Saturday, March 24, 2012

Postpartum weight loss


Up until recently I wasn't doing much to lose the baby weight other than working out. With the help of breastfeeding I was able to lose all but about 5 of the pounds I gained from pregnancy. I realized unless I change things up more it wasn't coming off, considering all the working out I was doing.

Due to breastfeeding though, one has to be careful not to restrict their diet too much or the milk supply will be affected. I had heard that Weight Watchers is good for breastfeeding. I did it a few years back under the old points program, but I didn't have a clue how things were being done under the new PointsPlus system. I also didn't want to do the actual program with meetings and such. Plus it is not cheap.

I did a lot of research on the net trying to figure out the new system. This website was good at describing the new formula. I also found this website to help determine ones actual allotted points. Notice the addition of 14 points for breastfeeding. I like that. Now I realize that this is not the actual program. And I am most certainly aware the actual program is awesome and has many additional perks. Steven being a math guru understands how they are coming up with their stuff, I of course just do it and try not to over analyze. He was nice enough to put it on an excel spreadsheet where all I have to do is put in the numbers and it figures them out on its own. Pretty accurate I might add as I compared to several Smart Ones entrees I purchased with points put on the box. Be sure and round up!

The idea is smart as it helps you choose smarter options and not look at the overall calories which can be misleading. For example note below...

Small Easter brownie, delicious I might add, is almost 6 points, using the PP formula. Again I round up.

The fat alone makes the point value jump.

Now look at this as comparison. If one were to eat this whole bag of steamfresh mac and cheese with broccoli it would only be 7 points total.


The brownie will not go far in filling you up. I have been eating this way for the past week and have lost 4 pounds. Granted the first week is supposed to be more than normal. I anticipate losing 1-2 pounds each week. I have also started working out less often but running more with the kids. We (Gage, Kieran, and I) started training for a 5k a couple of weeks ago. I am hoping to lose 10-15 pounds more to get back to where I feel my best. Even 5-10 extra pounds on a shorty is no fun. I don't have a set time frame as long as it is going down I will be content. So we shall see how this works.

1 comment:

Sarah Fergione said...

Good luck! You're lucky that breastfeeding helped you lose weight, my body decided to do the opposite and hold on to all of my weight :( I'm guessing once I stop (which won't be for quite awhile) that I'll lose whatever I'm retaining. I do need to start working out, I just hate doing it at home and don't want to pay for a babysitter!

-Sarah

Dogs, Dogtags and Diapers.