L.B.
I had a doula who recommended the diet and a subsequent midwife who didn't because she felt it potentially could create a situation where a baby is actually too big for the mother's size if you go too far with extra protein intake. I did not follow the diet for either baby but did up my protein intake somewhat for each -- mostly by making sure I had eggs often (the whole egg, not just the white -- the yolk is where a bunch of the really good stuff is) and we used beans (like pinto, black, red, etc) in recipes more often. My midwife encouraged eggs and beans because they are full of protein and "good stuff" for growing babies. I was obese as well, especially for the first pregnancy, and gained a reasonable 20lbs or so (I also cut out a lot of the junk I had been having, like pop and most non-whole grain products), which was lost within i'd say a few weeks to months after the births. For the second I started 15-20lb lighter than with my first child, and gained around 30-35 that time (which put me back up to where I ended the first pregnancy as well).
Honestly, I think the best thing is "everything in moderation" -- I am not fond of completely cutting out anything, nor am I fond of artificially eating a ton extra of something you normally wouldn't, unless your diet is full of processed foods and lacking in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and a reasonable amount of protein. I don't think it's necessary to do more than bump up the good things a bit for the extra calories and nutrition, and just make sure you don't fill yourself up with "empty" calories (process foods, sugary stuff, etc). Best of luck!
