Unstable Blood Sugar [Weight Loss]

[Violet]

I've had blood sugar issues for a lot of my life which developed into hypoglycaemic insomnia several years ago. I got it under control a few months ago when I bumped up my carb intake, but the problem was that I was mainly using starch, which affected my waking appetite hugely and I was always hungry.

I went strict Peat probably three months ago (best thing I ever did), and I cut starch and upped sugar and fruit, but in general I'm struggling to get as many carbs a day because I'm just not as hungry. (I'm also trying to lose weight, so the loss of appetite is welcome).

I did notice a reduction in my sleep straight away, but it wasnt an issue because I have loads of energy. However, in the last week I keep waking in the middle of the night, starving, and I cant get back to sleep until I eat something. I'm drinking hot milk with gelatine and sugar before bed but it's not helping. And in general I dont feel hungry before I get into bed - I just wake up and realise I'm hungry.

I dont like eating in the middle of the night cos', as I said, I'm trying to lose weight, so I want to get this sorted.

Does this sound like a blood sugar issue to people? If so, is there anything I can do to stabilise my blood sugar? I read that supping chromium and cinnamon can help, but those werent Peat recommendations.

Thanks for your help!

 

[messtafarian]

According to Dr. Peat, this is potentially an indicator of poor thyroid function:

Blood sugar falls at night, and the body relies on the glucose stored in the liver as glycogen for energy, and hypothyroid people store very little sugar. As a result, adrenalin and cortisol begin to rise almost as soon as a person goes to bed, and in hypothyroid people, they rise very high, with the adrenalin usually peaking around 1 or 2 A.M., and the cortisol peaking around dawn; the high cortisol raises blood sugar as morning approaches, and allows adrenalin to decline. Some people wake up during the adrenalin peak with a pounding heart, and have trouble getting back to sleep unless they eat something.

If the night-time stress is very high, the adrenalin will still be high until breakfast, increasing both temperature and pulse rate. The cortisol stimulates the breakdown of muscle tissue and its conversion to energy, so it is thermogenic, for some of the same reasons that food is thermogenic.

After eating breakfast, the cortisol (and adrenalin, if it stayed high despite the increased cortisol) will start returning to a more normal, lower level, as the blood sugar is sustained by food, instead of by the stress hormones. In some hypothyroid people, this is a good time to measure the temperature and pulse rate. In a normal person, both temperature and pulse rate rise after breakfast, but in very hypothyroid people either, or both, might fall.

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/hy ... dism.shtml

 

[charlie]

Coconut oil.

 

[Mittir]

In KMUD weight loss interview RP mentioned that if weight loss is the target one should follow
a low fat diet and replace fat intake with sugar.He only recommended coconut oil.
He said that coconut oil 1 to 2 TBS a day makes weight loss easier.
Sugar increases metabolism way more than fat. Even if you eat more sugar than you need,
body will burn some of the extra sugar by increasing metabolism.
Building muscle and increasing metabolism are the way to loose weight .
Adequate calories will help with increasing metabolism and low calories will lower metabolism.
Deep resting sleep ( 8 to 8 and a half hour) is necessary for good metabolism
and liver glycogen storage. Disturbed sleep will cause weigh gain.
It seems like you are not eating enough sugar before bed to be able to sleep 8 hours.
Light therapy after sunset helps with restricting cortisol increase and it is easier to sleep through the night.
80 grams of good quality protein, B vitamins and thyroid support are necessary for increasing
liver's glycogen storing ability. High calcium to phosphorus ratio also increases metabolism.

 

[Violet]

According to Dr. Peat, this is potentially an indicator of poor thyroid function:

Blood sugar falls at night, and the body relies on the glucose stored in the liver as glycogen for energy, and hypothyroid people store very little sugar. As a result, adrenalin and cortisol begin to rise almost as soon as a person goes to bed, and in hypothyroid people, they rise very high, with the adrenalin usually peaking around 1 or 2 A.M., and the cortisol peaking around dawn; the high cortisol raises blood sugar as morning approaches, and allows adrenalin to decline. Some people wake up during the adrenalin peak with a pounding heart, and have trouble getting back to sleep unless they eat something.

If the night-time stress is very high, the adrenalin will still be high until breakfast, increasing both temperature and pulse rate. The cortisol stimulates the breakdown of muscle tissue and its conversion to energy, so it is thermogenic, for some of the same reasons that food is thermogenic.

After eating breakfast, the cortisol (and adrenalin, if it stayed high despite the increased cortisol) will start returning to a more normal, lower level, as the blood sugar is sustained by food, instead of by the stress hormones. In some hypothyroid people, this is a good time to measure the temperature and pulse rate. In a normal person, both temperature and pulse rate rise after breakfast, but in very hypothyroid people either, or both, might fall.

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/hy ... dism.shtml

Thanks so much for this info! I've just ordered some dessicated thyroid - will be interesting to see if it helps with my sleep.

 

[Violet]

Coconut oil.

How does this help Charlie?

 

[Violet]

In KMUD weight loss interview RP mentioned that if weight loss is the target one should follow
a low fat diet and replace fat intake with sugar.He only recommended coconut oil.
He said that coconut oil 1 to 2 TBS a day makes weight loss easier.
Sugar increases metabolism way more than fat. Even if you eat more sugar than you need,
body will burn some of the extra sugar by increasing metabolism.
Building muscle and increasing metabolism are the way to loose weight .
Adequate calories will help with increasing metabolism and low calories will lower metabolism.
Deep resting sleep ( 8 to 8 and a half hour) is necessary for good metabolism
and liver glycogen storage. Disturbed sleep will cause weigh gain.
It seems like you are not eating enough sugar before bed to be able to sleep 8 hours.
Light therapy after sunset helps with restricting cortisol increase and it is easier to sleep through the night.
80 grams of good quality protein, B vitamins and thyroid support are necessary for increasing
liver's glycogen storing ability. High calcium to phosphorus ratio also increases metabolism.

Thanks so much for all this info! I'll try upping sugar even more before bedtime.

 

[Violet]

Does anyone know what Peat's views on cinnamon or chromium are?