pregnancy

[rkworth]

hi everyone,

any feedback on trying to get pregnant on sourh beach, just read an article that said SB was not good for conception. Would appreciate any feedback :agree:

[LadyBelle]

If you suffer from PCOS or endo low carb dieting could be the only way to concieve. For everyone else dieting oculd still be a good idea. Estrogen is stored in fat. Overweight women have a high occurance of estrogen which can make it harder to concieve and result in more complications if pregnancy occures.

Going on a sever low carb or any kind of sever diet, is not good while pregnant. When you are pregnant you only need about 300 more calories a day but a ton more nutrients. What sounds healthier: junk foods and processed flours or fruits, veggies, meats, dairy and whole grains as touted by the South beach or other low carb plans? You should go to maintanance level of carbs on any plan you choose and not try to lose weight while pregnant, but definetly get a wide range of nutritious food without the empty calories of flour or sugars.

[rkworth]

thank you, i am not on a strict severl low carb. I am basically on phase II. thanks for teh feedback!

[BellaLinda]

SouthBeach is fine, IMO, both before conception & during pregnancy (as long as you eat enough!). I was eating a la SouthBeach before the book was ever published, and I can tell you first hand it doesn't inhibit conception. I got pregnant with LMA (#2 daughter) literally my second month of trying, and I am not overwhelmingly fertile--I have PCOS. It took me, by contrast, about a year and a half to get pregnant with BCD (#1 daughter).

I cannot imagine what whoever wrote that article was thinking! Honestly, SouthBeach fits right in with what we know to be the healthiest way to eat, lots of veggies, lean meats, whole grains. What's not to love? In fact, South Beach bears a very strong resemblance to the Brewer Diet (http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/ifyouarepregnant/4-goodnutrition.shtml), which has an excellent track record of preventing preeclampsia. (Note: That's a pregnancy diet, not a lose-weight diet!)

[Elsah]

I am now 30 weeks pregnant and have followed low carb both before and during the whole pregnancy. My doctor is very pleased with how everything is going and definately reassured me that the way I was eating was perfectly healthy for both me and my baby to be. However, I don't use fat free anything and the only "light" foods I use are cream cheese, salad dressings (unless it's oil and vinegar in which I use regular), sour cream and cottage cheese. I naturally eat lower fat since I am vegetarian but I don't cut back at all when it comes to olive oil and nuts.

Make sure you are definately eating enough fruits, veggies and grains so as not to go into ketosis. If you go by the maint levels you should do just fine. It really helps to find a doctor that is knowledgable or at least open to being LC while pregnant. Rather than coming out and saying I was LC at my first appt. I brought in a chart of 2 weeks meals and asked if I was eating properly for pregnancy. After they said how wonderful I was eating I said it was the maint phase of Atkins which they were very supportive of. If you are worried about what your doctor might say that might be a way to approach it without the spotlight being on the fact that you are following a LC diet. Anyways, best of luck and make sure you are getting your folic acid PRIOR to getting pregnant!

Jenn

[rkworth]

thank you so much for the feedback. I am taking prenatals while we are trying to get pregnant, charting temps and other fertility signs.. and following healthy low carb diet (most of the time ) :).. i just feel so much better without tons of sugar, white flour and less processed food.

have a day!

[Stardust]

Hi:

I am now 39 weeks pregnant and have been following Dr. Brewer's Diet for prevention of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. I eat a much lower carb version of the diet, because of my allergies to different grains and intolerance to white poison (rice, potatoes, etc.). I eat more veggies, really upped my fruit servings, and I eat more yogurt. I usually eat between 70 and 100 grams of carbs daily to stay out of ketosis.

Back in May I had my second Fasting Glucose Tolerance Test and it's reading was 202. To make a long story short I was referred to specialists and they came to the conclusion that I did not have gestational diabetes. I was normal. A friend helped me research about eating lower carb and the glucose test and she found that a person should be eating at least 150 grams carbs a day for 3 days before the test and I was eating 100 or less daily. I asked the doctor about this and he said he thought that it was quite probable. Later, my ob-gyn told me that he understood that about the GTT and they always tell their patients to eat a diet rich in carbs before the test.

So after meeting with the diabetes doctor and the nutritionist and showing them printouts from fitday of my daily eats, nutrition intake over a week, and Dr. Brewer's guidelines and my modifications to the diet, they said that everthing looked great and to keep doing what I was doing. I was flabbergasted. I was ready for the fight of the century.

I just thought I would throw in my two cents worth when I saw that someone mentioned that SBD was similar to Dr. Brewer's Diet.

Good luck to you!

[BellaLinda]

Rkworth, if I can stick my nose in again...You said you're charting your temps. Are you also checking cervical fluid? IME, that was a lot more helpful, since temps only tell you after you've ovulated. Of course, that doesn't have a thing to do with low-carb. :)

I found that ridding myself of what Stardust calls "white poison" really helped regulate my hormones and so my cycles--a big deal to a PCOS girl. Like I said before, I have no doubt that it helped me to get pregnant, eating this way.

[twofoofers]

I followed The Zone both before and during my third pregnancy. My CNM was very encouraging, and was impressed with my weight gain during and loss after( I gained 21 pounds and lost all of it within two weeks of delivery). Baby weighed in at 6 pounds 15.5 ounces. At 13 months old, she is now 20 pounds (breastfed for one year). My blood sugar tests were also off, and I had to take that wonderful three hour, poke you half a dozen times test just to get the results to come back normal, which I could have told them. I had very little morning sickness, unlike my second pregnancy(I craved sugar all the time!). I can't think of any healthier way to eat!

[rkworth]

i am checking cervical fluid, i am following the Feritlity Awareness Method.. i have to say checking cervical fluid,is hard sometimes.. to figure out what it is.. :)

i really appreciate all of this feedback.. you guys are great!