GD Weekly Check In

DreadGamerWife · June 2014

This weekly check-in is for anyone with Gestational Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, or other blood sugar issues during pregnancy. If this is your first time posting, please let us know with a short intro.

Check In: How is the diet going? Any challenges that we can help out with? Any new recipes/ successes that you want to share? Rant/Vent about the lack of a favorite food?

QOTW: Favorite way to cool off (that you can do this summer).

MrsMac613 · June 2014

The diet is going fine for me. I actually feel like I have to eat too many carbs at lunch and dinner. I have been concerned about losing weight but I read that it's not unusual when you first start the diet.

I miss juice

DreadGamerWife · June 2014

Doing decent in the GD area. I need to talk to my doc/nutritionist about a 2nd mid day snack or adding more to my afternoon snack. We typically don't eat dinner until around 7 pm and I am starving at 5. As my afternoon snack is normally around 2:30, so it is a long wait until dinner at 7. I also forgot my pills on Sunday night and I could tell a difference all day Monday.

SIL's shower is this weekend, at a local restaurant near where they live. Not sure how well that is going to go with my diet, but we will see.

I love going swimming at our community pools. Not much actual swimming laps happening these days - more like a slow lap or two and then several minutes of lounging in the water. Repeat until I am wrinkled.

ss265 · June 2014

I feel like a fraud posting on here since I haven't been diagnosed with GD yet. I have my glucose test in 2 weeks and am 95% sure that I will be diagnosed then.

I went away on a girl's weekend trip and just let myself eat whatever I wanted. Going back on the diet this week though - picked up some Dreamfields pasta and planning to have shrimp scampi tonight for dinner with a huge salad so that I don't fill up on all the carbs.

Favorite way to cool off in the summer would be to go swimming or lounge around in the pool. DS1 loves the water as well and luckily my ILs have a pool so we might be spending some time there this weekend.

DreadGamerWife · June 2014

@ss265 - don't worry about it and welcome. I am borderline GD after my 3 hour two weeks ago. OB is going to re-test me in a few weeks but wants me to follow the diet in the mean time (just to be safe) and stay on my Gluc (if I wasn't on that, she is sure that I would have failed the test with high numbers).

MrsL2B · June 2014

I feel like I complained enough about my blood sugar over the weekend on the daily check in threads, so I'll just say that I'm excited about the delicious cheeses I bought the other day. I seriously love manchego, aged gouda, and sharp white cheddar!

I just stay inside during the hot months. We have a nice neighborhood pool, but I only go in the early morning before the sun gets too intense since I hate the feel of sunblock.

ETA: and I eat a lot of popsicles.

Sockgnome78 · June 2014

My numbers have been good so far.
The diet is good. I keep failing to test. So I have gaps in my numbers and should be doing a lot better. I think my meter is going to have to make a move to the kitchen today and stay there.

I stay inside for the summer. I will go out at night. But during the triple digit days it is a/c for the win. I have been eating fresh fruit and sherbet lately.

Justabean3 · June 2014

I'm so confused with what they are doing with me.

My last appointment we talked about my well visit before I got pregnant with my PCP. I had all the normal bloodwork done. My AC1 number was 5.8 which is borderline. He was concerned that I also had failed my one hour pretty bad with my last pregnancy but I passed my 3 hr.

He said he might just deem me GD for safety sake and he will decide at my next appointment if I can test out of it with the 3 hr.

I am just a little confused on where to go so for now he said just watch the sugars.

Sockgnome78 · June 2014

@Justabean3‌ The meters are normally covered by insurance. The lancets are cheap too. The test strip are what cost the most. But you do have to have a script for more test stripts. Make sure to test with the sides of the tips of your fingers. Relax when testing also.

@starla487‌ I agree about what you said. Just have people test and watch their diets.
I am type 2 pre - pregnancy. I lost some weight before BFP and with new diet with baby I am hoping that I have gained some of it back for my appointment on Friday.

Justabean3 · June 2014

I had to give him my numbers which I did yesterday. The nurse called today and said she would give it to him.

