Is it dangerous to low carb during pregnancy?

[sandooch140]

Of course I know you shouldn't try to lose weight or do induction Atkin level while pregnant, but can you or has anybody done low carb throughout your pregnancy?

The reason I'm asking is because my sister is just over 2 months pregnant and was overweight to begin with (5'3" and 204 pounds). She really wants to eat healthy and keep her weight gain to a minimum, both for her and her baby's sake. I know she should also throw in some whole grains, too.

The thing is, I have been seeing her eat nothing but junk, but I don't want to start scolding her. She is an adult and knows what she's doing. I'm just afraid that she is putting her health in danger, and she's already put on 8 pounds. Not to mention, she is 40 years old. That concerns me, too.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[AllieCat0817]

I believe you are supposed to be doing 'maintenance', whatever that means for the desired plan (I am thinking Atkins Maintenance cause the good doctor said pregnant women should do Maintenance).

[jskn]

You are not supposed to be in ketosis while pregnant. It would probably be best for her to eat healthy, well balanced, portion controlled meals. She should speak to her doctor before doing anything extreme. It was a food fest for me when I was pregnant. I ate everything that I wanted and I loved it!

[Kimmer]

You're a good sister to care!

Bottom line you can't tell her how to eat. At 40, she may have other fears including a healthy baby, Down's Syndrome, labor, c-section ... wait, I'm scaring myself!

You can find plenty of pregnancy/parenting magazines with healthy eating articles. Drop them off for her the next you you visit.

Low carb might not be to her liking, or she may have cravings. Junk isn't helping her, but neither is stress over worrying about food choices.

Continue being a good sister and support her however you can.

[Laprettygurl]

Look for LunaAshling, she did low carb her entire pregnancy.

[mom2twoboys]

She should try to avoid to much junk and be on the watch for gestational diabetes. I believe age, increased weight to begin with and a big weight gain are all factors. It is more than gaining weight it is for the health of her and her baby

[mocha56]

I'm 3 months pregnant now and have put on 2-3 lbs so far. What I do is eat unlimited amounts of non-starchy veggies, as well as a decent amount of protein from fish, chicken, beef, pork, etc, I eat a little bit of fruit which is mostly berries, and I'll have about 3-5 servings of whole grains a day which is usually from 2 slices of whole grain bread for a sandwich, 1/2 cup of high fiber cereal, a whole grain wrap, half a cup of oatmeal, or a half cup cooked brown rice (sparingly)...I'm more liberal on the high fiber cereal and whole grain bread, but the oatmeal and rice is something i eat sparingly. I avoid sugar and refined carbs...otherwise I'm enjoying delicious and nutritious foods. All my lab results came out well.

[RITA04]

Snowwhite over in the lounge is pregnant and doing LC and I think her dr. told her that she could continue to loss weight during pregnancy...

[mocha56]

I'm 3 months pregnant now and have put on 2-3 lbs so far. What I do is eat unlimited amounts of non-starchy veggies, as well as a decent amount of protein from fish, chicken, beef, pork, etc, I eat a little bit of fruit which is mostly berries, and I'll have about 3-5 servings of whole grains a day which is usually from 2 slices of whole grain bread for a sandwich, 1/2 cup of high fiber cereal, a whole grain wrap, half a cup of oatmeal, or a half cup cooked brown rice (sparingly)...I'm more liberal on the high fiber cereal and whole grain bread, but the oatmeal and rice is something i eat sparingly. I avoid sugar and refined carbs...otherwise I'm enjoying delicious and nutritious foods. All my lab results came out well.

[sugarfreedee]

I wouldn't recommend it unless she was doing Maintenance levels that included lots of fiber/nutrient rich fruits, veggies and whole grains.
That's so nice of you to care about your sisters well being. Funny, when i was 20 yrs old and pregnant with my first child my oldest sister used to always remind me to take my prenatal vitamin! It was annoying at the time, but i smile when i think about it now.

[Jazlyn]

I did low fat while pregnant and only gained 4 lbs my entire pregnancy. I was 20 lbs less after I had the baby than when I got pregnant so it is possible to lose wieght while pregnant. I'm not sure about low carb though. I've also heard that you shouldn't be in ketosis while pregnant.

[Sherri14]

I had gestational diabetes. My dr. limited my carbs to about 150 per day, spread out over the course of the day, to keep my blood sugar in check. I tried to get those carbs from fruits and veggies, and healthy whole grains. Some women with gestational diabetes can have more, it depends on your pre-pregnancy weight, I think. I always think it is good to limit sugars, pregnant or not, and I learned sooo much when on that diet ~ it is SUPER healthy (the diabetic diet). Many doctors would probably not really like if she said "Atkins", but if she just said, I'm going to cut back on sugars and flours, her doctor would probably feel she was making good choices. And, yes, absolutely no ketosis while she is pregnant!

