QuestionHi Sarah. I'm 36 years old with PCOS and had gestational
diabetes for both of my pregnancies. I'm very aware that
I'm at high risk for diabetes so I'm trying to lose weight
(about 30 lbs.) by following the same carb program a
nutritionist put me on when I was pregnant (30g/breakfast,
15g/snack, 30g/lunch, 15g/snack, 45g/dinner, 15g/snack-
although I'm not so good at doing snacks. It worked well
during the pregnancy, but now I'm also trying to limit
calories. I've read that if you don't eat at least 1000
calories/day, your body goes into "starvation mode."
Here's my question: sometimes at the end of the day, I find
myself short on calories because I've done so well during
the day! Should I eat something late at night? Should I
eat enough calories to get to 1000 even though that goes
over my carb amount or stick with the carb amount and have
less than 1000 calories for the day? This doesn't always
happen; I just wanted to know what to do when it does.
Thanks for your thoughts.
AnswerHi! Thanks for your question. There are a couple of concerns I have. The first is you may actually not be getting enough carbs. I know that sounds crazy because of the diet were put on before, but the lowest carbs we put our patients on at the hospital I work at is 45g/meal and that is with a 1200-1400 calorie diet and includes a bedtime snack of 30g. If you like the snacks during the day, you could probably keep three 15g snacks even with a higher carb allowance per meal.
Onto your calories. If you are concerned about going over on carbs, there is no reason you can't get more calories from low-carb foods such as beef jerky, cheese sticks, baby carrots, or hard-boiled eggs. If you are hungry, I would recommend eating later at night; if you are not hungry, I wouldn't worry about it. What I would worry about is the 1,000 calories. Usually anything lower than 1,200 is not recommended unless under a doctor's guidance and then only under extreme circumstances, such as when someone needs to lose weight for a surgery immediately. The idea of a certain calorie amount putting your body into starvation mode is kind of a myth; your body will start reducing metabolism and going into starvation mode based on the number of calories you were eating before. If you were eating 4,500 calories each day and suddenly started eating 2,000 your body would most likely slow metabolism (commonly referred to as "starvation mode"). The recommendation to prevent that from occuring is to cut calories by no more than 500 per day from your usual average.
If you are at risk of developing diabetes, several foods, including whole grains, oatmeal, blueberries, dairy, cinnamon, and magnesium (found in seeds and nuts) may help prevent the risk of diabetes. A diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables may also be beneficial due to the higher fiber content. Some nutritionists and doctors are also recommending more vegetarian-type diets for their patients with diabetes or at high-risk but such a move may not be for you and your family. Just some things to think about.
I hope that helps with your food decisions. Good luck with your weight loss and with keeping diabetes at bay!!!
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