount every 3 hrs or so then I get shaky, sweaty, dizzy and unable to concentrate.

If you don't get this, then thank your lucky stars, because believe me, it is no joke

leya · 13/11/2007 14:26

Well said paolosgirl. As i said before I have m.s I am not over weight 9.2 but if I dont eat little and often, then my symptoms get worse. But on top of it all I do suffer with low blood sugar, and I dont snack on sugary snacks or fatty foods. I did usd to be nearley 11 stone but when I was diagnosed with m.s I changed my life. If I dont eat healthy then the shakes will come back and the panic attacks and the fainting and your right it's no joke! But because I am sensible, I dont have these probs I can manage my disease, and I live life to the full with my fantastic hubby, and five gorgeous kids.

Aquasea · 13/11/2007 14:35

YABVU

How ignorant. Just because you don't know about something and are lucky enough not to suffer from it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There is no need to come on here and be bitchy about it.

leya · 13/11/2007 14:43

aquasea Not sure who your refering too? and I am new to mumsnet so unsure what YABVU means? Who is being bitchy?

margoandjerry · 13/11/2007 14:48

leya, Am I Being Unreasonable = AIBU?

Answer is either You Are Being Unreasonable (YABU) or You ARe Not Being Unreasonable (YANBU). Here the original poster got a You Are Being Very Unreasonable because she assumes a disease doesn't exist because she doesn't have it and is taking the opportunity to bitch about someone else's eating habits.

leya · 13/11/2007 14:54

Thank you margoandjerry Well maybe she is using it as a chance to bitch about someone. But AIBU in assuming that everyone should know that they should eat healthy, to combat a lot of things? Got to go for now to get my kids, but will log in later.

Aquasea · 13/11/2007 14:59

Oh I'm sorry Leya, I wasn't referring to you! I was replying to the original post which angered me. Thanks for explaining for me margoandjerry!
x

bozza · 13/11/2007 15:01

I think this must be roisin's most controversial thread ever.

Oblomov · 13/11/2007 15:13

Another stoopid post by roisin. Not impressed.

Pitchounette · 13/11/2007 15:15

Message withdrawn

margoandjerry · 13/11/2007 15:21

I don't ask anyone to know anything about these conditions. But I ask people to show a little circumspection when posting about them and not to assume that because they don't have them, they don't exist.

Or shall I post my equally thoughtless posts on dyslexia and the like and expect you to support me when people tell me I'm being an idiot?

emzzzzz · 13/11/2007 15:28

When I am on a healthy eating plan (which is not very often) I have to eat small meals regularly, otherwise I get low blood sugars - it's horrid - I go all pale shaky and sweaty, and have to sit down.
It used to happen a lot when I was on nights and couldn't eat properly.

leya · 13/11/2007 16:20

Thats ok aquasea I'm new to all this, but find it great. I'm sure as time goes on, I'll learn when someone is getting at me or just replying to the original post. Thanks everyone but i'm moving on to something else now or we will go on about this for ever!

BeautifulBoysGalore · 13/11/2007 16:22

poor roisin - she only asked!

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 13/11/2007 16:23

Oh gosh this kicked off a bit.

I think we all agree that it does exist and that some sympathy is reguired.

But I think roisin was being at people precisely like my dh who know they have low blood sugar and need to lose weight but who don't help themselves. He knows perfectly well that he needs to eat regularly and that high sugar stuff does more harm than good. And he knows that the same high sugar stuff won't help him lose weight. He just prefers to ignore me, get stroppy and blame it on his blood sugar.

DarthVader · 13/11/2007 16:33

People who are overweight don't usually want to be overweight but as everyone knows it is not easy to lose weight,and for all sorts of reasons some people find it harder than others.

Why be harsh on people for finding it dificult to lose weight? It is all a bit more difficult than simply knowing you should eat less after all.

margoandjerry · 13/11/2007 16:37

Thanks Darth.

I'm sure there are many people who don't help themselves but there are many others who work really hard on diet. It's just always more fun to assume they are greedy and stupid though isn't it

claireybraxtonhicks · 13/11/2007 16:49

Have only read the OP-I understand what you are saying regarding the biology of weightloss and high sugar foods BUT as someone who suffers from low blood sugar I do know that it exists and how awful it can be(For the record I am a uk size 8 and would love to put on weight rather than lose it so the weightloss issue doesn't apply to me).

