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WeightWatchers questions. One of which is "Can I do WW while pregnant?"


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I am considering doing WeightWatchers.

 

I don't want to join/go to meetings. I just want to do the online program. I don't want to reduce during pregnancy, just not gain more than I should.

 

Can pregnant ladies do WW?

Any of you continue with WW while pregnant?

Is there some formula for pregnant ladies on it?

 

 

What's this about some new change WW is going to do later on (I read in the FORMER GLUTTON thread)?

 

Any long-time WW successfuls on here?

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No, there is no plan/formula for pregnant women to join WW. You should talk to your doctor about what you should/can eat in order to ensure you gain an appropriate amount of weight without gaining an excess amount. And don't ask that question on the WW forums, I've seen them BASH women for asking about being on a weight loss program while pregnant, even if you explain that you're not looking to lose weight lol.

 

On the other hand, WW DOES have a good nursing mom's plan that I had success on while nursing my son back in the day.

 

I've heard there's a "change" coming too (there always is, periodically) but don't know what it is yet!

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I'm not pregnant but we've thought about having another baby and I've given this matter quite a bit of thought. I also planned to try to keep counting Points when pregnant so I do not gain too much weight (just what I should be gaining) so I do not get out of control.

 

There is no official formula for doing it but logically, I think you would take the number of daily points you have, add 5 points per day to account for the 35 weekly points, add at least 4 points daily (this is what they have you do when you start maintenance so you no longer lose weight) then the number of points you need for weight gain. [so if you wanted to gain 20 pounds over the course of your pregnancy you would figure 20*3500 (calories in a pound)/270 (days in pregnancy). This was 259, so you would want to add 259 calories per day to gain 20 pounds over the course of your pregnancy. That works out to about 5 points if you figure each point is about 50 calories.]

 

So basically, if you are currently assigned 25 daily points to lose weight you would aim for 39 daily points while pregnant to gain 20 pounds. Of course, this is all just a thought experiment...I actually thought I was pregnant a few months ago but it turned out I wasn't. :( But in that time I had such extreme food issues...I was either completely starving or else I would be two bites into a meal and suddenly feel stuffed. If that is how it will be when I actually am pregnant again, I can see completely throwing this all out the window.

 

And of course, this was before the new WW program. I don't know how you'd be able to figure something like this out, if what I've heard about the new program is true.

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As a midwife, I do not recommend any diet program while pregnant.

 

I don't want to reduce during pregnancy, just not gain more than I should.

 

Eat a healthy diet and the chances are very high that you will prevent a lot of issues. What I recommend to all clients is:

 

- WATER!!!! You need 1/2 your body weight in oz each day. Milk, juice, and pop do not count! Tea can count if it is a Pregnancy Tea, starting in the second trimester. Two cups a day then and in the third trimester drink three cups. I prefer a Pregnancy Tea because it has other beneficial herbs in it besides Red Raspberry Leaf.

 

- Eat something every 2-3 hours. This doesn't mean make a full meal that often. Smaller meals will digest better (digestion slows during pregnancy). It will also help keep your blood sugar stable thru the day.

 

- 70-90 grams of protein daily.

 

- LOTS of fresh (or frozen...just avoid canned foods) fruits and veggies!!

 

- It's fine to splurge and have a Coke or some ice cream every now and then! You just can't have donuts every morning for breakfast and a pint of ice cream in the evening and expect to feel well and have a healthy pregnancy. ;) Yes, it's possible but if you don't make a point to have the nutritious foods you will feel run down and are at a higher risk for other issues.

 

I have had clients come to me for subsequent pregnancies who gained way too much (50-60lbs) in a previous pregnancy. Some also had health issues due to their weight gain and poor nutrition (i.e. PIH, PreE, GD). When they follow our diet recommendations for their current pregnancy we don't see those recurring issues.

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For the nursing WW plan, you DO get extra "points" but you are also required extra servings of healthy foods: 3 healthy oils instead of 2, 8 fruit/veggies instead of 6, 8 waters instead of 6, 3 milks instead of 2. My ob/gyn recommended I continue counting my WW points but add 300 calories-worth of points at month 4. Ask your ob/gyn!

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I was involved with WW for years prior to becoming a mom, and a healthy pregnancy diet and WW are different in terms of calorie amounts and nutrients. Of course some people may get away with it, but you're better off working out what is right for you with your doctor and perhaps a dietician. If I remember correctly, WW online will have you indicate that you are NOT pregnant, just as they do in the face-to-face groups. Because this is a medical issue, it is not something to fudge.

 

I ended up with gestational diabetes with my pregnancies, and because of that my weight was monitored very closely and I kept a food diary using the exchange system as given to me by a dietician, which basically is what WW followed before the point system. I actually weighed less than I did before pregnancy a month afterwards, and my babies were healthy.

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