What Ciara Eats in a Day on Weight Watchers to Stay Fit and Healthy
You could say the journey to moderation has been a "One, Two Step" process for singer Ciara.
The 35-year-old music celebrity, wife of NFL star Russell Wilson, mom of three, fashion and fragrance entrepreneur and new spokesperson for myWW+ (formerly Weight Watchers) gained 60 pounds with her first child, Future (whose dad is rapper Future).
When she and Wilson discovered Ciara was pregnant with her second kiddo, Sienna, Ciara revealed to People, "I gained 65 pounds, and I said, 'I'm not going to do that this time. I'm not going to do it.' Then I gained probably 65 and some change!" referring to her experience carrying baby number three, who was born in July 2020 and is named Win.
Her step one was always to take drastic measures.
"The extreme way that I would approach my eating habits [previously] is just unrealistic for me. I have too much to look after, and I'm also breastfeeding," Ciara added in that People interview.
So step two has been all about moderation: She now works with a coach on myWW+, and uses the WW app and the Digital 360 program to track her meals.
"What's been really helpful with the program is that you get to enjoy yourself. It's not an extreme diet plan. It's not like you can't eat the fun foods that I believe bring us happiness or bring us joy...Being from Atlanta and being a southern girl, I've always loved good food, good flavors and good seasoned food," Ciara told People.
Ciara opened up in a chat with InStyle: "I think the discovery that you can enjoy all the good food that's out there is always kind of eye-opening and enlightening for people because typically you think you have to do these extreme plans, where you're basically only eating grass or you're not eating much besides celery and carrots, you know?"
So how does her new moderation-minded plan work, exactly?
The new personalized program builds on the previous myWW+ program, while offering a more holistic approach to weight loss and wellness that focuses on four key areas: food, activity, mindset and sleep, explains Jaclyn London, M.S., RD, CDN, head of nutrition and wellness at WW.
Every participant's journey starts with a personal assessment about food preferences and lifestyle. These answers will guide you to one of three food plans: Green, Blue, or Purple. Each color-coded plan includes a different "Daily SmartPoints Budget".
"A WW 'point' is essentially one easy-to-understand number that distills down complex nutrition science to help simplify healthful eating," London explains.
Since each WW member gets to decide what to use those points on and how to distribute them throughout the day "that means nothing is off-limits. Desserts, richer dishes and more can all fit within an overall healthy pattern of eating," London adds.
The SmartPoints system does encourage small shifts toward healthier eating habits that work long-term. Translation: Foods that are high in saturated fat and added sugars have higher points, and high-fiber foods like fruits and non-starchy vegetables are deemed "ZeroPoint" foods. (You can learn more about the program, SmartPoints, ZeroPoint foods and the myWW+ plans here.)
Ciara also incorporates movement into her overall wellness strategy. For exercise, she focuses on core work and resistance training with her family's trainer Decker Davis, Peloton classes with her favorite instructor Ally Love, walking her dogs and staying active with her busy family.
To date, Ciara has lost 28 pounds on myWW+ and aims to lose about 20 more. Here's what the star/busy mom/business owner consumes on a typical day.
What Ciara Eats in a Day
Breakfast
According to diet diaries in W Magazine and Essence, a typical morning might start with a cozy, fiber-filled bowl of oatmeal or Cream of Wheat (buy it: $31.53 for 12, 12-ounce boxes, amazon.com), plus a side of fruit.
Since she's breastfeeding (which burns between 300 and 600 extra calories per day), Ciara enjoys a few snacks throughout the day. Come mid-morning and mid-afternoon, she might sip on a protein shake or nosh on a few slices of fresh mango and a handful of cashews.
Related: 19 Easy Low-Cal Snack Ideas
Lunch
Lunch is often the biggest meal of the day for Ciara, and she aims to include a dose of protein, a vegetable and a healthy carb. A shrimp burrito bowl is a recent fave, she told Essence. (For something similar, try our well-balanced Southwestern Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Shrimp and Avocado Crema.)
Dinner
Ciara aims to eat more carbs earlier in the day and feast on more protein and fat at dinner. She often whips up fish and a couple vegetable sides for dinner, and Miso-Glazed Cod like this recipe from WW is on heavy rotation.
Throughout the day, Ciara shoots to sip on at least a gallon of water per day, and balances out occasional splurges (say, a side of French fries at lunch) at other meals by leaning into more produce and protein.
The Bottom Line
Research shows that tracking your diet and exercise in a log of some sort improves your chances of weight-loss success (even if you just do it in the beginning) and this strategy appears to be a great fit for the glowing celeb. The way she mixes up her menu and allows for flexibility and splurges 80/20-style makes this more of a lifestyle than a diet, which we're fully on board about!
Overall, the new wellness philosophy she's adapted with WW has allowed her to stay more "sane" throughout the weight-loss process, she said in the Essence interview, which not only makes it easier for her to stick with long-term, but also offers a great example for her three kids and fans who watch her every step on social media.
Happiness and health seem to coexist now when Ciara reflects on her 2021 vibe: "You feel joyful in the process of getting your bounce back and taking care of yourself. I think what's been really cool is knowing that you can still eat all the things you want to."