Feeling weak and shaky when I skip meals: Constant loss of appetite?

Anyone have experience with this? Please let me know.
Basically, I've always been thin and never actually feel hungry, so I force myself to eat at set times just to stay on track.
Lately, though, things have changed. When I'm overdue for a meal, I start shaking. It’s not even that I feel hungry—it's just this sudden onset of tremors and general weakness.
It can happen even if I ate only an hour ago. That wave of weakness just hits. Once I eat something—even just a bit of sugar—I'm fine within ten minutes.
Both my parents are diabetic, and I'm starting to worry there might be a connection here.

That’s definitely a massive red flag... you should probably get checked out with some blood work, a lipid panel, and an OGTT

My blood work came back totally fine about a month ago. So, what exactly is an OGTT?

Do you guys think it's actually worth making a doctor's appointment?

Just getting a single blood draw to check your fasting glucose doesn't always tell the whole story when it comes to how your body handles sugar. That’s why if you’re feeling off or there’s a history of it in your family, doctors usually go for an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT).

Here’s a snippet from one of our local labs:

"ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST (OGTT)

The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) is used to determine if someone actually has diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or issues with fasting glycemia.

Basically, the OGTT shows how well your body can actually process glucose and helps spot metabolic disorders. The whole thing takes about 2 hours.

They measure glucose levels in both your blood and urine at specific intervals.

1. For pregnant women: timing is at 0 min, 30 min, 60 min, and 120 min (with urine samples taken at the start and end)

2. For everyone else: timing is at 0 min and 120 min (urine samples at the start and end)

The procedure works by taking initial blood and urine samples, then having the patient drink a precise amount of glucose dissolved in water.

You have to be totally fasting before starting, and—this is key—you can't move around. Any physical activity burns through blood glucose, which could totally mess up the results and give you a false reading.
No eating, no drinking (not even meds), and definitely no smoking during the test.
And you shouldn't use the bathroom during those 2 hours either, because if your glucose spikes past the kidney threshold, it'll show up in your urine.

High readings:
Elevated glucose levels on this test might point toward diabetes, an overactive thyroid, liver issues, or even celiac disease.

Low readings:
Low OGTT values can be linked to things like sepsis, viral hepatitis, pancreatic cancer, pheochromocytoma, hyperthyroidism, acromegaly, adrenal gland issues, PCOS, hyperlipoproteinemia, liver degeneration, cystic fibrosis, thalassemia, cirrhosis, chronic pancreatitis, acute or chronic kidney damage, or rheumatoid arthritis.

If you hit a value of 11 mmol/L after 120 minutes, that points to diabetes, whereas anything lower suggests impaired glucose tolerance."

...

Tyler James5 said:Just getting a single blood draw to check your fasting glucose doesn't always tell the whole story when it comes to how your body handles sugar. That’s why if you’re feeling off or there’s a history of it in your family, doctors usually go for an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT).

Here’s a snippet from one of our local labs:

"ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST (OGTT)

The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) is used to determine if someone actually has diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or issues with fasting glycemia.

Basically, the OGTT shows how well your body can actually process glucose and helps spot metabolic disorders. The whole thing takes about 2 hours.

They measure glucose levels in both your blood and urine at specific intervals.

1. For pregnant women: timing is at 0 min, 30 min, 60 min, and 120 min (with urine samples taken at the start and end)

2. For everyone else: timing is at 0 min and 120 min (urine samples at the start and end)

The procedure works by taking initial blood and urine samples, then having the patient drink a precise amount of glucose dissolved in water.

You have to be totally fasting before starting, and—this is key—you can't move around. Any physical activity burns through blood glucose, which could totally mess up the results and give you a false reading.
No eating, no drinking (not even meds), and definitely no smoking during the test.
And you shouldn't use the bathroom during those 2 hours either, because if your glucose spikes past the kidney threshold, it'll show up in your urine.

High readings:
Elevated glucose levels on this test might point toward diabetes, an overactive thyroid, liver issues, or even celiac disease.

Low readings:
Low OGTT values can be linked to things like sepsis, viral hepatitis, pancreatic cancer, pheochromocytoma, hyperthyroidism, acromegaly, adrenal gland issues, PCOS, hyperlipoproteinemia, liver degeneration, cystic fibrosis, thalassemia, cirrhosis, chronic pancreatitis, acute or chronic kidney damage, or rheumatoid arthritis.

If you hit a value of 11 mmol/L after 120 minutes, that points to diabetes, whereas anything lower suggests impaired glucose tolerance."

...

Does tachycardia count as movement?😁 It feels like a type of physical exertion to me.🤷
Honestly, I'd definitely need to take a sedative. My heart starts racing and I start sweating the second I get near a doctor; I have a massive phobia of these things.

Jack Jones7 said:Does tachycardia count as movement?😁 It feels like a type of physical exertion to me.🤷
Honestly, I'd definitely need to take a sedative. My heart starts racing and I start sweating the second I get near a doctor; I have a massive phobia of these things.

I mean, saying that you shouldn't move at all? That’s a bit of a stretch... honestly. A little bit of light, everyday movement isn't exactly going to wreck your progress or mess up the data... it's really not that deep...

The other stuff? You can fix that over time... just by being picky. It’s all about vetting your doctors, finding a dentist who actually gives a damn, or picking lab techs who aren't total robots. You gotta look for those specific recommendations—people who are actually attentive, know how to handle kids without losing their cool, you know? There is such a massive difference between one clinic and the next... unfortunately... 🤷 It’s the same story everywhere you go, honestly... whether you're talking about your barber, some college professor, or even just the guy fixing your car at the local shop... it's always like this... 🙂)

...

If an adrenaline spike hits—your blood sugar drops fast,
if you’re just hungry—it’s more of a gradual slide,
and if you haven't eaten much but slammed too much coffee, you'll be shaking like a leaf.

For those sugar crashes triggered by stress, I always keep some grapes or a small piece of chocolate on hand. If there's a pattern where it happens at the same time every day, then you probably need to fix your meal schedule.
If you overdo it on the caffeine, maybe grab a pastry and just wait for it to pass.

ruggedorca47 said:Anyone have experience with this? Please let me know.
Basically, I've always been thin and never actually feel hungry, so I force myself to eat at set times just to stay on track.
Lately, though, things have changed. When I'm overdue for a meal, I start shaking. It’s not even that I feel hungry—it's just this sudden onset of tremors and general weakness.
It can happen even if I ate only an hour ago. That wave of weakness just hits. Once I eat something—even just a bit of sugar—I'm fine within ten minutes.
Both my parents are diabetic, and I'm starting to worry there might be a connection here.

Before you go doing an OGTT, you really ought to get your fasting glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and an A1C checked first.