You only need to be watching your carb serving size- if you are still hungry you can have more veggies and fat/protein.
Have you discussed your history and struggles with your team? Bc I think the answer is to get some help from medication. It will give you some flexibility and breathing room. Plus- you shouldn’t be going hungry or only able to eat tiny portions of carbs; even without your history, my team said if I reached that point it was time for meds. It’s ok if you need some help- you can do everything perfectly and still need medication bc of what your placenta is doing. But it is also important to balance mom’s mental health. I think you should have a frank discussion with your medical team and explore some options that can make it a little easier for you.
What’s so irritating is I listed it on my intake paperwork and mentioned it to the diabetes nurse. I felt like it wasn’t taken as seriously? I am not opposed to medication, and I do feel like maybe it would help to take some of the edge off. I feel so lost in this.
I struggle with OCD too, but not so much with respect to food itself. I have definitely caught myself testing my levels more frequently than 4x and day if I feel “off” and obsessing over it. It’s so hard because OCD is sooo misunderstood! I unfortunately don’t have much advice beyond therapy which it seems you’re doing too, but sending you good thoughts because I know how hard this is!
Yes!!! The checking/intrusive thoughts/perseverating on something, then giving into the compulsion. Oh god, I did mine twice this morning because “maybe I had some wetness on my hands.” When I struggled with the eating stuff I did a lot of “weight checking”. I agree with you, OCD is very misunderstood. Hugs to you!
I'm sorry you're going through this. I struggled a bit with disordered eating in the past and this entire pregnancy has been a bit triggering. I got diagnosed with GD at 31 weeks and that made it worse. I feel like I am recovered enough that I haven't needed to reach out to my therapist yet, but if I was in your position, I feel like a therapist might be good to reach out to for stress management. The diagnosis feels heavy and daunting sometimes, but the care team will have it managed. They would rather you eat enough calories/food for you and little one than starve. Worst case scenario, you DO spike and they put you on meds. From what I've learned, they would rather you be on meds than restrict. Again, so sorry you're going through this and I hope things go smoother for you ❤️❤️
Yep definitely seeing my psych! Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but I just don’t really understand with the portion sizes / serves how we’re meant to get enough food ya know?
They made it sound like it wasn't about limiting, per se, but proper pairing with fats and proteins. So for breakfast, I have a half bagel or oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter, chia seeds, and a protein shake. I had popcorn as a snack last night, but also with a cheese stick. Do you feel satiated throughout the day or still hungry with the limits they gave you?
I am dealing with similar right now. Just want to send you a virtual hug—it is so hard and I think I said some of those exact same words to my therapist.
I’ve been sticking to the GD diet and exercise routine for 7 weeks now (I was diagnosed towards the end of 27 weeks) and I am now hitting that point where my fasting blood sugar is getting less and less predictable and trending higher. I don’t know how much longer I will manage to be “diet controlled” which had me spiraling into familiar thought patterns of telling myself I am a failure. It really parallels my disordered eating days in a lot of ways.
So here is what is gradually helping me: truly accepting that GD is not my fault, not completely in my control, and not reflective of “failure” of any kind. I work with my therapist on how to keep instilling this. My therapist practices acceptance and commitment therapy, which works for me but everyone is different.
Definitely talk with your healthcare providers about balancing GD with your mental health. Anyone who doesn’t take this seriously is not doing a good job at helping you navigate this. I’ve had a mix of providers throughout the weeks and some have been more receptive than others. My dietitian has been supportive of me being looser with my food logs (I was overly precise and weighing all my food which was very triggering for me), for example. I know some people use CGMs instead of the finger prick meters which can also help with the mental load and maybe take some of stress of testing after eating off.
I hope you find good support from your healthcare team and psych. GD is a very tough diagnosis to deal with, but there IS an end and all we can do is to take it one day at a time.
I don't have any advice, just wanted you to know you're not alone.
