Does anyone have any knowledge on LCing while trying to conceive? I have about 40 lbs. to lose, but would like to become pregnant in a few months. Does LCing have any health ramifications in this regard? (i.e. If one becomes preg. while on induction or very slightly higher levels of carbs.) Any info would be greatly appreciated! Jenny

Hey Jenny,

I think I told you before that I've done Somersizing, which is food combining. With level 2, maintenance, you can add carbs to your protein and fat, but you still avoid what she calls "funky" foods (like all sugars, white flour, high glycemic veggies). That's what I did during my last pregnancy and I gained less weight than any other pregnancy.

The interesting thing that I noticed was that I didn't gain any weight at all unless I cheated. If I ate a bowl of ice cream I gained 2 lbs. the next day. If I ate anything funky I automatically gained 2 lbs. at least. So, while my weight gain was lower than usual, it was still too high for me because I ended up back on the sugar.

So I think the key is to make it through the morning sickness without giving in to the funky stuff. Eat whole grains with protein to keep your blood sugar stable. And then just make sure you eat good quality carbs instead of junk.

Good luck getting pregnant!

Thanks Sara, we're not actively trying to get pregnant right now, but I'm kind of thinking ahead. I just didn't know if LCing would impede or enhance conception? Since I'm actually eating healthier than ever before, I wouldn't think it would negatively affect it, but I haven't seen any articles on the subject.

Thanks again for your reply, Jenny

hi i am new t the site. was veryhappy to discover this thread too!!

i have ben doing atkins for about a month now. i have been really good at sticking with the healthy eating plan ie: lots of real food and the atkins bars for snacks. i have been really happy with things although i seem to have stalled in the weight loss dept. and my ketostrips never registered any color !?

for varietys sake I was going to move to OWL soon. BUT !!!

this morning i found out that im pregnant!!! SOOO, needess to say i have to switch to maintanence. what foods are safe to introduce into my diet without immediate weight gain?

i would like to start eating fruits grains and yogurt specifically, but i am concerned about the atkins bars and malitol sweetened treats. i rely on those for convenience, are they harmful???
sorry to ramble so much but i'm very excited and confused at the moment.

i would really appreciate a reply from someone who might have been in my shoes.

Hi.

I was lowcarbing during my third pregnancy. I sure wish I would have been for the other two as well -- it was my easiest pregnancy.

I was in OWL when I got pregnant. Didn't have any trouble trying to conceive. I stayed low-carb througout my pregnancy. I added Wasa crackers which I hadn't been eating previously. I enjoyed a summer full of canteloupe, blueberries and strawberries. I stayed within the guidelines of the allowed foods, but I didn't count carbs at all.

Good luck to you!

Nancy in Iowa

thanks for your reply nancy!!!


you mentioned that you " stayed within the guidelines of allowed foods, but didn't count carbs at all"

just to clarify - you ate as much fruits, veg, cheese etc.... as you felt like?? did you cut back on super high fat stuff ,like whipping cream, rich cheese , and my personal weakness,sugar free chocolate bars?? im not qiute sure how to strike a balance between staying low carb and giving the baby what it needs. i have added lowcarb high fiber cereals and rice cakes to my diet. but i have also been having cravings for salty carb snacks like popcorn and chips any sugggestions???

hope you don't mind my picking your brain

im just kinda nervous about the whole thing cause i have already put on 5lbs in as many weeks!!!

thanks again for your advice
be well
ali

Just thought I'd let you know, we had been trying to concieve for about a year and a half before going LC. We've been LC since Late October and I got pregnant in April. I thought it would never happen.

I had consulted my doctor about simple fertility fixes and he told me insulin does have an impact on ability to concieve. A LC diet that is not extreme will help regulate these levels just like a diabetic diet does. So it can actually be a help.

My doc put me on glucophage to stabilize insulin levels after some testing. 2 cycles later I got pregnant. Think that really did the trick.

Good luck!

I've switched to a moderate LC diet now that I know I'm pregnant. I've added berries and a few bites of my son's pasta or bread with meals. I think it is best not to be in ketosis while pregnant. I'm still avoiding refined sugar completely. And eating very little of the flour products.

I truly dont see where eating a potato or noodle would add to the nutrition baby gets. But I will be asking doc for advice soon. I've been in twice for hormone level testing, but havent gotten to have a sit down talk w/ doc yet. I will get his advice next week, And try to remember to post it. I've had one miscarriage so I'm really nervous about anything that would have a bad effect. BTW I was not LCing during that pregnancy.

I would love to hear from others who have experience with LC during pregnancy.

I was on maintenance when I got pregnant (about 70 g of carbs per day)... I began low carbing to prevent any more ovarian cysts and to stop the pain... My doc praised me for my research and action taken and suggested that I continue to low carb throughout my pregnancy... For the first 3 months or so it was difficult because I could not hold anything down and the thought of meat was absolutely sickening, but now I'm back to maintenance style and am doing wonderfully at 23 weeks...

There are so many benefits to low carbing if you can get enough vitamins and minerals... Sometimes a supplement is needed, but if you are on maintenance, you should be able to get plenty of vits from fruit and veggies...

If you are planning on ttc, I'd suggest starting a prenatal vitamin and possibly some extra folate now... Couldn't hurt, but could quite possibly help...

Good luck!!

Hi -- I haven't been in here in ages. I wanted to reply back to Ali.

I pretty much ate whatever I wanted during my pregnancy, as long as it fell within controlled carb guidelines. I avoided all the white stuff. I did have an occasionaly SF chocolate bar -- they are so darn gassy that I didn't think the baby would particularly enjoy them! (or maybe all that grumbling helped lull him to sleep).

If you keep eating your protein, veggies and fruits your baby will be getting lots of good stuff.

If you are still having cravings for the high carb stuff, cut back on the carbs that you are eating. The rice cakes are probably carb-y enough to send up your blood sugar. Stick to whole grain items.

Sorry for the delay in replying. I just got the e-mail notification that there was a post added to the thread. Let me know if I can help you.

Nancy

so... if i'm trying to conceive, is induction still ok?
when should i go off atkins if at all?
i'm still so confused

I would say, yes, induction is fine while TTC. Remember to take your multi-vitamin (which is true whether low carbing or not!). I was in ketosis while TTC, but got out of ketosis as soon as I found out I was pregnant.

There is no need to quit low-carbing during pregnancy. Just keep your carb levels up where out of ketosis level.

Because a controlled carbohydrate diet is so much more healthful than the average american diet, I am sure your baby will be much better fed, and you will have a much lower risk of developing gestational diabetes, than if you return to a high carb diet.

Best of luck to you.

Nancy

Oh Good.

Could you tell me what the negative effects on a baby would be while the mother is in ketosis? Is this the case for lactating women as well?

thanks in advance!

From my understanding, and you can check at the Atkins center, there hasn't been any studies on the effects of ketosis the unborn. Ketones do appear in breast milk. Again the effect is yet untested, so they recommend you stay out of ketosis during this time.

Search the Atkins web site under pregnancy and see what comes up. I think there is a place where you can ask specific questions. It has been a couple years since I have been pregnant, maybe things have changed.

Nancy

I posted URLs for some articles in the Ketosis-Prengnant? thread. I don't want to cross post.