Newly pregnant, and I've been on Induction

[Amanda T]

Hello there, I am a first time poster on this bulletin board, I've come in search of help since finding out I'm pregnant. A brief history: I've been on the Induction phase of Atkins since mid-January, and I've lost 30 lbs. That felt great, I was feeling more attractive, and apparently getting thinner is an aphrodisiac, because suddenly I'm pregnant. This is a totally unplanned pregnancy- my husband will be 45 before this baby comes, and my oldest will be 17, the younger child 5!
When I was pregant last time, I ate whatever I darn well pleased, and gained 50 lbs. I breast fed for 14 months, and only lost about 30 of what I gained. Then over the next few years I gained an additional 30+ lbs. Now that I'm eating right, and exercising every single day, I'm regaining a more feminine figure and feeling so much better about myself. I'm excited about this baby, but I just want to wail when I think about losing ground on this diet.
Now as I understand it, I need to eat more than 20 g carbs a day to stay out of ketosis, to keep from possibly harming this baby. This would put me in the maintenance phase of the diet? Or do I need to up the carb intake to around 100 g or more to make double sure that I'm providing my baby with all he/she needs? I am not concerned about vitamins/minerals, because I know that my diet is and will be rich in all of those essential goodies. I have not included any fruits in my meals as of yet, because I was still so strict with my diet (before I found out I was with child, I was taking in around 10-15 g carbs/day). I am trying to find the perfect balance of good carbs to feed my growing baby, just enough that my body doesn't say "Ah, carbohydrates!" and start packing junk back onto my butt and tummy and arms and neck and face and everywhere else I keep it. Also, I want to continue with my current exercise plan as long as possible, to keep my muscles from deteriorating.
I apologize for the lengthy post, I'm trying to fit everything pertinent in!

Amanda

[julirama723]

Amanda, yes, if you're pregnant, you should move to maintenance.

This means you will not add back in refined sugars and carbohydrates, but it does mean you should be eating vegetables, fruits, cheeses, legumes, meats, eggs, dairy, and some whole grains.

I don't know the specifics of pregnancy and Atkins, so hopefully someone with more knowledge will be along to help you shortly!

[Amanda T]

Thank you- I've got a grocery list started with legumes, some fruits, and whole grains added. The rest I've been eating in healthy amounts. I'm planning on sticking to fruits that are lower on the glycemic index scale, so that I'm not so likely to push up my blood sugar levels so quickly after eating. Also, I've started a log of exactly what I eat, including the calories/carbs/fat amts, so that I can show it to my Doc at Monday's appt. I've got to get my Atkins book back from my MIL so I can go over the maintenance chapters again; it's been so long since I've read that portion.

[ValidRouge]

Oh and many people can be in ketosis and eating as high as 100 grams of carbs per day. So, you need to significantly increase your carb intake above 20 grams per day.

[Amanda T]

I just picked up some ketone strips, so I can monitor that.

[Amanda T]

Well I've tried to increase my carb intake, but I've found it very difficult to take in so much! I've become accustomed to so few carbs/day. I feel like I'm stuffing myself. And I'm still in lipolysis, although the after retesting, the color on the strips has lightened somewhat. And I just added up my approximate calorie intake for saturday, and it was under 1300. So I have quite a way to go to be eating right, without taking in just junk. What I'm wondering is, why am I still overweight if I've been eating like this for some time, lol!