Weight loss programs have two main aspects which are exercise and diet. I’ve been in different weight loss programs for a couple of years now and I also made mistakes along the way especially when it comes to dieting. Recently, I made one mistake that I really won’t forget. In my effort to try and lose as much weight as possible, I took calorie counting quite seriously.
A lot of people say that in order to lose weight, you need to cut down on your daily calorie intake to around 1600 or so (it depends on the person) and couple it with constant exercise. Among the types of food that you need to cut down are carbohydrate-rich foods and sweets. However, if you do not plan carefully, it could harm your body. As for me, I suffered from hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia occurs when the level of blood sugar in your body is below the normal limits. Some of the symptoms that I experienced were sudden severe dizziness, profuse sweating, weakness, a bit of hunger and the feeling that I want to pass out. In my case, I took a lot less carbohydrates by cutting down on rice and other carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread. At first I thought it was just positional vertigo because I do strenuous cardio exercises and the dizziness occurs more often as I move my head abruptly.
However, after some medical exams, we found out that I do not have vertigo. I may have had it but it probably corrected itself. It was until about 3 weeks after when I decided that something else was wrong so I went to the emergency room again. There, they found out that my blood sugar level was only 71 thus, I am suffering from hypoglycemia. That’s just about 2 hours or so after I ate a full rice meal and a bar of chocolate. Had I continued on through that day, it could have gone much lower.
The staff at St. Luke’s Medical center emergency room told me that the normal blood sugar levels are from 80 to 120. I told them that my mistake was I cut down on carbohydrates too much just to lose weight faster. I never knew that I am already suffering from prolonged hunger which is one of the main reasons why blood sugar level goes down. They told me to plan my meals well and continue my exercise routines. I had to wait a few more days until my blood sugar level goes back to normal. I started to gradually increase my carbohydrate intake.
All the time I was taking anti-dizziness medications and I was even prescribed to take stronger medicines. Little did I know that I was just relieving myself from the symptoms and not actually taking care of its root cause.
I then remembered what our family physician, Dr. Reyes, told me a couple of years ago. It is much healthier to lose weight really slowly by eating the right types and amount of food. As long as you exercise consistently, you don’t have to worry. It takes a while but you’ll reach your goal eventually. Plus, your body can easily adjust to different weights since you’re letting it adopt slowly. He was consistently monitoring my weight since I was in college.
As of today, I’m back in shape and I’m eating 3 complete meals a day. I’m in heavy weight training coupled with a few cardio workouts. The good thing is that I’m pretty sure that my blood sugar levels are improving since I haven’t had dizziness in almost a month now. But just to be sure, I bring candies whenever I go out. I also try to monitor my blood sugar levels as much as I can to see if it is within normal limits.
Plan your meals well. Do not cut down on food too much especially carbohydrate-rich food. Remember, it gives you energy for your daily activities especially while working out. You may not feel any symptom right now but if you continue to deprive yourself of food or even if you just cut down a bit, in the long run you may start feeling something unusual. I suggest you visit your physician and/or nutritionist for advice.
Sources:
Dr. Ramon A. Reyes M.D., Internal Medicine – Cardiologist
St. Luke’s Medical Center, Philippines
St. Luke’s Medical Center emergency room staff
Wikipedia – Hypoglycemia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoglycemia
Wikipedia – Carbohydrate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate
