Gestational Diabetes Group - Us vs. the Carbs

[oneway]

AM 9 units cloudy
PM 4 units cloudy

Before dinner 2 units clear.

 

[babifever]

AM 9 units cloudy
PM 4 units cloudy

Before dinner 2 units clear.

wow I'm on alot compared

 

[northern_me]

6 units clear before breakfast, lunch, supper

I've weaned myself off cloudy. No high numbers as a result.

 

[RubysMommy]

My fasting number was 97 this morning and I think the finger I used wasn't completely dry. So I used a different finger that was dry within a minute and it was 88. I don't know which one to use. I put lotion on before bed too, so do you think that with my damp finger might have made it higher? It's seems odd to have such different numbers so close together.

 

[northern_me]

What meter are you using? Mine is the one touch ultra and the nurse said it can vary about 15% compared to lab testing.

 

[oneway]

AM 9 units cloudy
PM 4 units cloudy

Before dinner 2 units clear.

wow I'm on alot compared

You have diabetes from before babifever, maybe that's why you need to cover both your body's requirements and the additional challenge imposed by GD.

I have not needed too much and that is true and I am grateful for that. Cloudy keeps me covered most of the day. I started with the 2 units of clear only since week 35. I think if I was really strict I could have done it on diet alone. But I figured out that my diet is as strict as I can make it without making me insane, so I use insulin to cover what I cannot keep under control.

 

[northern_me]

I'm through yet another week of being at the same 0.8 of a lb! I don't know if this is week 10 or 11 without budging. I'm optimistic. The more weeks I go without gaining, and the more weeks the baby continues to gain, the smaller I should be after she's born. Good motivation!

 

[babifever]

My lows have been at 60 since my last increase

 

[kayleigh1985]

I saw my consultant today who couldn't tell me much about my gtt results just said I would be getting a letter inviting me to the GD clinic. So until then I still have no idea what I should be eating. She said I had keytones in my Urine and that I was dehydrated but Google tells me keytones can mean I'm not eating enough carbs. I just don't have a clue what I'm doing and feel so stressed

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Ketones can be a sign of not eating as much as you should.

In my first GD pregnancy I gad 4+ ketones at points as I was late diagnosed and had no idea what to do and probably didn't eat enough.

I don't really eat carbs now but don't get ketones - snack as much as you can on 'good stuff' like nuts and cheese.

If you can find a decent online table of low glycemic index foods then that should reassure you on the types of things you are eating.

I think it is common if you have some weight to lose to get ketones when you go onto a very healthy diet.

 

[kayleigh1985]

Ah thank you that makes me feel slightly better. I do have weight to lose so I guess that would explain it. I will see if I can find a table of low gi foods to keep my mind at ease until I get to meet with the dietician.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I think I had ketones so badly first time around as I'd put on a nice cake indulging amount of weight whilst I was ignorant of my GD.

I started being healthy and I lost a fair chunk.

Baby isn't going to be harmed by instances of high ketones - it is you that will feel poorly. So snack snack snack x

 

[oneway]

I'm through yet another week of being at the same 0.8 of a lb! I don't know if this is week 10 or 11 without budging. I'm optimistic. The more weeks I go without gaining, and the more weeks the baby continues to gain, the smaller I should be after she's born. Good motivation!

Absolutely one of the biggest positives of GD! I have gained just 1 lb since my diagnosis and change in diet in week 24. I will have my baby in 6 days so I don't think I will gain a whole lot more either. Baby has gained while I have lost since they are already estimating him to be at 8 oz. I can see I have lost weight on areas that are not pregnant, like my upper arms. There is a tight fitting blouse that I could not wear for years, now I can actually pull it over my arms. It used to get stuck at my elbow

 

[Christina86]

So I went to the doctor today.

Baby is growing just fine. Fundal height is good, heart beat is at 158. I lost 2lbs since my last appt which she said is to be expected since going on the GD diet.

She said my numbers are really good and is having me go from testing 4x a day to 3x a day (only 2 hrs after each meal) which is awesome.

I was asking her about my water intake because I feel like I am drinking SOOOOOOO much water and she said it was fine and to keep drinking! I just think filling a water bottle up (32oz) 16-20 times in a 2 day span is a bit ... much... but I guess not.

Now I will keep on keeping on. Next appt. is in 2 weeks. =)

 

[Amythyst]

Christina, that's great! Trust me - when pregnant and especially with GD you need way more fluids... I drink well over 200 oz of water a day. I have 4 32 oz water bottles that once they are empty, I go down stairs and refill them all. All .....day..... long. Our water bill and our toilet paper bill has gone up considerably since I started doing this.

I know it also helps with blood pressure and keeping my kidneys nice and flushed... my urine is like pretty much the color of water! LOL!

My numbers have been much more on par with what I've been used to today. I haven't really had a reading much over 100 today. Even after eating a large piece of devil's food cake with my low carb ice cream it was only 108.

