Hypoglycaemia, normal for someone to develop when starting working outs?

[SociallyChallenged]

Wow, way too many replies to read here. I'm just here to say that clinical hypoglycemia typically only comes from insulin injections for diabetes or from eating high GI carbs directly before maximal exercise. What you're referring to is likely not hypoglycemia, but rather something else. If you have a history of heart problems, you definitely need to get those looked at because those issues would match the symptoms.

 

[warr666]

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[warr666]

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[PrayForDeath]

also, if you dont want to quit, why cant you cut down on the amount you drink?

Probably because it's zero calories, though I wouldn't drink that much soda anyway.

 

[Locut0s]

I'd recommend creating a free account at FitDay.com (or whatever) and start tracking your food and activities. Do that for 2-3 weeks so you can check out your nutrition in detail. You can then easily see your macros breakdown (carbs, fats, protein), total calories and more.

Tracking allows you to spot issues like, "holy crap I'm eating 350g of carbs on average each day!". It shows you where you're doing good, too.

Exercise is important but for getting to a healthy weight but nutrition is absolutely vital.

Thanks. I'll open an account today.

 

[Locut0s]

Wow, way too many replies to read here. I'm just here to say that clinical hypoglycemia typically only comes from insulin injections for diabetes or from eating high GI carbs directly before maximal exercise. What you're referring to is likely not hypoglycemia, but rather something else. If you have a history of heart problems, you definitely need to get those looked at because those issues would match the symptoms.

Yeah I'm getting it checked out. Going to go back to my family doctor to go over the blood test results if they are not normal. Several years back I wore a holter monitor for a few days but it never picked up anything of note.

 

[warr666]

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[PrayForDeath]

the concern is not the calorie count

http://news.menshealth.com/the-truth-about-diet-soda/2011/07/07/
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-diet-soda

I know, and I wouldn't drink that much soda (as I said earlier), I was just stating the OP's likely reasoning to drinking that much.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

the concern is not the calorie count

http://news.menshealth.com/the-truth-about-diet-soda/2011/07/07/
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-diet-soda

Seriously?

First link: did you even read your link? Even the article admits that it is unlikely that diet soft drinks themselves are causing the increased weight gain; it is far more likely to be an epiphenomenon of the fact that people who drink greater quantities of diet soda are using it as a replacement for real soda when they are trying to lose weight, or trying to justify their unhealthy habits in other areas with cutting out sugar in soft drinks. None of the points raised cannot be minimized with prudence and forethought. And thankfully, even if he did not have it, he could count on (some of) us to provide it.

Second link: the only point it makes with even a modicum of validity is the one about aspartame. There is nothing about drinking diet soda that 'forces out' other beverages like water and tea, as the article claims. As for aspartame, I don't doubt there are some people that suffer reactions to it...just like how some people suffer adverse effects from eating gluten, or peanuts, or seafood, or chocolate, or drinking milk. This doesn't mean that nobody should ever eat any quantity of any of these foods, ever.

In regards to more serious, permanent side effects, generally these require far greater doses than is recommended by the FDA and than is generally consumed even by people who drink an excessive amount of soft drinks, given that, as the article points out, the stuff is 180 times sweeter than sugar. Trying to scaremonger on the basis of a few isolated anecdotal reports compared to several large meta-analyses and systematic reviews of the literature on the subject is pointless and intellectually dishonest.

 

[PrayForDeath]

Second link: the only point it makes with even a modicum of validity is the one about aspartame. There is nothing about drinking diet soda that 'forces out' other beverages like water and tea, as the article claims.

Actually I do know a friend who drinks so much soda (regular, not diet) that he considers it a substitute for water. Whenever he gets thirsty, he looks for soda, and very rarely drinks water.

But of course, that's an extreme case.

 

[Locut0s]

Actually I do know a friend who drinks so much soda (regular, not diet) that he considers it a substitute for water. Whenever he gets thirsty, he looks for soda, and very rarely drinks water.

But of course, that's an extreme case.

Big guy?

 

[PrayForDeath]

Big guy?

Yeah. He actually used to be very skinny in highschool, but when he started substituting coke for water, he gained weight ridiculously fast. He's around 235 lbs now (5' 9")

He fukin drinks coke with breakfast

 

[JellyBaby]

Yeah just one can of soda per day (150 kcal) adds up to over 15 lbs in a year. Gives you a nice head-start into type 2 diabetes, too.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Seriously?

First link: did you even read your link? Even the article admits that it is unlikely that diet soft drinks themselves are causing the increased weight gain; it is far more likely to be an epiphenomenon of the fact that people who drink greater quantities of diet soda are using it as a replacement for real soda when they are trying to lose weight, or trying to justify their unhealthy habits in other areas with cutting out sugar in soft drinks. None of the points raised cannot be minimized with prudence and forethought. And thankfully, even if he did not have it, he could count on (some of) us to provide it.

Second link: the only point it makes with even a modicum of validity is the one about aspartame. There is nothing about drinking diet soda that 'forces out' other beverages like water and tea, as the article claims. As for aspartame, I don't doubt there are some people that suffer reactions to it...just like how some people suffer adverse effects from eating gluten, or peanuts, or seafood, or chocolate, or drinking milk. This doesn't mean that nobody should ever eat any quantity of any of these foods, ever.

In regards to more serious, permanent side effects, generally these require far greater doses than is recommended by the FDA and than is generally consumed even by people who drink an excessive amount of soft drinks, given that, as the article points out, the stuff is 180 times sweeter than sugar. Trying to scaremonger on the basis of a few isolated anecdotal reports compared to several large meta-analyses and systematic reviews of the literature on the subject is pointless and intellectually dishonest.

