Insulin resistant and pregnant...

« WellTellMe • Forum • Natural Health • Women's Health • Pregnancy • Insulin resistant and pregnant... »

(Read 7602 times) 1 ... 3 4 [5] 6

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #120 on: June 11, 2007, 11:07:22 AM » by denim&lace

Quote from: herbs girl on June 11, 2007, 09:28:08 AM

Smileyfacecurlyhead-

I looked at your numbers but Im a bit confused about how long some of them were after a meal. My doctor focused totally on the ONE HOUR POST MEAL GLUCOSE READINGS. Mine were a goal to be under 120 at the one hour mark. Some poeple can handle different types of carbs, and it affects their blood sugar differently. I did really well if I was careful to only have a small amount of carbs at each meal. Protein was a big key! I am sure you already know about all that, but If you put your one hour post meal readings on here, it would be easier to see where your at. She had me do it when I got up before breakfast: goal of under 95-100. And then the post meals of course were to be under 120.

Like I said, it was a bad day for trying to chart my levels. We went on a picnic and we did some running around after that, making it hard to eat what and when I should. Just getting to eat was a challenge... let alone eating balanced like I know I should.

But the first # is my waking # (95). The second (122) is one hour after I ate breakfast. The third(102) is two hours after breakfast. I left my meter at home and didn't have it for a one hour after lunch test, and I got home about 2.5 hours after eating lunch and that is the 126 reading Shocked

... I had a snack and the next test (120) was one hour after the snack. The last # (98) is my post dinner test... it was not quite an hour after dinner.

I'm planning on doing a one hour post meal test after each meal today. I'll be home so I'll be eating more like a normal day and hopefully the results will be better than yesterdays.

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #121 on: June 11, 2007, 11:28:23 AM » by herbs girl

I think for the most part, it looks like your in pretty good control of your sugars!! Keep it up!

They said my baby was so small ....6 lbs 15 oz at 38 weeks because I had such good control of my sugars. My goal for the next pregnancy is not be induced until 40 weeks unless there is a big risk life threatening situation! Just not worth it to be induced early!

« Last Edit: June 11, 2007, 11:29:59 AM by herbs girl »
Logged

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #122 on: June 11, 2007, 01:17:46 PM » by cecac

A question: How is your overall weight in pregnancy doing? I am wondering if you are able to hold your weight down by keeping better control of the insulin reaction?

I have noticed a tendency to gain more & more weight in pregnancy, but I have never done a pregnancy low carb yet, so I am hoping to keep my overall weight down next pregnancy if I am watching the carbs and eating proteins. I am not talking about gaining a tiny bit of weight--it would be nice to only gain 35 instead of 50 pounds.

Thanks for any info,
Cara

Logged

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #123 on: June 11, 2007, 01:44:44 PM » by denim&lace

I"m at 11 weeks and I've gained one pound...

Well, actually I had lost 5 lbs drastically in the early weeks of my pregnancy due to cutting out dairy products, as I gradually added the dairy back in I gained the 5lbs back over a couple of weeks and then I held steady until last week when I gained a pound that is consistantly still there each morning when I get up.

With my previous pregnancies I gained 21lbs, 18lbs, and 26lbs (but #3 was born 7.5 weeks early according to the ultrasounds... according to my calculations he was about 4 weeks early) I have always been pretty good about eating well during pregnancy though. I didn't realize how I needed to eat, but have always craved protein and fruit during pregnancy. My husband joked that we were going to have to name #2 'Steak Eggs Watermelon' when I was pregnant with him because that's almost all I wanted to eat. Cheesy

« Last Edit: June 11, 2007, 01:49:11 PM by smileyfacecurlyhead »
Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #124 on: June 11, 2007, 01:59:20 PM » by denim&lace

Quote from: herbs girl on June 11, 2007, 11:28:23 AM

I think for the most part, it looks like your in pretty good control of your sugars!! Keep it up!

Oh good! I thought staying over 100 for most of the day was kinda high. Today my waking was 94 and my one hour after breakfast was 94.

