My Life-Changing PCOS Diet Experience: How I Lost Weight During Pregnancy and Beyond

I'll be honest, there was a time when I felt like I'd never get back to my pre-pregnancy self. But after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I knew I had to make some serious changes. As it turned out, this was my first and only dieting experience in my life, since I'd always been a petite person. Anyway, during my pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The main component of treating this disease is diet:

Table #9

I was lucky that my GSD was in a relatively mild form. All I had to do was follow a diet, monitor my blood sugar levels, and visit my endocrinologist. No insulin was needed. I was on the diet for diabetics (Table #9) for three months (mid-June to mid-September 2018), and it left a lasting impression on me. Plus, I kept a food diary, which helped me document everything.

In this review, I'll share:

Why It's Crucial to Follow a Diet with GSDForbidden and Allowed Foods with GSD (Table #9)My Experience with Table #9 DietDiet ResultsGSD after Giving BirthConclusion

🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦

Why It's Crucial to Follow a Diet with GSD

Dieting with GSD is the primary component of treatment. In my case, and fortunately, I managed to avoid insulin shots. It's essential to follow Table #9 to prevent potential complications for both the baby and the mother:

Complications for the baby:

Low oxygen levels (hypoxia), developmental delays, abnormal organ growth and function (diabetic fetopathy), toxic effects of glucose metabolism, reduced blood flow to the brain (ischemia), obesity, and intrauterine death

Complications for the mother:

Abnormal amniotic fluid levels (polyhydramnios), premature or complicated delivery, placental insufficiency, late-stage toxemia (preeclampsia), urinary tract infections (infection of the baby during delivery), kidney function impairment (nephropathy), and retinopathy (damage to the blood vessels in the eyes)

I was horrified by these potential consequences, so I immediately started dieting after being diagnosed. First, I researched the forbidden and allowed foods:

🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦

Forbidden and Allowed Foods with GSD (Table #9)

The main rules of the diet were explained to me by my endocrinologist during our first consultation.

Prenatal Diabetes Guidelines If I had to sum it up, the diet is all about:❌No more sugary baked goods❌Fruits high in sugar are off-limits: grapes, bananas, watermelons, cantaloupes, and cherries. Dried fruits like apricots, prunes, and raisins are also a no-go.❌Sweet drinks are a hard pass. Even freshly squeezed juice is off-limits.❌Fast food and processed snacks like smoked sausages, potato chips, and the like are a definite no.✅We're limiting potatoes, white rice, pasta, boiled beets, and boiled carrots.✔️We're eating a lot of veggies, especially fresh ones, and other high-fiber foods.✔️In moderation, we can have dark chocolate (cocoa content of 75% or higher, up to 25g a day) and plum cake (100-150g a day).This is a condensed version. After being diagnosed, I was under the care of a specialized perinatal center, where they treat pregnant women with endocrine disorders. Besides regular check-ups at my OB-GYN, I also visited this hospital, where a gynecologist-endocrinologist provided me with guidance.

Diet Table 9 ReviewsMy doctor gave me a detailed diet plan, which I'll quote below:

Products to be avoided completely:

Sugar, candies, honey, jam, preserves, confiture, cocoa, milk chocolate, baked goods. Wafers and cookies made from high-grade flour.Skim milk, sweet dairy products (sweet yogurts, sweet cottage cheese, Actimel, etc.).Instant meals – instant porridges, potatoes, noodles.Sweet corn, boiled carrots, beets, and turnips.Watermelon and cantaloupe, cherries. Grapes, dates, figs, bananas, dates. Soft apricots and prunes, raisins.White bread. SDOBA. Baked goods made from white bread and not from hard wheat flour like homemade noodles or vermicelli.All carbonated drinks. Fruit juices and drinks. Freshly squeezed juices.EXCESSIVE WEIGHT? EXCLUDE MARJORAM. LARD. MAYONNAISE. CREAM. IF NOT OVERWEIGHT, THESE PRODUCTS CAN BE CONSUMED IN LIMITED QUANTITIES.IF YOU DRINK COFFEE, YOU CAN ADD 10-20 ML 10% CREAM.Processed meat products with added starch, soy, etc. (doctor's, sausages, etc.).YOU CAN HAVE A SMALL AMOUNT (NOT MORE THAN 50G) OF MEAT SNACKS, SMOKED SAUSAGE, IF THERE'S NO LIQUID RETENTION.Fish in oil.ANY FAST FOOD PRODUCTS (FAST FOOD) – POTATO CHIPS, CRISPY POTATO, HAMBURGERS, ROSTIX, ETC.

Food items allowed in limited quantities due to their impact on blood sugar levels and/or fat accumulation:

Vegetables: potatoes, beets (slightly undercooked) – no more than 100g per day, alternating. It's best to not overcook them, so they're slightly crunchy.Carrots 100g in raw formMushrooms no more than 200g per day.Allowed dried fruits no more than 50g per day as a separate snack.Fruits no more than 200g as a separate snack or with cottage cheese no more than 100gNuts and seeds no more than 50g per day as a separate snack.Whole-grain bread no more than 150g per day.All grains 3 times a week, except for lentils (can be daily), no more than 200g per day.Spaghetti and pasta made from hard wheat no more than 200g per day daily.Cheese: Gruyère, Almette, Parmesan, Almete (17% cheese) – 100g – as a separate snack or with vegetables.Cottage cheese 100g per day, can be mixed with other food.Yogurt – always as a separate snack or with vegetables no more than 200g per day.Spicy, smoked, salty products no more than 50g per day 1 time a week.Salt – no more than 1 teaspoon per day.Red caviar.Bitter chocolate (cocoa content over 75%) no more than 25g per day!!!Crackers with fiber without sugar, wheat crackersMilk 3.5-6% no more than 100ml per serving.Butter 10-15g per daySour cream 10-15% 100g per dayIce cream plombir 100-150g

Food items allowed in unlimited quantities:

Vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, celery, radish, cabbage, green beans, eggplant).Soya products.Salad, sorrel, green onions, parsley

🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦

My Experience with Diet #9

I was on the diet during the summer – from mid-June to mid-September. I was lucky that my 'fasting' coincided with the season of fresh vegetables and fruits. They and formed the basis of my diet: zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers. From fruits, I had to give up my favorite cherries, watermelons, and melons, which I love to indulge in during the summer.