The reason for his argument is faulty, but the argument itself does have merit. Considering that diet soda contains phosphoric acid (and the less acidic carbonic acid), there are detriments to tooth and bone health. In addition to that, the sodium benzoate that's used as a preservative can mix with the potassium benzoate that's also in the soda to create benzene - a carcinogen. Also, there has been research linking caffeine consumption to reduced bone density. That's not just a soda call-out, but a coffee and strong tea one as well. Simply put, there are far better things to be putting into your body. The OP's unwillingness to give on that front also leads me to question possible psychological dependence. Food and sweets addictions are very real, whether sugar is present or not. Either way, his relationship with diet beverages is not healthy, whether it is physically or psychologically.

 

[warr666]

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[Mr. Pedantic]

feels like ur trying to straw man me. ur just repeating everything i've already seen. linking to sites does not mean i am fully supporting the information of those sites; they're more to reinforce awareness of the effects of such consumption, and the op is intelligent enough to evaluate, inquire further, and use information on his own basis.

Then make your own arguments instead of just posting one-liners followed by links, and define which parts of said links reinforce your argument. I can't make a straw man about your position when you haven't actually defined a position for me to distort.

op says he drinks 4-5 diet sodas a day which he knows isn't healthy but he's probably not going to quit. that's alot. the ppl that respond to him are trying to help him because he's asking for help; no need to jump to scaremongering conclusions

I don't know about you, but I would rather him compromise and drink 4 or 5 diet sodas a day than be scared off by all the crap that you guys spout and go back to drinking 4-5 full-sugar sodas a day.

The reason for his argument is faulty, but the argument itself does have merit. Considering that diet soda contains phosphoric acid (and the less acidic carbonic acid), there are detriments to tooth and bone health. In addition to that, the sodium benzoate that's used as a preservative can mix with the potassium benzoate that's also in the soda to create benzene - a carcinogen. Also, there has been research linking caffeine consumption to reduced bone density. That's not just a soda call-out, but a coffee and strong tea one as well. Simply put, there are far better things to be putting into your body. The OP's unwillingness to give on that front also leads me to question possible psychological dependence. Food and sweets addictions are very real, whether sugar is present or not. Either way, his relationship with diet beverages is not healthy, whether it is physically or psychologically.

See above. Posting two links and one sentence does not constitute making an argument. There is no indication what the premises are, and there is no demonstration of a logical progression from premises to conclusion(s). And given the situation, again: 4-5 diet sodas a day is far better than 4-5 full-sugar sodas a day. And you are not going to endear yourself to him, or make him more likely to follow your advice, by implying he is an idiot for not going off soft drinks cold turkey.

For the record, it's possible the dependence is just due to caffeine tolerance.

 

[Locut0s]

Okay okay you guys it's not like I'm THAT sexy

The reason I'm not going to stop is cause I AM addicted to the stuff. However it has nothing to do with caffeine as the ones I get are caffeine free diet! I don't know why I just can't drink much else. Maybe it's linked to my severe depression and anxiety issues, I don't know. I DO know though that it's the least of my issues right now. Between trying to lose weight and not killing myself, exaggerating a little bit but not much, diet sodas are low on the list.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

4-5 diet sodas a day is fine. If he was drinking around 25 cans a day, there might be some concern. People who spout shit like this are the worst kind of advisors you can find on the internet. They see a mountain of evidence one way and then read an arcticle with some half-assed speculation that happens to be what they want to hear and instantly go with it.

 

[GoNiners!]

As already mentioned, you should take a look at your caloric breakdown between your carbs, protein, and fat. A carb centric way of eating is not the best way to go if you have anything resembling a sedentary lifestyle.

If you were a construction worker or someone who did hard labor, I could see your body doing ok with higher carbs but still needing more protein. 1 hour in the gym doing cardio with 8-10 hours behind a computer or in a classroom is still sedentary. The way you eat should reflect the way you live and the way you want your body composition to be.

There is nothing wrong with snacking as long as you are snacking on good stuff. I wake up in the morning and measure out 1/3 of a cup of either peanuts/almonds/or walnuts which come out to roughly 250ish calories with 3-5ish net carbs and have one or two servings as a snack during the day in between meals. String cheese is also something I have as a snack that helps keep the hunger in check between meals.

I gave up diet soda about 2 months ago. These days I stick to unsweetened green or black tea and water.

Calories are important and laws of thermodynamics are in full effect but the further you get from processed foods in general be they carbs or meats, the better it will be for the long haul (rest of your life).

Good luck.

 

[warr666]

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[SociallyChallenged]

See above. Posting two links and one sentence does not constitute making an argument. There is no indication what the premises are, and there is no demonstration of a logical progression from premises to conclusion(s). And given the situation, again: 4-5 diet sodas a day is far better than 4-5 full-sugar sodas a day. And you are not going to endear yourself to him, or make him more likely to follow your advice, by implying he is an idiot for not going off soft drinks cold turkey.

For the record, it's possible the dependence is just due to caffeine tolerance.

I agree. His argument style isn't doing anything for the point. However, the points I am mentioning about the negatives of diet soda have merit. Yes, it is the lesser of two evils, but far from the optimal setting. 4-5 shows no regard for moderation and, seeing as the OP mentioned they don't have caffeine, may indicate why he has been heavy in the first place.

I don't know if you're talking about me or the other guy, but I haven't inferred any type of stupidity on the OP's part. I understand what he's doing, but if he's looking to get healthy, I'm going to try to help him optimize that. No nutritionist in his/her right mind would suggest that 5 sodas per day, whether diet or not, is good for the OP.