A Better Way: Mom With Type 2 Diabetes Uses Diet-to-Go to Give Birth to Healthy Baby Girl

Name: Mary Chobot
Age: 41
Occupation: Human Resource: Training & Development
Meal Plan: Balance-Diabetes/Keto-Carb30
Favorite Meal: Breakfast Pizza
Start-date: July 2019
Starting weight: 270
Height: 5’5”
Pounds Lost: 66
Activity Level: Daily walks
When I get a craving, my go-to trick is: String cheese or apple and peanut butter

Mary Chobot was told over and over again that it wasn’t going to work.

As a Type 2 Diabetic, doctors said the chances of successfully implanting an embryo and carrying a healthy baby to term were low — and many turned her away.

“A lot of doctors didn’t want to even deal with me because I was diabetic,” Mary said. “They said, ‘With your age and you being diabetic it’s probably not going to happen.”

But the now-41-year-old didn’t give up. Mary had been pregnant once before and miscarried at 18 weeks, but she wanted to be a mother, and she was determined to make it happen. She eventually connected with a doctor who carried out the in vitro fertilization (IVF) and was successfully implanted.

Then, Mary faced new challenges. At 270 pounds, her doctors didn’t want her to gain more than 20 pounds during her pregnancy. She also had to manage her blood sugar levels — a critical part of ensuring a healthy pregnancy.

“I was on insulin a lot, and it was horrible,” Mary said. “They put me on different medication to try and control it.”

Early in her pregnancy, the medication didn’t work. Mary said her blood sugar levels were all over the place.

“So I thought, ‘Ok, I’m going to do my own research,’” Mary said. “I had never heard of Diet-to-Go … I decided to just try it. I thought, ‘Even if I have to choke it down, I’m going to eat whatever it is because it’s for my baby.’”

Mary ordered the Balance-Diabetes plan, which follows the American Diabetes Association’s nutritional guidelines and is made specifically for people with pre- and Type 2 diabetes to help manage blood sugar.

“I was so happy that it tasted good, because that made it easier to stick with it,” Mary said.

Mary said by eating the Balance-D Diet-to-Go meals, she was able to fully manage her blood sugar levels.

“The doctors were shocked every time they checked my blood sugar levels,” she said. “They were normal. They said, ‘Your blood sugar is like someone who doesn’t even have diabetes. They took me off the insulin and medication.”

Mary said managing her blood sugar levels was one of the most important things she needed to do for her baby.

“I was just fearful the whole time,” Mary said. “I’d had a loss before. I wanted to do whatever I could to make sure she’s healthy. If her blood sugar isn’t controlled, it could affect her organs, affect her heart. It was really scary for me. And they were giving me drugs that weren’t working. I thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way.’”

Mary said she changed to the Keto-Carb30 plan in the middle of her second trimester, something that was simple to do via the online myDiettogo customer portal, which allows customers to manage their plan and substitute meals at any time.

“The nutritionist I was working with was so surprised, she asked for the name of my meal plan so she could give it to other people who are pregnant,” Mary said.

On Dec. 11, 2019, Mary gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Elliana. A team of doctors stood by, ready to rush Elliana to the NICU because many babies born to diabetic mothers experience a blood sugar crash shortly after birth.

“But they checked her, and she had no issues with her blood sugar,” Mary said. “Because my blood sugar was so tightly controlled with my diet, she was born healthy with normal blood sugar numbers.”

Mary also managed to gain only 21 pounds with her pregnancy.

“My doctor didn’t want me to gain more than 20, and I gained 21, so the doctor was very happy,” she said.

Mary still eats Diet-to-Go meals, rotating between the Balance-Diabetes menu and the Keto-Carb30 menu. Her daughter is now 6 months old, and she’s lost a total of 66 pounds since giving birth.

“I’ve done a whole bunch of other ones, [Diet-to-Go] has a lot more flavor,” she said. “It feels fresher. It tastes better. I just enjoy it more.”

Mary said her goal is to get under 200 pounds by September, which marks her 5-year anniversary with her husband, Richard. Richard and Mary also take Elliana out for daily walks, and she said being a mother is one of her greatest joys in life.

“During the pregnancy, I was just very fearful. I tried to not let it consume me...but there was a lot of fear,” she said. “Every time I went to the doctor and they said she was okay, that felt so good. When she was born healthy, I was so incredibly happy. I was also proud of myself...I did what I had to do to make sure she was healthy.”

Mary said she hopes her success story can inspire other women in a similar situation.

“Whenever I can help somebody, give them hope, I definitely want to do that,” Mary said. “I thought, ‘This is never going to happen. I’m never going to be a mom,’ and people were there to support me, so if I can do that for someone else, I want to do that.”

Mary’s daughter’s name reflects her challenge — and the absolute joy she found in conquering it. Elliana means “God has answered us.”

“She’s good to go. She’s growing. She’s eating. She’s ready to start crawling soon,” Mary laughed about Elliana’s development. “I thought, ‘I gotta do what I gotta do.’ Out of that we got this little girl, so it was all worth it.”

Do you have a success story to share? Email us at [email protected] with “Success Story” in the subject line!
 

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Author: Caitlin H
Diet-to-Go Community Manager

Caitlin is the Diet-to-Go community manager and an avid runner. She is passionate about engaging with others online and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. She believes moderation is key, and people will have the most weight loss success if they engage in common-sense healthy eating and fitness.