Stuck at 203 for almost two weeks!!!

scarlettsmom87

I'm 28, 5'8", currently 203.8 and a mother of two. I'm also 3 months postpartum.

I was 135 in high school of course PCOS set in and I gained 70 pounds in less than 6 months. Y'all know that struggle I'm sure. Sigh.

So for the last 10 years, I've been in the 200-230 range. I can't seem to shake it. With my first pregnancy, I was 202 when I got pregnant and 224 the day I had her at full-term. I was back to 201 within a couple days. With my second pregnancy, I was at my lowest weight in a decade, 191, when I got pregnant. I was 217 when I gave birth to her, full-term, and was down to 201 a couple days later. I've been exclusively breastfeeding her and you'd think that would melt away the pounds but NOT THIS MAMA. ugh!! Within a MONTH I was back to 217 pounds I wasn't calorie counting and I was soooo incredibly hungry and thirsty during the first month of breastfeeding. Once I weighed and saw how bad I was, I saw my doc and he recommended 1700-1800 calories a day as long as I'm BF. I've lost weight but now I'm stuck again. Thoughts?

Starting date: 3/29/16
Starting weight: 217
Today's date: 5/12/16
Today's weight: 203.8
Weight loss in the last 10 days: NONE!!!!


I'm not exercising YET but I'm a stay at home mom with two kids under 4 and a ton of chores so I'm kinda hoping to find a living room workout I can do. I'm also trying my hardest to drink a gallon of water a day. I've been eating the same breakfast every morning: 3 egg & ham biscuits (not frozen, but cooked up). That's where the majority of my calories are each day, around 900-1000. My baby is usually pretty hungry at the beginning of the day and I'm up doing chores and cleaning so I don't see it as a big deal. I try to eat a light lunch and a light dinner but I'm still maintaining the same weight for almost two weeks. I've had success with a keto-based diet before, dropping 15 pounds in two weeks, but I'm no longer working and I'm distracted by the kitchen and doubt I can do it again.

Help!!

KnitOrMiss

That exact thing happened to me while nursing my daughter. I never lost the baby weight. I just kept gaining. I know now that I'm insulin resistant, and that it and my PCOS go hand in hand. And apparently, with pregnancy (my first was like the dreaded second where most suffer more after effects) and delivery, it flared up the worst of everything...

I actually urge you to get your fasting insulin levels tested. They are not a common test, but they are an important one. My blood sugars and A1C NEVER showed worries, but I had the symptoms.

That being said, you will need to trim your carbs, particularly grains, if you're like most PCOS / IR folks. Metformin helps some, but that medicine has side effects, and I don't know if you can breast feed while on it. If you eat the eggs and ham without the biscuits, you'll probably be fuller. And a more moderate carb plan is okay generally while breastfeeding.

Are you tracking on here? I would be curious to know where your carbs are. Just as a basic suggestion, I would recommend no more than 100 grams of carbs, total, a day. Period. That's medically low carb, but not as restrictive as keto...

Anyway, feel free to hit me up with more questions. I can tell you that if my almost 40 year old self could go back and talk to my 24 year old self and stop the gain before it got stupid out of control, I'd love myself forever.

I was 200 pounds the day I check in to the hospital, 9 months pregnant, in labor. By the time my kiddo was a few months old, I was in the 220's. I was 140 when I got married, at 19. I was lower, like you in HS, but still bigger than most of the girls... I got up to the heaviest recorded weight of 319 before starting back down again. I'm in the 250-255 range now most of the time while my body heals me internally before allowing me to continue losing. I do follow a low carb/keto plan myself, too...and 95% of the time, I feel way better than I ever did eating any other way.

HUGS and good luck.

mhulgan

FYI - you can totally breastfeed while on metformin. I did it with my second kid. I have insulin resistant pcos, and the only way I can lose weight (whether bf or not) is by significantly limiting processed carbs, taking metformin religiously, and getting an hour of exercise daily. It's like having a part time job, but if I ever stop that combo, I gain weight. I'm a walker/runner, so I get a lot of exercise strapping my kids into the stroller and getting out of the house.

Good luck! Enjoy your babies!

am_change

Don't be disheartened by staying the same for a while. Could be muscle or water retention? Sounds like you're doing great. Im 4 months pp and also seem to be one of those who doesn't lose weight easily through breast feeding. Having googled it it seems common. Ahh!

I'm also in this group where we motivate and support each other and do a weekly weigh in. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/113945-fit-fabulous-postpartum you're very welcome to join us!