Does anyone get really ratty and shaky before meals?

[FrayedKnot]

Ever since I can remember I have felt really irritable and sometimes get the shakes before mealtimes.

It seems to be getting steadily worse. I have breakfast at 8, lunch at 12, and eitehr supper with DS at 5.30, or I have snack, and supper later with DH. I also sometimes have snacks inbetween meals.

Even so, around 11.30 I start to get really ratty and the slightest thing will set me off into a major strop. I can honestly say I can barely control it. It's a bit like PMT.

As soon as I have eaten, I am OK again.

I also get shaky and lightheaded.

I am starting to feel like I am a prisoner of my diet, it seems to be taking over my life.

I try to eat low GI food like oatcakes, apples, etc, but even that doesn;t really help much.

Does anyone else get this?

polycystic ovarian syndrome

/Hunkermunker quick hijack - did your sugar levels return to normal after you had DS2? and have you been able to eat chocolate ever since???

Message withdrawn

My dh has diabetes (Type 2) and I'm also sure I read somewhere getting the shakes like this can be a sign that you are more likely to develop diabetes. It's by no means definite though, and following a `healthy', low GI type diet can reduce your chances of developing diabetes anyway so it makes extra sense. I know that when I get the shakes it's because my blood sugar is low because dh has tested it for me. However, when he was first diagnosed and his blood sugar was uncontrolled, dh used to get the shakes when his readings were quite high. That's because diabetics cannot utilise blood sugar in a normal way. Insulin allows sugar to leave the bloodstream and go into the tissues, where it is either burnt to give you energy or converted into fat. If sugar can't leave your bloodstream because of lack of insulin or insulin resistance, your tissues are deprived of fuel to burn so you can get the shakes.

So, if you get these symptoms it might be a good idea to get tested for diabetes but don't get too worried about it as you are probably actually not diabetic. After all, the shakes are just part of the body's natural response. You haven't eaten for a while, your blood sugar is dropping, and your body really doesn't want to burn its fat reserves - they are to be saved for times of famine. So it gives you a strong signal that you need to eat and of course, if there is food around, you eat. Simple as that.

The people I can't understand, as others have said, are those who can skip lunch/other meals and not feel like this.

I get this (grumpy, shaky, confused) and had gestational diabetes too. Hmmm.

The thing I really hate is being really really hungry, but shaking so much I can hardly get the food in my mouth. Actually, now I type that, it seems dreadful that I have always thought it normal!

Def agree that porridge/oaty type breakfast really helps.

Very interesting about the drinking/smoking aspect. I can drink like a fish and have always wondered if there was a blood sugar connection. Is there any research on the subject which would make me feel better about the prodigious amounts of wine I can neck??????

PR, yes But I'm being careful because I don't want to develop diabetes in the future (and I don't want to look 9m pregnant when I'm not!).

Ah, I scored 66, so perhaps more care is needed

OMG! My score was 92-not a surprise really,sometimes up in middle of night to eat,as you can see

frayedknot, my DH occasionally gets it if he hasn't eaten all day and then cycles up the hill home from work... but only after a LONG time without food.

It's amazing how many people have this.. I think it's our bodies telling us we're not people that can eat a lot of refined sugar without feeling bad afterwards. (maybe potentially prone to diabetes). I also find alcohol makes it worse, cos that raises your blood sugar too, and coffee makes it really bad. Worst times is when I'm eating sweets while cooking dinner, and dinner is delayed. Go hot and cold, speech slurs, become disoriented till I've had something to eat!

Oh well! Let's hear it for more oats!