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Gestational Diabetes - Need some advice
So I got the diagnosis and immediately my diet has been shaken to its core. I am miserable, half the time afraid to eat. With the results they are looking for I am pretty sure I am heading to meds or insulin. Anyone go thru this and have eating tips. Or how to deal with it tips. Pregnancy was supposed to be a happy time and since my diagnosis 3 days ago I am miserable. My DH is being great 
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Re: Gestational Diabetes - Need some advice
I had GD with my son. Don't worry about meds yet. They'll have you watch your diet and log your sugars first.
Go to a bookstore, and find a good book about diabetes (preferably one approved by the amaerican diabetes association). There are some the focus on GD, but with my family risk for type II, and the fact that GD acts a lot like type II diabetes, I got a book about that, and followed it's guidelines. I also bought a pocket guide to carb exchanges.
Basics you need to know: buy "quality carbs", meaning more than 3g of fiber per serving. Measure your servings, and start each meal with a nice green salad. avoid sugary treats.
I figured out that most of the time, if I followed those guidelines, my blood sugar would be fine, and I never needed meds... exception being when I ate "trigger foods", primarily potatoes... but those are different for everyone. only carefully logging what you eat, and how much you eat can tell if you even have a trigger food.
If I wanted a candy bar, I would have a Fiber One bar with chocolate (at a snack time, so I wouldn't have to test my blood sugar afterwards, lol)
Do you plan on seeing a nutritionist? I highly recommend this. He/She can actually lay out a plan for you and show you how to count your carbs, when and how much to eat.
In addition to the suggestion of the PP, it is much like a South Beach Plan. Don't be afraid to eat, this is very important! Lots of protein and veggies. Carbs too but you have to be strategic about them.
When I had it last time, I ate six times a day. Breakfast, Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner, and Bedtime Snack.
In general, my snacks were only about one carb (15-20 grams). So I would have a protein/veggie and one carb. For example, cottage cheese with blueberries or nuts with a few prunes.
Due to when my sugars were high, I had only 1-2 carbs at breakfast and really focused on a ton of protein then. So NO milk or juice but lots of eggs, usually an omelette with spinach, ham and cheese and a slice of low carb bread.
At lunch, I was allowed more carbs, I think it was 3-4 and the same for dinner. I just had to avoid lots of bread, pasta, rice, chips, etc.. Also had to watch the fruit intake. I did lots of egg salad on pita, veggies and hummus, etc. for lunch. Dinners were lots of meat and salad with a small side of carbs.
Don't fret, you can do this! And it will work magic on your weight gain (at least it did for me).
Other GD friendly foods that I liked: White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter (lower in sugar and yummy), Soy Crisps (good replacement for potato chips), Kashi products (tend to be higher in fiber and protein, lower in sugar), Plain low fat yogurt with frozen blueberries.
Agree with pp about seeing a dietician. As soon as I was diagnosed my OB's office set me up with a MFM doc and dietician. They manage my GD, not my OB. I got great information from the dietician and the MFM office. And different foods trigger my highs, definitely. I cannot eat any kind of white bread or white pastas. Definitely stick with whole grains. And if you do have any kind of sweet, don't assume that "sugar free", "no sugar added" or anything like that is better for you. Check the carb count!!! Salad dressings are a great example. I have found that the fat free or light dressings that I've used forever all have carb counts of 12-13 carbs per serving where as the regular dressings only have 3-4 carbs which I don't even have to count at that point. I have ice cream every night for my bedtime snack, which I thought I would get yelled at by the dietician when I met with her but she actually said that with the high fat content it was a good choice for bedtime because it would last in my system longer.
I fully understand how you feel. I had this with DD 17 years ago and was doing everything I could do to avoid it this time so when I was diagnosed I cried hysterically for a really long time. But at the end of the day,I just have to do what I have to do to keep my baby healthy and just know that it will end and you can go back to normal after LO is born. Hang in there.
I blew my 1 and 3 hour tests but my numbers since have been fine and both A1C's were good. Occasionally I get a high number but that seems to mostly be at weekends when my sleep schedule is different and I am being lazy lol.
First off you are learning about how your body responds to sugar so it is okay if your blood sugar levels aren't perfect in the beginning as long as they continue to get better. My first week every morning after breakfast was too high. I've learned that high protein and pretty much no carbs works best if I don't exercise right after. If I do take a brisk 30 minute walk after breakfast I can eat up to 30 grams.
My go to snacks have been:
Dinner and Lunch have been:
For sweets I have found dark chocolate to be the best as far as blood sugar goes. I've been able to eat a mini blizzard or 1/4 cup jelly beans if I take a brisk walk right afterwards.
Things I haven't been able to eat include French bread, anything but protein for breakfast, milk, more than 45 carbs in one sitting. I had to do a couple weeks of experimenting to figure this all out and I'm sure there is more to learn.
Give yourself time to learn and figure out what works for you before you throw in the towel and think insulin is the only way.
I was angry and scared when I got diagnosed too. I've been eating and exercising for gestational diabetes now for six weeks. I just put a blog post up about my experience of what I wished someone would have told me when I was diagnosed. Perhaps it will help you?
https://www.foyupdate.blogspot.com/2012/05/gestational-diabetes-my-story-and.html
Hello! This is my first post ever on here. I was just diagnosed last week. I went to the diabetes counselor/nutritionist who placed me on a meal plan (2000 calories). I'm required to hit 15 carb servings a day (which includes milk). I feel like this is way too much!! I also am restricted to 7 oz of protein per day. I want to be able to eat more protein but it's not on my plan. OB wants fasting BS under 90. I'm usually between 96 and 101. My post meal BS is normally under 120 but there have been 2 exceptions.
Were you ladies restricted on your protein too? Did you have to hit 15 carb servings? I think I could control it better if I didn't have to eat 3 carbs at bfast, lunch and dinner (plus snacks).
thanks!