[romecat]

I started out with a really healthy diet while pg. Organic meats, berries, kefir, yogurt, live grain bread, etc. And then morning sickness hit and all I could stomach was fruit and refined sugar. Ugh. The thought of protein or low-carb anything was totally nauseating.

I continued to eat like crap and gain weight until, finally, at about 5 months I brought up my weight gain with my doctor. She said that low carb would be great and I could even lose up to 10 pounds if I wanted to. I cut back for a while, but then fell off of the wagon and am paying for it now.

I wish her luck!!

[JustKim]

I did maintenance levels of low carb while pregnant with Sydney. It worked great. I only gained 12 pounds all pregnancy and she was a 9 pounder! I made sure I stayed out of ketosis and did periodically check. I did eat a bit more dairy while pregnant too. My doctor totally supported that eating plan during my pregnancy.

[Mel78]

I got "scared" by all the hoopla about ketosis being harmful and such... and used that as my EXCUSE to eat like crap during my pregnancy -- AND GAINED 75 POUNDS DURING MY PREGNANCY!!! I had to battle with hypertension, pre-eclampsia and was on partial bedrest for the last trimester (only allowed to go to work - where I sit all day with my feet up) and back home to lay down!!! Then, after DD was born, I was stuck being 20 pounds more than my highest weight when I lost the first time!!! It took me 2-1/2 years to get over the "scare" of low-carb dangers while pregnant and nursing... To make myself realize that low-carbing doesn't HAVE to mean KETOSIS!!! By adding some fiber-rich choices and fruit I VERY WELL could have made my pregnancy and nursing another milestone in my weight loss journey... but NOOOOO, I had to be hard headed and go totally off into high-carb oblivian!!!

So, my advice to you about supporting your sister... mention gestational diabeties, hypertension, pre-eclampsia... and get info on the diets associated with keeping those in check during pregnancy -- amazingly enough -- they're basically LOWER CARBS!!!

it's very sweet of you to care about your sister like this... she's a lucky woman!!! Best of luck to her!!!

[LuckyKitty]

One of the PPs mentioned LunaAshling, she's a GREAT resource for this info. Even just doing a search on some of the old "Pregnant or TTC" threads will yield a wealth of info. COngrats to your sis and to you, Auntie!

[Lisa Rae]

Yes, you absolutly can low-carb while pregnant..however..

You should not be in ketosis. Reason being, they simply haven't done much research in this area ( I mean heck..how many pregnant woman do you know who would volunteer!?) it's simply, IMHO, not worth taking the risk..especialy when you can do it after a healthy baby is here.

Also..she should not be trying to lose weight! Even if your overweight..the baby needs nutrition. Your also going to gain weight for the plecenta, blood and fluids. Yes, you can keep loss to a minimum..but losing weight is not smart.

I think any doctor would encourage a Maintenence type plan. Protein, veggies, low-sugar fruits and sme whole grains. If she eats junk..she will not only gain a lot more..but will increase things like degtational diabetis, water retention and high blood pressure. All not good for her or the bambino

[kidj4]

Originally Posted by Sherri14

I had gestational diabetes. My dr. limited my carbs to about 150 per day, spread out over the course of the day, to keep my blood sugar in check. I tried to get those carbs from fruits and veggies, and healthy whole grains. Some women with gestational diabetes can have more, it depends on your pre-pregnancy weight, I think. I always think it is good to limit sugars, pregnant or not, and I learned sooo much when on that diet ~ it is SUPER healthy (the diabetic diet). Many doctors would probably not really like if she said "Atkins", but if she just said, I'm going to cut back on sugars and flours, her doctor would probably feel she was making good choices. And, yes, absolutely no ketosis while she is pregnant!

i had GD as well and was put on a "diebetic diet" ~ the 150 carbs sounds about right, fruits, veggies, whole grains. i actually weighed 11 lbs less at delivery then my preprenancy weight!! and NO ketosis allowed ~ they were more worried about that then my blood sugar levels!

you don't HAVE to gain weight if you already have enough!

[sandooch140]

These are some great suggestions. I'm going to do that "pregnancy" seach here and let my sister know about maintenence low carb.

Thank you, everyone!

[lkim]

I ate maintenance levels during pregnancy and nursing two babies (not twins, separate births) I never went into ketosis and nursing I lost that way with carbs about 80