I’ve been doing 80-100 grams per day and I feel pretty full and satisfied most of the time. Sometimes that’s just three meals, sometimes it’s three meals and one snack, sometimes two snacks. Three might just be a string cheese or something small.
I’m kind of just going by what keeps sugars in line while also keeping me from being hungry all the time. Baby has still been growing well so far.
I did 15-20g at breakfast. 15g snack. 45g at lunch. 35g dinner. If I was super hungry, I would do 15g snack before bed but it was always something super high in protein like a Fairlife protein shake, cottage cheese, or plain Greek yogurt. So like 100-120g depending on the day.
Whether I had a snack or not before bed, my fasting was elevated regardless. I even tried waking up in the middle of the night and eating like pure protein and still. I tried eating like no carbs at dinner... still. Shrug.
Interesting to see the variance in the comments. I always eat 3 meals a day, but often only do 2 snacks (one after breakfast and one before bed), though sometimes my needs change and I do need a snack between lunch and dinner.
My OB’s office told me during GDM education that it was important to consume 175g of carbs a day to avoid ketosis.
I have never counted carbs, just minimized them (within reason). I would find it way too time consuming and tbh impossible while also wrangling to kids. It’s worked for me and I’ve managed to stay diet controlled each pregnancy just by eating 1/2 protein and 1/2 veg.
When I had to cut too many carbs out to stay under my limits they started me on a little pre-meal Insulin, which took a lot of the stress off me bc I was able to eat more. But yeah- it felt like my life suddenly revolved around when and what I could eat. At least ita temporary! And it got a bit easier a few weeks in bc I’d already don’t a lot of the research and figured out what I could and couldn’t eat, at least of my staple foods.
I found I had to cut carbs too much to stay under the given limits so I am taking metformin after breakfast each day now to bring my levels down, they’re monitoring them and may up my dosage if needed. Don’t reduce your carbs, what they suggest is what your body probably needs, so maybe you do need some medication to help yourself. I can’t eat 3 times plus snacks I am just not hungry enough, sometimes I don’t eat 3 full meals and if I snack it’s just on cucumber. I am 100% not meeting that protein goal you mentioned!
I would recommend Lily Nichols “Real Food For Gestational Diabetes” book. She goes into this topic in detail. Personally, I think 150g carbs would be too much for me. Though in her book Lily does give sample meal plans with 90g per day, 120g per day, and 150g per day. Note, she does follow lower carb recommendations than standard US doctor recommendations.
I try to eat around 100-115g carbs per day. I’m personally in the camp of fewer carbs is going to be better. As long as I’m not ketogenic, I’m not stressing about it.
Everyone has different tolerances for carbs. So two different people with GD can eat different amounts of carbs at each meal, one could spike, one may not. It’s all experimentation.
I do not eat 3 snacks. If I eat a snack before bed time, even something like a beef stick and some cheese cubes, my fasting sugar will be elevated. I have been able to maintain fasting numbers under the threshold without the snack. People on this sub swear by bed time snacks, but it just doesn’t work for me. It can be really frustrating trying to figure it all out.
For your part about only tolerating 20g carbs - I can tolerate more carbs if it contains a lot of fiber. Less fiber? Max 30g it seems. Example, the zero tortillas from mission, by the time I add veggies etc it’s a 50g carb meal and I’m usually in the 120s at my 1 hour mark.
Usually I’m 3 meals and 2 snacks - one between lunch & dinner, and an evening snack. Hovering 130g carbs per day.
I was eating 120-130g carbs per day - that's what I could eat without being put on medication and my diabetologist was fine with it. And I was eating around 100-110g of protein - maybe that's why I had no problem with swelling.
I usually tried to keep below my limits for carbs each meal. If Im borderline then I know I need to eat more vegetables or walk a lot after the meal. I only tested when I needed to which is 2 hrs after every meal. The key is for your blood levels not to get high consistently throughout the day and testing at certain times ensures this. I never tested my blood sugars during snacks.
15 carbs per meal at every meal is probably not enough for the baby. I try to keep it around 30-45 if I can fit in some exercise. I might do 20 if I can't because otherwise I'll spike- but then I make sure that my meal later in the day when I can walk is closer to 45 or my snacks are closer to 20 so it averages out to 30/meal. I do not hit 150g per day though, and I don't count religiously, just ballpark it for any new meal or snack. The few times I have calculated my daily carb intake it was closer to 100-120, which is definitely enough not to go into ketosis so I'm not stressing. I am on insulin and metformin to tolerate carbs because my dietician wasn't happy with me eating just salads and protein to keep my levels okay, and every carb spiked me.
I haven't done the math for my protein but I find my numbers are better when I eat a lot of it- today I had peanut butter (snack- also 20 carbs as fruit) three eggs, a babybell cheese, and some fairlife chocolate milk in my coffee (breakfast- about 20 carbs in the milk and half cup of sweet potato hash browns), Greek yogurt (snack- contains 7 carbs and protein), two servings of rotisserie chicken in a salad (lunch- 20 carbs with fruit and croutons) and two servings of roast beef (dinner- 30 carbs from baby potatoes) Before bed snack will be a Quest protein bar (5 carbs, 20 protein.) I almost never get in my three snacks and three meals but I had a day shift and a night shift today so I was awake longer than usual! I average two meals and three snacks or three meals and one snack. My dietician is okay with that because baby is gaining weight okay, which I manage because I choose lots of protein and higher calorie foods when I do eat.