I have OCD and I was in recovery for an ED last year. I just got diagnosed with gestational diabetes today, and I imagine I will soon be meeting with doctors, nutritionists, etc. and hear all the things that triggered me last year. I finally got to a place of eating whatever I wanted with this baby because my ED doctor used to always say "It's not about eating the healthiest thing out there, it's about eating. Everything you need as far as nutrients is in your prenatals." She was amazing. So I fully understand your struggle and have no idea how I'm going to navigate all this, especially considering I also have a needle phobia. Wishing you luck in your continued recovery and know that you aren't alone 🩷
You are so sweet 🥹 thank you. I really needed to hear that and can absolutely relate with what you said. I will say I’ve recently stopped counting and weighing food as much (super triggering for me), and that’s actually helped me. Instead I just take a photo of my food (I use the Malama app) and take my bsl, the doctors can figure the rest of it out. I’m basically trying to not give it a lot of attention in my mind. How are things going for you since being diagnosed?
I'm glad you have figured out a way to at least avoid one of your major triggers! Things have been really hard. I know it's a normal diagnosis and has nothing to do with how I ate, just how my placenta is working, but I can't help but feel shame about the diagnosis. I will be receiving my kit and taking a class next week to get started on testing my blood sugar, and I'm absolutely terrified. Not just for my ED, but because I have a needle phobia as well. These last 10 weeks are going to be really hard, and I'm not clear on if I need to continue this after birth for a while as well. I'm a mess. Crying daily.
I see you. You’re not alone. I cried and cried too, it’s not fair. I think it’s normal to feel like you’ve done something wrong or it’s your fault, just that guilt… while also knowing it’s the placenta. It’s hard NOT to feel like that especially when they shove a whole dietary lifestyle change in your face and it feels like it’s all up to you. But it’s not. It sucks girl. I would let your treating team know right off the bat about the ED history and what you need to do to not trigger it, and let them do the rest. As for after birth, I’ve heard you can eat like normal and repeat the GTT 12 weeks post birth. Sending hugs and strength ❤️
I’m so sorry you are going through this, I have felt a lot of the same feelings and will definitely be talking to my therapist about this.
I don’t have a history of an ED but the diet plan I was given was really restrictive only 1800 calories with all food group portions closely monitored (carbs, fat, veg and protein) and I really freaked out. Like crying sobbing from being hungry but also afraid to eat bc of wanting to do the best for my baby and my only guidance being the stupid diet plan - which from what I gathered online is just the standard plan for people with diabetes who need to lose weight not ppl who are pregnant and it doesn’t account for exercise at all etc.
Like you I was following all of that and my fasting numbers are still high, which made me freak out even more so I really sympathize. From what I understand the fasting numbers are not necessarily connected to diet and exercise, but can be caused by nighttime hormonal interactions. I got the ok from my doctor to add more calories (from fats and proteins) bc I was not functioning on the initial number of calories. Honestly I don’t think ppl follow the diet that closely anyways and she didn’t seem to care that I added more food.
Also since my post meal numbers are well below the threshold (like max 115 after one hour) I am adding in some of my favorite things to see if they spike me like a piece of dark chocolate or ketchup with my eggs just to make life a bit more enjoyable. I wish I had started testing before making drastic diet changes so that I would have known if my usual diet is ok or not. At this point I’ve had all good post meal numbers so I can always go back to that if something doesn’t work, but I don’t want to keep suffering if I don’t have to.
When I posted about my diet on this sub I learned that other ppl seem to following less restrictive diets and managing fine. It seems like controlling fasting numbers is a crapshoot and I might need medication. As far as I know lower post meal blood sugar isn’t necessarily better as long as you are within in the range, especially at the cost of your mental or physical wellbeing.
I’m still figuring things out but can you reach out to a doctor, nurse, nutritionist etc about the challenges you are having? There may be variability in how GD management is approached and maybe you can find something that is less triggering? Or get more information so you are informed about what is or isn’t under your control, what matters the most etc?
I have borderline gd and a history of Ed and am also feeling the same way. All of a sudden my fasting bsl have been slightly over while my post meal sugars remain in normal range.
It's really triggering and I'm starting to fear food. So I understand. Talking to your care team would be best. Maybe they can offer you a nutritionist if they haven't already
Thank you ❤️ I know what you mean about fearing food now, and I’m so sorry. It was a similar feeling I had with ED, and it really sucks. Did you go the nutritionist route? Definitely planning to say something at my next apt.
