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NE1 on a low-sugar diet
Do you have any good references for me to do some research on what I can/can't eat?
I am overweight...280lb and 5ft5in and 34yo. I have been overweight all my life...it has been a real struggle getting a handle of my eating. DH and I are Americans living in Spain, but will be moving to Amsterdam this Fall.
I am pregnant with our first child and had my first appointment with the doctor today. This was my first ever doctor visit here in Spain and of course I got "scolded" about my weight. I wasn't surprised about the doctor saying something as I am the only overweight person in the country. The doctor said I need to cut out sugar out of my diet...no bread, pasta, no added sugar in my coffee, sugar free juice, etc.
I need to do some research so I can go to the grocery store with a list of what I can eat.
Re: NE1 on a low-sugar diet
The LAST thing you need to do while pregnant is go on a diet! Do NOT try to lose weight while pregnant. Gaining weight while pregnant is NORMAL and healthy for the baby. I'd find another doctor if he told you to lose weight while pregnant.
Cutting out extra sugar is not a bad thing. Rather than try to do it at once, why not make one small change a week. Week 1, don't eat "junk" food like cookies, candy, and cake. Week 2 cut out the soda. Week 3, don't add sugar to your coffee, etc. Rather than completely cut out bread and pasta, switch to whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta. They usually have a lower glycemic index than white carbs. Eat good sugars like fruits. Fruit is sweet and contains other nutrients that are healthy. If you have to have a piece of junk food daily, have 2 small squares of dark chocolate. You'll satisfy your sweet tooth and get some antioxidants.
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I actually am eating clean right now which is probably considered a low sugar diet. I've tried before to really make the change to eating clean as much as possible and I do really like it, but I tend to fall off the wagon time to time. There are a ton of books you can order that explain what it is as well as Clean Eating magazine and Oxygen magazine that you can check out online that will explain what it is and give you recipe ideas and weekly menus.
As far as you being pregnant, the last thing you need is to STRESS about your diet. As you said, it's always been a struggle for you. Try to focus on eating well, and sure, incorporate some changes where you can. The pro of being in Europe is that they eating lifestyle is so different from the U.S., so you do have that in your favor. If you treat yourself once in a while, don't beat yourself up over it! Just do the best you can and try to walk alot (explore the city!) and make a few small changes in your daily eating habits and you should be fine. I'd leave it to after baby to focus on changing your diet completely.
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I think cutting out sugar is good advice from your doctor.
Being in Europe you might have a slightly easier time avoiding added sugars than in the US. If you buy packaged foods it would be helpful to know the different names sugar has, especially in the languages you're coming across. Also, white flour breaks down into sugar very easily so falls into the same category pretty much (that's the breads, pasta, crackers, other baked goods).
A good shortcut would be to avoid packaged foods to begin with and think of all of the things you *can* eat: any type of vegetable, fruit, fish, meat, nuts/seeds, eggs, milk, cheeses, yogurt, fats like olive oil, coconut oil, butter, herbs, spices, etc. That's a lot of stuff! Just make sure it's a single food without ingredients.
It might be useful to post what you are used to eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the ladies here can toss out some ideas for no-sugar swaps.
It seems that sugar sweetened beverages (soda, juice, flavored milk, energy/sports drinks, fancy coffee drinks) probably do the most damage so best to drop those first and replace with water (plain or sparkling), teas, decaf.
Thanks everyone for the responses.
The Good: I do not purchase very many packaged foods. I regularly buy Special K and every once in awhile potato chips. I do concentrate my purchases on fruits, veggies, lean meat (the red meat here isn't very good), rice, pasta, eggs, milk, yogurt and some treats.
I drink lots of water...about 2L per day. I have cut out all caffeine since finding out I was preggo. I have been drinking apple juice, pomagrante/grape juice, OJ and nestea with lemon/decaffeined all without added sugar.
DH is a healthy eater and exercises everyday. I do take the dog out twice per day for 20-30 minutes each sometimes more. I have lost 10 pounds since moving here and 1 jeans size...so inches I guess.
The Bad: I haven't been very good about having regular meals here, with the exception of dinner. Dinner is usually pretty health, tonight is baked chicken, mushroom risotto (packaged...I guess I need to see if there is sugar in there) and brocolli.
They don't have many light/low-fat options here...such as yogurt, peanut butter, cereal, cheese, etc.
I love to bake, so we eat some and I send the rest with DH to work.
Yesterday I ate...Breakfast: 1 chocolate crossiant, 1 glass of semi-skimmed milk and cup of greek yogurt with strawberries (similar to a Dannon fruit on the bottom in the States)
Lunch: Thai chicken curry with bastami rice, 3 pieces of bread, fresh fruit juice (kiwi/pineapple/mint) and a little bit of hummus. (We were at a restaurant...it was a holiday yesterday here in Spain)
Dinner: We had a late lunch (at 3pm, which is common here) so I had an apple with peanut butter around 8pm.
my advice would be to chill with the juice. 100% juice or not that's a lot of sugar/calories without a lot of accompanying nutrition. try whole fruit instead.
also, was yesterday a typical day for you? you say it was a holiday but is that representative of how you normally eat?
I proabably have 1-2 glasses of juice a day...today so far none and it is already 5:30pm.
Usually for breakfast I have...greek yogurt with berries (plus 1 splenda packet), 1 hard boiled egg/toast or cereal Special K. On the weekends we get crossiants from the bakery downstairs.
Lunch pre-pregnancy jamon iberico or serrano on a baguette. Now usually left over dinner, sometimes a salad with chicken or most recently BLT.
Dinner usually meat with a veggie/starch, breakfast for dinner,
Snacks popcorn, mandrain oranges, apple with peanut butter (although here the peanut butter is the sugary kind),
We do eat at home most days of the week, we do order pizza one night and go out for one/two meals on the weekend.
Logging what you eat into 'my fitness pal' might help you see how much sugar you're eating. All of that juice and fruit, and bread/rice has a ton of sugar/carb in it.
As much as you can, try to find meats and veggies that you enjoy. If you must eat breads, make sure they're whole grain. Limit your fruits. While they have some fiber in them and vitamins, they also are full of natural sugar.
TTC #1 since May 2010. BFP #1 - 5/31/10; m/c on 7/22/10
Started seeing RE in August 2011
5 IUIs: BFN; IVF #1 - Success! BFP - 7/25/12