https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 15 May 2026 17:08:10 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2210255 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 14:01:38 +0000 2PeasinaPod 2210255@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Torchwood: If you have a fridge available, Siggi's Icelandic Skyr is delicious. More protein than sugar and helped as a mid-morning or late-afternoon snack. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2210244 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 13:51:43 +0000 ShootingStar 2210244@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Torchwood: I found there my numbers were just not consistent sometimes and there wasn't any explaining it. I also had situations like your trip this weekend come up a few times and they always panicked me. I'd go to lunch meetings at work and the food would be pizza. I was especially panicked at eating with my in-laws because at the time that meant only vegan food (which is really tough protein-wise and I'm picky with veggies.)</p> <p>Bring snacks with you that don't raise your blood sugar (PB crackers, cheese sticks, pepperoni, celery/carrots, etc). That way you can supplement and at least not be hungry. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2210234 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 13:42:03 +0000 Torchwood 2210234@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2PeasinaPod: Yep, I decided to have the same breakfast today that had given me such different numbers, but after I ate I cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry, etc to keep me on my feet. Just checked (I was up late, don't judge), and I got a 90. So clearly the activity level issue is going to be key! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2210224 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 13:36:46 +0000 2PeasinaPod 2210224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Torchwood: Activity was the biggest thing to help bring my blood sugar down when I had GD with LO1. I would take a walk after every meal to help with digestion, and that always brought my numbers down. If I was sedentary after a meal, I saw a spike in my blood sugar no matter what. </p> <p>Staying away from carbs and anything to drink other than water also helped quite a bit. Balancing your carbs with a protein was also really helpful as well. Every morning, I would have peanut butter on a toasted English muffin, and that would be my go to breakfast. </p> <p>As for heartburn, everything gave me heartburn, and still does with LO2! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2210216 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 13:32:14 +0000 Torchwood 2210216@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also, did anyone have trouble with heartburn getting worse on the GD diet? It seems counterintuitive, since I've always gotten heartburn more from sugary things (oatmeal cream pies being the worst offender ever), but it's definitely been worse the last week or so, by a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2210212 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 13:30:21 +0000 Torchwood 2210212@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks to everyone for the input! It's very helpful!</p> <p>@JennyG: That's so weird! I don't know that I would have ever figured that out.</p> <p>@Raindrop: @changingtides: That's really good to know! It's kind of annoying that this is my second time with it and no one mentioned that activity after meals can help. I'm going on my husband's company trip this weekend, and there will be times when I'll have very limited control of what food is available. It's good to know that if I have a hard time getting a good balance I can at least walk some to help! And I'll start being active after meals, period, too. Also, I'm still doing more of a 2 carb to 1 protein with no issues other than the ones I mentioned (all my other numbers have been perfect), so for now it really is very mild.</p> <p>@snowjewelz: @Mamasig: I'm really glad I'm not the only one being frustrated by this! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209473 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 05:13:54 +0000 JennyG 2209473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Make sure to wash your hands before, but use a mild soap. We had a bath and body works soap that would stay on my skin and make my numbers super high. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209367 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 21:13:44 +0000 DesertDreams88 2209367@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've also read that water intake can help or hurt. More water = more dilution = lower blood sugar. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209321 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 20:28:54 +0000 Mamasig 2209321@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found that sometimes there was no explanation, and it drove me insane. My best friend that has type 1 suggested I retest if a number looked wonky. Sometimes the high number was a fluke. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209186 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 17:18:04 +0000 tinyperson 2209186@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>lack of sleep can have an effect - also some carby foods affect people differently than others. Some people can eat pasta with no real effect, and others can have a tiny amount and it shoots their blood sugar way up.</p> <p>Also, with GD, hormones play a huge role, so it could be fluctuating hormones too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209171 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:27:31 +0000 snowjewelz 2209171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agree 100% with first post! Sometimes I can eat a "bad" meal and still have a decent #, but then # wouldn't be as good as I thought even if I ate the perfect GD meal! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209168 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:25:36 +0000 changingtides 2209168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Activity after meals definitely a big one! I always walked for 10-15 min. after most meals, especially dinner, and that would make such a huge difference. Sometimes I would even walk laps around the apartment (like if weather was bad or something). It just helped so much! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209159 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:18:54 +0000 Raindrop 2209159@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Are you remotely sick?</p> <p>When I was sick my numbers were always way worst. The GD nurse said it's normal because your body when it's sick makes more sugar in your blood as a survival thing.</p> <p>Also the closer you are to giving birth affects you because the placenta is getting bigger and stronger and that's what affecting your sugar... so something that worked last week might not work this week.</p> <p>Definitely activity affects you. My GD nurse told me the closer I am to birth the harder it is control your sugar with just diet and that I would need to start walking for about 10 minutes after meals to keep my numbers good. </p> <p>I actually never walked after meal (super lazy) and was able to keep my numbers low by just eating more protein than carbs. The 2 protein to 1 carb ratio has always been a lifesaver for me! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209146 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:02:24 +0000 MaryM 2209146@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>time between meals can also affect it. If you eat regularly (6 small meals vs. 3 big ones), you're less prone to spikes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209140 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:59:42 +0000 sapphire 2209140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Activity, stress, amount of carbs in the diet, time since a meal are the big ones. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-factors-affect-blood-sugar#post-2209138 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:58:04 +0000 Torchwood 2209138@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've started testing my blood sugar because of mild GD (fun), and while my numbers are overall great, a few confused me. Today I had the exact same breakfast that I did the other day. The other day after an hour I got a 117, today after two hours I got a 121. I'm assuming activity level is a big part of that, since last time I was rushing around trying to get to an appointment (and had to park really far away), and today I had a massage, which was about as inactive as you can get. But then I had one dinner recently that I thought, based on looking it all up, would be totally fine, and my number after two hours was 149 (they want it below 120). I could have messed up and done it too soon, but not *that* soon. They want it below 140 after one hour, and it had been at least that for sure. So I'm wondering if it was a fluke (or I calculated something wrong), or if there are other factors at play. I don't test before meals, so I don't know if it was high beforehand or not. </p>