Living with Gestational Diabetes has not been FUN, but I will do what I have to do to have a healthy pregnancy these last 7 weeks.
One thing that I have learned is chocolate cannot be my friend for the last 7 weeks of my pregnancy. It is sad and it makes me moody from time to time. I LOVE chocolate! I also had to give up my daily chocolate milk each morning. I still can have my Nutragrain Bars each morning, which my nutritionist thought might be too many carbs, but my sugar levels have been great after eating them. Trust me I have "tested" several things. Which my OB doctor said I would probably do.
The main problem I have is lunch time. I am the type of person that will typically have a grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich...something quick and easy. Since I work in a soul office I don't typically go out to eat for lunch. So at lunch I struggle a bit trying to figure out what to eat. Panera salads and half a chicken sandwich seems to be working. I tried to have a smoothie from Panera once and that didn't go well at all! Chad and I have gone on several lunch dates to help determine what I can and cannot eat. IT is helping as all of this is new to me.
As for dinner I have to try to stay away from pasta, pizza, rice, basically anything carb related. We did find pita wheat flat bread that I can have and we have made homemade pizza on these and my sugars were great. I also have had fajitas at home the only problem is that I can only have one tortilla shell, but I can eat all the meat I want. It has been a HUGE adjustment because after eating what I typically would eat if I didn't have restrictions I end up getting hungry before the two hours is up after each MAIN meal.
Plus if you don't know this about me I DO NOT LIKE veggies or eggs at all. Under the diet restrictions you can have the following all you want:
meat
vegetables
fats such as peanut butter, mayo, cream cheese, sour cream, whipping cream, avocados, olives, and oils
cheese
eggs
Nuts and Peanuts (which I cannot have)
All other food groups you can have a certain serving per each meal. I guess what I am trying to say is I like carbs, fruits, and chocolate BUT for now I have to limit or eliminate these things from my diet. I remember after learning the rules and restrictions on GD I went to the grocery store for the first time and to be HONEST with you I wanted to CRY I didn't know what to purchase or what to eat. I left that first shopping trip frustrated. I thought to myself how am I going to gain weight the remaining of this pregnancy eating a limited amount of food. Don't take this wrong there are a lot of options I am just a "picky" eater. So Chad made the trip for me and found several options for me to try in the first few weeks of this diet. Some have worked and some have not worked. I am still learning and by the time I get it all figured out Crew will be here!
I am not a fan about talking about food I actually HATE deciding where to eat or what to have for dinner each night. I eat to survive not the opposite of that makes sense.
I didn't write this post to complain I wrote this post to share my experience thus far. As well as, one to help others facing the same situation I am or two to get advice from all of you that have had Gestational Diabetes while being pregnant.
I am secretly hoping that the next 7 weeks will go by QUICKLY!
11 comments:
Hang in there! I have PCOS and have been trying to stay away from carbs so I can get pregnant! It's not easy, and I loveeee carbs, especially pizza. I did find this recipe and haven't tried it yet, but it looks good! http://accidentalmommies.com/delicious-no-carb-pizza-recipe/
Know you are in the office by yourself so sometime when you are there and I'm not doing field work, we should go grab a bite! Thanks for sharing your experience thus far!
Kristen
Melissa,
Check and see if you can eat Ezekial bread. It is a very healthy bread option that is good and has absolutely no sugar and very few carbs. You keep it frozen because it doesn't have any preservatives so it can go bad quickly. It is toasted and then topped with anything you want. You can find it in the frozen food section of many grocery stores. Praying for you and Crew!
Alissa
I had GD when I was pregnant and it was really a blessing in disguise (I only gained 10 lbs). It is hard to get use to in the beginning as you are trying to figure out what you can and can not eat. It's basically limiting your carbs a ton, no fruits (which are high in sugar), and lots of proteins. I ate a lot of steak and chx with lots of veggies.
Also, I would have a small glass of chocolate milk or a small treat AFTER I test my sugar level, an hour after dinner. Because by time I had to test again in the morning, my body processed it all.
Good luck!
changing your diet so drastically is HARD! I struggle so much b/c with PCOS I pretty much should be eating the way you are eating now! I struggle b/c I live to eat! You can do this girl!! I know it is very frustrating and overwhelming!! Praying your 7 weeks goes by fast :)
Hey Melissa...I have never commented but wanted to offer some advice since I have been through this too. I know it can be very difficult and is a huge adjustment. I now have Type II Diabetes so I live with this daily and have learned to make changes. Have you tried the Orowheat Light Bread? It has a low glycemic index so your sugars are not as affected. Also, the Low Carb small Mission tortillas are good too. This may allow you to still take sandwiches for lunch.
I was able to have a slice of Thin Crust CA Pizza Kitchen Pizza (if you have that frozen brand) and it did not affect my sugars when I was pregnant...it is one of the lower carb pizzas.
I am glad you are able to eat your Nutrigrain bar...I am a cereal lover and had to give up cereal in the mornings.
If you try a pasta, buy the fiber rich whole wheat pastas. They are really good and full of fiber which lowers your carbs. If you add protein and some veggies, it is a great meal all around.
I ate a ton of salads with some form of protein when I needed an easy meal.
Good luck and these last few weeks will pass by quickly just as you said....relax and know you are doing what is best for your baby.
Random question...how did you feel after you tested for it. I am 27 weeks pregnant with my 3rd and I felt like death yesterday after my test. It was terrible. I never felt that way when I had the test done with my first two. I am hoping it doesn't mean anything!
I feel your pain. I found out with my second that I had gestational diabetes, and now with my third they tested early and I meet with my Doctor next week. I already know my test results so finger sticks and counting carbs here we go again. :)
You are right in figuring out what works best for you. I don't remember the equation perfectly, but I believe you can eat 15 carbs for breakfast, 25-30 for lunch, 30 for dinner, and 10-15 carb snack before bed???.
I think the hardest part is knowing you can't have something:). I would typically have a diet soda at some point through out the day as my "treat" to myself.
I will be thinking of you the next 7 weeks. I promise, it does get so much easier when you find your "eating" groove!!
I am dealing with the same thing. I am currently 30 weeks pregnant and for the last two weeks I have been experimenting like crazy with foods. It is very frustrating, but I love that I can eat a lot of meat. It seems to help curb my appetite. Good luck with it-I know how hard and crazy it is!!
Oh sweetie I know how hard that must be:( praying that you'll get through and eat a big piece of chocolate cake when he's born!
When I was pregnant I ate corn bran cereal or a scrambled egg with a slice of cheese and half an english muffin for breakfast. I ate turkey sandwiches on a tortilla a lot for lunch or even chicken salad. Dinner was usually chicken and veggies or steak and veggies. I did find that I could eat 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta with spaghetti sauce and a salad and it didn't bother my sugar. I also found that if we went for a walk after dinner ( I tested 2 hours after eating), it would help lower my blood sugar. For snacks, I ate a lot of popcorn at night, or cheesesticks and a spoonful of peanut butter. Some of the 100 calorie snack packs worked for me also.
Hope this helps give you some more ideas. I never gained any weight after I started my gd diet - no matter how much I ate.
Good luck!
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