13 Yo Daughter with Weight Gain/hypoglycemia

13 is a very awkward age. If she told you that she has gotten "fat", maybe she feels that way because someone at school told her that or made fun of her. Girls especially can be so mean at this age, even to someone who they claim is their friend. Be observant of the friends she hangs out with - both their physical appearance and how they treat her. Maybe she's developing faster than them or maybe they've chosen her as their "target" for right now. Give it a few weeks and see if this gets better (while also monitoring her food/blood sugar levels). All the while, remind her that you love her no matter what she looks like and you want to help her in any way you can to make her feel happy and comfortable in her body.

Has she started her period? My 15 year old isn't hypoglycemic, but had these exact symptoms prior to her starting her period years ago. She could also be going through a stage in puberty where girls that age just get cranky over issues with thier peers, or a boy, or school. If you truly believe it's none of these things, try to reinforce to her how important a good breakfast is. (studies show that people who skip breakfast tend to be atleast 5-10 lbs heavier than those who eat one). I'd think if she'd eat a good breakfast right prior, then make sure to eat her lunch, and then a snack when she gets home that should help. Could she carry lifesavers in her purse? I'd think with a note to teachers, that her sucking on a lifesaver might be more appropriate for class, as well as less embarrassing for her(we all know how that age is), than eating cheese in the middle of the day(which by the way is terrible and has saturated fat)! :-x

As a hypolglycemic I have to agee with a lot of the great advice you have been given. Protein is so key in keeping the sugar level stable. I took me a long time to figure that out since I ma a former carb junkie-but protein is the name of the game. It will help her feel so much better all round.

I also have to agree w/the previous poster who mentioned her period. I would also suspect that if she hasn't already gotten it. I have been told that girls will put on weight right before they get their period .

Good luck,
N.

I have had this issue since I was your daughter's age. The weight gain may well be because she's eating a bit too much in trying to avoid that low blood sugar (it truly is one of the worst feelings I have ever experienced). What I have found that is very effective is to not eat any foods that contain added sugar. Also, protein is really, really important for keeping blood sugar levels even and only complex carbs like that found in fruit and not fruit juices (although you need to keep those on hand for when her blood sugar does drop). She really needs to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day (or what some suggest are 6 mini-meals). Trying to eat large meals to stave off the problem does not help - she needs a consistent level of blood sugar (not the highs and lows that are common if one eats more processed, high carb foods).

At school, you should be able to have the nurse keep her healthy snacks on hand. There are lots of healthy snack bars that use dates as the sweetener (e.g., Larabars, Organic Food bars, etc.). I find that bars with nuts/seeds have the best combination of protein and carbs. Also, B vitamins are very helpful, she should be on a high quality multi-vitamin and perhaps additional something called B-50, which has 50 mgs of all the B vitamins. Also, eating a good breakfast helps tremendously. If I do that and have a snack (right about now - 11am) and then lunch sometime before 1, I usually don't have issues later in the day. But, if I skimp on my food early in the day, I have issues. Also, a nighttime snack (e.g., rice cake with almond butter) an help prevent a nighttime drop in blood sugar, thus make the mornings easier.

I go through the same thing (and I'm in my 30's), so this is not really something she is going to outgrow. She needs to learn how to manage her food intake and find snacks that she enjoys. Personally, I struggle with it because I get tired of the same ole snacks. I like to stick to things with high protein. The things I mostly like are:
1. Anything with peanut butter (crackers, apple slices with peanut butter on it). they sell single packs of peanut butter now - they are about 2 ounces and I keep them in my desk at work).
2. boiled eggs
3. The snack packs that have crunchy things in them and a few m&ms thrown in (I forget what these are called).
4. Yogurt
5. Cheese slices.

Then, I have also learned that I feel a LOT better if I manage my means better (to be more high protein/low carbohydrate). I just try to avoid lots of days of mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. We still eat it - I just can't eat it every day.

You may want to talk to your doctor and start her on a vitamin as well. I feel better when I am taking a daily vitamin - but that may be something I need because I am in my 30's.

