Do I have Diabetes or Insulin Resistance or Hypoglycemia?

Thanks for your response. I am going to see a doctor mid-October(primary care) to see what my current glucose is now vs. in early July. I only take a chewable kid's vitamin(tried many years ago to take a one-a-day kind and it made me constipated as well as those were so hard to swallow. ) I have been walking around 45 minutes to an hour since Sunday(skipped today though). I do get some walking at my work and I do chores as well, so I get some walking during my day.

I at one time, took Vitamin B complex and folic acid when I use to drink alcohol on the weekends around 6-7yrs ago. I thought by taking more vitamin b it would help, but it made me have tingling in my head so I was overdoing the vitamin b. Since I don't drink as often anymore(occasionally), I don't take the vitamin b and folic acid. I was recommended by a doctor to take that if I drank alcohol.

It may not be diabetes, but could I be insulin resistant? I looked it up, there's some difference in that you gain weight(although a few pounds or so isn't a lot, but it's not losing weight) and as I said at times I eat, have to eat a lot to get full unlike before it's like an insatiable hunger at times. It is weird. I don't know why?

For lunch was only slightly hungry ate a half a cup of oatmeal and no breakfast(I usually skip breakfast) and I was pretty hungry tonight. I usually would have done 160-170 calories for the night time but ate a bunch of food instead. I am not sure if my blood sugar is going wacky due to that I skip meals or what I am eating that now is causing me problems even though I have been eating it most of my life?

My main concern is the extra hunger. It is bizarre hunger like some days it feels like I wouldn't have eaten for days(not from any shakiness or anything, but from huge hunger feeling like there's no way I can say I won't eat a huge meal because the hunger at times is so intense. I feel like a pregnant woman even though I am not pregnant for certain because I had my cycle and took a home test even many days after my period, so that's not it and I have never been pregnant to know, but I am assuming since most woman gain a bunch of weight when they are pregnant that it's probably how they feel.

I just am a little concerned since my dad has type 2 and my grandmother had type 2, so it's a little worrisome since it runs in my family even though I am not overweight. I have just never in my lifetime have been so hungry. I tried on Sunday to do around 900 calories. I ate 2 frozen dinners(spaghetti meals 1 had meatballs the other had chicken) and around dinner time thought I was going to eat just one more, which that didn't happen, I was so hungry, I ended up eating 1530 calories(not counting a little bit of mustard I eat with the frozen dinners to give it flavor since it's got a very low calorie count and I don't know the exact calories since the bottle doesn't list it for mustard(says zero, but that's untrue). Anyway, that night as I was going to sleep kind of felt a little hungry, but thought I'd go through it not to be fat. The next day that was this Monday that just passed as I said, I had a decent size salad(no cheese, ranch, onions, bell peppers, lettuce, and chicken). I was soooo hungry afterwards. I drank water with my meal, not anything else. That was my first meal of the day at 11:45a.m. I am not sure why I was so hungry like that? I ended up as I said eating a bag of small cookies that was 280 calories. I was like craving sugar. That is what worries me. Not sure what's going on why was I so ravenously hungry even though I had protein(chicken) I normally don't even add chicken to a salad and it didn't help. I can't honestly wait to see a doctor to see why the increase in my appetite, but for now I will just have to wait and see I guess what is going on. I thought by eating a salad and adding protein I would cure my hunger, but all I wanted was sugar. That is what worries me.

Thanks for your input. It's greatly appreciated.

Jane, it sounds like your diet may be a little out of wack, and if you're not insulin resistant yet you may be driving yourself there, especially if it runs in your family. I probably did something like this myself, but maybe I know better now. It sounds to me like you are eating too many carbs and this does put stress on your whole glucose system - and that stress is what wears it out, over the years. You want more protein, fewer carbs, and need to make friends with the vegetables, LOL. A nice green salad, with mixed lettuces, a little tomato, a simple dressing - and then some protein on it, chicken these days? If you're in the US try the Cheesecake Factory (!!!) for their Chinese Chicken, Shiela's Chicken and Avocado Salad, or good old Cobb salads (the famous Chef's Salad popular in the US for so many years, has almost vanished from menus today). Get the lunch size (if it's lunch time), eat half and take the rest home for dinner, LOL, but these are the best nutritional deals on the menu, and I mention it only because it's pretty much standard across the US (sounds like you're in the US). They also offer you bread and butter, and if you take that, eat only half or less. But the goal here is to get into salads. Just the fiber in lettuce that slows digestion, helps you to feel satiated. This is simple stuff we all should be taught earlier, but maybe we don't listen until a lot later!