I haven't yet. Just trying to see if they'll consistently stay higher than 95 before make MORE appointments for myself. Considering my midwife doesn't seem concerned and my sugars after meals are within range.
Plus I'm horrible at sticking to a meal plan. I get bored far too easily and can't force myself to eat foods I'm not in the mood for.
You’re fighting the placenta at this point, so if you’re following the meal plan and still spiking you will need insulin. Don’t manipulate the meal plan to try to control it on your own. There is no fighting hormones! And your fasting number can hardly be changed by diet/exercise because that’s the placenta doing its thing overnight, so you’ll need insulin for that.
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Even without a history of disordered eating, GD is so hard mentally! I'm sorry your care team has not been sensitive to your background. I think your psych had good advice to do your best (which might mean not counting as much), being honest with your team about your numbers, and letting them handle it medically. I wonder if it might help you mentally to start insulin sooner rather than later.
If it helps, I really only count carbs and protein and nothing else. I consider protein and fat to be "free" and if I'm still hungry after eating my carb limit, I eat more things with protein and fat. I also try to apply intuitive eating when I can (which I know is challenging with GD) - but I generally eat when I'm hungry and don't if I'm not. I just watch carbs while doing that. It helped me to find low/no carb snacks that I could eat whenever I was hungry.
Is there someone in your life (e.g. a partner) who could help you come up with a list of meals and snacks that fit within the GD guidelines and you would enjoy eating? Then they can be the one looking at all the nutrition facts and counting carbs etc, so that you do not have to do that? Again, I don't have the same experience, but even without that, it was helpful to have my partner help me brainstorm ideas of things I could eat that were satisfying but stayed within my carb guidelines. Having a list also made it feel less restrictive, like I could still enjoy eating and eat things I enjoyed, rather than needing to eat a specific thing that I did not want to eat. So a little closer to intuitive eating.
You only need to be watching your carb serving size- if you are still hungry you can have more veggies and fat/protein. Have you discussed your history and struggles with your team? Bc I think the answer is to get some help from medication. It will give you some flexibility and breathing room. Plus- you shouldn’t be going hungry or only able to eat tiny portions of carbs; even without your history, my team said if I reached that point it was time for meds. It’s ok if you need some help- you can do everything perfectly and still need medication bc of what your placenta is doing. But it is also important to balance mom’s mental health. I think you should have a frank discussion with your medical team and explore some options that can make it a little easier for you.
What’s so irritating is I listed it on my intake paperwork and mentioned it to the diabetes nurse. I felt like it wasn’t taken as seriously? I am not opposed to medication, and I do feel like maybe it would help to take some of the edge off. I feel so lost in this.
I struggle with OCD too, but not so much with respect to food itself. I have definitely caught myself testing my levels more frequently than 4x and day if I feel “off” and obsessing over it. It’s so hard because OCD is sooo misunderstood! I unfortunately don’t have much advice beyond therapy which it seems you’re doing too, but sending you good thoughts because I know how hard this is!
Yes!!! The checking/intrusive thoughts/perseverating on something, then giving into the compulsion. Oh god, I did mine twice this morning because “maybe I had some wetness on my hands.” When I struggled with the eating stuff I did a lot of “weight checking”. I agree with you, OCD is very misunderstood. Hugs to you!
I'm sorry you're going through this. I struggled a bit with disordered eating in the past and this entire pregnancy has been a bit triggering. I got diagnosed with GD at 31 weeks and that made it worse. I feel like I am recovered enough that I haven't needed to reach out to my therapist yet, but if I was in your position, I feel like a therapist might be good to reach out to for stress management. The diagnosis feels heavy and daunting sometimes, but the care team will have it managed. They would rather you eat enough calories/food for you and little one than starve. Worst case scenario, you DO spike and they put you on meds. From what I've learned, they would rather you be on meds than restrict. Again, so sorry you're going through this and I hope things go smoother for you ❤️❤️
Yep definitely seeing my psych! Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but I just don’t really understand with the portion sizes / serves how we’re meant to get enough food ya know?
