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I had been following the McDougall program prior to our struggle with infertility and pregnancy. Fell back into SAD eating through our treatments and drugs. After IVF we were lucky enough to get pregnant with twins, but I was unfortunately about 20lb overweight.

I continued to eat SAD food based on what I thought were good recommendations for a twin pregnancy, which emphasized the importance of meat, protein, and fat intake.

So I'm now 25 weeks pregnant with twins, and just miserably failed my glucose tolerance test. I feel really responsible for getting myself into this situation, but I would really like to try to treat this with eating the McDougall way with unrefined starches, beans, vegis and fruit to try to get through the rest of the pregnancy without having to start insulin. The dietitian I met with is recommending carb counting and keeping carbs at about 40% of total calories, which would mean eating a lot of protein and fat in order to get the amount of calories I need to meet the needs of the twins. I feel like I got into this situation by eating this way so I'm not convinced this is the answer.

Has anyone been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and managed it successfully with the McDougall plan?

Since no one seems to have any answers for this, I thought I would just keep posting here and tell you my experience thus far.

The instructions given to me by the gestational diabetes dietician was that my meal plan should have approximately 40% of calories from carbohydrates and that I should distribute them in the following fashion:

Breakfast - 15-30 grams
AM snack - 15 grams
Lunch - 30-60grams
Afternoon snack - 15 grams
Dinner - 30-60 grams
PM snack 15 grams.

I'm currently to test in the morning to get a fasting level and then again after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The goals for my blood sugars (as given to me by the clinic) are:

Fasting: 60-95
2 hrs after meal: 60-120

So I have been checking these for the last 5 days, but eating following the McDougall guidelines with a starch centered meals.
Interestingly enough, the dietician really warned me not to have a large number of carbohydrates in the morning. The last 5 mornings my breakfast has been at least a cup of oatmeal (I'm not really measuring), banana, cut up fruit, and soymilk - so roughly AT LEAST 32 + 30 +15 = 75-100 grams of carbohydrates. My blood sugars for the last 5 mornings have been: 97, 84, 102, 105, 78. Interesting...

I have also been eating for meals salads with beans, rice, pasta and even whole wheat pitas and bread - and the highest blood sugar I have had was 124 - and that was after being out of town with friends and eating a vegi pizza without cheese for lunch (so probably a lot of white flour in the pizza dough).

Dinner last night:
Oil free stir fry with broccoli, sugar snap peas, peppers, onions, and light tofu, 2 cups brown rice, blueberries/black berries for dessert.
blood sugar: 89

Fasting BS this am: 81

Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup blackberries, 1 cup blueberries, 1 oz walnuts
BS - 78

I will keep posting my foods and blood sugars. I have a follow up ultrasound this week to see how the twin are growing, and then a follow up with my physician next week. If anyone else has insight, it would be much appreciated!

It looks to me as though you are doing pretty well. I wouldn't worry too much about the fbs that are barely over 100, as in general you seem to be staying well within your range. Everyone is going to have days where their fasting blood sugar is slightly higher in the mornings - it depends on what you had the night before, what time you ate, and a host of other things I am sure. I think you are doing great!

Thanks for your reply. Those blood sugars weren't fasting - they were after breakfast. My fasting blood sugars have been 73, 72, 82, 73, 81, 78, so all have been well under the 95 cutoff.

Yesterday's food/blood sugars:
fasting BS - 81
Breakfast: blackberries, blueberries, oatmeal with cinnamon, walnuts
2 hr bs - 78
Mid-morning snack: barley vegetable soup
Lunch: romaine/spinach salad with edamamae and cracked pepper tofu dressing (from Dr Neal Bernard's book - its delicious!), baked potato with salt/pepper.
bs 101
Afternoon snack: 2 smart dogs, rye cracker with hummus
Dinner: whole wheat pasta with tomatoes, basil, squash, peppers
bs 98

It looks to me like you are doing very well. Keep up the good work of growing those babies and foods that nourish all three of you!

Looks like you're doing well!

Looking at your menu, i would suggest considering an elimination of the fatty foods (nuts, edamame, processed tofu dogs--not on plan anyways if they contain oil). McDougall talks a great deal about fat being the problem in the diabetic's diet, not carbs. He advocates a very low fat diet for those struggling with diabetes. Might want to read up on his articles about it...

Good luck though, and good for you for already making such great changes and managing this so well!