Starting next appointment he was going to decide on if I have to meter or not after he reviewed it all and if I was going to go straight to the 3 hr or straight to sticking.

As far as weight goes it seems odd to me. I'm just 116 and. 5'2 so so far that hasn't been an issue

Heartwood0519 · June 2014

I've been doing pretty well with everything lately! My last A1C was 5.0 and my doctor told me that's probably better than hers as a non diabetic. My endo and MFM continue to tell me that I'm doing a really good job. That makes me happy! I feel like my after breakfast numbers are creeping up, but I'm adjusting and will be talking with my endo on Monday. (My A/S is also on Monday morning.. can't wait!)

My favorite way to cool off in the summer would definitely be to jump in the lake. I don't know how much I'll be able to do that this summer, though. I have to disconnect from my insulin pump to do that, which before I would just disconnect, be in the water for hours, and then give myself a nice dose of insulin afterwards, but I don't know if I want to do that while pregnant. We'll see!

Also, I hate having the AC on. I would rather spend my time in water outside than inside with AC.

Justabean3 · June 2014

Oh and staying cool I have been eating lime popcicles

Justabean3 · June 2014

@starla487 and @Sockgnome78‌ The doctor called me back this afternoon and I will not be doing the 1hr or 3hr. He just deemed me GD. They called me in an RX and I start sticking in the morning

MrsL2B · June 2014

@Justabean3‌ Testing isn't so bad, but sticking to the diet and exercise habits can be tough, especially in pregnancy. But I think I recall that you already are used to a somewhat restricted diet due to your stomach problems, so you might be used to having to work around similar issues. Unfortunately many of the carby stomach-friendly foods are not diabetes-friendly, which is a challenge I've been dealing with since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes five years ago and gastroparesis two years ago. I eat a lot of small meals that center around lean protein, especially when my gp flares up. Good luck finding your best management strategies!

Justabean3 · June 2014

MrsL2B said:
@Justabean3‌ Testing isn't so bad, but sticking to the diet and exercise habits can be tough, especially in pregnancy. But I think I recall that you already are used to a somewhat restricted diet due to your stomach problems, so you might be used to having to work around similar issues. Unfortunately many of the carby stomach-friendly foods are not diabetes-friendly, which is a challenge I've been dealing with since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes five years ago and gastroparesis two years ago. I eat a lot of small meals that center around lean protein, especially when my gp flares up. Good luck finding your best management strategies!

Yes I do have gastrophoresis also and I am sure the diet will be fine after I get the first 3 days straight. I am just an all or nothing kind of "health watcher"

I eat decent anyway but I eat a lot of carbs/lean cuisine type meals which I haven't investigated if I can really still do that. I have been miserable with my stomach this pregnancy anyway over eating way too often and very sluggish. I think this is a blessing in disguise.

Sockgnome78 · June 2014

I agree with @starla487‌ . While some freezer meal are good on the carbs it comes back to bite you in other ways.
I have had a hard time with pasta. I was not aware of how much pasta I was eating.
So the diet is still sometimes a struggle for the H and I. We have been doing a lot of meats in the slow cooker. And finding ways that I can have pizza (thin crust) and some pastas (stuffed shells) with a good size salad on the side.
But I am 17w 2d and not on insulin. Which I take as a good thing. So take it a fay at a time. There have been those days that have been bad eating. I look at those days and remember what I am doing it for. So last night I wanted a slushie. So DH went out and got it for me. But today I know I have to be good. So there are days I allow myself something sweet. But it is few times because of my son that I remember I have to take care of myself for another person. It is just not me and H any more.

Heartwood0519 · June 2014

starla487 said:

I found that Lean Cuisines, while conveniently all carb counted for me, were always very salty/high in sodium. So while I got exact portions calculated for my insulin doses, I wasn't really doing my health any additional favors.

On the flip side, eating fresh foods is better for you, but sometimes damn near impossible to carb count accurately. (Is your 1/2 cup the same as mine?)