What about snacks? I try to eat a little something every couple of hours. I usually go for something 'safe' like nuts or peanut butter with celery or even a glass of V-8... but should I be concerned about how those foods are affecting my sugars?

And how do you check for ketones in your urine? I have no experience with this and I'm wondering if it's something I need to consider. (I got to thinking about this after reading a link on the gestational diabeties thread and here where you said your little guy was so little because you kept your sugars controlled so well.)

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #125 on: June 11, 2007, 02:21:36 PM » by herbs girl

Quote from: smileyfacecurlyhead on June 11, 2007, 01:59:20 PM

Quote from: herbs girl on June 11, 2007, 11:28:23 AM

I think for the most part, it looks like your in pretty good control of your sugars!! Keep it up!

I never did ketones...my diabetec counselour did not want to mess with it because my sugars were so good.

Also if you look in the gestational diabetes thread, there has been a mixup on how low the sugars should be at 1 hour post meal. I think my doctor said at least below 130, I was originally thinking it was under 120....But above all, I would definatley try to keep it under 140 at 1 hour post meal. Any above 140 and you may be having a bad affect on the baby, ect!

So from what you told me, your sugars are almost beyond excellent! THey are GREAT!!!

If you wanted to you could research/read up a little on the ketone thing, but as good as your sugars are now, If I was you I wouldnt worry about it at this point. They say after the 20 th week --delivery it keeps getting harder and harder to keep sugars down. I mightve noticed a little difference, but not much at all, after the 20th week...It was easy if I ate right!! I did have one extra high sugar (like around 200) but that was the only time that I know of that it was outragously high!

The snacks look good, but Im not sure about the V-8...I think I couldnt drink much of that. Look at the carbs in it. Tomatoes are sometimes thought of as a fruit...so? You'll have to ask the diabetes diet experts about this one. Peanuts help bring your sugars down.

Logged

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #126 on: June 11, 2007, 03:55:10 PM » by denim&lace

I'm only doing V-8 because I've had such a hard time getting any veggies down. I know, I know... V-8 has been processed and such to the point that it doesn't resemble veggies much... but at least it feels like I'm getting some form of veggies. The carb count is 10g and the sugars count is 8g.

I can still eat celery and a little bit of raw cabbage without feeling sick, but lettuce, spinach and broccoli (my main green foods) all do me in.

So, if my sugars are doing well the ketones should not be an issue?

Thanks so much herbs girl for your help. It's all new stuff for me and it's reassuring to have somebody who has some experience!

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #127 on: June 11, 2007, 04:03:16 PM » by herbs girl

Well, thanks for starting this thread! I will have something to refer to if I have GD again! Have you seen all the good information about gestational diabetes in pregnancy on this link...It is a wealth of information!!! Tells you how to eat and everything all from a mom who has had experience and has really done her research. This will tell you all about ketones, too. I would do the research and find out, but my personal opinion is if your sugars are always this good, it would be ok without doing it. But I encourage you to be informed!

http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/gd/gd_index.html

« Last Edit: June 11, 2007, 04:04:52 PM by herbs girl »
Logged

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #128 on: June 11, 2007, 07:28:07 PM » by denim&lace

That's a great link! It has so much of the information that I have been looking for but not finding (or finding such conflicting info it was confusing!) I like that the conflicting information and ideas are all discussed so that you have some reasoning for why one doctor or website or book says this and another says that.

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #129 on: June 12, 2007, 05:34:51 AM » by herbs girl

Smileyfacecurlyhead--

I have stumbled on some more information..do you use Virgin Coconut Oil? I read it can bring your blood sugar down..

http://www.coconutdiet.com/diabetes.htm

Logged

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #130 on: June 12, 2007, 01:11:03 PM » by denim&lace

I was reading about VCO on a Dr. Mercola newsletter this morning. I haven't used VCO yet... my husband really does not like coconut. I may have to get some and try it just by the spoonful.

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #131 on: June 12, 2007, 02:16:56 PM » by denim&lace

Yesterday I had a waking glucose reading of 94. I drank my acv and ate 2 eggs and one small gala apple. My one hour post meal test was 94.

Today I had a waking glucose reading of 87. I did NOT drink acv but I ate an identical breakfast to yesterday. My one hour post meal test was 96.