Just the fiber in lettuce that slows digestion, helps you to feel satiated.

If you would have read I ate a salad on Monday and was with EXTREME HUNGER and still ate a large dinner because of the huge hunger. I forgot to add the cafe I got the salad from gives you wheat crackers for free when you order a salad. I ate around 4 packs of 2 crackers a piece(which means 6 crackers) with the salad.

Jane, of course we're just guessing here, but what you need is a balanced diet, specifically some protein and maybe more fats. Meat of course is good, also nuts, also avocados. And some omega-3s that come from ocean fish, or grass-raised beef, or - fish oil capsules. When you're short of needed nutrients your appetite goes crazy. Maybe even getting some chicken tasted so good your appetite went crazy! Things don't get fixed in five minutes, just to fully digest a meal takes an hour to a day or more, and it might take a week or three to get a new, normal equilibrium.

Diabetics need to pay a lot more attention to every detail of diet, btw, but the better thing is to pay attention to the diet first so you never get to the diabetes, LOL. If you look at "keto" diets, they are very low carb, should be wonderful for your weight management, but they are very high on protein.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for your response. I am not thirsty a lot and only if I had for example something like a whole lot of potato chips for example, which that is totally normal to be thirsty for that. I am not thirsty a lot at all otherwise.

My problem is I really hate a lot of vegetables and only would eat some of them(which is not many I would tolerate) without something like broccoli with lots of butter for example.

As far as appearance goes, for me it's important since in junior high I was constantly made fun of about my appearance and I have never been overweight, but kids found things about me to make fun of as well as called me a nerd. So even though that was a very long time ago, I am still that sensitive person that gets hurt very easily when 2 people at a place I worked told me I gained weight and it was only from 94lbs - 97lbs back around the year 2000. If they can see ONLY three pounds on me because I am so short, that's devastating to know I can't have wiggle room to gain weight that people will notice a few pounds of (real, not water) weight gain. I have no facebook or any social media because of fear of others that will say something about my weight. I even back in the year 2000, didn't put a picture on my profile on yahoo personals from fear of an x-boyfriend as well as older classmates in school feeling that this was the only way I could get someone because back then it wasn't common to find someone on the internet to date. I ended up luckily finding my husband been with him since Nov. of 2000, married since 2002. Today, if I had to date again because of my spouse divorcing or dying or whatever, I would have a huge fear of putting my picture on the internet because of people that would criticize me. So you have to understand that appearance is really a very important thing for me. Whenever I see someone that is overweight I think it looks horrible and wouldn't want that for myself. Also my dad was 320lbs at 6 feet 0 inches tall had problems walking and ended up with weight loss surgery. He has gained some back from weight loss surgery even. At least he didn't gain all of it back, but I sure wouldn't want to be in his situation not being able to walk far.

My main issues are how people perceive me and I love food so much I don't like many vegetables so it's really hard to be healthy when the one thing in life that I love is food and the one thing in life I don't want to happen is to get fat, so this getting older stuff sucks. I was fine until now. It's easier to do exercise for me than to eat better. I have once tried to eat my oatmeal I eat(the real oats, not the flavored ones) without sugar, I wanted to throw up it was so nasty. I have to have sugar in it. I try to avoid the artificial sweeteners because that usually makes me more hungry at times. So I can't win. It was weird last year in July 2018 I remembered I ate my oatmeal with "Sugar from the raw" rather than regular sugar. That was the time I told my OBGYN when I had seen her since I was seeing her asking her why I was getting so hungry thought it could be hormone related due to being into perimenopause not something with diabetes. She said I was hypo or hyper(can't remember which) glycemic when I was so hungry right after eating that. I had eaten "Sugar in the raw" before(this was packets from Starbucks) and didn't have this reaction. So I am not sure what is going on that I can't eat that anymore without that type of extreme hunger reaction.

So I am not sure what to do? I went to a gastroenterologist recently and told him about I have a lot of bloating. He said to avoid metamucil type of supplements since they cause bloating to use a stool softner. I took one thursday night and it did nothing so far. I feel like my stool is so soft though already. I am also leaving skid marks in the toliet more often recently. I am not sure if that just means too much fat I am consuming or as they are saying another thing it could be from the internet is gallbladder. I don't have any pain though so I haven't been that concerned about that. I know I don't eat healthy, but I am not even sure what foods I would even want to eat since I hate most healthy foods? Any suggestions of some? Ones I won't eat at all would be I hate with a passion green beans and peas. I love corn, but got more hungrier after eating corn since it's nothing but sugar. Not sure what to do?

