Low carb while pregnant?

[echoesofspring]

Anybody able to do it? I would love to be LC or mostly LC right now, but I'm having so much trouble. Main hurdle right now is the morning sickness/revulsion to lots of smells and foods, particularly veggies. Often all that sounds good is pizza. Poor DH has been trying to be primal and all of the sudden I'm loading the pantry up with carbs and broccoli makes me want to hurl. I feel like I've already put on a ton of weight in just 10 weeks, it's like in a vicious cycle where I eat a high carb meal and then I'm hungry b/c of what I ate, kwim?

I'd just as soon not gain too much xtra weight since I was working on losing some before we found out, it's not terrible, and obviously baby comes before vanity.... but I worked hard last year to lose the baby weight, and was actually a bit lighter than I was when I became pregnant with DS. Maybe the carb cravings will taper off once I feel better. Advice? BTDT?

[mommylamb]

I was LC for the second half of my pregnancy, but that was because I had GD. Honestly, unless you have a medical reason for going LC while pregnant, I think the best thing to do is try to just moderate what you eat in general and stick to the high fiber stuff. If you have morning sickness, do what makes your tummy feel better. But that's just my opinion.

[boltfam]

Originally Posted by mommylamb

Honestly, unless you have a medical reason for going LC while pregnant, I think the best thing to do is try to just moderate what you eat in general and stick to the high fiber stuff. If you have morning sickness, do what makes your tummy feel better. But that's just my opinion.

ITA. Morning sickness is so miserable... I would just try to get through that before making dietary changes.

[Katigre]

Originally Posted by echoesofspring

Anybody able to do it? I would love to be LC or mostly LC right now, but I'm having so much trouble. Main hurdle right now is the morning sickness/revulsion to lots of smells and foods, particularly veggies. Often all that sounds good is pizza. Poor DH has been trying to be primal and all of the sudden I'm loading the pantry up with carbs and broccoli makes me want to hurl. I feel like I've already put on a ton of weight in just 10 weeks, it's like in a vicious cycle where I eat a high carb meal and then I'm hungry b/c of what I ate, kwim?

I'd just as soon not gain too much xtra weight since I was working on losing some before we found out, it's not terrible, and obviously baby comes before vanity.... but I worked hard last year to lose the baby weight, and was actually a bit lighter than I was when I became pregnant with DS. Maybe the carb cravings will taper off once I feel better. Advice? BTDT?

First of all, follow your body's cues. If you're first trimester you will have different food needs than at other times. Have white rice, don't stress if you don't get enough vegetables, try smoothies, etc... Don't overdue foods that make you feel sick. Do more 'breakfast foods' that don't have the stomach turning odors of savory meat/vegetables.

Do you know Mark Sisson's food pyramid? It lists lots of options that are still paleo/primal (and I am not saying you have to stay there if you aren't wanting to - just if you WANT to eat paleo/primal while pregnant his pyramid gives enough options to make it palatable IMO.). http://www.marksdailyapple.com/intro...-food-pyramid/

I am paleo/primal and pregnant. I made the switch at 6ish months along (it was a gradual transition over about 6 weeks). I don't know what the mainstream considers low carb but I found that as long as I get 150 carbs a day then I continue to gain weight just fine. You would NOT want to drop below 100g of carbs per day as a pregnant person and likely want to shoot for 125-175g as a minimum. NOTE: I get ~150 carbs per day with zero grains in my diet. I just put on 5 lb in the past month while eating primally (I was very intentional to eat lots of extra healthy fat like avocado and coconut oil, make sure to eat plenty of carbs each day from fruits/vegetables/nuts/85%+ dark chocolate and some plain yogurt/kefir). I'm 30 weeks now and 21 lbs weight gain which is well within a normal range .

FWIW once I was out of the first trimester it was not difficult to cut out the grains (and I ate a LOT of grains first trimester which did contribute to a fast weight gain in the beginning - eating panera bagels every day will lead to gaining 10 lbs in 10 weeks ). Be patient with yourself and don't pressure yourself. Do eat foods that help you feel full - enough fat (healthy fat) especially. Can you do a green smoothie with coconut milk in it?

[echoesofspring]

Thanks Katigre for the post and suggestions! I had read Mark Sisson's posts a while back and forgotten about them, I should review them, but I also wanted to hear from actual pregnant women I'm sure I won't have any trouble getting enough carbs, and I probably will add in beans, as I love them maybe I can use them to stave away the other carb cravings. I have been doing smoothies and want to do more, but I need to try some actual recipes, my adhoc ones have been a mixed bag.

(I should add since I didn't mention it in my first post that LC isn't a lifestyle change for us, we've been doing it for years, first with the South Beach and then DH discovered primal. Both DH and I feel a lot better doing it, although I'm more likely to eat carbs occassionally than DH. I'm just having trouble with it right now...)

[roseyloxs]

Maybe you can try and make one of these pizzas if that is what you crave..
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/caulif...s-gluten-free/
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/pizza-...l-gaps-recipe/
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/201...e_wheat_pizza/

I wouldn't stress about it too much. Telling yourself that you can't have it is probably making you want more of it. Let yourself have it and try your best to stop when you are not hungry anymore. I have been eating a lot of fruit when I crave carbs and its been working for me. Mostly clementines and apples.

[Katigre]

Originally Posted by echoesofspring

Thanks Katigre for the post and suggestions! I had read Mark Sisson's posts a while back and forgotten about them, I should review them, but I also wanted to hear from actual pregnant women I'm sure I won't have any trouble getting enough carbs, and I probably will add in beans, as I love them maybe I can use them to stave away the other carb cravings. I have been doing smoothies and want to do more, but I need to try some actual recipes, my adhoc ones have been a mixed bag.

(I should add since I didn't mention it in my first post that LC isn't a lifestyle change for us, we've been doing it for years, first with the South Beach and then DH discovered primal. Both DH and I feel a lot better doing it, although I'm more likely to eat carbs occassionally than DH. I'm just having trouble with it right now...)

Smoothie recipe:
1 avocado
1 1/2 cups frozen berries/mango/pineapple/combination of all of them
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (you won't taste it in the smoothie at all)
1 ripe banana
1-2 scoops hemp protein powder
Add milk to cover (almond milk, coconut milk, etc...)

Blend until smooth.

ETA: Also do sweet potatoes. Your DH can grate them and saute them in coconut oil with cinnamon for hash browns (or make them into 'sweet potato pancakes' with some egg beaten in) and they will give you higher carbs and not have the gag-me-smell of savory food.

[nfowife]

There's a pregnancy thread in the women's health section over on lowcarbfriends.

[specialp]

Yes, I am and do eat LC due to insulin resistance and to prevent GD. I have eaten that way for years, however, with the first trimester, I could not choke down protein (not even protein shakes) or veggies to save my life except in the morning. Then I could handle protein so I ate as much (2 eggs) as I could handle, but the rest of the time was miserable and I tried everything. The only things I could handle where chicken noodle soup and mac & cheese, both of which are horrible for me and I hadn't had either in years. My very strict doctor shurgged and said, "do what you have to do and then improve the diet in the 2nd trimester." So that's what I did. Once I hit about 14 weeks, I was able to drop the carbs and go back to my protein and veggies. (Still can't handle broccoli though).