Can't lose while breastfeeding?

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mommyto2ZZs

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Well, I posted a lot more info about myself over at the newcomers section, but no one has responded to me there, so I thought I would try over here.

I'm new here, but wanted to talk with others who have found that they just cannot seem to lose weight while breastfeeding.

If you want to know more about me, here's what I posted over at the newcomers section:

Hi,
New to this forum, but looking for some support! I am a mommy to two beauties, a girl who just turned 3 and a boy who is just turning 8 months in a couple days.

I am currently getting desperate to lose pregnancy weight from my second pregnancy. I couldn't lose the pregnancy weight with my daughter until she was completely weaned from breastfeeing at 13 months. Then the last 12 pounds melted off without much effort in the next 6 months. Then I got pregnant again. I should mention I gained 48 pounds with my daughter and 50 with my son. I am 5 feet and 9 inches tall. I was 2 pounds away from my pre-preg weight from my daughter when I got pregnant again.

I have lost 32 pounds since my son was born, but I am still 18 pounds too fat to fit in my clothes. My weight has not budged in the past 5 or 6 months. I recently decided that simply being a little careful about what I eat most of the time was just not going to cut it and decided to get serious. Four weeks ago I began getting on the treadmill for a fast walk/slow jog for 30 mins as well as 15-30 mins of toning/weights. I did this 5 out of 7 days. I lost 1 1/2 pounds and was encouraged. I didn't change much in my eating habits. Week 2 I followed the same plan, except I missed a couple exercise sessions due to having company for a few days. I didn't lose anything more. Week 3 I got desperate again and decided it was time to start counting the dreaded calories. I discovered that I was actually eating around 2000 calories per day when I thought I was eating 1800. So I began cutting. That week I brought myself down to 1800 calories max and stayed there for week 3 and the current week (week 4). I also continued the exercise plan. Three days ago I got on the scale only to discover I not only had not lost any more weight, but I had actually GAINED 4 pounds! I didn't do any cheating, and until I weighed, I was actually so proud of how I'd been doing and was SURE I had lost at least 2 more pounds.

I am so discouraged and feel MISERABLE! I cannot wear any of my clothes. I am still nursing my baby, but am in the process of weaning, not by my choice, but that's a whole different story. I am hopeful that when my body stops lactating I will be able to continue dropping the pounds.

Meanwhile, the science of what I am doing just does not compute. I am consuming 200-300 less calories per day and exercising away about 300 more per day. How is it possible to GAIN weight doing this?

Anyone else out there with this kind of experience or who can't seem to lose weight until breastfeeding stops?

Thanks for letting me share!
Mommyto2ZZs
 
Hi there! I am trying to remember how I did while bf'ing. For some reason, I lost initially, but then regained or stayed the same. The worst thing about me is that a few (not all, just some) of my pg cravings stayed while I was bf'ing. It was frustrating that all my bf'ing friends around me were dropping lbs by the bucketfull and were eating the same way I was too and I wasn't losing. Must be they just had far better metabolisms than I did. Either that or it was the fact that I was working virtual office for those years, taking care of 1 toddler and 1 infant, maintaining a home, and not having the time to get out and exercise...let alone anything else! Most of my other friends either worked outside of the home and used a day-care, or they were SAHM's (stay at home moms). Now that I am no longer working virtual office, I am a SAHM now and I find it FAR easier to be able to concentrate on losing this weight.

I guess I said all that to say, yes...I can empathize with your bf'ing woes. Whenever I did attempt to lose weight while bf'ing, it seemed the baby would get really fussy like they weren't getting enough to eat so I would just give up and wait until they were weaned. (They both weaned themselves at 9 months...which made me really sad...I was hoping for a whole year with both.)
 
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Anorexia and thank for the response

Thanks for the response, bep. I'm feeling a little lonely here.

Just want to mention also that I'm a recovered anorexic (healthy now for 12 years). I am 34 years old now. Anway, having been stuck in the anorexic games of losing weight in the past, certain things are things that I don't like to mess with because they bring back such trauma. These things include meticulous calorie counting and recording (which I have resorted to recently as I am getting desperate) and excessive exercise. I never could make myself barf, so I was a compusive exerciser.

