Gestational Diabetes and Counting Carbs

feedmedonuts

Hello....I don't quite have GD but my nurse called and said I barely passed my glucose tolerance and is concerned. I was advised to limit my carb intake....something I have never done before and swore I would never consider in the past :blushing: I've been working out 3-5x/week throughout the whole pregnancy so far (29 weeks) and eating what I thought was really healthy....but looks like I need to change things up a bit.

Any recommendations on things I can eat that will be lower in carbs but also nutritious for baby? I am getting sick of grilled chicken salads really fast. I have been eating string cheese and almonds too. I don't mind vegetables, but I can't see myself chowing down on a big bowl of veggies either. I do love fish but even that is limited during pregnancy. I am noticing a lot of the things I was eating/drinking to provide nutrients to baby are even high in carbs-fruits, milk, yogurt,etc :ohwell:

Also I am thoroughly confused if I should be limiting carbs in general or "net carbs". I picked up these Atkins coconut bars to satisfy my sweet tooth and they have 2.6g net carbs but 19.1g total carbs-MFP is tracking the total carbs. Am I tracking the wrong kind of carbs here? I hate low carb

QuillensMom

I crave beef while pregnant, and lately have been having a cheeseburger daily(again). I tried to cut back on the carbs which for me was (and funny because of your name) things like donuts and cakes. I will have a burger with no bun, use lettuce to wrap it sometimes. I just eat my veggies with my protein because I also am not that interested in just eating a huge bowl of veggies. Steamed broccoli with my fish or chicken, and lettuce & tom with my burger or steak is good.
I wouldn't try to go super low, and read somewhere during my research on it(in my attempt to maintain my weight thru this pregnancy instead of gain) said not to go under 100-120g of carbs/day while pregnant. Have you tried writing down what you normally eat to get an idea of the amount of carbs you are/were eating so you have an idea about cutting down?

Congrats on your lo, I'm due next month myself

wkwebby

Unfortunately, gd should be treated like regular good ol' diabetes during the pregnancy. As a prediabetic, I don't have to count the sugars quite as strictly, but I'd go on a lower carb diet for sure. Try and balance your meals with protein and fats if you crave carbs (I.e. Rice, bread, pastas). This will stabilize your blood sugar or at least limit your spikes. The important thing is the blood sugar spiking, so look into glycemic index of foods. There are plenty of veggies and fruits that can also spike your blood sugar. You'd be surprised, but luckily, there are plenty of lists on the internet for the GI of foods. Once you look into the GI numbers, you will have a better idea of what you should stay away from. As a prediabetic, I do a 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 split with carbs, fats, and proteins and if I've got to go over on calories, I try just the fats and proteins.

RodaRose

Limit this: bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, pizza, corn
Limit this: fruits

Eat this: dairy, eggs, meat, fish, beans,
Eat this: low/low-ish carb vegetables: asparagus, garlic, turnip greens, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower,bok choy, mushrooms, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, eggplant, kale, okra, snow peas, summer squash, zucchini, green string beans.

XX_Miss_RoseMary_XX

I had GD and they sent me to an informational class. See If yo canut get into one. Mine really helped with the confusion and was free.

lorib642

I went to a class, too. I remember they told me to balance my meals. If I was going to have a carb have some protein with that meal. I don't know if that has changed., My daughter is 16 now. See if you can see a dietician or get some more information.

GlucernaBrand

Since your nurse is concerned, perhaps they'll refer you to a registered dietitian who can help you figure out a meal plan for a healthy pregnancy as well as managing your blood sugar levels. The guidelines for women with gestational diabetes are a bit different, and you can find more information at http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/ ~Lynn /Glucerna

bmele0

Keeping carbs in check doesn't mean cutting carbs out. Make sure you DO eat carbs with your meals, just try to keep it under 40 I'd say for a meal and under 20 for a snack and pair all of your carbs with a protein. <--- That's a guess, I had GD and I had to stay around 35 carb per meal, around 15 per snack. Eat smaller meals, and more small snacks. I ate every 2-1/2 hours. I was able to keep my blood sugar good during the day with diet and exercise, but my morning fast level was higher than they liked to see, so I eventually I had to go on night-time insulin.

There is also a difference between a "fast carb" and a "slow (complex) carb." Fast carbs are white bread, milk, candy, etc. Slow carbs are whole wheat, vegetables, etc. Avoid fruit/ milk in the morning. Take a little walk after a bigger meal, that will help keep your blood sugar in check.

Also, don't be hard on yourself. I was in a support group for women with GD, and most of the time it came down to genetics. We had thin/ strong women, and a couple who had been active in the military who still got GD. And I saw other women over 300 lbs pregnant and didn't get GD. I was warned early on in my pregnancy I would be at risk, so I ate well and exercised the whole way through. I thought it would save me from getting GD, but it didn't. I even lost about 30 lbs while pregnant (I was obese, so it was medically approved for me to lose), but me weight didn't get super out of control until after baby. Good luck!

blink1021

I had GD with my last pregnancy and I was sent to a nutritionist which really helped me. I had to eat 6x a day to feel full just had smaller meals. I could still eat carbs without problems. Just couldn't eat fruit for breakfast had to leave that for later in the day. Ask to see a nutritionist they can set you up a meal plan to follow and insurance usually covers it.

baconslave

I had GD with my last baby. Look up the Glycemic Index and diabetic diets, and choose foods with a low GI rating and keep strictly to portion sizes on those items. That should help keep you from having to be put on meds. I recommend as often as possible to having more protein at breakfast and less carbs. It seemed to help stabilize my blood sugar most of the day. Always combine protein and fat with carbs. This helps slow the breakdown and metabolizing of the sugars in the foods as well. I didn't count carbs, but I did choose small portions of low GI foods. I never had to be put on insulin. Though I was on a med. I had full-blown GD by the time they noticed a problem. :grumble: