Kelly Osbourne knew something wasn’t right as she entered her third trimester of pregnancy.
After urging her doctor to take a closer look at some of her symptoms which included rapid weight gain, unusual fatigue and ankle swelling, Osbourne was met with a diagnosis she was hoping to never receive.
“First of all, gestational diabetes is not your fault,” Osbourne tells PEOPLE exclusively ahead of celebrating the first annual National No Sugar Day on Oct. 3. “At first I thought it was something that I had done. I only got diagnosed with it well into my third trimester, so it wasn’t like I developed it as some people get it from the get-go when they’re pregnant. I got it in my third trimester and basically, I thought it was something that I had done wrong.”
According to the CDC, gestational diabetes occurs when a pregnant woman’s body can’t make enough insulin, a hormone made by your pancreas that lets blood sugar in. While all women have some insulin resistance, gestational diabetes affects only 2%-10% of pregnancies.
After taking a deeper look at the way she was eating, Osbourne decided to make some changes and began cutting out sugar and watching her carbohydrate intake.
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Kelly Osbourne/Instagram
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“This whole pregnancy, I’ve had no cravings except for sugar, which is something I’ve never had before,” says the 37-year-old, who’s expecting her first baby with Slipknot’s Sid Wilson. “I wasn’t eating right.”
“The number one thing for me that I realized was taking me down was sugary drinks and it was juice. Because even though I was drinking fresh pressed juice, it still had a lot more sugar than I needed.”
Once her new meal plan began taking its course, the mom-to-be noticed several changes almost instantly.
Kelly Osbourne/Instagram
“I’ve lost 10 pounds while pregnant,” the London native shares. “As soon as I cut the sugar out, I had a bit of a headache for a while. I’m not going to lie. It’s a bit of a shock to your system.”
“Overall, my skin cleared up. I don’t have to wear any makeup. My friends that haven’t seen me since I started my third trimester, now that they see me, they’re like, ‘Whoa. What changed? Your skin is perfect,’ and I know that sometimes that has to do with pregnancy, but I had pregnancy acne. I cut the sugar out and it completely went away. I think clearer.”
“I haven’t had to wear compression socks once since I cut the sugar out, which is unreal for pregnancy,” she adds. “I just have more energy. I’m sleeping better. You don’t realize what it’s doing to you until you take it away is all I can say.”
As she nears the end of her pregnancy, Osbourne, who says she’s, “feeling really good,” wants new moms everywhere to go easy on themselves if they receive the same diagnosis.
Kelly Osbourne Instagram; Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
“I wish I had this kind of incentive prior because I’ve never been able to stick to anything a hundred percent the way that I have been doing this because I’m not doing it for myself,” Osbourne says. “I’m doing it for my baby. But I have learned — I can’t even begin to tell you the changes that it’s made.”
Now that Osbourne has made adjustments to her everyday lifestyle, she’s vowed to continue cutting out sugar alongside the No Sugar Company in hopes of helping others with the launch of the new holiday.
“We are thrilled to partner with Kelly Osbourne to help educate and come together to join No Sugar Company in the pledge to cut over 1 million grams of sugar during the month of October from the 84 billion pounds that are consumed annually throughout the U.S.,” CEO of No Sugar Company and Joyburst, Brad Woodgate, says. “I’m excited that National No Sugar Day will be a recognized day that will be celebrated Internationally.”