My advice - get a Calorie King Book (or app... or visit their website), which has a ton of carb breakdowns for realistic food, get some good measuring cups, and if you are feeling spendy, a food scale. This is how my mom used to carb count my food as a kid before the FDA changed all the nutrition facts up.

*******

I LOVE my food scale! It's so easy to portion things out that way!

I used to eat Lean Cuisines all the time, but then I read or saw a study that said that the nutrition facts on those labels are allowed to be off by 20% or something like that. Not cool.

Also, if you're creative, there are a lot of good ways to substitute high carb foods for low carb foods. For instance, I made a pizza the other night with a cauliflower crust instead of a traditional crust. The difference in taste wasn't bad at all, and actually the cauliflower crust had more flavor than a regular pizza crust and you can make it crispy or soft.

I really like cooking and eating, but I find a sense of pride when I'm able to come up with something that's more diabetes friendly and tastes the same, if not better, than it's non diabetes friendly counterpart. Plus, it's usually healthier.

ETA: Food scales aren't all that pricey. Mine from Target was less than $30, I believe.

CynthiaVRey · June 2014

My Gd test is at 24 weeks I'm currently 23. Did any of you ladies get diagnosed before 24 weeks? I thought all glucose test was done at 23-24.

ss265 · June 2014

@Sockgnome78, have you tried Dreamfield's pasta? Tastes just like the real thing but it's low carb. You just need to be careful with the portion size. To mimic pizza, I use pizza sauce and cheese on a whole wheat tortilla and it's a close substitution.

Heartwood0519 · June 2014

ss265 said:

@Sockgnome78, have you tried Dreamfield's pasta? Tastes just like the real thing but it's low carb. You just need to be careful with the portion size. To mimic pizza, I use pizza sauce and cheese on a whole wheat tortilla and it's a close substitution.

I've tried Dreamfield's pasta and it made my blood sugar rise. Maybe I was doing it wrong? Anyway, I haven't tried it again. Did anyone else have this experience?

MrsL2B · June 2014

So after my meeting with my MFM today, it sounds I'll be moving to nighttime insulin to help with my high fasting numbers soon. I really hope that helps. I'm getting kind of tired of them being so unpredictable. I get maybe a day or two per week of normal fasting numbers, maybe a couple that are a little high, and then then most are 120-140. Usually I do a good job of bringing it back down with my early morning cardio, but then I tend to run a little higher for the rest of the day than I do if I start off in the normal range.

Regarding Dreamfields: I never had much luck with it not spiking my blood sugar, but I think you have to be careful to watch the portion size (a serving is pretty dang small) and to not overcook it. Overcooking it or reheating leftovers and breaking down its "resistant starches," thereby making them more digestible, was especially bad for me. I eat shiratake or miracle noodles sometimes, but I think they're better as a substitute or Asian noodles and not so much for Italian dishes.

Justabean3 · June 2014

CynthiaVRey said:
My Gd test is at 24 weeks I'm currently 23. Did any of you ladies get diagnosed before 24 weeks? I thought all glucose test was done at 23-24.

No we are all GD for different reasons. Some already type 1 or 2, my situation was pre-diabetic with a high enough a1c not pregnant, some had previous GD with another pregnancy so they have you do the diet since there is a 60% of reoccurance

The test is normally done 24-28 weeks if you don't have any other reasons to do it sooner

Sockgnome78 · June 2014

ss265 said:
@Sockgnome78, have you tried Dreamfield's pasta? Tastes just like the real thing but it's low carb. You just need to be careful with the portion size. To mimic pizza, I use pizza sauce and cheese on a whole wheat tortilla and it's a close substitution.

My dietician has mentioned it but I have not tried it. Just trying to avoid it right now.
Also I am getting into the summertime fresh fruit and cold items.

ss265 · June 2014

I had luck with the Dreamfield's but I did have to watch the portion size and not eat as much as I usually do. DH and I both love spaghetti so Dreamfields allowed me to get my "fix" when I had the GD.

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