Two big things happened this week: I went back to Weight Watchers and, per the suggestion of Miles’ pediatrician, I’m giving up dairy.
Just call it the one-two punch of “dieting.”
Weight Watchers
If you are a new reader (or have mommy brain or more important things to remember), I successfully followed the Weight Watchers program from August 2009 until October 2010, losing 70 pounds in less than a year. (The other months were spent maintaining my weight.) The program was the perfect combination of rules and flexibility for me, and I learned a lot about eating good foods, portion sizes and planned indulgences. However, knowing and doing are two different things and, as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t need just the “knowing” but the accountability that the program provides.
So far, you know a whole three days in, it hasn’t been that bad. It’s taking some adjusting to get back to counting points and learning a whole new program but I feel good knowing that I’m taking control of my eating and putting myself on a healthy post-baby path. My meetings are on Wednesdays so we’ll see how it goes then.
Note: I do receive extra points for nursing, and I am in now way restricting myself in a manner that would negatively affect Miles.
Dairy-free
We had about one good week with Miles. A week where he was alert and content and slept semi-regularly. Then, as if a light switch went off last Sunday, he turned to the fussy side. He wanted to eat non-stop, cried if he wasn’t nursing and was no longer comforted by Mark. A lactation specialist told us that it was most likely a growth spurt, and it would last a couple days. By Friday, we were still nursing non-stop, and Miles (and Mom and Dad) grew more agitated.
As a nervous first-time mom, I made an appointment with the pediatrician – sure something had to be wrong with my child. Nope. He had no fever, no ear infection, he’s gaining weight fairly well. The likely culprit? Acid reflux. Like mother, like son, I guess.
Among several suggestions, the doctor advised that I give up dairy for a week and see if it has any effect. Dairy, you see, is one of the food groups most likely to agitate a baby’s sensitive digestive track.
What does that mean? No ice cream, no milk, no cheese, no pizza. As my neighbor, who has gone dairy free while nursing her eight (yes, eight!) kids, it will get you skinny real quick. And that’s the only upside of it, she said.
Amen, sister.
Has anyone gone dairy free? Got any good tips or products for me?
I went dairy free the first couple of months I was nursing and it helps out a lot. Unfortunately, I have one of those "good babies" that was sleeping through the night (5-7 hours in a row) by the time she was 6 weeks old. If your baby is fussy its most likely something you're eating. Hanna got fussy whenever I ate foods that were gassy like broccoli and green beans.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to remember (and I tell you this because my Dr. told me that while I was nursing was the best time to try and lose weight) every woman's body is different, especially after pregnancy. I couldn't lose weight for the life of me and then my pediatrician told me at 4 months that Hanna was tiny for her age and that I needed to eat more calories. Needless to say, I quit nursing her at around 6 months because I was eating like 3000 calories a day and my milk was still depleting. After gaining 14 pounds I decided that to continue nursing would be unhealthy for me (because I couldn't afford to gain weight, already being 100+ pounds over weight). It was extremely sad to stop nursing I was a little depressed because I loved the bond that I had with my little one.
Anyway there is my novel of 2 cents. Good luck! I hope the dairy free makes the nights easier for you!
Good luck with both! My mom did WW years ago and lost like 50 lbs. She has maintained it for over a decade, it's such a good program. I have never gone dairy free but my nephew had horrible acid reflux as a baby. Once he got medicine for it he was a different baby.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with doing the non-dairy if the doc recommends it and it's good for the baby.
ReplyDeleteThe only other time I've heard of dairy free is in the book "Skinny Bitch" and the whole notion of going dairy-free only to get skinny kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Similar to folks thinking no carbs = skinny. I'm all about balance.
Does dairy free include Lactose free too? If so, then I have nothing to add except my support and admiration for your efforts to keep you and your baby healthy! If not, then I can add that there are LOTS of lactose free options for almost every "real" dairy product. My husband has lactose intolerance and has tried just about all of the lac-free products - he says they are very good and can't tell the difference.
ReplyDeleteGood luck - know I'm thinking of you!
Elimination diets are annoying but there are so many great alternatives. I would suggest, because you're breastfeeding a little boy, you limit soy because of it's link to increased estrogen in men (http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/soys-negative-effects).
ReplyDeleteBut just limit, it's still a great alternative and a great source of protein and calcium. But you can use soy yogurt, Rice Shreds (melts great for pizza! and tastes great) almond and coconut milk ice cream. Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? They have so many awesome products you can check out.
Good luck
I have limited my dairy a lot in the last few months. I only drink almond or coconut milk, and I've eaten significantly less cheese! I still have my yogurt, though! Good luck with it! I know you'll do great! :0)
ReplyDeleteHey Kim- I'm dairy free and not a huge fan of the fake cheese products. One of my favorite lunches is a sweet potato quesadilla. Micro a sweet potato and mash, spread on a ww tortilla and top with black beans and spices. Cook until the tortilla crisps and eat with fresh pico de gallo, etc. The sweet potato acts like cheese and glues the whole thing together. It's super filling and yummy.
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ReplyDelete