-L.

Hi E.,
You've gotten a lot of great responses so I just have one small thing to add. My mother was hypoglycemic and growing up I was always used to her preparing snacks to take wherever she went. One thing she did was use the powder normally used for protein shakes and cut it in with flour to make protein cookies. No added sugar, but something more portable than a shake. She'd make a bunch at a time and it was nice for her to have something different than the usual stuff. Unfortunately the brand she used is no longer available but if you like to experiment in the kitchen you might try something like that for school next year. Then your daughter could have the illusion of something sweet. It's important in teen years to feel like you're "normal" so a protein cookie might be more acceptable for her to eat at school than something else. Just a thought. Also, I love the idea of you joining a gym with her and you being workout buddies during the summer. What an opportunity to bond! You could open up all kinds of communication that didn't exist before and that could help her so much with her confidence and security with "self". Thanks for being such a great mom, E.. Your heart for your daughter comes across so clearly and though having two teenagers can be challenging I know you're doing a wonderful job and you can handle this! Let us know how things go...
R.

I also have hypoglycemia - it can be very challenging to manage it well. Breakfast is really important and it would be helpful if she ate something with fiber and protein. Doesn't have to be breakfast food, cood be a sandwich if she prefers. I really have to watch out for sweets - I often crave someting sweet when my blood sugar is dropping but it is a very temporary fix and then my blood sugar plummets. I try to avoid them all together. Ialso gave up diet soda because I found I would crave it when my blood sugar was dropping, too - and it was no help at all! So mainly I eat frequent, small meals and if I get in a desperate situation (i.e. out running errands with no snacks around) I will drink a cup of juice or Gatorade to level things out until I can eat - this helps alot. You might have your daughter drink some juice/Gatorade as soon as she gets home - or better yet, at school.
Hope this helps!

My almost 17 year old went through that, we ended up putting her on yaz-to level out hormones, and she still takes garnola bars to eat between meals, carries snacks in car, grazes out of her purse all day.
We also had her visit with dietican who convinced her that sugar was bad, no more dr peppers! That really helped!
We keep apples at home, low sugar fruit juices, and hershey kisses so when she needs a sugar boost, she only gets one and it is tiny!
L.

If she is having problems at school and doesn't eat when she is supposed to, I would ask a teacher to make her eat in class right at the beginning. And make sure she does. I would also make sure everything is low fat. she can make herself sick by being stubborn. if her blood sugar drops low enough for medical care you will really wish that you had intervened. if she is not doing it on her own, i would definately have a plan in place, whether it is the school nurse, teacher,principal etc. this is not about her skipping snacks to avoid weight gain, this is about her health and safety. she is apparently not old enough or mature enough to deal with the situation to prevent the crankiness, which is obvious by the letter you posted. take pro-active action now. she probably knows or feels when her sugar is low, and at that time may not be able to intervene properly. the problems of having a low blood sugar can be terrible if it goes to far, including but not limited to: fainting, confusion, coma, and even death in severe cases. tell her "if you don't eat the snacks today, i will be at the school tomorrow to put a plan in place to have someone supervise you while you eat your snack. perhaps i have not made myself clear, you WILL eat your snacks to maintain your blood sugar. you are having symptoms of a low blood sugar and everyone can tell by your crankiness and attitude. this is not an issue of vanity and weight gain, but one of safety. when school lets out we will address your concerns of weight gain. maybe we can join a gym together or start a video workout. but for now, i need to know that you are safe at school and be able to trust you to do the right thing, before we can add in more exercise. i have made the snacks low calorie and low fat to help ease your concerns about your weight. but refusing to eat your snacks is NOT an option.
and trust me, if you try to skip and tell me different, i will be able to tell."
Please don't underestimate the complications of a low blood sugar. she should probably need to wear a medical alert bracelet also. she will need some diabetic education also. although, she has not been diagnosed as diabetic, anything having to do with blood sugars falls under that category. take her to a nutritionist or a diabetic educator. it should be covered under your insurance. your pediatrician can help you find one. she needs professional education to manage her problem so that she can understand it and prevent complications and to keep her from turning into a real diabetic later in life.
Good luck,
L., RN

I was borderline on that condition a few years ago when i was 19 and i make sure that i eat protein in the morning, if i ate sugar for breakfast i wouldn't feel that great until i did. I would suggest no more than 1 coke a day if she drinks cokes, fresh fruits and veggies, with a high protein diet, and i took iron supplements from over the counter, especially around my monthly cycle with all the blood loss. I'm fine now, i have normal blood sugar. I still try to remember a daily vitamin just to feel better in general. You can overcome this.

