If there is one thing that every woman is worried about after pregnancy, it’s getting back to that pre-pregnancy size. With my first daughter, it was a breeze. I was 17, my metabolism was awesome and I didn’t gain a lot of weight while I was pregnant. I was so focused on being healthy that there wasn’t a lot of weight to lose after I gave birth.
My second pregnancy was sadly the opposite. I threw up anything remotely healthy. I was on bed rest so exercise was out of the question. Simply sitting up for too long brought on a wave of contractions that would lead to another trip to the hospital. This started when I was four months pregnant. I gained a lot more weight than I care to admit. Even after pregnancy, my regular jeans were replaced by stretchy maternity pants, and it wasn’t getting better with a healthy diet and exercise. So, I finally opted for Weight Watchers. I wasn’t breastfeeding, but I did run across plenty of information about how to do this while breastfeeding because I was in the post-pregnancy stage. If you’re thinking of trying Weight Watchers, this is everything that you need to know.
In this article
What Is Weight Watchers?
Weight Watchers, which is now known as WW by the company, is a program that is designed to help you lose weight. It also encourages living a healthy lifestyle and has a certain focus on overall well being. Not only does Weight Watchers help you lose weight, it helps you make lifestyle changes that you can keep for the rest of your life. It does this by holding you accountable for what you eat.
How Does Weight Watchers Work?
Weight Watchers starts off by assessing you. They will take into account your age, height, weight, and gender. Then, they determine how much you should be eating to lose weight at a healthier rate, which is only one or two pounds a week. This is great because you know it’s not a crash diet. You’re not going to lose 20 pounds in a month just to gain it back as soon as you’re off the diet.
After that, you get points. For example, you might get 20 points a day. Those points are then spent on food. Awesome, healthy foods like carrots and apples aren’t going to use up a lot of your points. Other foods that are known for being full of sugar or fat, like chocolate silk pie, are going to use up a lot of points so you can’t eat a lot of them.
Once you know how many points you have to work with, you’re supposed to keep track of everything you eat. You can write this down if you like, but using the app is a lot more convenient. There are also online tools that you can utilize to log your food intake.
What Is The Food Like?
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If you’re anything like me, the taste of the food matters. If I don’t like a diet, or it is packed with food I don’t like, there is a zero chance I will stick to it. Before I delved into my personal Weight Watchers journey, I did check out the customer reviews to see if other people liked the food.
Here’s the thing: you can order meals for weight watchers, but you can also just eat what you want. You can have a random piece of pie at a friend’s house, but you can’t eat a whole pie every day. It focuses more on finding balance and healthy choices than it does anything. Knowing I could eat that piece of pie was nice going into this. You can grocery shop and use your points instead of purchasing special meals, too.
This flexibility was wonderful for me, but I can see how it might not benefit some people. For example, you can use points to eat unhealthy foods for breakfast, lunch, or dinner if you want to, which can lead to unhealthy eating habits. The goal of the diet is to develop a healthier lifestyle, so some people might not get that out of it depending on how they choose to use their points. If your personality and lifestyle call for a stricter diet structure, Weight Watchers might not be for you.
Purchasing Food Is An Option
If you’re not a fan of having to figure out how many points are in every meal, you can purchase food through Weight Watchers. The food is not what you’re going to get at the local bakery, but it’s not bad either. You can browse the website to check out your options before joining the program. A lot of it is great if you love being able to simply toss something in the microwave.
Weight Watchers Support
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Weight Watchers comes with built-in support if you want to use it. There are an online coach, virtual workshops and an entire community to help you reach your goals. If you screw up on points, which most people do in the beginning, you’ve got someone to tell you that it’s not the end of the world (it’s really not.)
Not only do you have someone to talk to and inspire you, but the app also gives you everything that you need. Keep track of your points, your activity level, water intake, and more. Recipes with the points already calculated for you are included to make it super easy. (I know I’m really hyping this up right now, and I promise you it’s because I think it’s a great program. I’m not an affiliate.)
Weight Watchers While Breastfeeding
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If you’re considering Weight Watchers while breastfeeding, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Your body still needs extra nutrition, so you’ll have to pay special attention to certain things to make sure that you’re getting it. There are also a few things to keep in mind.
Weight Watchers Breastfeeding Program
Weight Watchers breastfeeding program is specifically designed for nursing mothers. It still gives you points but has special goals for women that are breastfeeding. Make sure that your coach knows that you are breastfeeding when you join the program to be in the right program for you.
Zero Point Foods Are Your Best Friend
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There are hundreds of zero-point foods available when you’re trying to lose weight through Weight Watchers. Most of these foods are healthier foods, like:
- eggs
- apples
- carrots
- fresh produce
These foods are supposed to be less likely to be overeaten, unlike cake and chips, so they won’t cost you a single point. Depending on your plan, you could have hundreds of foods to choose from. Not only will these foods not cost you anything, but they are also packed with vitamins and nutrients that both you and your baby need.
Pay Attention To Nutrition Labels
Those pre-packaged foods are great to fill your stomach up, and they are easy because you don’t have to calculate points, but they can lack in nutritional value. When you’re breastfeeding, you need more nutrients than you normally would, and your diet should account for that. Make sure that what you’re putting in your body is nutritious.
Supplement
If you’re not getting enough calories and nutrients through Weight Watchers, which many breastfeeding moms aren’t, you can supplement to make sure that both you and your baby are healthy. It might take a little longer to lose weight, but your health and your baby’s health should be a top priority. Opt for a powdered milk or protein powder that is low in calories to up your nutrition intake while you get used to the program. This should not be used on a long term basis. Instead, it should be used during your adjustment period.
Pick Up Some Milk Dust
If there’s one thing that is going to drive you crazy, it’s going to be the sugar cravings. The entire time you’re breastfeeding they sneak up out of nowhere. Before you know it, you’ve spent your entire days worth of point on bread that you didn’t mean to eat. Then, you’re left going hungry all day.
If there’s a second thing, it’s going to be the effect it has on your milk supply if you don’t get it perfect. You can focus on more nutritious foods, which will help. Sometimes, your milk supply will tank even if you’re eating healthy. It’s simply a side effect of dieting.
This product will both increase your supply and curb your sugar cravings, making it even easier to lose weight. Pick some up before dieting just in case. It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
If your supply ramps up you can pump and save the milk in a refrigerator for later. We’ve compared what we think are the best breast pumps, the Spectra S1 VS the S2.
- Plant-based protein from pea protein, brown rice protein, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds
- Dairy-free, Soy-free, Gluten-Free
- Non-GMO, not artificial sweeteners or chemicals
- Organic ingredients hand-picked for lactation support
- Specific nutrients and vitamins that curb sugar cravings to help with weight loss
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Our Conclusion
Being successful with Weight Watchers while breastfeeding is more than possible. It might take you a little bit to get the hang of balancing out your points, as it does everyone, but you’ll love it in the end. Overall, you’ll be taking a step towards a healthier life for yourself that you can pass on to your baby.