Anyway, as I gained weight following the anorexia, I still felt great at 135 pounds. (I'm 5' 9"). It creeped up to 147 by the time I got married at 25. Then it creeped up to 160 by the time I got pregnant with my first child at age 31. Also between 147 lbs and 160 pounds hubby and I moved crossed country from Oregon to Missouri. We were VERY active outdoors people in Oregon...bike riding, hiking, camping, etc. It was very easy to do those activities in the beauty of the northwest and before we had kiddos.

I described my more current weight stats in my previous post.

The thing is, I am really not a proponent of dieting, so to speak. Especially ever since that anorexia thing and the emotional trauma I still sometimes struggle with. So dieting is a very hard and rather taboo area for me. I really try instead to just focus on eating healthy and being reasonably active, because it feels good and is simply good for me. So now that I'm post baby (times 2) AND halfway through my 30's with the supposed slower metabolism and all, this is very difficult. I'm doing what I've always done to stay healthy and not obsess about my weight. It eventually worked following my last pregnancy...though it took waiting until I was done nursing.

I think I'm terrified that it won't work this time. After all, I'm doing the same stuff I've always done, and my weight it stuck at an unacceptable place now. I can't fit into any of my clothes, and I really am too fat at 183 pounds and with the waggles in my belly and thighs, and I realized today (gasp) even my upper arms. This is not a body I am used to having.

Guess I just want to connect with with other women who may share some of my views and struggles on this journey.

Thanks!
 
Understand your woes!

Hi mommyto2ZZs!

I understand your woes! Keep your head up and continue to eat clean food and drink lots of eater! I am the mommy to a 6 1/2 month old and we are breastfeeding while I try to lose weight as well. It's not easy but set a goal to establish healthy eating habits and make an exercise plan that you can stick with (no crazy extremes!:eek: ). The goal is to make your new eating and exercise daily habits so that when you and your baby are ready to wean you will be that much closer to your goal! You can do - I am with you!! :D

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/showthread.php?t=5169
 
I dont know if this will help (it helped me). I had the same problem where I lost and then nothing for about 4-6 weeks. What I heard from Bob Greene (oprahs trainer) was that your body takes like 6-8 weeks to kick into gear and your water/fat weight starts switching around. He recommends not weighing yourself for the first two months. ( I could never do that). I did find that to be true. I stuck with it and about 6 weeks after I started the weight started to come off at about 1-2 pounds a week. I too am a b-feeding mom of a 9 month old. So I hope this helps. Stick with it you can do it!:D
 
metabolism

Thanks Diva Mommy and Lightening up, for your replies. I really appreciate your encouragment. I've got some new progress and have finally lost the 4 gained pounds and about 1 1/2 more. I see an alternative enzyme practitioner and he felt my thryoid was low, which of course, affects metabolism as well. He is very encouraging and assures me we are going to be able to "fix" my metabolism. I think I will start a new thread describing this more as I am curious to get some readers and replies on this new angle as well. By the way, I'm finding that post-partum women tend to be a common population to have hypothyroid, which is often not diagnosed medically as medical practitioners use blood tests, which are not very accurate.
 
does your bady hold onto fat when breastfeeding?

Alright, I have 4 kids, my youngest is almost 18 months old and still nursing 3 times a day. I lost all of my weight, but then about 7 months ago when baby started nursing less, I started gaining weight. I let it go until I had gained about 8 pounds. Then I started dieting and exercising daily and in the past 2 months I've only lost about 2 pounds. It will not go away. Its so frustrating to be so careful with no results. I've heard other women say they can't lose weight while nursing. Does the body hold onto fat? And since I'm not nursing as much, I'm not burning as many calories. I am getting really sad and desperatley want help. Thanks everyone for anything you can offer.
 
Although they do say that it is difficult to lose weight when you are breast-feeding personally I have experienced this is not the case. Why new mothers feel it hard to lose weight is because after giving birth they are constantly looking after the baby and to little else. No matter how tired you feel this is not sufficient physical exercise, I mean it is not equivalent to the normal household chores or moving around outside.

