advice from those who've had gestational diabetes

[akrake]

ok, i need advice from those who've been there!!! my history:

almost vegan for about 4 years....did really well on the mcdougall plan for 2 years....lost around 40lbs....then they opened a maggie moo's ice cream shop near my house....they have sorbet, but i love chocolate! i gained back around 10 lbs & then started to try to get pregnant....became a junk food veggie....and when i got pregnant, i was 16lbs heavier than i'd been previously (has to do with letting dairy back into my life!).

now thru this pregnancy i was really good for the first trimester...i only gained around 9 lbs (ignore the 16 previously)...but after i got over the sickness, i started to go nuts & eat cheese & ice cream, chips, etc. so.....i take my gtt test last wednesday & come up with a 148 (135 cut off). my doc says that i need to take the 4 hour test....follow sugarbusters & watch it.....my son was 9.13lbs last time (no gd) and i had a bradley birth with him. i want to do the same with this babe, but the dr says i had to get my self undercontrol (i agree)...so since last wednesday i've been really good! my question is what the heck to eat?????

I've been following a vegan diet, but am not sure how much ww breads & stuff i should be eating...i've been limiting it but find i get hungry in the afternoons. any hints from you guys???

hopefully i'll pass the 4 hour test on friday....and even if i do i'll need to stick to the straight & narrow! Thanks in advance
amie

[Erin Pavlina]

During my first pregnancy I scored a 129 on my test and they wanted me to take the 3 hour test. I scored well on the three hour test and was not labeled diabetic.

if I were you, I would take a look at the diet they would recommend if you are found to be diabetic and start eating that way. See what happens. The chances are good that you'll pass the three hour test no problem, so maybe don't worry about it until you get the results of that test.

Eat more fresh veggies. I was big on salad in my first pregnancy, sweet potatoes, etc. I had been eating fruit first thing in the morning, but I switched to eating a higher protein diet in the morning (whole grain toast with peanut butter). I made lots of stews with lentils and potatoes and such, and tried not to eat junk.

Good luck and let us know what happens after the 4 hour test!

[frenchie]

I did Bradley Birth as well. The Bradley recommended diet as you may know recommends 75-100 g of protien per day. I wasn't vegan during my pregnancy, I was vegetarian. I got my morning protien intake with yogurt, eggs and toast or egg and cheese burrito with fresh salsa. I would also make a protien shake with Spiru-tein, soy milk, peanut butter and flax oil. I suppose to do it vegan, toast, scrambled tofu "eggs" and potatoes for breakfast would be good. There are great soy yogurts as well that taste go wonderfully with granola and fresh fruit. That would be a high protien, filling breakfast. Then snack on almonds and apple slices before lunch. I think keeping your hunger at bay, and eating no junk will make a HUGE difference. The quality of what you eat is important, quantity isn't. Don't be afraid to eat often, just make sure what you eat is what your baby *needs*.

[akrake]

and i've been following a really great vegan diet a la McDougall since last thursday....
my numbers were 89 (fasting), 178, 129, 101. My doc wasn't there but the tech said she thought it was ok....now I should also mention that when I weighed myself at the dr office today i was 5 lbs lighter than last wednesday when i went there. anyone know what the cut off for the last hour is? i can't stand to wait until my doc calls me next week!:(

also, about bradley, i've been eating alot of tofu & beans & lentils, nuts, avocados. I just think that I will slowly add back in my carbs....ww pasta instead of regular & sweet potatos instead of white. It's the only thing i can do!
amie

[Erin Pavlina]

I can't remember what the numbers need to be. I'll bet you can find some guidelines online though. let us know what happens when you talk to the doc.