Gestational diabetes

[NPL91]

Hi,

I was diagnosed with GD at 25weeks I am now nearly 32 weeks and take metformin OD, I have found it hard to adjust to the new diet and I can't help feeling like I am on an extreme diet with reduction of carbs. I am finding myself hungry a lot between meals and I am stuck to what snacks etc to eat, eating healthy snacks don't seem to be bulking up my calories and I am averaging around 1300 cals a day which I know isn't really enough but I don't know how to increase this as my sugars don't give me much leverage. I had lost weight at my last appointment and I can feel as though I have lost more, I have an appointment Tuesday so will get weighed again but this just worries me.

I'm so sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis of GD. It's completely understandable to feel frustrated and overwhelmed with the new diet restrictions and adjusting to a new way of eating. It can be challenging to find satisfying snacks that fit within the recommended guidelines, especially when hunger strikes between meals. Have you considered talking to a registered dietitian or your healthcare provider for additional guidance or support? They may be able to offer some suggestions for healthy snacks that will help you increase your calorie intake while still managing your blood sugar levels. Remember, you're doing the best you can in a difficult situation. Stay strong and keep taking care of yourself and your baby. 💛 #GDdiagnosis #HealthyEating #StayStrong

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis Op.

Have you tried snacking on nuts and cheese? I was told to follow the GD diet through the third trimester for several reasons and found I ended up eating a lot of nuts and nut butters. Peanut butter in particular on oat cakes was a great snack and also quite high in calories, which might help?

I've got GD too and I was actually quite slim / underweight to start with. I'm now 33w and I barely put on any weight over the last month or so, but as baby is actually growing fine I'm not super concerned about my own weight. I feel like I'm eating as much as I can (except sweets and carbs obviously) but the reduced room in my stomach is limiting my appetite. I'm thinking about increasing the fat intake to try to boost my weight a bit.

For main meals, I think the trick is to increase protein and veg intake. My breakfast is usually a wheat biscuit (30g) with 200ml unsweetened soya milk (I can't even tolerate semi-skimmed milk now as it has 10g of sugar per 200ml), with a small avocado or an egg and some fried mushrooms. For lunch and dinner I have around 40g (dry weight) of whole wheat pasta or mixed grains (I found a mixture of brown rice, pearl barley and bulgur wheat works very well for me), plus loads of meat and veg.

As for snacks, mid morning (or whenever I feel hungry after breakfast and testing blood sugar) I have a piece of fruit and some cheese on a piece of oatcake, which usually keeps me full until lunch. Mid afternoon I have another piece of fruit and some nuts. I tried making some beef jerky myself as snacks but I found that I didn't really need it. In the evening after post-dinner testing, around 9pm, I have 100g of greek yogurt.

Hope you find some diet ideas for yourself. It's all about trial and error, going with low GI food, and looking for ideas from the diet sheets provided by the hospital as well as on some websites (e.g. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/gestational-diabetes). Best of luck!

Greek yoghurt? Add nuts?
Cheese (be inventive, you don't need to stick to cheddar)
Are lentil crisps okay? If so, dip into houmous.
Depending on how much fruit you can have, peanut butter and apple/pear. Or if no fruit allowed, peanut butter is actually delicious with iceberg lettuce!
Eggy things. Hard boiled. Mini omelettes to snack on.
Mozzarella and olives/sunblush tomato wrapped in ham
Mini pizzas to eat cold (look up bases made from cauliflower)

Obviously some of that is time and/or money dependant, but hope it helps.

I had GD and it’s hard but it’s only temporary. You need protein to fill you up. Think Greek yoghurt, eggs ( I used to make little egg muffins (mini omelettes really) with cheese and grated courgette, oatcakes and hummus/avocado, nuts

Have you joined the GD UK Facebook group? Lots of advice and tips there that you might find helpful.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/gestationaldiabetesuk/?ref=share