I kinda wish my waking #'s had been more similar to minimize variables, but I'll keep doing this over a week or so and see if the acv consistantly provides this kind of results.

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #132 on: June 12, 2007, 02:43:37 PM » by herbs girl

You will be able to tell more about the ACV in the seconed and especially the 3ed trimester, because usually the pregnancy starts affecting the blood sugar more, depending on the individual. Your sugars are VERY GOOD!! I didnt have any trouble in the first trimester, that I know of but its the 2ed and 3ed that I have to watch.

Also, you can get the Cocount Oil in gel capsules, too. I had thought about it, because it helps your thyroid, and thats how I came upon the above link...

Logged

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #133 on: June 13, 2007, 12:48:25 PM » by denim&lace

Plastic products contribute to insulin resistance and diabetes? check out this article...

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060121/fob4.asp

I thought this was interesting. My husband has always laughed at me for not wanting to eat or drink on plastic dishes. I told him before we were married that it makes the food or drink taste like plastic. (it does!) But we still drink a whole lot of bottled water...

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #134 on: June 13, 2007, 03:36:16 PM » by denim&lace

This page will link to several articles by Dr. Mercola. These articles give a lot of information on the metabolisim of sugars, the role of insulin in our bodies, and the mechanics of healing IR and diabetes.

http://www.mercola.com/article/diet/index.htm

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #135 on: June 13, 2007, 03:54:45 PM » by kaira

Quote from: smileyfacecurlyhead on June 10, 2007, 11:26:10 PM

Kaira,
Most (if not all of the information) on this thread is relevant to anybody with IR. I encourage you to check it out as well as any of the diabeties threads. There are links to several studies and I don't think any of them are geared towards pregnancy... just insulin resistance.

HTH's

Hi Smiley,

Thanks. I am planning to peruse the thread to see what I might learn. I'm sure I will learn lots Wink

I always do.

Logged

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #136 on: June 14, 2007, 09:19:01 AM » by Kati*did

This is one of the most interesting articles about Insulin I've ever read. It includes insulin resistance, but is mainly about how insulin is so central to many things that go on in the body -- suggesting that insulin (and the level of sensitivity in the body) is a key component in keeping most disease from the body and helping to extend lifespan, in general . The article is on mercola, but it is not by him. It's in 4 parts, and is fairly long, but definitely worth reading!

http://www.mercola.com/2001/jul/14/insulin.htm

Logged

"...plain Kate, and bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst..."

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #137 on: June 14, 2007, 01:02:16 PM » by denim&lace

Quote from: Kati*did on June 14, 2007, 09:19:01 AM

This is one of the most interesting articles about Insulin I've ever read. http://www.mercola.com/2001/jul/14/insulin.htm

I agree. This is the article that I spent all of my 'research time' on yesterday... (plus a little extra time Roll Eyes

) I plan on reading more of the other mercola articles today.

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #138 on: June 14, 2007, 01:42:25 PM » by denim&lace

The next three articles on the page I linked yesterday are all very evolutionary based. Though I believe they have a lot of good information if you can eat the meat and spit out the bones I just wanted to warn anybody who may not want to read them because they are based on evolutionary thinking...

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #139 on: June 14, 2007, 02:58:40 PM » by dara

So... I'm trying to read up on Insulin Resistance... books like Syndome X and The Schwartzbein Principle, and they keep saying how carbs are so quickly turned to sugars... but they are speaking to people to eat the Standard American Diet. If one eats only Whole Grain grains, are they still "bad"? I anticipate that if I do not figure the diet thing out that I will be dealing with diabetes later in life as I have several IR indicators. When I took my Nutrition course I learned the Low Fat approach, but it was taught by a vegan. I'm not sure what to eat! Fresh produce can be so expensive to eat at every meal... I have always stretched the budget with whole grains, mostly whole wheat and brown rice. So what's the scoop on whole grains? Should I go by a glycemic index to decide? And how do I know if a GI score is "good enough"?

Logged

"Write your hurts in the sand
and grave your blessings in stone."