Thanks for your comment, but I had high self esteem when I was 98lbs(just in July even of this year) I looked pretty and sexy at times(obviously I think everyone has days where they feel they look like crap of course, but in general I did feel good about the way I looked at 98lbs or less), now I am getting bloated at times, gained weight 102lbs and feel fat as well as not fitting some clothes as well. Even my underwear have had to pull them somewhat apart so I can be comfortable, it's frustrating. If I get to 110-115lbs I will look piggish and horrible. I will also feel so embarrassed to walk around with ZERO confidence like I had when I was 98lbs felt sexy and pretty. For me, every single waking moment I walk in public is about looks how I am perceived by others. That's just how I have always felt since being in 6th and 7th grade 11 and 12 yrs old when I started to have kids making fun of me. It made me feel horrible in 8th grade when a 6th grader on the bus wrote a letter to me after trying to be friends with her that just look at my eyes, hair, face, and body how ugly they are and how I was a nerd. I cried as I read it on the bus and tore it up it hurt. She was soooo pretty and popular they called her "fine" on the bus because she was so pretty and fine. My parents said she was jealous, but there's no possible way since she had everything and I had nothing(not many friends, no popular). People would say something about my bottom lip that was big, my teeth weren't straight. You don't have to wear glasses or be fat to be made fun of in school. You just have to be a "nerd" like me that had perfect attendance, didn't get detentions, was quite, did my work in school, etc. I don't go over things and that's my issue. So for me, everything is about feelings and how hurt I am when others are mean to me. So whenever someone says something mean, it really hurts.

So you can't say I don't have self-esteem, because I do in how I looked at 98lbs or less. 110lbs I sure won't be feeling that way. I will be feeling chunky and fat dumpy piggy looking and not sexy at all. It will suck. I hope not to get fat.

I made a typo, I meant "get over things", not go over things. Sorry.

Sorry Jane, but I can't keep telling you that IT IS your self esteem and that your diet is appalling!! See your doctor and ask him about seeing a dietician or equivalent.

Your reply to jx41870 is crazy!!

"Just the fiber in lettuce that slows digestion, helps you to feel satiated".

How much lettuce would you need to eat to make you feel full for longer than 5 minutes? A couple of fields maybe??

You really do seem obsessed with how you look and what you eat, which is fair enough as this is how you feel, but I'm thinking you need CBT therapy to try and unpick your current mindset and try to reset your thoughts in a rational way.

All the best

Claire xx

Your reply to jx41870 is crazy!! How much lettuce would you need to eat to make you feel full for longer than 5 minutes? A couple of fields maybe??

It's not. Last sunday I ate:

340 calories

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/987ffd00-89bf-4ed9-ad9d-0f4fd063f455_1.1fe5492a88583f67fc263e4b28c4870b.jpeg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=FFFFFF

It's 260, not 270 anymore they downsized something in this one it's 260 calories.

I ate around maybe 1 oz and a half of mustard with it to have some added flavor that wasn't something fattening. So that wasn't too many calories. I can't tell since the bottle has zero calories, which is truly untrue.

Then I was going to try to eat one more frozen dinner(have done it in the past and it wasn't an issue), well not only did I eat one that had more calories(I was going to eat one that was 160 calories, I ended up being so hungry I ate a

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With a little bit of mustard.

I was too hungry, which before I could do it and it wasn't an issue. So I ate:

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280 calories

Then still was hungry. Wanted to eat another bag, decided on 2 of these yogurts instead:

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I drank water with each meal.

Normally I could do the 3 meals or usually on a work day I'd eat a half a cup of oatmeal(real oats and around a teaspoon of sugar or so) made with water for lunch(no breakfast) and 2 frozen dinners that were 280 and 270 or 290 and 300 or somewhere around there with no problems.

I have done the 3 frozen dinners on a sunday in the past with no problems of extra hunger.

All of a sudden I have the ravenous major hunger. So when I went to bed even though I ate 1530 calories(not counting the mustard that wasn't much more let's say give or take 30-40 calories I would guess since the bottle is zero) and water has no calories, you would think I would feel fine the next day. I have done 2 days in a row of 850-900 calories along with the 3rd day less than 500 calories and not had a problem doing so preparing for a vacation so I could eat a lot on my vacation. Now all of a sudden, I have some major hunger unbearable at times. So this past Monday following that Sunday, I usually don't eat breakfast, I was starving, so I tried to eat something better than something sweet or bad, so I ate a 80 calorie yogurt(same kind as above) and then around 8-9a.m. was VERY EXTREMELY HUNGRY A LOT before lunch almost unbearable. We can at the earliest at work take lunch at 11:30a.m. I ordered a salad for myself and brought it back. Ate the entire thing, which was a decent size and was SOOOOOOOOOOO STILL HUNGRY MAJORLY. The salad had chicken(NOT fried), extra onions, bell peppers, cabbage pieces like in a bag of lettuce you'd pick up at the store, ranch dressing, and 4 or 5 packs of the 2 in a pack of wheat crackers. So I ate a freakin salad and was NOT FULL.

