I've been meaning to ask this for a while, and another thread just reminded me. When I've not eaten enough, I sweat beneath my arms. Unless I've been working out or it's a very hot day I don't sweat beneath my arms... and so if I'm sitting inside my home or at work and my underarms begin to perspire, I know I need to eat something. It always occurs when I've gone for a while without eating, and I've only noticed it since I began restricting calories in January to lose weight.
Has anyone else experienced this, or does anyone know the reason for it? It's not really a problem (it stops shortly after I eat), but I'm kind of curious. My blood sugar (fasting and non-fasting) is normal, my blood pressure is normal, my heart rate is normal, my liver enzymes are normal, my kidney enzymes are normal, etc. etc. I've had pretty much every thing checked over the past few months because I'm TTC, and there's nothing medically wrong with me except for a weird menstrual cycle and being overweight (and slightly elevated testosterone).
It sounds like your blood sugars are dropping - sweating is a sign of being in a hypoglycemic state. And that it stops shortly after you eat kind of that thought. I get that way if I eat too many carbs and then the blood sugar comes crashing down. If I eat more protein or fat, I don't get that as it doesn't swing my blood sugars as high.
That happens to me sometimes so I think it's normal. Usually my blood pressure is low or my heart rate is high when it happens though so I can't say with some certainty its the same thing. Good to hear you are getting in tune with your body and recognizing its needs.
It sounds like your blood sugars are dropping - sweating is a sign of being in a hypoglycemic state. And that it stops shortly after you eat kind of that thought. I get that way if I eat too many carbs and then the blood sugar comes crashing down. If I eat more protein or fat, I don't get that as it doesn't swing my blood sugars as high.
I agree with what berryblondeboys said. I've noticed that same thing with myself.
Thanks very much for the responses and feedback - I appreciate it! Sorry to sound like an idiot, but: does the fact that my blood sugar is dropping mean I'm eating too much in the way of carbs? Or does it mean that my blood sugar has just gotten too low after not eating for too long? I'm not intentionally not eating for long periods, I just get busy or forget or don't feel hungry - and then I sweat and think, oops, better eat something. It happens maybe once or twice per week.
I definitely do eat plenty of carbs, but they've never been a problem for me and so I don't think about it too much. GlamourGirl, my food log from the past few days is below. Please ignore the day when I had only 600 calories and the following day when my first meal was tacos (I went to bed shortly after work on the 600 cal day, due to not getting enough sleep the previous nights, and so never ate beyond lunch that day, and then I made my husband "dinner" at 6am when he finally got home from work the next morning). I wish I could remember the last time the sweating happened, but I haven't kept track of it. At least once in the past week, though.
The numbers are calories/fat grams/fiber grams and then % cals from fat in the total for each day. My caramel macchiattos, btw, are skim milk, espresso, sugar-free vanilla and a drizzle of caramel. The calories come primarily from the milk.
Tuesday, April 5
140 1 0 Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiatto
90 2.5 5 Fiber One bar
105 0.4 3.1 Banana
263 8.8 3.8 Mushroom tortelloni with asparagus and spinach
150 0 0 Chobani yogurt
375 9.1 6.8 Multigrain flatbread with pulled bbq chicken, roasted red peppers, arugula, parmesean and light blue cheese dressing
140 1.5 3 Skinny cow ice cream sandwich
1263 23.3 21.7 16.60%
Wednesday, April 6
140 1 0 Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiatto
90 2.5 5 Fiber One bar
105 0.4 3.1 Banana
272 5.3 4 Grilled chicken with asparagus and polenta
132 0.9 6.9 Strawberry raspberry smoothie
320 9 5 Chicken, spinach and artichoke sandwich
160 11 2 TJs Happy Trekking trail mix (1/4 cup)
1219 30.1 26 22.22%
Thursday, April 7
140 1 0 Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiatto
90 2.5 5 Fiber One bar
105 0.4 3.1 Banana
263 8.8 3.8 Mushroom tortelloni with asparagus and spinach
598 12.7 11.9 19.11%
Friday, April 8
374 8.8 6.7 Two tacos (corn torillas, ground turkey, lettuce, pico, green onions, cheese, and black bean spread)
140 1 0 Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiatto
105 0.4 3.1 Banana
269 4.9 3.7 Grilled chicken with spinach and polenta
120 0 0 Fage yogurt
374 8.8 6.7 Two tacos (corn torillas, ground turkey, lettuce, pico, green onions, cheese, and black bean spread)
100 1.5 9 Vitalicious muffin top
1482 25.4 29.2 15.43%
Saturday, April 9
140 1 0 Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiatto
190 8 3 Luna bar
200 4 0 Grilled chicken
110 8 3 Spicy salad greens, bok choy, and bean sprouts
146 5.5 1.8 Four pieces spicy tuna sushi (1/2 of a roll)
151 0.9 9.2 Strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry smoothie
203 1.7 6.2 Pulled bbq chicken and arugula on honey wheat sandwich thin
Everyone is different, but I noticed a few mornings you are eating a fiber one bar and a banana, which would be a problem for me, and I'm not diabetic by any means. My fasting BS (both pregnant and not) and my 1 hour GTT with both pregnancies were fine.
Let me explain it this way: Most days I have a small, 80cal yogurt (FF) and an egg for a light breakfast, because I go to the gym. After I workout, sometimes I'll run my morning errands then head home for lunch. When I get home, I'm hungry, but feeling ok.
One day last week, for breakfast I had 1/2 banana because I gave the first half to my son, and 2 pieces of toast. I knew better but...By the time I got home I was shaking and very irritable. I felt like I had to shove something in my face or I was going to start eating the steering wheel in the car. It was horrible.
There's no doubt that it was from having something in the morning that cause blood sugar to go uuuuppp then doooown!!!
Try stopping the fiber one bar and banana in the morning, and replacing it with eggs, or something cheese or lean breakfast meat, maybe something with a little peanut butter. Maybe even the fiber one bar with eggs?? (sounds like a strange combo as I'm typing it) But I would say the banana is the culprit.
I try to avoid foods we (I'm an RN) give to our diabetics when their sugar is low and we want to get it up quickly, like bananas and OJ come to mind first. And I try to stay more with the foods we encourage them to eat to maintain a steady blood sugar like proteins and good fats. Hope this helps.
Yes, coffee, a Fiber One bar, and a banana is my breakfast nearly every week day. I do need something that I can just grab and take to work with me, and so those items fit the bill. Cheese probably wouldn't be a good option for me (as I seem to have a dairy fat allergy or intolerance, and so I avoid eating dairy fat if I can't stay home for a while after), but I could take nonfat greek yogurt with me in the morning rather than a banana. Still some carbs, but maybe more balanced by the protein? I could probably switch up the Fiber One bar some days with almonds as well, as I keep a container of those at work. I generally need to get more good fat in my diet anyway.
Thank you so much for the detailed feedback. It's very helpful for me! I will try to make the changes and pay attention to the times when the sweating seems to happen.
I sweat at night alot its awful but it does coincide with the days when I have not eaten enough. lucky i dont get this during the day its just when I am sleep
Sweating when you haven't eaten enough?
