Hi there,

I'm on the induction phase of the Atkins diet and my husband and I are trying to start a family. I've read that it's not healty to be on Atkins or any other diet while trying to conceive but I'm not sure I believe this. I know a woman who was on induction before she got pregnant and had a healthy baby. I wouldn't diet while I was expecting but is it harmful before you conceive?

Has anyone else out there been on Atkins while you were pregnant or just before you got pregnant? Any advice for me?

Thanks!!!!

Make sure you take your supplements, Folic Acid in particular, if you want to get preganant.

thanks...been taking supplements everyday!

Personally myself, I would hold off on the pregnancy until you reached your health goals. A healthy Momma makes healthier babies And get your folic acid in NOW it is most beneficial in preventing many birth defects (including spina bifida) by taking it regularly BEFORE you conceive!!

I've been taking a folic acid supplement and a multivitamin religiously for the past six months. The atkins website says that the lifetime maintainance plan is good for pregnant women but I'm not sure I'm convinced.

Hi Elizabeth,

I am three month's pregnant and sticking with the low-carb lifestyle. I am loving it. I was doing an induction/OWL level when we were trying to conceive and as long as you're taking your prenatals, you should be fine.

atiaran is another forum member who is pregnant and stayed low-carb throughout. I am finding her journal to be a great resource.

Come visit my journal, too, if you'd like.

Good luck with the baby-making!!!!

I think that the maintainence plan would be quite healthy while pregnant. It includes foods from every food group (fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins and healthy fats) in moderate amounts. Stick with foods that are as unprocessed as possible with as few additives as possible (fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed meats, whole grains, etc..) and you should be fine! How could that be unhealthy?

Congratulations Natkins!

Thank you both for the advice. I feel really good on the Atkins diet and would like to stay on it before and after I get pregnant. (Should we get lucky!!!) I've read some negative stuff about low carb diets and pregnancy but the lifetime maintenance phase seems like a balanced plan to me. Hopefully I'll be switching from OWL to maintenance soon.

Best of luck to you on TTC!

I have had three children. I wish I had eaten low-carb for all three of them. Alas, I was only a low-carber for the last one. It was my easiest, healthiest pregnancy of the three.

I was in ketosis until I knew I was pregnant. Then added things like Wasa crackers, whole wheat tortillas, berries and melon (lots of these!!). I kept to the plan without counting my carbs -- so basically a Maintenance phase... eating what I wanted while still staying "legal" (no white stuff).

It is kind of funny, but my son seems to be a natural lower carber -- he does enjoy pasta, but his faves are meat and VEGETABLES!! and he doesn't like bread.

Good luck. Eat healthy!!

Nancy in Iowa

Native Americans ate an extreme low carb diet. It was their WOE and their pregnancies were healthy and child birth was, relatively, easy. If I were pregnant, I could see myself doing, maybe, maintenance or pre-maintenance. No matter what, you will be eating for 2. So make sure that you discuss this with your ob/gyn.

Nowadays, one of the first things that is tested is ingestional diabetes ( diabetes during childbirth ). So it may do well to eat a reduced carb WOE.

Black57

Nancy...thanks for sharing your experiences. It's good to know that a low carb diet can be part of a healthy pregnancy. Did your doctor advise for or against it? I haven't spoken to by OB?GYN about the diet...I'm not sure what he'll say.

Take care
Liz

You know what? I never discussed my WOE with my doctor when I was pregnant 21, 20 and 15 years ago. I wasn't locing but I ate like I always did, except for things that made me

IMHO, If you eat a well balanced diet of meats, veggies ( include a wide variety of low carb colorful veggies ) that excluded white flour or sugar, that should give your baby a healthy boost.

So instead of discussing the Atkins diet, I would discuss the foods you eat. Tell him you eat a fresh meats and vegetables. Even write down the list. If you make a graph he/she will be even more impressed. Name the types of vegetables etc and ask for suggestions. If your doctor asks you to increase citrus fruits you might ask, well, can I eat red bell peppers instead since they are higher in vitamin C? You can always say that you are not a fan of bananas so you have been eating avocadoes instead. I am willing to wager, that, if you discuss your food choices instead of calling it the Atkins Diet or lc, your doctor would say, "hmmmm, that sounds very healthy eating habits to me!" You could tell him that you eat flax-o-meal cereal or some other low carb cereal/bread without calling it "low carb". In other words, if you eat a well rounded, low carb diet ( WOE ), whithout giving it a name, your doctor will not object and he might be tricked into giving you other low carb ideas like suggesting that you add omega3 oils in your diet. ( Hey, yeah doc that's a good idea )

Just a thought,
Black57

Hi Elizabeth. I am 38.5 weeks pregnant and did LC maintenance for the entire pregnancy. Had a couple cheats here and there but overall the plan was easy to stick with and I felt fantastic. In fact, I had no morning sickness, no back pain, no swelling of ankles, no constipation, and cravings for things that were healthy. I did have really bad heartburn and some leg cramps, but overall I have enjoyed the pregnancy. The one thing I would do differently is I would have waited until I was closer to my goal weight before conceiving. But sometimes things happen!!
Good luck!

Hi Black57
Thanks for you thoughts on talking diet with my doctor. I thought your idea about discussing what I eat rather than mentioning the Atkins diet was excellent and I will definately use that.

Atiaran, congratulations on your pregnancy. I'm glad to hear that everything is going well and that low carbing is working for you. I'm feeling much better about staying on OWL as we try to conceive and about staying with maintainence should we get lucky.

Thanks!!

[QUOTE]Did your doctor advise for or against it? I haven't spoken to by OB?GYN about the diet...I'm not sure what he'll say. LIZ [QUOTE]

My doctor is wonderful. While pregnant with my 2nd I was borderline for gestational diabetes (which was my first clue I had a sugar problem) and he put me on what was basically a low-carb plan to avoid further problems.

I would have to say, however, that the word "Atkins" has never come up. He is aware that I eat no sugar or flour. He was even supportive of my fear of taking a glucose test in pregnancy #3 (the drinking of pure sugar to this sugar addict was a great source of terror for me) as long as I never showed any trace of sugar in my urine.

I think there are so many misconceptions in the world about what the Atkins WOE is all about, some doctors are enlightened and some are light years away from having any sort of clue. I can't see why any doctor would argue for you to put junk into your body at any time, much less while you are single handedly responsible for the health of another life. (mind boggling, isn't it??)

Best of luck to you, whatever course you may take.

Nancy in Iowa