Managing Gestational Diabetes (for me)

Everyone,

I guess I'm about 3 weeks into my gestational diabetes diet and things are going well. I seriously don't know how I failed the 3 hour test twice (neither does Dr. SA) but I did and I am being a very good girl. Even with all the Easter candy around. It is my favorite candy, with those peanut butter eggs, starburst jelly beans, and cadbury cream eggs. I have had a few searches and hits on my blog about GD so I thought I'd lay out what I eat in a regular day. Everyone is different, and I think just testing your blood often and accurately will let you know what you can and can't do.

In college, my favorite professor used to make us waffles on the last Friday of the month. They were whole wheat buttermilk waffles and I used to love them. He gave us all the recipe and I used to only make them when I had time. Now, I make the time to make them and I freeze them. They have no sugar added and are so filling and tasty. I have one for breakfast (yes with butter AND syrup since my sugar levels are around 70 in the morning or below normal) and a big glass of milk. Butterfly can down two of these at a time, and prefers hers with jam or just straight up butter.

I test my blood again 2 hours later. If they are good (below 100), I will have a small snack. Mostly yogurt made with splenda and peanut granola. Or an apple with peanut butter. Or a cold hard boiled egg. Sometimes it's just too close to lunch and I won't have anything so I can have a nice big lunch.

For lunch, I have a variety of things. Frozen personal pan pizzas, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sugar free pb and j, of course), egg salad sandwiches, leftovers from the night before, egg and sausage burritos, or low sugar oatmeal. I do feel like I'm eating breakfast all the time because it's the one thing that's tasty and easy to make.

Again, 2 hours later I test my blood (if I am awake). Most of the time it's around the 105-115 range so I don't have anything to eat then. If I'm starving, I make sure I have just straight protein like another egg or some leftover meat from the night before.

Dinner has been a little bit of a hassle just because Butterfly doesn't always like what we are eating. So I haven't really changed our diet for this meal at all. I just eat a smaller portion of it than I normally would. Like last night, we had pork roast, parsley potatoes, and veggies. I loaded up my plate with veggies and pork roast, and had only a very small portion of potatoes. (It was sad because that is probably my favorite part of the meal but I want the boys to be healthy too...) The night before, we had bean and cheese burritos from a recipe I got off of a diabetic website. They were so tasty and filling!

Again, another 2 hours later and my blood gets tested again. If I'm below 100 again (last night I was at 81! Super low!) I have something to eat. Either popcorn or a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter on one side and butter and jam on the other. And another glass of milk. Or sometimes I'll have string cheese and some dried fruit. Or apples and peanut butter. Or an egg.

I have no idea if I'm getting everything I need out of this diet, but so far it's working for me and I feel like I'm actually eating good things. I have loved the menu planner at onetouchgold.com which has given me an idea of things I can and can't eat, and portion sizes for 2100 calories. They have a few really good recipes too which I've enjoyed reading through. If you search 'diabetic recipes' you get a ton of things to make and most of them are very good.

Things I stay away from because they seem to kill my numbers: cereal, pasta, crackers and white bread. Things I eat because they do nothing to my numbers: eggs, cheese, fruit, and meat.

Really, I just try to keep portion size in mind and eat smaller amounts more times a day. If I find I want, say a muffin, and my blood sugar levels are too high for me to eat it, I just wait two hours and have it then. I refuse to eat any kind of sugary stuff (candy, tarts, pies, ice cream, cereal, chocolate, etc.) and try to eat more protein and have only healthy snacks in the house.

It's been working out good for us, but I really can't wait till it's over. Still dreaming of that Something Chocolate!

Safire