Help with ketones!

Okay so I am only eating about 60 carbs per day but I am measuring NO ketones during the day and moderate ketones in the AM. I usually do not eat after 4-5pm and eat breakfast at 6am so I am guessing that 13 hour fast is what is causing my ketones, not my semi low carb diet. I have heard we need a bedtime snack but I am so new to all of this and have no idea how to incorporate this into my daily meal plan. What time do you snack? What do you eat? Do you take less of a bolus with your bedtime snack to prevent nighttime lows? Do you eat then go to bed or do you wait a few hours to ensure you don’t have lows? Please help! I am clueless!

Hi Lil Mama. You can do something as simple as a piece of cheese before you go to sleep. It gives your body something to digest, which will typically ward off keytones.

You will probably have to increase your carb intake throughout the day because your little one needs the energy and carb nutrients to grow. I was on a low carb diet of no more than 100 carbs per day pre-pregnancy. Now I’m doing more like 180 carbs per day.

Also, you should be eating SOMETHING every 3-4 hours. Your body is creating another life and it needs all the energy and nutrients it can get! :slight_smile: So the 13 hour fast per day I think is going to cause you some issues. Even if adding just a slice of watermelon, some nuts, a few pieces of cheese, or some veggies would help your body support this growing life.

I know you exercise like a mad woman too. haha. But exercising while on an empty stomach can drop ketones as well.

I know it’s hard not to become OBSESSED with food while pregnant and diabetic, but try to relax. You have a baby already, so you know your body can do it. I know you’ve only been diabetic for a little while now, but give yourself a break. Fill your body with nutrients from fruits and veggies while your baby’s essential parts are developing through the first trimester to help her grow smart and strong.

I hope this helps.

My endo told me no carb snacks won’t prevent morning ketones. I have a bedtime snack at 10pm. Almost every night I eat 140g of apple and 20g of bread (with cheese or peanut butter if I’m hungry). I take a bolus for it. If I can, I try to measure one hour after the snack, but that isn’t necessary every night, only when I think that I might need to change my bolus settings. My bladder wakes me up by 3am anyway. So I know that I will check again then.

I definitely don’t think that you should fast for 13 hours. (Even not recommended for a pregnant woman without diabetes.)

As you probably read elsewhere, I eat at fixed times every 3 hours from 7am to 10pm. I have found that this helps with keeping my cravings at bay. When I’m not hungry, I eat more fruit for my snacks. When I am hungry, I add in bread with cheese or peanut butter.

I still have trace ketones in the morning. ( I have ALWAYS had trace ketones in the morning.) My endo once joked about adding a 3am snack to my routine, but said that she would only do that if I had higher ketones. I even stopped checking for ketones now. I maybe check once a month these days. I seem to have trace ketones, but never more.