After each meal, I had to measure my blood sugar levels, and I also kept a food diary.

gestational diabetes reviews forum

I had oatmeal with water for breakfast, or cottage cheese without sugar, with some allowed fruits.

diet #9 reviewsCarrots and boiled beets were only eaten in soups. In such limited quantities, they didn't raise my blood sugar levels.

gestational diabetes blood sugar levelsI successfully replaced noodles in soups with pearl barley. Its glycemic index is low, and I like the taste of this grain.

I ditched the bread and went for crackers instead. And I still love crunching on them 🙂. My kid loves them too!

dieta stol 9 reviewsI often baked fish, meat. Perlovka, yachka or brown rice - as a side dish. And some veggies were always on the plate.

dieta pri gsd reviewsA fresh veggie salad was a daily must-have, at least. And honestly, you should be loading up on veggies since they're packed with fiber, which helps lower blood sugar.

gestational diabetes during pregnancy diet menuAs a snack, I made homemade yogurt with fresh apricots or berries. It was super tasty!

I also loved making my own cheese curds: just mix a lot of coconut flakes into a container of cottage cheese, and you're good to go. Shape them into little curds, and sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Stick 'em in the freezer for 30 minutes, and you've got a healthy treat for diabetics. I still make these curds today, but I add a bit of sugar to them. They're delicious, healthy, and no artificial stuff in sight.

sugar diabetes during pregnancy reviewsWhen I craved something sweet, I'd have a bit of dark chocolate (75%) or a glass of milkshake. Honestly, milkshakes were my go-to treat throughout the day. They didn't spike my sugar levels and always put me in a good mood.

But some products just didn't work for me. For example, I was allowed to eat unlimited amounts of buckwheat, but it would always spike my sugar levels. I had to cut it out eventually.

After about a month of constant sugar monitoring, I figured out which products worked for me and which didn't. I learned to create a menu that kept me full and my sugar levels in check. The first few days were tough, though - I was always hungry, and I missed my favorite chocolates and sweet pastries. I even had dreams about them at night 🙂. It was hard to eat out, too. I'd have to spend ages studying the menu to find something that fit my diet. Sometimes, I'd stumble upon a hidden gem, like a delicious Italian pasta dish with salmon in a creamy sauce that didn't affect my sugar levels at all. But one KFC Twister? That spiked my sugar to 9.5! That was the highest reading I got during my entire diet. I never experimented with fast food again.

Gestational diabetes dietAfter a while on the diet, ketones started showing up in my urine tests. That's a characteristic of diabetics. I don't remember them ever prescribing me any treatment for it. But my endocrinologist said I still need carbs in my diet and told me not to give up on whole wheat pasta. Overall, I didn't have any major issues due to the ketones, probably because they were only slightly elevated. But it's crucial to monitor ketone levels on a diet like this.

Table 9 reviews

🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦

Results of the Diet

I felt great overall! No heaviness, swelling, or other unpleasantness. I was literally flying, feeling so light in my entire body. That was amazing.

The only downside was that I lost a ton of weight on the diet. Before pregnancy, my weight fluctuated between 48-50 kg. By the start of the diet (three months before giving birth), I weighed around 52 kg. I gave birth at 50 kg, which was incredibly low for my 168 cm height. Here's a photo of me two weeks before giving birth - you can see how skinny my hands and legs are:

After giving birth, the scales showed a shocking 43 kg. I was alarmingly underweight. My hands and legs were extremely thin.

I gave birth naturally, and the delivery went smoothly.

The baby was born at 2,890 grams, with a weight deficit of 110 grams. In the future, the baby's development proceeded without any issues, and they quickly gained the necessary weight. Now, the baby is 2.5 years old, and they're developing normally. They're a bit on the skinny side, but so am I and my husband, so they won't be a chubby kid.

🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦

Gestational Diabetes after Giving Birth

After giving birth, the diet was discontinued. The first month, I basically overate. Not so much on sweets, but on regular food: with potatoes, rice, buckwheat, bread, and so on. And a bit of sweet treats were added to my diet. Even after the forbidden Table 9 foods after giving birth, my blood sugar levels were within normal ranges.

Two and a half years after giving birth, my sugar levels are fine. I don't follow the diet, but I don't overindulge in sweets either: I only drink unsweetened tea, have unsweetened oatmeal for breakfast, and only have one piece of chocolate or candy at a time. Before pregnancy, I allowed myself a lot more.

🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦

Conclusion

I liked the Table 9 diet. At first, it was tough and I was hungry, but I got used to it. Over time, I started figuring out many nuances and creating my own menu to avoid hunger. My overall well-being on this diet is great, and I feel light in my body. And the weight loss is quite fast. For some, that's a plus, but for me, it was a minus. But after the restrictions were lifted, everything returned to normal. Overall, the diet is quite pleasant and not hungry-making, and I enjoyed this experience. Hopefully, you'll find something useful from my story 🙂

Future moms might also find it helpful to read:

My go-to book for navigating the first year of parenthoodBreathwork that helped me prepare for labor and moreWhat happened when I tried to stimulate laborThe stroller that stole my heart and saved me moneyHow the mayor of Moscow helped us score an amazing hand-me-down for our little one