For me low blood sugar means that I have to eat as soon as I wake up in the morning or I will faint. I have to eat 3 meals a day plus snacks or I will faint. It's not always a matter of careful planning (although that helps), I literally get a 5 minute warning that I am about to start feeling ill. When I am pregnant or breastfeeding the condition gets worse, in that I suddenly realise I have to eat NOW or risk keeling over.

For me the signs are a dizzy swimmy feeling, clammy hands, difficulty concentrating, nausea, cold sweats and heartbeat pounding through entire body. It's certainly not pleasant and I would rather be able to eat less than suffer from this.

My 3 meals are generally healthy and I don't add sugar to these but I'll admit that my snacks often do include chocolate (although also fruit/cheese and crackers/raw veg/toast etc).

I don't actually think from the wording of your post that YABU, but I do think that you don't understand it. I also realise that it is difficult for someone who has never suffered to understand, because lets face it, it can just look like an excuse to eat crap all day.

I am very jealous of people who can get away with eating less often (my husband for example can often last 24 hours on just one big meal), and of those for whom hunger is manageable without the risk of fainting but I'm not one of them and I'm afraid that yes, this is somethig real that you should be sympathetic towards.

spokette · 13/11/2007 16:51

"People who are overweight don't usually want to be overweight".

True for some and there are also a lot of them that don't care and keep on eating as a result.

Also, I think the OP is not being unreasonable because she specifically stated that she is referring to a perfectally healthy person who uses the ruse of low blood sugar to justify their sweet tooth.

IMHO, there a many charlatans with self-diagnosed allergies and tolerances. My DH has a medically diagnosed nut allergy but he does not cause a scene when we go out and he reminds friends before hand so it is not an issue. OTOH, the self-diagnosed narcisstic allergic to anything that moves brigade make a big song and dance about it but the reality is, they are not allergic or intolerant to anything. They just thrive on the attention of being special.

SmileysPeeples · 13/11/2007 17:05

I think the OP is talking about people like me.
I do get low blood sugar attacks where I feel all shaky and sick, but have to admit that I will often, through desparation and lack of ability to be organised, eat half a packet of biscuits in a frenzied manner.

I know logically that this will only temporarily make me feel better and then after 10/20 minutes I'll crash and feel terrible, but it is frenzied desparate eating.

So both are true of me, I do get low blood sugat but my undisciplined eating just adds to the cycle.

I don't ask for sympathy though. And I'm not overwieght.

So maybe OP not totally unreasonable. I'm sure I'm not the only one like this.

Ineedacleaner · 13/11/2007 17:21

I can actually see where the OP is coming from. I am fully aware the HGC exists and know people who genuinely suffer from it and have to manage it with a good diet etc. BUT I do also know 2 people who make the same excuses the OP mentioned and one in particular is the type of person to jump on the bandwagon of these kind of things I am sure you all know at least one someone who watches animal hospital and their dogs get ill (my MIL no joke).

And it does pee me off because she also "gets" hayfever every year, believe me I get hayfever every year and on some days it can be almost debilitating if she sneezes that is it. She also blamed her inability to lose weight on thyroid problems which she made the dr check for and it came back clear.

It annoys me because their are prople out there who do genuinely suffer to some degree in their day to day life because of these conditions and there are people out ther that seem to wishing things on theselves for some bizarre reason cause it must sound cool to them to say to people "ooh I have to eat etc" and I feel it is making a mockery of people who really do have known medical conditions.

It is because of these people inventing that the OP felt the need to ask it this really happened because we all know someone whos sits at home with the medical dictionary open and matching their cold to pleurisy.

Original poster
roisin · 13/11/2007 18:23

Crikey Moses, I normally avoid controversy on here; certainly not cause it.

Bozza, I think you're right - I've been on here over 7 years, and I don't think I've every provoked such outrage before.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone

I will now read through all your posts and educate myself!

OP posts:
kerala · 13/11/2007 18:39

Actually its quite heartening that Im not the only one that has this "I really have to eat now" thing. Apart from my father who I presumably get it from Ive never come across anyone else in RL like this. And often people aren't sympathetic and don't understand. It would be great to be relaxed about what you eat and be able to get by on 3 meals a day and no snacks but it but seems a sizeable minority of us just aren't built like that. So glad Im not too much of a weirdo! Wonders of the internet...