For the new people, who have said they are struggling with what to eat, I will paste a sample of my typical meal plan... I posted this a while back, but I know its annoying to sift through threads:

Breakfast:
Egg sandwich (2 eggs) with cheese (meat optional) - low carb bread 5 net carbs per slice
-OR-
French toast (using the same bread) and sugar free syrup (can also add 1 cup of mixed berry compote to the top - raspberries, blueberries and strawberries)
-OR-
Nature Valley high protein granola bar with high protein/low sugar yogurt

Lunch:
Atkins frozen food quick meal (if in a hurry)
-OR-
Grilled cheese sandwich
-OR-
Salad with ranch dressing (meat optional: grilled chicken). Can also add a sandwich with this.
-OR-
Some sort of meat based sandwich (chicken with lettuce, cheese, tomato)
-OR-
Peanut butter and sugar free jelly sandwich
-OR-
Soup with 1/2 sandwich (I find soups that have about 8-10g carbs per serving - usually 1/2 to 1 cup of soup)

Snacks:
Nuts (check serving sizes)
Cheese (I eat all the cheese I want)
Cheese and crackers (I buy whole grain crackers that have roughly 12g of carbs per serving - usually about 6-7 crackers)
Ice Cream - low carb variety
Coffee with half and half for creamer and 1 packet of splenda
Diabetic snacks (sugar free candies and/or chocolates)
Yogurt (high protein/low sugar) - this is usually greek yogurt or I found a special brand that is organic which only has 12g of carbs per container and like 15g protein.
Sugar free pudding
Fruit (IN MODERATION) - 1/2 a banana with some nuts for example or a small apple with some cheese

Dinner:
Pasta w/ Sauce and meat - I buy special low carb all natural pasta from netrition.com (doesn't spike my sugar called Carb-a-nada). Most cheese based sauces will not have any or 1-2 carbs per serving. Website also sells a low carb tomato based pasta sauce that doesn't spike my sugar.
-OR-
Meat with Veggies (any meat cooked to your liking - most veggies you want will be "green"). Veggies to potentially avoid: carrots, corn etc. Can also add a limited starch here if you can tolerate it. I may have a small amount of mashed potatoes or basmati rice. Stay away from French Fries (unless you know you can tolerate them). Can also add salad here too.
-OR-
Homemade Pizza: This one will depend on what ingredients are available to you. I found some pita bread thingies that are flat in the shape of a rectangle that are low carb. I use these as my "dough" and put my toppings on it and cook in the oven. It is a nice change to the "meat and veggies".
-OR-
Quesadillas: Using the same pita bread from above, make yourself a chicken quesadilla (or steak) - pile on the meat and cheese and put another pita on top of it and bake in the oven. I have tried to use regular tortillas but they spike my sugar.

Tips:
Condiments - most condiments are fair game... ie: mustard and mayo ... however ketchup is usually higher in carbs cause they put sugar in it.
Milk - I cannot drink milk as it has 12g of carbs per 1/2 cup. I found a low carb milk called Calorie Countdown that only has 3-4g of carbs per 1 cup.
Brown rice is usually good as it is "low GI" and as long as you don't eat a massive amount of it.
READ LABELS! - This will help you the most... sometimes you can eat "normal" things as long as you are paying attention to the "net" carbs per serving. Remember you subtract fiber from carbs to get your "net".
Always try to include protein with your meals! They usually recommend "lean" proteins but I have also had fine luck with fatty proteins as well.

Anyhoo, I hope that gives you guys some good ideas and a rough starting point.

 

[kayleigh1985]

Thanks Amythyst that's a great help!

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Amythyst's post is great. I am very limited on carbs but am still alive and functioning as a Mummy of 2 with a busy life. This is the sort of thing I have been eating the past 2 weeks or so.

Breakfast:

Soya and Linseed bread, butter, 2 or 3 eggs.

Natural yoghurt, tinned pear half and nuts.

Grapefruit

High meat content sausages, eggs, mushrooms, low sugar and salt beans (tiny portion of beans)

Bacon and eggs.

Lunch:

Carrots, hummus, oat crackers, cheese.

Anything pasta sauce (homemade) served on spriralized courgette

Omelettes

Oat crackers (maximum 2) with cheese, ham or any other meat.

Chicken sandwiches - only 1 slice of bread.

Brown rice salads with lots of chicken and avocado.

Smoked salmon and cream cheese with cucumber.

Baked sweet potato with tuna and cheese.

Home made chicken soup.

Evening meal:

Pasta sauces on bed of carrot, courgette and mushrooms.

Sausages and 'fake mash' - either sweet potato and cauliflower or celeriac and cauliflower.

Stews and casseroles served with lots of green veg. I avoid parsnip, pumpkin, squash etc. All made with just beef stock and no thickeners, I use my slow cooker a lot.

Chilli served with lots of veg, also curry served with veg.

Lots of meat - pork steaks, chicken served with 'fake mash' and lots of veggies.

Shredded pork, coleslaw, cheese, sweet potato fries (homemade)

Halloumi, olives, hummus, half a wholegrain pitta.

Almond flour pancakes - savoury with cheese and 'sweet' with cream and a few cherries.

Lasagne made with courgette instead of pasta and cream cheese and milk as the white sauce to avoid flour.

Snacks.

Nuts, cheese, oat crackers, small apple with cheese, cold sausages, cherries (maximum 10), very small portion of yoghurt, seeds and 2 cut up dried apricots.

Drinks - vast amounts of green tea! Lactose free milk and a fairly serious diet coke addiction...

 

[northern_me]

Amelie have you tried spaghetti squash? If so, how does that affect you?

My numbers have been phenomenal, even without insulin sometimes. I'm off to the OB in a hour and I'm interested to see what she says. I've googled it and other people on forums have said that their OB says it means labour is near. After the weekend I had, that would not surprise me.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

No, I've never tried spaghetti squash. I am a bit scared of the pumpkin and squash family as a rule... Swede is fine, twice baked sweet potato is fine - but in the past the pumpkin family have caught me out!

I think sugary veggies are the meanest thing ever...

My numbers were very good right right at the end with DD2, I was induced but I guess I wasn't that far off myself. So maybe there is truth in that?

 

[kayleigh1985]

Thanks Amelie that's great and a huge selection! I shall have to try baked sweet potato, sounds delicious! Are normal baked beans out then?