Stressed over New diet...Please Help!!

You only have a few more weeks to go, so it's not that bad. To stay full remember to eat 6 times a day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack) Eat lots of veggies. Try making large salads. I like to make a mexican salad, iceberg or romaine lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, corn (you may want to skip this), some shredded cheese, black olives with a spicy ranch dressing. Dried beans are also good, lots of fiber and protein. For breakfast try oatmeal adding raisins and apples, sprinkle with some cinamon.

I lost post pregnancy weight by doing a plan called "protein power" which is very Adkins oriented. Force yourself to eat protein and you will not feel hungry. There are TONS of protein (and good fats) laden foods that have virtually no carbs. Eating carbs causes you to crave more carbs... so if you can keep them to a minimum it will be easier... at least it was for me. If you LOVE pasta, but can only eat a half cup.... don't eat the half cup... use those carbs for something else that will be more filling (has protein).

For example: A peanut butter sandwich on light bread (light bread has like 7 carbs a slice vs. 13-15 carbs per slice of regular bread... it is DOUBLE) has maybe 15 grams of protein and 28 or so grams of carbohydrates (if you use 4 TB of peanut butter). Eat that and drink some water (or "vitamin water zero" that has no carbs (no sugar) and NO artificial sweeteners) and you will feel satisfied for several hours ... not stuffed, but satisfied.
Have a couple of scrambled eggs for breakfast with a slice of light bread (and real butter!) a slice of bacon or two and a handful of strawberries (even add whipped cream!) and you will consume maybe 20 carbs but have maybe 15 grams of protein. You will be satisfied till close to lunch! I did this for MONTHS. If you eat enough protein you will not be hungry. If you get hungry... have a handful of peanuts or walnuts... good protein, good fats and almost no carbs.
Remember when counting your carbs.. you can subtract the fiber content.
If you start the day with carbs you will crave them all day long. Start out with eggs and berries (berries have a lower carb count than apples bananas or citrus) and you can more easily control what you eat the rest of the day.
Hungry? Grab one of those cheese sticks and enjoy! Celery sticks and peanut butter (just like for the kids! lol) are great snacks low in carbs, high in "crunch" factor and a dash of protein to get you over the "hump"...

Good luck!
Beans, nuts (pumpkin and sunflower seeds included), cheeses, eggs all have low carb/high protein ratios. They do make lower carb (higher fiber) pastas now that you can use... just be careful because some brands have some less "ladylike" consequences.... lol.
Chef salads (greens, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, cheese, nuts, boiled eggs, olives (green or black or both!) and some ham and turkey) with some ranch dressing (ranch has the least carbs of all the dressings...just don't use the "lowfat" it has MORE carbs) are an AWESOME meal if you really make it into a meal. My hubby LOVES them!
Good luck. It can be hard.. but try to focus on what you CAN have and not what you can't.. it will help.

Oh.. and if you shop around for a low carb pizza crust (Mama Marys has one I think) you can make pepperoni/ham pizza and enjoy every bite!

Try to eat at least 5 grams of protein for any "snack", and 15-20 grams of protein for any "meal".

Some of my standby foods/meals:
chef salad
taco salad
egg salad sandwich on light bread
PB sandwich on light bread
sunflower nuts
walnuts
eggs/bacon
western omelette
celery
apples/peanut butter
pimento cheese on a slice of light wheat toast
watermelon
strawberries and whipped cream
blackberries
olives (black and green varieties)
meatballs over toast with garden salad
cheese (experiment with different ones!)

You can do it! Be sure to have protein at every meal and every snack. The protein will help. Make your meals and snacks well balanced. Be careful with portions, but nuts are a good source of protein. They can be how calorie so not too much. Soy is another good source. Make your carbs count. Forget about pasta.........I know, I used to eat it a lot too, but my husband became diabetic and now I rarely see it. Eat vegetables..........if you don't know how to make spaghetti squash then learn. It is a great replacement for pasta, and it is easy. The texture is similar to pasta. Google it for how to cook it. I make spaghetti and lasagna with it.

Last, I have some healthy meal replacements and snack bars you could definitely eat to keep you sated. However, the meal replacements are part of a weight reduction program. I use them and I am not trying to lose weight because they are so good and tasty, but as a pregnant lady I would want you to understand you need your calories and not to diet before I would recommend them. They would be more like a supplement for you.