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #140 on: June 14, 2007, 03:44:38 PM » by Gigi

Quote from: dara on June 14, 2007, 02:58:40 PM

So what's the scoop on whole grains? Should I go by a glycemic index to decide? And how do I know if a GI score is "good enough"?

Dara,

Being a type 1 that makes no insulin, I can more easily track what effect foods have on my body when we're talking about sugar.

When I eat a slice of white bread my blood sugars rise a certain amount. When I eat a slice of whole wheat bread, my sugars rise the same amount or more, just as quickly as the white bread.

When I eat white rice, my sugars rise a certain amount. When I eat brown rice, they rise the same amount and just as quickly as the white rice.

The truth is that most whole grain stuff is almost always just as bad for your blood sugars as non-whole grain.

There is a popular myth which any type 1 can debunk which says that the foods I listed above will not raise the sugars much & will raise them more slowly, but it simply is not the case.

I never knew this until I read Dr. Bernsteins Diabetes Solution. Then I tried it on myself and found that he was right.

There may be plenty of benefits to whole grain, but those benefits do not include lower sugars.

Though there are differences in how different carbs are broken down in the body, they still remain the EASIEST thing for your body to break down, regardless of type. The thing that slows your sugar absorption down is not "whole grain" - it is the protein & fat that you put with it.

I think that if you do not have diabetes than you should do what you can to incorporate whole grains as your source of carbs, but in much smaller proportions than Americans typically do. If you feel like you are in danger of diabetes, I would greatly limit all carbs across the board. Cut them clean in half. Don't have more than, say 20 at any given meal. Don't serve a starch with dinner - try a small amount of s/f yogurt or cottage cheese instead.

Just some thoughts for you.
HTH

Logged

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #141 on: June 14, 2007, 04:06:19 PM » by denim&lace

Quote from: dara on June 14, 2007, 02:58:40 PM

I have always stretched the budget with whole grains, mostly whole wheat and brown rice. So what's the scoop on whole grains? Should I go by a glycemic index to decide? And how do I know if a GI score is "good enough"?

I've always used whole grains to stretch our budget too. It hasn't been easy for me to change my thinking in this area either. I actually had to get a glucose meter and start charting the affect that the grains have on my body to see the real need for me to cut them way back in our diets. What I'm discovering is this:

for me, oats and whole wheat will usually raise my blood glucose over 50 points in a one hour post meal test. That is even if I eat them with a protein or extra fiber source which should slow the spike in glucose down. If I eat a grain in the morning, my glucose levels will be elevated the entire day, even if I eat very high in protein the rest of the day. BUT, if I eat a grain in the evening it seems to have less affect and a slower more steady rise in glucose levels which are back to close to fasting levels just two to three hours after the meal.

I haven't had the opportunity to check out brown rice yet, but something I found to be kind of suprising is that corn (a big diabetic no-no) has less affect on my sugar levels than either ww or oatmeal.?.? I can have a small corn on the cob or a serving of tortilla chips and it will give me only a 15-20 point rise on my next test.

All of this to say that I think certain foods affect certain people differently. I wonder if being of Native American descent has something to do with the fact that my body responds differently to corn than other peoples. I don't believe in evolution, but I do believe in adaptations, and the Native American tribe that I descend from had corn in their diets. It's especially interesting that Native Americans now have a much higher incidence of diabetes than other nationalities in America. Especially since they seem to have converted from corn to the wheat diet of the Europeans more readily than say people of Asian descent seem to have converted from rice to wheat.

I'd like to see a study done that compares people of Asian descent, Native American descent, and European descent and how they all respond to the foods that are native to the region of their ancestors, such as rice, wheat, oats and corn and compare that to how they respond to the non-native foods.

I had been checking the GI charts and honestly, having the glucose meter has told me a whole lot more about how my body responds to foods than the GI chart... but both have been helpful tools.

« Last Edit: June 14, 2007, 04:09:05 PM by smileyfacecurlyhead »
Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #142 on: June 15, 2007, 08:32:51 AM » by dara

Thank you so much, Gigi and Smiley! That sheds some light...

