How can I fast without blood sugars being messed up?

[olivo]

I would like t o do the 5:2 but whenever I go without food for more than a few hours, my blood sugar hits the floor and I get shaky and dizzy. Does this rule out fasting or is there a way to manage it?

it shouldn't.
first off, get used to not snacking, at all, ever
have breakfast, a light lunch and some supper and nothing at all outside meal times
then make sure you are drinking enough.
a whole pint of water at least once a day and plenty of tea / coffee / miso

then try to cut down on the amount of sugar you are eating (sugar is the one part of the diet we can totally do without)

once you have got the hang of not snacking, try having a liquid and sugar free breakfast (ie only milk or tea or coffee)
that way you'll have done a 16 hour fast (7pm through to noon the next day)

once that gets to be habit then you can expand to a full fast

the longest journey starts with a single step

olivo what TiP says makes sense. Ease your way into 5:2. Both my MIL and DM have blood sugar issue but are trying 5:2 (my MIL more successfully than my DM). What is working for them is eating tiny amounts thrice a day. My MIL can now skip breakfast, thereby getting a longer fasting period in though she has milk in her breakfast tea which helps.

My DH has this sort of problem (his mother had type 2 diabetes and I fear he may go this way) - I wondered whether doing 2 days low carbing might be a way to ease him into it? (though maybe I should nudge him towards low carb in general)

as an addition I would say cinnamon tea helps my blood sugar levels - not sure why but it is meant to do something to even things out and seems to work for me

Is cinnamon tea some particular herbal teabag or something you make yourself please - that sounds like something I could try on DH.

Thank you. I tend to eat 4 times a day usually, due to the way I work. I can only go about 3 hrs before my blood sugars plummet and I get shaky. I will start by cutting the snacks out as you suggest. Have got to do something. Thought I was restricting myself. It putting on weight not losing it

Erol, I. Had gestational diabetes and it was a nightmare, my blood sugars would get too low too quickly, I was so bad at controlling it.

olivo
Definitely up your fluids.
One of the real tips I got from doing WW years ago is that 90% of hunger is actually thirst.
Have a pint of water before every meal and try to cut down on sugar generally to let your system stabilise.
But you most definitely can go more than three hours without eating .... you do it every night

Olivo
5:2 isn't for everyone.
When I did it I got an awful migraine that caused half of my face to droop.
I found the best way to lose weight is to completely cut out sugar.
Refined sugar, bread, pasta, milk. Etc.

If you struggle with 5:2 then have a read of the harcombe diet.
It really helps with low blood sugar.

Yes, I must drink more. The problem with that is that I need the loo more and can't get out to go! Why can't it just be easy?!

I guess I can't go more than a few hours without going wobbly because I am on the go all the time.

Thank you for your advice, by the way. I really am going to try.

Olivo
Out of interest, how do you drink?
So you sip a little and often or glug down a large glass in one go a couple of times a day.
Whichever you do, try swapping to the other.

And definitely try to cut right down on sugar and refined carbs at the start of the day so that your blood chemistry learns to react more slowly to changes.

I definitely gulf as I am rubbish at carrying water around with me, so I just grab a glass when I get the chance. I need Tobermory organised.

Breakfast is usually a peanut butter whole meal roll, not ideal, need some thing I can eat on The go. Any better suggestions welcome!

I would reccommend checking out marks daily apple www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-intermittent-fasting/#axzz2kSxs0xgW

I find I get shaky if I eat white bread esp if at breakfast. If I delay breakfast I don't get shaky which is something I learned from 5:2. At the moment I am exercising for 20 minutes and doing the school runs before having breakfast as exercising in a fasted state is supposed to be more effective for weightloss. Eating a decent amount of fat and protein and low - moderate carbs with my meals and snacks helps with my blood sugar.

If you do try 5:2 then like TIP said you may need to cut down on sugars first. A lower carb diet might be a better starting point.

Hmmm, my first thought is hard boiled eggs : as they can be made the night before then shelled, popped in a small plastic tub and munched even while walking along
BUT
One of the really important parts of weight loss - no matter which method you choose
is to eat mindfully
scoffing as you walk is not good for you as it makes it all to easy to over eat and eat a bad mixture of stuff.

I would honestly say that you need to look at your day more holistically and slot in a couple of ten minute STOPS when you catch your breath and have some food and drink, savouring every bite and sip.

Otherwise stay on a liquid diet at work (tea, coffee, milk, water, thermos soup) and have a really good meal at the end of work that you can savour.

You could get one of those compartment lunchbox things and put some food in the night before., cold cuts, parma ham, nuts, seeds olives, peppers, cheese etc. You could theme it to diff countries so its not the same thing every day.

Sugar free peanut butter (whole earth or supermarket own whole earth variety) isn't so bad, you could try almond butter for a change.

oh just saw the comments on my cinnamon tea thing - i tend to just buy tea bags from H&B or a health food shop but you can make it yourself - heres a link to its benefits - or a description of how it works i think
health.india.com/diseases-conditions/health-benefits-of-cinnamon-dalchini/

Thanks.

I'm not doing 5:2 (I'm on LighterLife lite), however I can agree with the ladies who have suggested that cutting out sugar slowly will stabilise your blood sugar and prevent the dizzy / shaky spells.

I am a former sugar junkie - couldn't go for more than a couple of hours without eating or having a sugary brew. Terrible habit. When I started LighterLife I was terrified that I'd end up passing out but once your sugar levels stop plummeting and peaking then the dizziness will stop. It takes a good week.

Cutting out sugar isn't easy, but it is the way to lose weight.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it. I am under tremendous pressure at work ,so perhaps now is not the time to start it, it may ease up in about3 weeks, and I may get some lunchtimes etc. I think you are right, it's time to cut the sugar right down. Baby steps at first I guess.