Eating too many sweet things - help snap me out of it?

[DontBeBlueBeARainbow]

Hi ladies,

This is a plea for help. Every day I am overeating at lunchtime, relatively health but very carby. My lunch in usually around 1000 cals, although I eventually try and balance it out by having just veg and protein for tea. I am also eating waaaaay more sweet stuff than is reasonable: mostly fruit (A LOT - like up to 3 bananas a day, up to 8 pieces in total per day) and baked oatmeal with honey, healthy vegan desserts, and too many white carbs like french stick and baked potatoes.

My BMI was 23 before pregnancy and I was a regular runner, although now I just do antenatal workouts from Youtube.

I really need to snap out of it and get a healthy attitude back, but I don't know how! Does anyone have any words of wisdom?

I haven't had a sugar test yet but think I will next week.

23+3

[confusedandemployed]

Mainly fruit? Don't stress about it. Honestly, if you can control the cravings with fruit then you're doing really well.

My sweet cravings went through the roof during pregnancy, and I never really went for sweet stuff before. I would advise making an effort to curb the sweets and cakes, if that's your thing, because shifting that last stone of baby weight is a 21 month long struggle!

[Hazchem]

You will get a double chin. Honestly. I'm 38 almost 39 weeks and I've been over eating and it's been ok but this week a freaking double chin has arrived and now I'm sure it's grown more and more each morning.

[makeitabetterplace]

Eating too much sugar puts you at risk of gestational diabetes which has serious potential consequences for your baby and you. I eat too much if everything now I'm pregnant and for the first time in my life my thighs rub at the too and I hate it! You sound like you're not really doing anything that awful to be honest.

[hopefull2424]

This might be a daft question ladies but can eating too much fruit put you at risk of gestational diabetes? I've substitute sweets with fruit and thought that was the best thing to do?

[makeitabetterplace]

Surely not. To reassure you - I turned to fruit to satisfy sugar cravings and have eaten tonnes of it since getting pregnant and im fine at 30 weeks.

[espa]

There's a lot of sugar in fruit though, so I guess it's possible - I know diabetics who aren't able to eat too much fruit day to day due to sugar content.

[tomanyanimals]

Apparently eating to much fruit is as bad as eating to many sweets as they are high in natural sugars unfortunately this baby doesn't like fruit so sweets it is I have put on 2 stone in this pregnancy but I would say that's more down to the carbs so just try and watch them if u can I'm constantly starving so no good for me

[September60b]

There is a lot of sugar in fruit, but I guess at least you are getting the fibre and vitamins from it that you wouldn't get from cake.... I have struggled to keep the sweet cravings under control too.

[DontBeBlueBeARainbow]

The threat of a double chin is a good one, also the threat of GD - I'm going to write up some notes and stick them in key places around my flat with those on.

I would hate to end up with a complicated birth just because I can't control myself but it's so hard!

It's really hard to know about whether fruit is any better, you definitely get the fibre and nutrients, but it is sugar, and if you put it into MyFitnessPal it is a lot of sugar!!

Thanks for the help all x

[Rumplestrumpet]

From what I understand (and I'm no scientist, but DH has an anti-sugar obsession), yes there is a lot of sugar in some fruit, but this is very different to refined sugars, and impacts the body differently. There's more and more research coming out showing the damage of refined sugars (one example here ). I find it impossible to cut out all refined sugars, but try to satisfy my sweet cravings with a switch to fruit and honey as much as possible. With fruit your body has to work harder to get to the sugar (digesting all the roughage too), so it doesn't create the same spike in insulin as refined sugar. And of course you also get all the other nutrients too.

THat said, excessive amounts of even natural sugar is not going to be good for mum or baby. So maybe switch from refined sugars/sweets to sweet fruit where possible, and then switch some fruit snacks to savoury where you can (carrot sticks, nuts etc).

Of course, we should all ask our midwives/practioners too, but I have found they are often more relaxed about refined sugars than I am (probably due to DH's obsession!)

[Rumplestrumpet]

(and I hadn't thought of double chin, but my vanity is now getting the better of me, might skip that chockie snack after all...)

[Hazchem]

Yes the double chin is worse then my chubby thighs and arm.

[Hazchem]

opps arms. Both arms are equally chubby :)

maybe that is how there should do pregnancy diet advice eat healthy for the sake of your baby and otherwise you'll get double chins.

[Foggymist]

Two of my relatives got gestational diabetes and were told it was due to the amounts of fruit they were eating. One of them would have eaten absolutely no junk food or chocolate, just fruit, and the other I know was eating up to 10 plums a day, 5-6 oranges, etc. Sugar is sugar when it comes to GD.