Too much sugar?

[miamix]

Average in a day (this isn't my entire food consumption; the rest is made up of nice balanced nutrition with fresh veg, wholegrains, etc):

• Chocolate/almond croissant
• A couple of biscuits at work (choc digestives recently, mmm)
• Single serving of fruit flavoured yogurt
• Cup of Options hot chocolate
• Loads of fruit (strawberries, satsumas, cherries, apples, bananas, watermelon; not all every day but 3+ most days)
• Chocolate bar - not every day but, er, most, these days...

(- The occasional cup of sweet tea - by occasional I mean maybe on Saturdays and Sundays)

Am I going to end up with gestational diabetes and/or a massive baby?

I know I need to cut down, but I crave sugar SO BADLY (chocolate/sweet pastries specifically) and am having a horrible time with sinus issues/rhinitis triggered by this pregnancy so it is literally my only pick me up (I'm not a fan of coffee/caffiene).

I'm 20 weeks. Is the damage irreversible? Anyone have similar cravings/suggestions as to alternatives to stop my baby growing into a tiny elephant?

Thank you x

I've been sugar-crazed during this pg as well. Wine gums and milk chocolate have been my particular betes noires. Like you, I'm still eating normal, reasonably healthy meals in between all the sweet stuff.

I'm sure it's far from ideal, but I have thus far (33weeks) not had any problems with glucose in urine, nor with predicted size of the baby.

I have to confess, I had a mad craving for a can of coke the morning of my 16 week appointment, so indulged, and of course the midwife took my wee and was very concerned about the amount of sugar... when I told her about the coke she said this was most likely the problem (a one-off) and next time just eat/drink normally before wee testing.

But thanks Flora, it is good to know I'm not the only one and at 33 weeks your baby is not elephant-sized so there is hope for me yet!

I have had a proper sugar craving throughout pregnancy (now 34 weeks). This includes large chocolate Yorkie cookies during morning sickness period (the only thing that helped) and even now although am trying desperately to cut down - and like the rest of you eating normal balanced meals in between - the odd chocolate bar does make its way into my diet. I have my sugar checked regularly and hasn't been a problem, and my baby is actually very small for her gestational age, so unless she puts on a HUGE sugar-fuelled growth spurt, I think she'll be alright. As will you, I'm sure. I think if you were having 10 cans of Coke a day with several chocolate bars, cakes etc etc DAILY, that would be something else. but let's face it, we can't drink or smoke or eat any interesting foods - chocolate's pretty much all we have! :)

Try swapping the fruit-flavoured yoghurt for one without added sugar, such as one with actual fruit.

Does Options actually contain much sugar? Most reduced calorie (but not reduced fat) foods don't - but it may contain artificial sweeteners.

I wouldn't worry about eating fruit - it's good for you after all.

FWIW I've been eating a lot more sweet stuff while pregnant and am now 26 weeks and haven't had an issue with sugar checks. Plus my baby was on the 49th percentile for growth last time it was measured, so perfectly normal.

Miamix - your diet sounds like mine, with the addition of me having to swig evaporated milk straight from the tin in the fridge
I am 33 weeks, I have no diabetes or sugar in urine etc but my baby IS on the 90th centile and estimated around 9lb at least.
However - both my previous babies were quite big, subsequent babies tend to be bigger and I weighed 9lb at birth myself. As I understand it, these are more contributing factors than what you actually eat yourself.

I have always had a sweet tooth, I'm lucky enough to not gain weight with it and have always been fairly slim, and have put on about a stone and a half so far.

I swore to myself I would try and cut back on sweet stuff from about 20 weeks onwards to try and keep from having a mini hippo...but its easier said than done!!!!!

another one here who is craving sweets - specifically jelly-type-really-bad-for-you-ones that I can't normally stand! Only issue I have had is that I think early on it contributed to a couple of nasty bouts of thrush! Bump is measuring on the small side and no evidence/telling off about glucose in urine. Am same as some of other posters - its an indulgence that I am hoping isn't going to do much ham apart from ensuring I put on a few more pounds!!

How do you know what centile your baby is on before its born?

Eating too much sugar does not cause diabetes, it's a myth.

Banana milk has been my downfall....my baby is going to have the strongest bones in the world...lol!!!

38+1

Hi Japh, yogurt has fruit in - I just assumed they are all packed with equal amounts of sugar - if this is not so then that is good news!

Sarahlou - evaporated milk... mmmmm does a Homer style drool Don't give me ideas!

Ginger - I ate near on a whole pack of fizzy Haribo the other day (it's all coming out now, didn't mention THIS in my original post haha), what is it with these gross things becoming suddenly appealing?! Don't normally go near them either.

Emmylou - good to know, not sure where I read that it does but I did I don't actually normally put on piles of weight with my sugar consumption either so hoping I won't still now (maybe too much to ask for?!). Thanks for the tip!

Thanks for all the replies, I am so glad I'm not the only one, I was really worried my diet was horribly bad compared to others' but it's just a little bit bad it seems

yeah I feel guilty eating too much sugar too (snickers bar yesterday, 1 M&S mini-bite after dinner but the rest of the day was pretty healthy!

my weakness at the moment is milky drinks though I love milo which at least is full of added minerals and vitamins and isnt' as sweet as chocolate drinks!

my first urine/glucose test showed a trace of glucose (but it was just after breakfast and I had an english muffin with jam) I was a bit worried, but last week another test showed no glucose.

I too was worried about delivering a 12lber!!

I think emmyloulou is right though, it'd take much more than too much sugar to get diabetes- you would have a family history, or be overweight or both.

because I'm slim I think I'm too complacent and just indulge!!

Just to answer Champagnesupernova, I have a chart on my maternity notes with the three lines on, 50th centile, 75th & 90th and my midwife plots on it when she measures my fundus each time.
Apparently the chart is personal to you, taking into account your height, body mass, weight and weights of previous children.
I had a growth scan last Tues as my baby is measuring a week and a half more than I am, and the scan confirmed it.
not sure if everyone has this chart in their notes, but I do.
Off to swig evap again now!

Sara, I wonder if there is a correlation between craving sugar and milky stuff... Chelle above mentioned she was on the banana milk hardcore style and my first tri craving was milk and sugary cereals with loads of milk - I could get through 3 pints a day. Still loving it but not in quite such vast quantities!

Yes I wonder that too, because I could eat fruit and chocolate all day, as well as milk, rice pudding, yogurt etc.
I'm not feeling too guilty about it, I'm a firm believer in your body letting you know what it needs. It doesn't even feel like a craving, just what I am naturally drawn towards.

I definitely think so, the weirdest thing about me is that before I was pregnant I was on soya milk- went off milk about 10 years ago due to IBS and thinking I was intolerant, now I'm off the soya milk and glugging cold milk from a glass (something I could never face before), putting it on my cereal (sometimes twice a day) and loving hot milky drinks- I think it's the body wanting more calcium for the baby. cheese also another craving..mm!