Here is a link to the shakes and bars:
http://healinghappens.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sk...
http://healinghappens.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sk...

Email me if I can answer questions or make recommendations.

P.
____@____.com

I had GD as well, which I managed with diet, so I understand. At first, I was freaking out because I tried to follow the carb guidelines and I was constantly hungry (I am hypoglycemic too).

One of my standby snacks became an apple cut up in slices along with a bunch of slices of cheddar cheese. I snacked on that almost every morning of my pregnancy and it got me through really well. Right now I'm not pregnant, but I eat crackers (water crackers) with goat cheese (yay Costco) almost every day.

I would get a bunch of healthy trail mix - proteins from nuts are great, and the nuts/fruits/seeds are both healthy and will fill you up. I would recommend some of the mixes at Sprouts - you can get them without salt.

You can also substitute other whole grains instead of pastas. Whole grains will have a lower glycemic index, which will help with your GD. Try things like barley (I cook it with chicken broth) and wheat berries. These are really hearty. For breakfast, I would often eat oatmeal (homemade) with apples, walnuts, and some cinnamon and honey or brown sugar. Try switching to brown rice instead of white. I became a big fan of edamame (soybeans) - paired with any of those grains, they are great.

As far as the carb rules go, if you are constantly hungry, it may mean that you just need more than those numbers allow. That is what happened to me. After a couple of weeks of headaches and feeling awful, I finally let myself eat what I needed (keeping to the healthy stuff, but more of it) - and my glucose levels were still fine. Turns out I just needed more than the standard rules said. One size does NOT fit all!!

Take heart, and take care... I am sure you'll be able to figure it out.

xylitol is a sugar replacement which can do 2 things: reduce your glycemic levels after eating and, reduce bacterial colonies.
http://xylitol.org/faqs.asp
It can be used just like sugar (except it won't brown). There is a cookbook called "sweeten your life the xylitol way" on Amazon.
Xylitol is used in saline nasal sprays because it kills yeast/fungus. The bacteria eat it and die because they can't digest it.

There are some medical reports that diabetes is caused or contributed to by bacterial colonies. It is important to keep your good gut flora at key levels, because that flora supports the immune system an opposes biofilm.
http://blogprogressivehealth.com/gut_bacteria_linked_to_d...

Iron feeds bacteria (they must have your host iron to survive) and plays a role in diseases, even diabetes. Dont take Iron supps unless you absolutely have to, watch out for iron fortified foods.
look: http://bacteriality.com/2008/04/13/wolcott/
http://forecast.diabetes.org/magazine/your-ada/biofilm%E2...
http://care.diabeticsjournals.org/content/30/7/1926.full....
Lipoic acid has shown fantastic results to lower blood sugar in animal trials. I don't think they have enough data on human trials. But you could always look it up/talk to dr about it..

Magnesium is also something to consider. Low magensium levels elevate adrenaline, this reduces blood flow to the bladder and increases sugar in the blood.
http://www.bastyrcenter.org/content/view/758/

Hi J.,

Google the low glycemic diet. It's not low carb but it specifically separates what is okay and what is not. This diet is used by Jenny Craig and Nutrisystems for weight loss, which you said you needed as well, but is specifically for diabetics to manage blood sugar. I have managed my 92 year old Dad's Type II diabetes for many years and can control my husband's as well with no mediciation. It is not restrictive at all. I grew up eating this way and prefer to eat this way.

For instance, Barilla PLUS brand pasta (not Barilla) is low glycemic and can be eaten without measuring. Red potatoes are medium glycemic and can be added to a low glycemic meal with no repercussions. White potatoes are high glycemic and not good for you anyway. Dill pickles will actually bring your blood sugar down if you have to stretch your limits when you go out to eat. It's the vinegar.

Don't lose heart. This is really an easy "manage." Congratulations on the little one!

Regards,

M.

My pregnant and nursing moms use this to supplement their nutritional needs.
http://liveitdontdiet.isagenix.com/us/en/isaleanshake_new...
Scroll to the bottom and click on the ingredients.

B.
Family Success Coach

Check out The Sugar Solution Cookbook by the editors or Prevention magazine with Ann Fittante. I love this cookbook, lots of good recipes and at the bottom of each recipe the nutritional values are written so you know how many carbs, fats, calories, and what diet exchange you are getting per serving. Also, google The American Diabetic Association Recipes.
Good Luck