Managing your weight with gestational diabetes

Eating a healthy low glycaemic diet and staying active are ways of managing your weight in pregnancy with gestational diabetes, and they also help control your blood sugar levels. 

Be aware of the myth of 'eating for two’. Your baby will grow well for the first two trimesters of pregnancy without you eating any extra calories at all. During the last trimester of your pregnancy you may need up to 200 extra calories per day – which is the equivalent to half a sandwich.

The standard way to assess whether someone is overweight, or underweight, is through the body mass index (BMI) using your pre-pregnant or booking-in appointment weight. This is a scale that measures the ratio between your weight and your height. To find out your BMI, go to the BMI tracker here. Your BMI has to be based on your pre-pregnancy or very early pregnancy weight.

If your BMI is 30 or over you will have extra care in pregnancy as you are at greater risk of some conditions, such as high blood pressure.

If your team feels that your weight could be an issue, you may find that they approach this by talking about what to eat, rather than weighing you during your pregnancy. This is because managing your weight when you have gestational diabetes is not about dieting or trying to lose weight.

Read general information about weight and weight management in pregnancy here

How can I manage my weight?

Managing your weight and controlling your blood sugar is about making small changes to your diet and levels of exercise to keep yourself and your baby healthy. If you are cutting back on sugary foods you may find that you lose some weight or stay the same weight instead of putting on weight. So long as it does not happen by cutting out nutritious food groups, this is safe.

Read more here about having a safe and healthy diet with gestational diabetes

What does all this mean for you?

For some women, changing their diet is the hardest thing about having gestational diabetes. Eating our favourite foods can be very comforting, and especially during pregnancy – a time when so much is changing – it can feel very unsettling to have to make yet another change.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed as you start looking at ingredients on packets and realise how much sugar is in the foods we take for granted. But after a while you will find foods that you enjoy even if they are not your old favourites.

Changing your diet also has an effect on your relationship with those around you. Talk to your friends, partner if you have one or family, and decide together how you will do this. Other family members may be happy to join the healthy diet to support you, and to become healthier themselves. Others find a compromise, such as eating separate meals and not keeping sugary foods in the house, to help you avoid temptation. There is no right way, so find what works for you.