Going off plan for about 8 months

[Laura]

Well, back up to maintenance, at least... :eek:

[Jacqueline]

Yikes! What's going on?

I've been off plan since Valentines day. That slippery slope is so hard! I only gained back a few pounds and have been holding ever since.

[Jamie]

I'm thinking there's going to be a bikergoddess junior?

I have been Atkinsing since January 1st and have lost 61 pounds, but I'm now thinking I might look towards low glycemic load for a change!

[Jacqueline]

Oh wow! That'd be awesome!!!!! I hope you're right. :) I'd love to see them with matching guns.

Congrats on losing 61 pounds. That us uber fantastic!!!! I think Atkins is great as it gives you a good framework to work within, but once you've learned how your body handles food, you can manage your own low glycemic diet.

[Laura]

Jamie got it in one! lol

I found out you were supposed to wait 2 months before telling anyone, when I told everyone... :D First appointment is May 1st.

I've added some fruit, but mostly sticking to what I had been doing before. James is trying to get me to eat ice cream, but I'm paranoid about the sugar. I'd read that eating sugar during pregnancy can create greater cravings in kids, and Mom said that it's also been linked to alcoholism.

Congrats, Jamie, that's great! Atkins can be somewhat limiting if you're not a creative cook and the low GI foods can help spice it up, as it were. I'll probably head that way later in pregnancy. Mom said she had gestational diabetes, but was able to control it through diet. I was borderline diabetic in my teens, but absolutely not eating healthy. Have had good numbers since doing Atkins, though.

[Jacqueline]

Woohoo!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jamie]

Woohoo on getting knocked up! I am so happy for you and James!

[Jacqueline]

How are you doing?

[Laura]

I haven't gained any weight so far (and am supposed to keep it to 15 pounds, which I'm sure will be mostly baby, who doesn't weigh much now). Lots of salads. Craving potatoes (which is nothing new, but now I actually indulge ;)).

I haven't tested, but I wondered if ketones were bad for the baby. My carb intake most days is pretty low, but probably not enough to go into ketosis. I've just gotten in the habit of meats and veggies and no starches (except those potatoes!). Bread/crackers make my stomach more upset at this point, so I'm planning eating cheese if the morning sickness gets bad. However, I'm pretty sure that would kick me into ketosis if it were all I could eat.

Matzi and I go walking nearly every day. He loves it and I think it's the main reason I haven't gained weight. I was kinda cheating by playing fetch... great exercise for him, but not so much for me.

Thanks for asking!

[Jacqueline]

I am not aware of any studies that have been done on this, but ketones themselves are not known to be harmful to the baby. You naturally produce more ketones when you're pregnant than when you're not pregnant. There are some reasons they recommend you stay out of ketosis while you're pregnant. One is that you need to eat more, and being in ketosis will decrease your appetite. I remember 100 carbs per day being a general target. Dr. Atkins said you should eat maintenance level carbs as you do not want to be on any weight-loss plan while you're pregnant.

You can add some good fruits and higher carb veggies to help keep your carb count higher without going to something like crackers. You'll have to see what you can tolerate, which may change during the pregnancy. Cheese is a good choice as your need for calcium increases quite a bit while you're pregnant.

Walking with Matzi is great! Definately better than the fetch system. Exercise is even more important now, and if you have no complications you should be able to walk through your entire pregnancy.

When will they give you an US? Are you going to find out if your baby's a boy or girl, or keep it as a suprise?

BTW, on my other site, I've got tons of good blinkies.

[Laura]

100 carbs a day?! I'll blow up to whale proportions! I'm not aiming for ketosis and think it would be pretty hard to hit, since I'm very carb sensitive (was around 10 during Induction, to get into ketosis), but knew I'd have some ketones, especially if morning sickness hits.

We're not doing ultrasounds, so it'll be a surprise. lol, just too close to the "almost no risk" permanent nerve damage to want to take chances with anything. Statistics are meaningless when it happens to you!

[Jacqueline]

You've been doing this long enough to have a great idea how your body reacts to everything. I'm sure you'll do fine with your diet. One thing to keep in mind, though, is to stay away from flax while you're pregnant.

I'm rooting for a little Laura. :)

[Laura]

Why no flax? (Not that I use it now, though. Just don't like the texture..)

Oh, and we're doing one ultrasound in 3 weeks, to find out about twins, since I have two factors, age and family (aunts, even. the whole skips a generation bit.)

Due date is officially Dec. 25.

[Jacqueline]

What a nice Christmas present. :)

Flax can add estrogen and knock your hormones out of whack. Not a good thing when you're pregnant. Here's what mayo has to say on it.


http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/NS_patient-flaxseed (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/NS_patient-flaxseed)
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
The use of flaxseed or flaxseed oil during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not recommended. Animal studies show possible harmful effects, and there is little information in humans. Flaxseed may stimulate menstruation or have other hormonal effects and could be harmful to pregnancy.

[Laura]

God knows I don't need any more hormones!

[Jacqueline]

LOL!!! I hear ya!