One craving I have that I can actually indulge in is peanut butter banana sandwiches, which I haven't had since I was a kid. I can tolerate a half banana on keto "carbonaut" bread loaded with crunchy peanut butter. I've had one three days in a row now. And I don't even like bananas *or* peanut butter!!!! Apparently the baby does.
Nope, I could never reach those numbers of meals, calories, or carbs! I also would have gained soo much weight, and been so tired from all the food. I’ve only gained 6lbs so far and I’m 37 weeks, baby is 65th percentile so is a nice healthy size. I usually skip the snacks because I’m still full from my last meal.
Honestly, at first I kept really rigid track of my macros and followed guidelines exactly, and took my blood religiously. Now, 3 months into the GD journey, I wear a CGM and eat super healthy but don’t count carbs. If my CGM says it’s low and I’m hungry, I eat. If my CGM says it’s starting to rise, I stop eating and go on a walk. I’m a lot happier and I stay in range the same amount as when I was obsessing over my numbers.
My dietician suggested I eat 3 meals a day + 3 snacks to hit the goal of 180g carbs a day. I can't do it. I can fit in 3 meals +2 snacks and most days I'm probably only getting 100-130g carbs. 36 weeks and baby is measuring fine .
I don’t really count my carbs, so I’m not sure how many I’m getting a day. I’m assuming it’s probably close to 100-150, give or take. I tend to be more strict and cautious about what I eat, so it may be a little less? I do eat 3 meals, but often only about 2 snacks. Baby is growing and was in the 70th percentile at my growth scan so I’m assuming she’s getting what she needs! I haven’t gained any weight since I was diagnosed early (only 3 pounds total) and I’m nearly 36 weeks. But I don’t feel hungry throughout the day because I’m eating a lot of protein and fat.
The conventional diet for GD is wayyy too high in carbs. Dr Lily Nichols goes into this in some podcasts and her books. Women eat the recommended high carb diet, “fail”, then go on insulin. She has solutions.
I’ve been doing 80-100 grams per day and I feel pretty full and satisfied most of the time. Sometimes that’s just three meals, sometimes it’s three meals and one snack, sometimes two snacks. Three might just be a string cheese or something small. I’m kind of just going by what keeps sugars in line while also keeping me from being hungry all the time. Baby has still been growing well so far.
I did 15-20g at breakfast. 15g snack. 45g at lunch. 35g dinner. If I was super hungry, I would do 15g snack before bed but it was always something super high in protein like a Fairlife protein shake, cottage cheese, or plain Greek yogurt. So like 100-120g depending on the day. Whether I had a snack or not before bed, my fasting was elevated regardless. I even tried waking up in the middle of the night and eating like pure protein and still. I tried eating like no carbs at dinner... still. Shrug.
Same here for the fasting. Are you taking insulin? I'm starting tonight because my fasting won't go down no matter what I do.
Not yet, but I anticipate I will have to soon because same thing during my first pregnancy 😑
Interesting to see the variance in the comments. I always eat 3 meals a day, but often only do 2 snacks (one after breakfast and one before bed), though sometimes my needs change and I do need a snack between lunch and dinner. My OB’s office told me during GDM education that it was important to consume 175g of carbs a day to avoid ketosis.
I have never counted carbs, just minimized them (within reason). I would find it way too time consuming and tbh impossible while also wrangling to kids. It’s worked for me and I’ve managed to stay diet controlled each pregnancy just by eating 1/2 protein and 1/2 veg.
When I had to cut too many carbs out to stay under my limits they started me on a little pre-meal Insulin, which took a lot of the stress off me bc I was able to eat more. But yeah- it felt like my life suddenly revolved around when and what I could eat. At least ita temporary! And it got a bit easier a few weeks in bc I’d already don’t a lot of the research and figured out what I could and couldn’t eat, at least of my staple foods.
I found I had to cut carbs too much to stay under the given limits so I am taking metformin after breakfast each day now to bring my levels down, they’re monitoring them and may up my dosage if needed. Don’t reduce your carbs, what they suggest is what your body probably needs, so maybe you do need some medication to help yourself. I can’t eat 3 times plus snacks I am just not hungry enough, sometimes I don’t eat 3 full meals and if I snack it’s just on cucumber. I am 100% not meeting that protein goal you mentioned!