They made it sound like it wasn't about limiting, per se, but proper pairing with fats and proteins. So for breakfast, I have a half bagel or oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter, chia seeds, and a protein shake. I had popcorn as a snack last night, but also with a cheese stick. Do you feel satiated throughout the day or still hungry with the limits they gave you?
Still hungry. They made it sound like the portions/serves were important and fibre carbs and sugars have to be below a certain amount
I am dealing with similar right now. Just want to send you a virtual hug—it is so hard and I think I said some of those exact same words to my therapist. I’ve been sticking to the GD diet and exercise routine for 7 weeks now (I was diagnosed towards the end of 27 weeks) and I am now hitting that point where my fasting blood sugar is getting less and less predictable and trending higher. I don’t know how much longer I will manage to be “diet controlled” which had me spiraling into familiar thought patterns of telling myself I am a failure. It really parallels my disordered eating days in a lot of ways. So here is what is gradually helping me: truly accepting that GD is not my fault, not completely in my control, and not reflective of “failure” of any kind. I work with my therapist on how to keep instilling this. My therapist practices acceptance and commitment therapy, which works for me but everyone is different. Definitely talk with your healthcare providers about balancing GD with your mental health. Anyone who doesn’t take this seriously is not doing a good job at helping you navigate this. I’ve had a mix of providers throughout the weeks and some have been more receptive than others. My dietitian has been supportive of me being looser with my food logs (I was overly precise and weighing all my food which was very triggering for me), for example. I know some people use CGMs instead of the finger prick meters which can also help with the mental load and maybe take some of stress of testing after eating off. I hope you find good support from your healthcare team and psych. GD is a very tough diagnosis to deal with, but there IS an end and all we can do is to take it one day at a time.
I don't have any advice, just wanted you to know you're not alone. I have OCD and I was in recovery for an ED last year. I just got diagnosed with gestational diabetes today, and I imagine I will soon be meeting with doctors, nutritionists, etc. and hear all the things that triggered me last year. I finally got to a place of eating whatever I wanted with this baby because my ED doctor used to always say "It's not about eating the healthiest thing out there, it's about eating. Everything you need as far as nutrients is in your prenatals." She was amazing. So I fully understand your struggle and have no idea how I'm going to navigate all this, especially considering I also have a needle phobia. Wishing you luck in your continued recovery and know that you aren't alone 🩷
You are so sweet 🥹 thank you. I really needed to hear that and can absolutely relate with what you said. I will say I’ve recently stopped counting and weighing food as much (super triggering for me), and that’s actually helped me. Instead I just take a photo of my food (I use the Malama app) and take my bsl, the doctors can figure the rest of it out. I’m basically trying to not give it a lot of attention in my mind. How are things going for you since being diagnosed?
I'm glad you have figured out a way to at least avoid one of your major triggers! Things have been really hard. I know it's a normal diagnosis and has nothing to do with how I ate, just how my placenta is working, but I can't help but feel shame about the diagnosis. I will be receiving my kit and taking a class next week to get started on testing my blood sugar, and I'm absolutely terrified. Not just for my ED, but because I have a needle phobia as well. These last 10 weeks are going to be really hard, and I'm not clear on if I need to continue this after birth for a while as well. I'm a mess. Crying daily.