I'm hypoglycemic and the best thing your daughter can do is to balance her protein out with her carbs. I see too many people with low blood sugar eat stuff with too many carbs and not enough protein.

My typical day includes:
bowl of cereal (I drink the milk)
small juice box
smoothie (Light n fit smoothies have 70 calories but 5g of protein!)
lunch (I make sure I get some sort of protein like chicken in my lunch)
snack (almonds are the best protein filled nut)
well balanced dinner
half a smoothie before bed if I'm feeling hungry

sometimes it can be hard to find good things to eat that aren't full of calories. I'm VERY big into smoothies, but some of them have 300 calories in them! That's why I like the Light n Fit smoothies. I also will snack on cheese sticks, guacamole, or a bagel for other high protein snacks. I also snack on other snacks like fresh fruit, but honestly, my priority is on high protein snacks. Protein helps slow down your body's breakdown of the carbs which can prevent your blood sugar from crashing.

I hope that helps!

Hi E.,
I actually have hypoglycemia as well. I didn't get it until I was in college, so I didn't have to deal with it while I was in high school, but I can give you some ideas for healthy snacks that I've found helpful. First of all, the most important thing is protein. As much as I love fruit, it doesn't do me a bit of good...it spikes the blood sugar (noticing how I felt loopy after I ate an apple actually tipped me off that something was going on with my sugar levels). If she is going to eat fruit, try to pair it with natural peanut butter (much less sugar than say, Jif) or cheese. Here are the staples in my diet:

-- eggs (two every morning with vegetables or cheese and maybe a whole wheat english muffin)

-- cheese (string cheese is great. good portion control and low fat)

-- nuts (portion control is important here because there's a lot of fat in nuts)

-- hummus (wonderful with carrots, celery and other raw veggies...low sugar content, high protein)

- lowfat cottage cheese (low fat and sugar, high protein...it'll keep her full for a while)

-- natural peanut butter (organic's even better...she can have a whole wheat english muffin with some peanut butter on it for a mid-morning snack)

-- protein shakes (I like the Kashi Go Lean chocolate. It's high in protein, low in sugar and super filling. You can find it at Whole Foods. As long as she doesn't have a problem with soy, it'll be a good snack for her. You can also mix some in with sugar-free pudding for a good chocolately snack.)

-- low fat meats like chicken and tuna (great as a salad or on a salad for lunch or a mid-day snack)

The MOST important thing is that she eats frequently and she stays away from simple sugars like cookies, cakes and carbs like white bread and pasta. All of these things will just spike her sugar and will also put on the pounds.

Have her eat something every couple of hours and make sure it's the RIGHT things. If she's eating lowfat, low-sugar snacks and small meals, she shouldn't have a problem with her weight and she'll be satisfied all day long so she won't have those cranky times. Have her keep a protein bar in her purse for when she's out and about and she gets hungry. I like Balance Bars but just look at the sugar content and make sure it's not too high. The lower the sugar, the worse they taste, so you'll have to allow for some sugar content.

Good luck! If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email.

Take care!
Hilary

My only suggestion is to read up on ZONE. I wouldn't count on the snack bars too often, but if you pack a zone snack for her it might work out, the diet basically says you should always eat a balance 1/3 calories from fat 1/3 calories from protein 1/3 calories from carbohydrates. This keeps your blood sugar from getting really high then plummeting. It should also keep her weight steady. Please also reassure her that weight gain is likely normal when you are in puberty for girls.

Many Blessings!!