Question:
I just had my first test for gestational diabetes. My numbers were in
the 160s, so I guess I am a candidate. The ironic thing however: I am
on a no sugar diet. Mostly I eat low carb, and when I eat carbs, they
are always whole grain. (Well, this way of eating is called
"Somersizing", as the actress Suzanne Somers promotes it. It also
includes food combining. Carbos and Protein/Fat need to be eaten at
different times, while both can be combined with veggies. Think what
you want. It workes for me.)
I also do yoga for an hour a day or work out on a cardio mashine and
lift weights.
I think it is ironic. I eat low carb, whole wheat, low fat, work
out.....and have diabetes! (And I was a size 10 pre pregancy at 5'8")
When I told my ob about my way of eating, he suggested that maybe just
that was the crux. I have been without sugar for so long that my body
couldn't handle that sweet stuff I had to drink. Well, I haven't had
the second test yet (the three hour test?). But has anybody heard that
happening? Could it really be like my doctor suggested?
I must also say that there is a history of diabetes in my family. One
grandmother has it, although not bad, one grandmother is borderline,
one aunt had gestational diabetes and got the real thing in her early
40s.
So what do you all think?
Answer:
Diabetes has nothing to do with how much sugar you eat. As you probably
know, sugar is a carb and it is carbs that raise the BG. If you have been
on a low carb diet, then it may well be that you haven't actually had high
BG, until you were given the glucose to drink. But keep in mind that there
are all sorts of variables to diabetes. I had GD and was able to control it
on a mainly vegetarian, Exchange Plan. This is not a low carb diet. Others
find they must do low carb or their BG is too high.
Take the three hour test and see how you fare. I was told by the Endo. I
saw while pregnant that pregnancy is sort of like a test to the body.
During pregnancy, we might get diabetes, thyroid problems, or other problems
that otherwise we might not have gotten until later in life. Or perhaps not
at all. Lots of hormones are circulating during pregnancy.
My sister in law and one of her sisters both had GD. The sister in law had
it with her second child (not the first) and her sister had it with every
pregnancy. In her case, each pregnancy made it harder and harder to control
her BG and she wound up on insulin. Both of these ladies are thin as a rail
and very fit. Neither of them have gotten type 2 so far. I was not so
lucky.
It is possible that your first reading was a false one because as I said,
there are so many hormones that circulate during pregnancy. My Ob/Gyn said
it was not uncommon to find sugar in the urine as the woman starts to
lactate. Take the second test, and if you fail it, see a dietician. If you
do have GD, you'll likely be told that you can no longer eat the diet you
are on. Why? Because carbs eaten alone will raise the BG. You need to
combine those carbs with some fat. Fast delays the absorption of carbs.
I am also a bit curious as to why you would continue such a diet during
pregnancy. It seems as though you are on a weight loss diet and that is not
usually advised at this time. The amount of exercise you are doing seems
worrisome too! I did exercise throughout my pregnancy, except for the times
when I was on bedrest. I probably did more exercise during the first
trimester than I should have, including yoga. You'll find as the pregnancy
progresses, it will be more and more difficult to do certain things because
your center of gravity shifts. Weights can be particularly cumbersome. And
unless they have changed things since I was pregnant, it is not advised to
do any exercises where you lie on your back beyond the first trimester.