~~ Sarah ~~
 
I know exatly where you're at. I gained 17 pounds with my first baby...which came off easily with breastfeeding. Then 20 months later I got pregnant with my second. I gained 40 pounds with my second. My heaviest was . I was crushed. I looked at my body afterwards and cried. I had fat hanging everywhere. I did breastfeed with my second also but it was different. The weight slowly came off in the beginning and then stopped. It was much harder the second time around. I was surprised...I thought it was easy the first time so it should just fall off this time but it didn't. I finally had to incorporate weight watchers and exercise.....not that chasing a 2 year old and an infant around wasn't enough exercise already!!! The hard part is walking a fine line between consuming enough calories to continue b-feeding but few enough to lose weight. It is 9 months later and I've lost 60 pounds. I still want to lose 20 more pounds but I do feel better about myself now. My encouragement for you is DON'T GIVE UP. Keep with it and you WILL see results.
 
Hi! I am new to these boards so I haven't even made an official introduction but felt I needed to reply to your thread because you sound JUST like me in a lot of ways.

I am a first-time mom to a 5 month old boy and I am currently BFing. I am also a SAHM and would like to lose another 25lbs to be happy with my weight. Back in 2004/2005 I was into marathon running and exercising TONS - my lowest weight was 128 at 5'9" (a little too thin) - I got married when I was 135 and then went through binge eating/purging and gained up to 185. I was 185 when I got pregnant with my son in August 2007. I was 220 when I delivered and 185 the first week after he was born (the biggest weight loss ever). I have since lost another 20lbs and been stuck at 165 now for the last 2-3 months. I haven't really given much if any effort to lose the last 20-30lbs - I'd really like to be 145 again, maybe 135 if possible. I hate to get back into the idea of counting calories as I have dealt with anorexia and bulimia in my past - and overexercising so its very easy to dip back into these patterns.

As for my diet, its seriously terrible. I feel like I am addicted to chocolate and sweets like I never was before (I use to crave fruits and healthy stuff before) now I can't go a day without chocolate or I get a headache! ugh! I would like to break myself of this habit but know I have a few good days of headaches if I go cold turkey! ugh!

So yeah, I totally understand where you're coming from. I wish you the best with losing weight and hope I can find some motivation from these boards to help me shed these last 25lbs for good!
 
Hey ladies!

I seriously am starting to believe that the body holds on to fat whilst nursing and when you think about it, it makes sense! I am at my fattest nursing my son and he is now almost 10 months old. I admit that I didn't exactly watch what I ate during the pregnancy (or after) but I gained weight whilst nursing an awful lot faster than usual!!
 
I really think it depends on what foods you are putting into your body not just calories.

What exactly are you eating? Is it well balanced? Are you eating heaps of fresh veges?

I found that I lost weight quickly after having both children, however i do eat really healthy. I used the breastfeeding as an even better excuse to not put anything bad into my body at all. I wanted my children to have the best milk I could make.

There was never a diet, just a healthy way.

Tell me more about your exact exercise and foods you eat each day. I hope I can help.

Being a a fit and healthy mother can give you such wonderful confidence.
 
thats actually suprising that breastfeeding is making it harder for you to lose weight... breastfeeding is actually supposed to assist in losing weight. apparently according to babycenter.com which is where i get all my momy info., it takes about 500 calories to a day to breastfeed. personally i found as soon as I stopped breast feeding I gained weight back.
 
Hi there. I am breastfeeding too with an almost4 month old. I read that your body actually holds onto some fat while breastfeeding because that's where some of your milk supply comes from. I got pregnant again when I was at the end of weaning my now 2 year old. I didn't start losing weight from that pregnancy until I had started weaning him and cut out night feedings. I tried everything and the weight would not budge. Right now I'm starting to try to lose weight, I have 63 pounds to lose. I wasn't at my goal weight before I got pregnant with my third.

It sounds like you are doing everything you can. Just be patient. The weight will come off. RIght now try to focus on how great you're doing. Take comfort in the fact that you are working hard, you are taking care of yourself and your baby. Try not to stress over the fact that you haven't lost all your weight yet. It takes time, which you know. Be proud of yourself. You are almost at your goal. Maybe switching up your workout routine will help you get through this plateau. They say your body gets used to the same workouts and stops losing weight. Hang in there, you inspire me to stay committed to my goals.
 