Quote

I'd like to see a study done that compares people of Asian descent, Native American descent, and European descent and how they all respond to the foods that are native to the region of their ancestors, such as rice, wheat, oats and corn and compare that to how they respond to the non-native foods.

Me too! I am of European decent, so milk and wheat "shouldn't" give me huge spikes in blood sugar, but I don't have a meter (I'm not diabetic at this point, just hypoglycemic, and have early, mild symtoms of GD when pregnant), so I don't know how it affects me, really. I wonder what the after meal blood sugar levels are for a healthy person eating grains. How should I feed my kids if I want them to avoid blood sugar/insulin problems? They already think I deprive them of sugar Wink

. Well, I'll keep reading... thank you for your input and book and article recomendations!

Logged

"Write your hurts in the sand
and grave your blessings in stone."

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #143 on: June 16, 2007, 07:40:49 PM » by denim&lace

Quote from: dara on June 15, 2007, 08:32:51 AM

How should I feed my kids if I want them to avoid blood sugar/insulin problems? They already think I deprive them of sugar Wink

Keep depriving them! Wink

And teach them to enjoy physical activity.

That's the best advice I've found.

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #144 on: August 01, 2007, 03:49:01 PM » by denim&lace

So for those of us suffering from adult onset acne and excess facial hair growth caused by excess androgens as a result of insulin resistance, I just found this (thanks to my WTM friends)

http://blog.abcpsr.com/plastic-surgery/mint-tea-to-shed-unwanted-hair/

I've reduced my acne to almost nothing (an occasional pimple once every three to four weeks) but the facial hair, though lighter colored and a bit finer has not gone away...

Maybe spearamint tea will help!

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #145 on: August 01, 2007, 03:59:38 PM » by skelliott2

Oh my goodness! What a wonderful idea, and so easy!! Thanks for the suggestion!! Grin

Logged

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #146 on: August 01, 2007, 04:25:40 PM » by SC

THIS has got to be one of the best suggestions I've seen on this site. THANKYOU for sharing. Just wish I had known this 15+ years ago before my oldest son saw me with one of those creams on my upper lip. He's never recovered from the sight of mama with a whipped cream looking mustache. LOL!

My overworked tweezers thank you!

Logged

I'm no doctor . . . I'm not even a Post hole Digger! Wink

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #147 on: August 01, 2007, 04:30:43 PM » by denim&lace

All the thanks should go to InEverything. She mentioned it on the acne thread.

Quote from: SC on August 01, 2007, 04:25:40 PM

« Last Edit: August 01, 2007, 04:36:16 PM by denim&lace »
Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #148 on: August 06, 2007, 04:00:54 PM » by denim&lace

Last week, despite my best efforts my sugar levels rose steadily. Each morning I woke up with sugars just a little higher than the day before. I was eating well, and cutting out any extra carbs as the week progressed yet still they rose. I also developed a couple of blemishes like the ones I was getting before from androgen overload.

Today I woke up with the sun shinning into the bedroom and realized that it had been raining and cloudy all last week. No vitamin D!

I checked my waking levels, 91. Slightly higher again. I ate breakfast on the deck in the sunshine and my 1 hour post meal was only 110. My 2 hour post meal was 92... Thats MUCH better than last week.

Can it really work that fast?

I'll be buying some cod liver oil today.

Logged

"Thus it now appears to me that trust, and not submission, defines obedience." ~ Joan W. Blos in 'A Gathering of Days'

Re: Insulin resistant and pregnant...
« Reply #149 on: August 11, 2007, 12:08:39 AM » by InEverything

Quote from: denim&lace on August 01, 2007, 04:30:43 PM

All the thanks should go to InEverything. She mentioned it on the acne thread.

Quote from: SC on August 01, 2007, 04:25:40 PM

Wow.. if one of my "finds" helps SC that may be my claim to fame! Still waiting to order my spearmint tea from BHS.

Denim and Lace, could you give me an example of your daily meals following the IR guidelines? Is it expensive to eat this way? I feel so much better when I limit carbs but it can be hard to find something to eat.

Your info is always helpful, thanks.

Logged

"in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes. 5:18

(Read 7602 times) 1 ... 3 4 [5] 6