I would recommend Lily Nichols “Real Food For Gestational Diabetes” book. She goes into this topic in detail. Personally, I think 150g carbs would be too much for me. Though in her book Lily does give sample meal plans with 90g per day, 120g per day, and 150g per day. Note, she does follow lower carb recommendations than standard US doctor recommendations. I try to eat around 100-115g carbs per day. I’m personally in the camp of fewer carbs is going to be better. As long as I’m not ketogenic, I’m not stressing about it. Everyone has different tolerances for carbs. So two different people with GD can eat different amounts of carbs at each meal, one could spike, one may not. It’s all experimentation. I do not eat 3 snacks. If I eat a snack before bed time, even something like a beef stick and some cheese cubes, my fasting sugar will be elevated. I have been able to maintain fasting numbers under the threshold without the snack. People on this sub swear by bed time snacks, but it just doesn’t work for me. It can be really frustrating trying to figure it all out.
I do 3 meals at 30-40g of carbs each. 0-15g carbs for my 3 snacks.
For your part about only tolerating 20g carbs - I can tolerate more carbs if it contains a lot of fiber. Less fiber? Max 30g it seems. Example, the zero tortillas from mission, by the time I add veggies etc it’s a 50g carb meal and I’m usually in the 120s at my 1 hour mark. Usually I’m 3 meals and 2 snacks - one between lunch & dinner, and an evening snack. Hovering 130g carbs per day.
I was eating 120-130g carbs per day - that's what I could eat without being put on medication and my diabetologist was fine with it. And I was eating around 100-110g of protein - maybe that's why I had no problem with swelling.
I usually tried to keep below my limits for carbs each meal. If Im borderline then I know I need to eat more vegetables or walk a lot after the meal. I only tested when I needed to which is 2 hrs after every meal. The key is for your blood levels not to get high consistently throughout the day and testing at certain times ensures this. I never tested my blood sugars during snacks.
15 carbs per meal at every meal is probably not enough for the baby. I try to keep it around 30-45 if I can fit in some exercise. I might do 20 if I can't because otherwise I'll spike- but then I make sure that my meal later in the day when I can walk is closer to 45 or my snacks are closer to 20 so it averages out to 30/meal. I do not hit 150g per day though, and I don't count religiously, just ballpark it for any new meal or snack. The few times I have calculated my daily carb intake it was closer to 100-120, which is definitely enough not to go into ketosis so I'm not stressing. I am on insulin and metformin to tolerate carbs because my dietician wasn't happy with me eating just salads and protein to keep my levels okay, and every carb spiked me. I haven't done the math for my protein but I find my numbers are better when I eat a lot of it- today I had peanut butter (snack- also 20 carbs as fruit) three eggs, a babybell cheese, and some fairlife chocolate milk in my coffee (breakfast- about 20 carbs in the milk and half cup of sweet potato hash browns), Greek yogurt (snack- contains 7 carbs and protein), two servings of rotisserie chicken in a salad (lunch- 20 carbs with fruit and croutons) and two servings of roast beef (dinner- 30 carbs from baby potatoes) Before bed snack will be a Quest protein bar (5 carbs, 20 protein.) I almost never get in my three snacks and three meals but I had a day shift and a night shift today so I was awake longer than usual! I average two meals and three snacks or three meals and one snack. My dietician is okay with that because baby is gaining weight okay, which I manage because I choose lots of protein and higher calorie foods when I do eat.
I am eating so much peanut butter 😂
One craving I have that I can actually indulge in is peanut butter banana sandwiches, which I haven't had since I was a kid. I can tolerate a half banana on keto "carbonaut" bread loaded with crunchy peanut butter. I've had one three days in a row now. And I don't even like bananas *or* peanut butter!!!! Apparently the baby does.
Nope, I could never reach those numbers of meals, calories, or carbs! I also would have gained soo much weight, and been so tired from all the food. I’ve only gained 6lbs so far and I’m 37 weeks, baby is 65th percentile so is a nice healthy size. I usually skip the snacks because I’m still full from my last meal.
Honestly, at first I kept really rigid track of my macros and followed guidelines exactly, and took my blood religiously. Now, 3 months into the GD journey, I wear a CGM and eat super healthy but don’t count carbs. If my CGM says it’s low and I’m hungry, I eat. If my CGM says it’s starting to rise, I stop eating and go on a walk. I’m a lot happier and I stay in range the same amount as when I was obsessing over my numbers.
My dietician suggested I eat 3 meals a day + 3 snacks to hit the goal of 180g carbs a day. I can't do it. I can fit in 3 meals +2 snacks and most days I'm probably only getting 100-130g carbs. 36 weeks and baby is measuring fine .
I don’t really count my carbs, so I’m not sure how many I’m getting a day. I’m assuming it’s probably close to 100-150, give or take. I tend to be more strict and cautious about what I eat, so it may be a little less? I do eat 3 meals, but often only about 2 snacks. Baby is growing and was in the 70th percentile at my growth scan so I’m assuming she’s getting what she needs! I haven’t gained any weight since I was diagnosed early (only 3 pounds total) and I’m nearly 36 weeks. But I don’t feel hungry throughout the day because I’m eating a lot of protein and fat.
The conventional diet for GD is wayyy too high in carbs. Dr Lily Nichols goes into this in some podcasts and her books. Women eat the recommended high carb diet, “fail”, then go on insulin. She has solutions.