I want you to know that you are not alone on this one, believe me. When I had my first son breastfed exclusivly. My pre-preg weight was 145lbs. i was down to 130lbs in 12 weeks, no dieting at all. I stayed around this weight until he was a year when his nursing decreased significantly. The same with my 2nd son, although I put on 10 or so pounds in 10 months between pregnancies.

With my daughter though, born Dec 07. I have found b/feeding no help at all to weight loss. I didn't worry about my weight in pregnancy as i 'knew' it would just drop off. What a surprise it was to only lose 14lbs over the first four months and thats it! Now she is 13months old and I have 27lbs to lose to get back to more or less the weight I was after 1st son. It is gutting and I know how you feel. I think the key is though to just focus and keep on track as others have said previously. My friend just stopped breastfeeding her daughter and has, in 3 weeks lost 10lbs with no dieting so myabe, we are going to hold on to an extra bit until we stop? My daughter is on no hurry to give up the booby so it is going to be a long old slog for me.

So, like ajoy said previously maybe you are holding onto some fat stores in order to produce milk which is not great for you but wonderful for your baby. Your body has done an amazing thing and continues to do so. Give it time, continue to eat healthily, switch up your routine a bit to give your body a change. maybe, if you are not already doing so try some resistance training as muscle will tone you and also the more muscle you have the more calories you burn generally. Thats what i'm going for.

I wish you luck and hope that you continue to see the results you want.
 
Weight Watchers

This whole breastfeeding thing has been completely glamourized for weight loss. I always hear about how it helps you lose the weight, etc. etc. but I am finding that more and more moms are actualy holding on the weight while breastfeeding and losing it when they child is weaned. It just really seems relevent to the individual. I wish there was a magic key to breastfeeding! It is so hard as a mother to embrace the changes our bodies make. I am so proud to have a 9 month old, but when I see the extra weight, stretch marks, etc. it bothers me! I guess I try to tell myself that above anything I want to be healthy, and hopefully in time the body will come with it.

In any event, I was wondering if maybe you have considered something like Weight Watchers that promotes healthy eating per say versus dieting. Maybe this sort of program would be helpful to you in dealing with your issues you have surrounding your previous bouts with anorexia. Just a thought..
 
Metabolism

I am a HUUGE fat of metabolic weight loss! I lost over 50 pounds just by increasing my metabolism! Never felt like dieting - although I was struggling to lose my weight before.

This way of losing weight is easier than any else - I have tried tens of different diets and methods, spent hundreds, and just wasted my time and money - nothing really worked.

I will keep my eye on your new Metabolism thread - as I am VERY interested in others`success stories!!
 
how long did you breastfeed your baby before you stopped and switched to formula? i have an 8 month old baby. can I stop breasfeeding when baby is 12 months? btw, i purely breastfeed..

Shay
 
I am another mom whose body clings to fat while breastfeeding. It is like our bodies go into starvation defense mode.

With my almost 3 year old I started losing weight somewhat easily when he was around 9 months and had been on solid foods since 6 months. He nursed until around 14 months when pregnancy dried me up. I am now breasteeding my 8 month old son and still haven't been able to lose weight until recently. I have just accepted that I will still hang onto some baby fat for the first few months, and that has helped. It is frustrating, but seems to just be the way it is no matter what I do (within reason... not going to any extremes to lose weight while nursing).
 
shadecee said:
how long did you breastfeed your baby before you stopped and switched to formula? i have an 8 month old baby. can I stop breasfeeding when baby is 12 months? btw, i purely breastfeed..

Shay
Click to expand...

Really, you "can" stop whenever. 12 months, 2 years, etc. It really depends on you and baby. I myself plan to nurse until 2 years of age, but leave it up to the baby. I know my pregnancy was a factor in my 1st son weaning, but I have no plans to get pregnant until my 2nd son is 2+ if at all again (my 1st son has autism and we just don't know if we can handle a 4th child) and he is a die-hard nurser (started refusing a bottle around 2 months old and hasn't taken any of the kinds we have tried since) so I am guessing he will go until at least 18m if not 2 years.
 
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