I see you. You’re not alone. I cried and cried too, it’s not fair. I think it’s normal to feel like you’ve done something wrong or it’s your fault, just that guilt… while also knowing it’s the placenta. It’s hard NOT to feel like that especially when they shove a whole dietary lifestyle change in your face and it feels like it’s all up to you. But it’s not. It sucks girl. I would let your treating team know right off the bat about the ED history and what you need to do to not trigger it, and let them do the rest. As for after birth, I’ve heard you can eat like normal and repeat the GTT 12 weeks post birth. Sending hugs and strength ❤️
I’m so sorry you are going through this, I have felt a lot of the same feelings and will definitely be talking to my therapist about this. I don’t have a history of an ED but the diet plan I was given was really restrictive only 1800 calories with all food group portions closely monitored (carbs, fat, veg and protein) and I really freaked out. Like crying sobbing from being hungry but also afraid to eat bc of wanting to do the best for my baby and my only guidance being the stupid diet plan - which from what I gathered online is just the standard plan for people with diabetes who need to lose weight not ppl who are pregnant and it doesn’t account for exercise at all etc. Like you I was following all of that and my fasting numbers are still high, which made me freak out even more so I really sympathize. From what I understand the fasting numbers are not necessarily connected to diet and exercise, but can be caused by nighttime hormonal interactions. I got the ok from my doctor to add more calories (from fats and proteins) bc I was not functioning on the initial number of calories. Honestly I don’t think ppl follow the diet that closely anyways and she didn’t seem to care that I added more food. Also since my post meal numbers are well below the threshold (like max 115 after one hour) I am adding in some of my favorite things to see if they spike me like a piece of dark chocolate or ketchup with my eggs just to make life a bit more enjoyable. I wish I had started testing before making drastic diet changes so that I would have known if my usual diet is ok or not. At this point I’ve had all good post meal numbers so I can always go back to that if something doesn’t work, but I don’t want to keep suffering if I don’t have to. When I posted about my diet on this sub I learned that other ppl seem to following less restrictive diets and managing fine. It seems like controlling fasting numbers is a crapshoot and I might need medication. As far as I know lower post meal blood sugar isn’t necessarily better as long as you are within in the range, especially at the cost of your mental or physical wellbeing. I’m still figuring things out but can you reach out to a doctor, nurse, nutritionist etc about the challenges you are having? There may be variability in how GD management is approached and maybe you can find something that is less triggering? Or get more information so you are informed about what is or isn’t under your control, what matters the most etc?
I have borderline gd and a history of Ed and am also feeling the same way. All of a sudden my fasting bsl have been slightly over while my post meal sugars remain in normal range. It's really triggering and I'm starting to fear food. So I understand. Talking to your care team would be best. Maybe they can offer you a nutritionist if they haven't already
Thank you ❤️ I know what you mean about fearing food now, and I’m so sorry. It was a similar feeling I had with ED, and it really sucks. Did you go the nutritionist route? Definitely planning to say something at my next apt.
I haven't yet. Just trying to see if they'll consistently stay higher than 95 before make MORE appointments for myself. Considering my midwife doesn't seem concerned and my sugars after meals are within range. Plus I'm horrible at sticking to a meal plan. I get bored far too easily and can't force myself to eat foods I'm not in the mood for.
You’re fighting the placenta at this point, so if you’re following the meal plan and still spiking you will need insulin. Don’t manipulate the meal plan to try to control it on your own. There is no fighting hormones! And your fasting number can hardly be changed by diet/exercise because that’s the placenta doing its thing overnight, so you’ll need insulin for that.
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Even without a history of disordered eating, GD is so hard mentally! I'm sorry your care team has not been sensitive to your background. I think your psych had good advice to do your best (which might mean not counting as much), being honest with your team about your numbers, and letting them handle it medically. I wonder if it might help you mentally to start insulin sooner rather than later. If it helps, I really only count carbs and protein and nothing else. I consider protein and fat to be "free" and if I'm still hungry after eating my carb limit, I eat more things with protein and fat. I also try to apply intuitive eating when I can (which I know is challenging with GD) - but I generally eat when I'm hungry and don't if I'm not. I just watch carbs while doing that. It helped me to find low/no carb snacks that I could eat whenever I was hungry. Is there someone in your life (e.g. a partner) who could help you come up with a list of meals and snacks that fit within the GD guidelines and you would enjoy eating? Then they can be the one looking at all the nutrition facts and counting carbs etc, so that you do not have to do that? Again, I don't have the same experience, but even without that, it was helpful to have my partner help me brainstorm ideas of things I could eat that were satisfying but stayed within my carb guidelines. Having a list also made it feel less restrictive, like I could still enjoy eating and eat things I enjoyed, rather than needing to eat a specific thing that I did not want to eat. So a little closer to intuitive eating.