Shaky when cutting calories

[bettydavieseyes]

I'm a size 16 and 2.5 Stone overweight mainly through having a problem with alcohol which I've now quit. I am doing the slimming world diet. I also want to eat less, as in smaller portions but anytime I cut down my portion sizes I feel really weak and shaky later on. Not just hungry, that I can deal with but properly unwell! I had the same problem when I was pregnant 8 years ago but didn't test positive for gestational diabetes.

Is this simply a problem due to being overweight? I'm 5 ft 6, pear shaped with big boobs and weigh 13st 7lb. I'm not 'massive' but according to the NHS I'm obese. I look great as a size 12 and 11st which I weighed before lockdown and want to get back there but at 45 I feel like it's harder to lose weight now.

Are you eating enough protein and fat? Slimming world is very high carb low fat which is the worst way of eating for regulating blood sugar and feeling satiated. I would advise you ditch the slimming world and go lower carb, higher protein and include good fats within a calorie deficit.

Eat high protein snacks and foods - nuts, eggs, cheese, for instance.

Also, eat more veg, either cooked or raw.

Ooh you've made me think now,maybe it's protein and fat. I'm vegan and avoid fat because I'm on SW. Maybe my diet isn't balanced enough. I eat mostly tofu because beans give me IBS. It's been that way for a while but maybe when I was drinking the alcohol the sugar in it kept me going or something. I don't have sugar at all otherwise, I only drink tea and light ribena/occasional diet coke. Thinking about it, when I had vegan feta more often I wasn't having this problem, maybe the fat in it.

I can eat nuts without problems but they're high syn on SW. I was having Peanut butter sometimes as well which might have raised blood sugar.

Damn, maybe SW isn't right for me.

Hi OP, I just wanted to say that although some people have had success losing weight with SW, I personally don’t think it’s a healthy or sustainable way to lose weight. My biggest gripe with SW is that it demonises food with its syn system. Not to mention the weekly weigh ins, in front of others. Just gives me cult vibes. Sorry.
Sustainable weight loss is simply being in a calorie deficit and staying consistent. Eating high protein will keep you fuller and ensure you don’t lose muscle, fat doesn’t make you fat and carbs help with energy levels. It’s a good idea to watch your sugar intake, but sugar isn’t your enemy either. I went from almost 15st to under 9st in just over a year, and I’ve kept it off for 4 years. I counted calories using an app and went for one walk a day. That’s it. I’m happy to answer any questions if you’d like to DM x

I'm vegan too and the tendency is to eat very carb heavy. Doing slimming world is probably the worst thing a vegan can do - not least because our capacity to eat pasta, rice and potatoes is unmatched 😆 seriously though it's not going to be sustainable if you're getting blood sugar crashes which is very likely if you're eating high carb and low fat. It's the worst of all worlds. At least meat eaters can eat lean chicken and fish on SW, we get pasta and vegetables 😆

This is making sense now. It's the high carb, low fat thing isn't it...OK noted! I will have a re think!

Thats amazing! Well done!

Slimming World is rubbish for that kind of thing. Just awful.

Without protein and fat your blood sugars will be up and down when you eat and that means dizzy, shaky, feeling ill. Nuts, pulses, whatever your cheese/yogurt replacement is, all a big help.

If you like porridge, a heaped tablespoon of ground almonds mixed in each day helped me with staving off the shaky feeling.

If you can afford an £80 outlay then I'm a huge fan of the Freestyle Libre glucose sensor for understanding how your body responds to food.

I actually found out I was diabetic because of it. It's the same sensor they use in the Zoe nutrition challenge, but way cheaper if you just buy one off of Amazon or the Abbot website direct.

You download the app, then use the applicator to attach the sensor to your arm (seems daunting at first but it's easy and painless) after an hour it starts feeding glucose readings to your phone every minute, the first few hours can be a bit inaccurate while it calibrates.

You wear it for 2 weeks, it doesn't fall off due to a really good adhesive.

For me, from the very first reading and constantly thereafter my glucose readings were crazy high, so it started sending me 'seek medical advice' warnings, I did and they gave me insulin, a diagnosis and a recurring appt with the diabetes nurse.

But it also taught me that my body cannot cope with potatoes, long grain white rice, white bread or any of the blender drinks sold in Starbucks/costa. Send my sugars way high for several hours then they crash suddenly really low and I get shaky and sick.