GD & Weight Gain

CurlyQ284 · September 2012

I'll check with my doctor next week but I thought I'd see if anyone here knew. I was diagnosed last week with GD and told that I gained 35 lbs (I wasn't tracking it, I figured they would tell me if it got too much and then they DID tell me). I just went to the GD class and they gave me a carb limit for each meal. She said it doesn't matter if you eat 1/2 cup of ice cream or a piece of toast, as long as you stay in the carb range.

My question is, by following the diet, will that slow my weight gain? Or would I have to pick the toast instead of ice cream in order to slow the weight gain because besides the carbs it is the healthier choice? I'm not 100% clear on the relationship between the weight gain and the GD...

kruthaup11 · September 2012

the sugars are included in the carbs. have they given you an ultrasound to check babys size? I have GD and my LO is measuring big at 7 lbs 4oz already at 35 weeks. increased sugars to baby makes baby bigger, so that could be part of your weight gain.

CurlyQ284 · September 2012

No, no ultrasound after 20 weeks.

RissKay · September 2012

Anyone that I know that started following the GD diet plan actually lost around 6 to 10lbs due to eating better. I lost two when I started eating by it, and I just started it to eat healthier!

jillychris · September 2012

I had only gained about 22 lbs prior to my GD dx, but have lost 6 since starting the diet. No need to worry about the sugar, just stay within the carb allowance though you are still supposed to avoid straight sweets! Try the breyers carb smart ice cream bars...great treat, made with splenda sides low carb

LadyNikon · September 2012

It really depends on your diet before you were pregnant on whether your weight will slow down. If you eat are just cutting back on a few carbs but eat pretty healthy anyways you can still gain weight. Do you think its from what you are eating? Could it be other things like water weight? I only gained 15lbs with DD. Remember it isn't just carbs you have calories, bad fat and other things that can help you pick up the pounds as well.

joesmommy · September 2012

I didn't have a big weight gain at the time I was diagnosed with GD and still haven't gained much but it did slow what I am gaining. When you look at the over all picture, I have just made better food choices when following the GD diet. I do still have a sweet tooth and work that into my diet but alot of the time I can satisfy my sweet tooth with something low-carb and low-calorie. I am really good friends with Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches! Good luck to you!

rachael_c26 · September 2012

This is not going to be a real technical answer, because ...well, I just don't know. But you want the good carbs (whole grains, brown rice, etc) over the "bad" ones because your body actually processes them better. For instance, they have more fiber in them, which helps actually "subtract" carb points off of your meal! Soo that's fun! Yes

So you still should choose a piece of whole grain toast over ice cream. It's better and should help with weight gain.

Obviously, exercise helps too! And, from another GD mama, sometimes you just need ice cream.

My personal story (in case it may help, but with the usual disclaimer of every woman and pregnancy is different): I had gained 25lbs pre- GD diagnosis... I've had my diagnosis for almost two months now (two months October 1st) and since then I have not gained a single pound and my MW is very happy with this. I had put on "too much" in the beginning by eating whatever I wanted. I was bloated and didn't look very healthy. Now, I'm making such better food choices, even if it was/is forced by my GD, I am very thankful that something reigned my "bad" eating habits in (I always ate the right foods, but followed with bad. EX: I had broccoli, but I also got fries. I ate all my veggies and fruits, so I followed it up with a dessert at every dinner, etc)... I'm not "dieting" to lose weight or maintain, I'm eating the right amount of calories (and carbs/proteins based on my GD diet) and trusting that my body isn't gaining weight because of the choices I'm making... and my BLOAT is gone! I look and feel sooo much better.

I hope this helped and didn't sound like some sort of advertisement. GD can be difficult just because of the frustrating high numbers when you were "sure" you ate a "perfect" meal...heck, they're frustrating to see when you already knew you were cheating. Super Angry

CurlyQ284 · September 2012

I didn't gain any weight for the first trimester, then it started to pick up in May. I think my pre-GD diet was ok. I eat a South Beach Diet breakfast bar in the morning (high protein and fiber and tastes delicious), for lunch I would have salad or gazpacho, pita with hummus, a cheesestick, and a greek yogurt. My problem was dinner, I would pretty much eat a lot and then a GIANT bowl of ice cream. Dinner is usually healthy, some breaded baked chicken, sweet potatoes and a veggie or a pasta with chicken and a veggie but the portions of the starchy stuff were too high I think. Then the ice cream bowl was like towering over the top of the bowl Embarrassed

