Bikram and hypoglycemia

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gillian921
Participant

July 13, 2009 at 7:03 am

Post count: 2

#1501

Hi everyone!
I’m new to the forum and to hot yoga. I’ve enjoyed reading through the posts here, and I’ve found them really helpful in answering many of my initial questions about the yoga.

I started doing Bikram as a low-impact alternative to running. I’ve been practicing 4-5 times a week, sometimes 6, for 5-6 weeks now, occasionally running on non-yoga days.

Anyway, I’m having trouble figuring out when/what to eat before class. I’m mildly hypoglycemic (I’m not diabetic, though). When I eat something substantial 2-ish hours before class, I feel nauseous. When I wait 3 or 4 hours, though, and just eat a little bit of fruit prior to class, I’m shaking with hunger halfway through the standing series. I’ve managed to do the classes despite the discomfort, but I’m getting frustrated with experimenting, and I’m wondering if anyone has suggestions. Are there substantial foods that I could eat closer to class time that would be less likely to leave me feeling nauseous? Has anyone else dealt with this problem?

Thanks for any help! 🙂

fraseram
Participant

July 13, 2009 at 4:01 pm

Post count: 356

#5182

I have hypoglycemia too… I have found for me going in following your second routine (eating longer before class and having an empty belly) works best however to combat the sugars I bring in a nutrient drink to class which fuels my body. I use coconut water which had sugar but a $$$ option. A good home made drink is boiling a little water w/ a herbal tea organic honey and lemon juice then pouring the smaller brewed portion over ice. The ice melts diluting the double strong drink and making an iced tea. It’s yummy gives you energy, and keeps the sugars from crashing.

artwednesday
Participant

July 13, 2009 at 10:03 pm

Post count: 42

#5184

Hello,

I also have hypoglycemia, I find that eating a healthy meal 3.5 to 4 hours is best but when I am doing morning classes or just running late on lunch I will eat a peanut butter, banana, honey and blueberry sandwich with a glass of Aloe vera juice, or have an Acai Bowl. Kombucha Teas are good or Jamba Juice/smoothie store, if there is no time. Smoothies and low acidic fruit juices are usually a safe bet with my metabolism.

Have you ever used the glucose tablets the sell at drug stores? I try to keep a pack of those around just in case…All glucose tabs and gels are essentially pure glucose. This is the sugar that our bodies use the fastest.

There are several asanas in the series that focus on placing your forehead on the knee as high as possible which is said to help balance the blood sugars levels in the body. With a little time and trial and error you’ll figure out the formula that suits your body type best.

Namaste’

Jeff

cleo
Participant

July 14, 2009 at 6:36 am

Post count: 3

#5188

what about carb boom taken shortly before class?

gummisteph
Participant

July 16, 2009 at 7:48 pm

Post count: 41

#5205

I’m hypoglycemic as well and have definitely noticed that bikram has stabilized my body a lot. I still have problems choosing foods too. I know exactly what you mean about feeling shaky during the standing series. I felt that way a lot when I first started practicing (probably the first month in) and I would get scared that I was going to pass out, but I never did. I really haven’t changed my eating habits since then, so I think that just going regularly to bikram did something! Eating before class is tricky for me also, because you have to balance what is enough time to not eat before class and still have some energy during class. I still haven’t figured it out, but going to 6am classes fixed that for me, because then I haven’t eaten in 7 plus hours, and I’ve never felt weak during those classes. Anyway, after class I have noticed that a lot of protein will make me feel good fast. I work at a bakery, so most of the options there aren’t for me, but I’ve found that some toast with peanut butter and a banana, or just some scrambled eggs make me feel great. Also I make sure to take either an emergen-c, some coconut water or an electrolyte enhanced drink every day. Good luck! And I’m glad to see that I am not alone in my problems with blood sugar!

gillian921
Participant

July 16, 2009 at 11:31 pm

Post count: 2

#5208

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! It’s going a bit better for me through trial and error! I’ve been doing evening classes, but I’ve always dreamed of becoming an early-morning exerciser. So, I’m going to try a 6:45am class tomorrow, with a small homemade smoothie a little while before class. 🙂 Fingers crossed that it will go well!
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