I have NEVER had this issue before and been eating this way since I have been married in 2002. I even ate worse at times back then since I used to eat hot pockets which were even worse for you than lean cuisines and smart ones(weight watchers meals).

I hate cooking, work 40 hrs M-F, so I really don't have the time to be able to cook and now find the time to walk for 45 minutes to an hour during the week. The main reason I stopped hot pockets around 8-9yrs ago was that I got sick 3 times eating those things. Something is wrong with them. Once I threw up from them and 2 times I got internal all day gas pains from them, so once I had the 3rd time, I quit buying them. I never had any of that again.

Anyway, my point is, this wasn't crazy. I really was soooo hungry Monday and I DO NOT KNOW WHY? I had the same exact thing happen while I was on my period this past month Sept. 10th. Severely hungry, but thought it was just because of my cycle. I wasn't on my period last Monday. I also never had issues with my period until a little after 40yrs old, but thought it was just because of getting older for that.

So I don't know why am I also know at times getting headaches due to hunger as well and only had them since around turning 40(I am 42) during my period only, now I am getting them if I am hungry.

So that's why I am saying, maybe I have diabetes or insulin resistance? I don't know? I haven't as I said, in years had a problem with on a typical normal week Monday a half a cup of oatmeal and around a teaspoon of sugar or so made with water and a 170 or 160 calorie either frozen dinner or 2 yogurts, which is less than 500 calories that day and on Fridays I'd do the same thing. Thursday I would eat my half a cup of oatmeal with my teaspoon of sugar or so and 2 frozen dinners that were each less than 300 calories with the little mustard. I'd lose 5lbs a week by doing that.

Now, my hunger seems to not be letting me all of a sudden an extreme EXTREME hunger. I don't understand it. On those diet days(Monday, Friday, and Thursday, I'd drink water, not anything else to add calories to my day.

So what is your take? Could I be insulin resistant because of carbs and sugar diet even though I have done this since probably eating most of that type of stuff even in college even? I use to in college during 1995-1997 have 4 days with eating less than 500 calories each day to binge eat 3 days. I made it back to 94lbs but would go up to 98lbs by the last day and back then for some weird reason, it would lose a pound a day instead of 2lbs a day like I can now if I eat less than 500 calories.

I am not sure why insatiable hunger? What could be the cause and why all of a sudden? Even during my period times this past year I had been getting hungrier which before I wasn't, but thought it was just because of getting older, so but now since I am not on my period, but still have this, I am kind of worried. Any thoughts?

Jane, these are all very carb-y foods. A chicken Caesar salad at any local restaurant might leave you feeling full and satisfied and have about half the carbs of just one of these items.

Carbs are "addictive", I've been there, they make you want to binge on them. Like any addiction it takes time for your body to adjust. I had a brief episode of truly horrendous BG so I had to fix it overnight, it took a couple of months of learning and living the new diet, but now I look back on my previous diet with amazement and horror, LOL.

And, actually, I had kind of a run-up to it, about three years earlier I had suddenly gained about twenty pounds. I wasn't fat-fat, but I sure had a belly, LOL, had to buy larger waist pants. Couldn't figure why, and just cutting back food wasn't losing the weight. Then blammo! The good thing is I lost that weight and another 20 pounds too, and really, it's pretty painless. So, yes, get your BG tested, and if it's even borderline, learn to COUNT CARBS. I actually eat a relatively high carb count, targeting 60-75 per meal, and that works for me. I can even "binge" up to 85-100 now and then. I just can't binge to 200 or 300 the way I used to, body won't stand for it anymore.

Hope that helps.

@Humpty, just lettuce is pretty hollow, but lettuce plus dressing has some fat, add a tomato and some chicken and it's a small meal, add a small avocado and some nuts and it's a portable feast, add a serving of fresh fruit for dessert and that's a great 50 carb meal.

Hi Jane,

At first glance I haven't got time to read your long detailed report of what you have eaten together with the added pictures. May I suggest you post all this on the 'Healthy Living' section of this forum?

All the best

Claire xx