For those of you unfamiliar with Weight Watchers here's a quick rundown: You get a daily points allowance based on gender, height, weight, age, activity level, and breastfeeding status (this is part of what attracted me to the program--they make extra allowance for breastfeeding to avoid compromising milk supply). Each food you eat has a points value. Staying within your allowed points should help you lose 1-2lbs. each week. I started off at 50 points per day, and am down to 38 since I weigh less and I'm no longer exclusively breastfeeding (if Benjamin weaned, I'd be down to 31 points per day).
I have lost a total of 34 pounds since I started the program in February. That puts me at 7 pounds below the weight I was when I got pregnant with Katie and just three pounds over what I weighed on our wedding day. My total weight loss has averaged slightly less than 1 pound per week (about 3.4 pounds per month) since I started. Fast would be nice, but I'm happy with slow and steady as long as I can keep it off!
As far as I'm concerned, the only real problem with Weight Watchers is that they put a large emphasis on eating reduced-fat foods and also recommend the use of artificial sweeteners. But, since there are no "forbidden foods", I have been able to ignore those recommendations and continue eating our normal "real food" diet while still using their PointsPlus system to lose weight.
My favorite aspect of the program is the unlimited fruits and veggies. My produce intake is definitely much high than it was before I started, and since fruits and vegetables are so important for your body to function well, this is a definite plus. I also love that there are no forbidden foods. This makes it easier to enjoy fellowship with other families without blowing the diet every time.
In my Weight Watchers post this past summer, I shared several more tips about making Weight Watchers work on a real food diet. If you are interested in the program or planning to sign up, you should check it out.
I'm curious--what do y'all do to get back in shape after having babies?
This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.
I love Weight Watchers!! I have went through the program once and since then I have done it on my own several times. It had taught me a lot about moderation and portion control. After Olivia it helped me get back to my pre pregnancy weight. With Noah I didn't have to use it as much because we nursed so well and the weight came off on its own. Through this pregnancy I have tried to use the WW method is of watching what I eat and eating lots of fruits and veges to not gain to much weight.
ReplyDeleteWOW, congratulations on a job well done! I've not ever used WW but am trying to get rid of an extra 40 pounds I've been carrying for a while. I sure hope my weight loss is as successful as yours!
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