So now I think I'm spreading the lunch food out into my snacks (that's kind of a lot for lunch I think, I'll have to calculate it), and then watch my portions for dinner. The ice cream is my weakness, specifically pumpkin ice cream which is only here for 3 months, hence the towering bowl. I found the Edy's slow churned pumpkin ice cream which has half the fat, and if I do a scoop or two that's less than half what I was eating....so maybe I'll be ok?

signarvi · September 2012

when my GD nurse told us ice cream was ok, she did warn us not to eat it for every snack because we'll gain weight. She was talking about me gaining fat weight, not necessarily the baby's weight. The carbs get limited to prevent the baby from getting too big from insulin issues, so in that sense it doesn't matter what you eat as long as your within your carb limits. So, I've been indulging in ice cream as a snack, in moderation. I try to use common sense putting my diet together, mix healthier options with things that might be higher in fat. The first few weeks on it, I didn't gain any weight.

lzamaree · September 2012

I had only gained 10lbs when I was diagnosed with GD. The first week on the new diet I lost 3 1/2 lbs. I have been following the diet to a "T". I want to try to control it without the meds. I still have a skinny cow as a snack before bed. So far my sugar levels have been great. Sometimes you need something sweet, skinny cow's have been a life saver. Good luck!

StaceySMC13 · September 2012

My GD educator gave me a guideline on how many carbs to eat per meal/snack. I get 15g for each snack, 30 for breakfast, 45 for lunch and 60 for dinner. I am supposed to eat protein with my snacks too. I do really well on my daytime snacks but at night, I really want something dessert like. I've been having 13 nestle dibs when I want ice cream - equals 15g.

You can have the pumpkin ice-cream in moderation but I'd look at the serving size and see how many grams of carbs there are and then see how much you can eat of it. I wouldn't just assume that 1/2 of what you're eating is okay.

sandyapples · September 2012

If you are checking your blood sugar you might find that just because you should be able to eat something, doesn't mean you can. For example, I can't have toast for breakfast. Even though I should be able to eat two pieces of toast for breakfast, I know my bs will be high if I eat only one piece. I can have 30g of carbs in the form of yogurt no problem and my bs is always in the ideal range. You have to find out what works for you. FWIW, I have lost 5lbs in the past 4 weeks and have not been limiting fat or calories at all. If anything, I try to pick higher fat foods because they usually have less sugar than fat free versions.

CurlyQ284 · September 2012

StaceySMC13:
My GD educator gave me a guideline on how many carbs to eat per meal/snack. nbsp;I get 15g for each snack, 30 for breakfast, 45 for lunch and 60 for dinner. nbsp;I am supposed to eat protein with my snacks too. nbsp;I do really well on my daytime snacks but at night, I really want something dessert like. nbsp;I've been having 13 nestle dibs when I want ice cream equals 15g. nbsp;You can have the pumpkin icecream in moderation but I'd look at the serving size and see how many grams of carbs there are and then see how much you can eat of it. nbsp;I wouldn't just assume that 1/2 of what you're eating is okay. nbsp;nbsp;

I'm.not assuming. I measured it out and its like 3040 percent of my usual ice cream amount.

albjag · September 2012

I have GD and it does matter what you eat as far as your sugars are concerned. Some food I cannot have, even if it's within or below my carb limits. In fact, I can't even have my allowable carb limits for breakfast and have passing numbers. I can't even have my low carb bread with peanut butter for breakfast. but I can have pbj on low carb bread for lunch.

You have to experiment. and always pair carbs with protein. meet with a GD nutritionist as well

I would not worry about weight gain. I would eat healthy and follow your Gd diet. Hopefully you meet with an MFM and get more monitoring. once I was diagnosed I met with my MFM for an ultrasound about every 3 wks.

I started twice weekly NSTs at 32 wks and once weekly BPPs at that time as well. I am now doing twice weekly BPPs starting this week. I also see my MFM for an ultrasound in 2 wks.

I am on metformin twice daily. I was diagnosed around 12 wks, put on meds around 16 wks. My weight gain to date is around 13 lbs.

For ice cream- try to find breyers carb smart chocolate ice cream. it tastes amazing. or edys slow churned ice cream- 1/2 c is 15 g carbs (chocolate). I usually eat it with a scoop of PB.

also- exercise is the best thing you can do- do it often while u still can. I can hardly go for a walk anymore without being worn out - but I try to walk in place inside too.

fiancesayles · September 2012

I lost weight at the beginning of my pregnancy and struggled to gain throughout. I was diagnosed with GD and have lost weight since due to the change in diet. I am 35wks and haven't gained an oz in a month! My dr said I could lose weight once I changed my diet. The weight gain does have to do with the carbs and the way you process it affects the GD giving you higher values. If you follow the diet and select the healthier items you will lose weight and have lower blood sugar values.

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