Lactating holds onto weight?

motolady11

Hi I am 6 months post partum and I have stopping bfing my son about a month ago and there is still some lactation (not much though) does that hold onto weight? Because of the hormonal changes?

MommaLovesToLoseIt

I found, when I was breastfeeding my children, that it was harder to lose weight for whatever reason. I think most people find that the opposite is true, but everyone is different.

sardelsa

For some it may.. hormones, increased appetite. For me it's the opposite I wither away if I'm not careful

Fit_Mom81

I'm breastfeeding my third baby who is almost 11 weeks old, and I'm finding it much harder to lose weight this time around than with my first two. Idk if it's because of breastfeeding, or if it's my age, diet, etc. I'm changing my diet a little so we'll see!

30kgin2017

Lactation may hang around for some time. I finished breastfeeding my 1st around 5 months too, I still had some milk until I fell preg again when she was 15mths old and I temporarily lost it. But weight wise it didnt have any affect on me.

gradchica27

It can. With my third I held on to four pounds until I weaned him completely (13 mo). Dropped it almost overnight. With no 4 I lost all my baby weight and more months before I stopped nursing. So...could be.

Do you have your cycle back? That may be a gauge about what's up with your hormones. I don't get mine back until a month or so after weaning.

Makeitso39

I'm convinced breastfeeding holds the last pounds on me!

SierraFatToSkinny

This isn't any of my business, so please forgive this question. But why stop? Beneficial for mama and baby. (Also seems like an excellent way to hit a calorie deficit.)

DayraX

I lost a ton of weight while breastfeeding. It got me used to being able to eat whatever and not worrying... So now that I haven't been breastfeeding for about 2 years I gained 22kg because of that bad habit

mom23mangos

It seems women fall into one of two categories, those that BF makes them lose weight and those that BF makes them hold onto the weight. I was a holder. As soon as I weaned, I dropped the weight. But I stopped lactating within a week. If you are still lactating that might be why you are still holding on to it.

HarperAnn6

Breastfeeding made me starving, and I gained about fifteen pounds. I had an incredibly low supply, so I believe it was very difficult on my body. I think my body needed extra food as compensation. Also, I sat nursing and at the pump so long, I couldn't get a lot of exercise in. When I look at my weight loss chart, I actually started dropping pounds about four days after I stopped nursing. I'm still glad I nursed, though. It sounds like you are just making a hormonal shift right now. I'm sure your body will begin to cooperate in a month or two, provided you are eating at a calorie deficit.

victoria_1024

I recently weaned my 2 year old and I certainly did NOT lose any weight! In fact, it's been a lot harder for me to maintain my weight since I stopped nursing.

FreyasRebirth

I think it affects everyone differently. I never had trouble losing pregnancy weight while nursing. In fact, the first one was so attached that I ended up ~7 lbs under my prepregnancy weight because he wasn't very interested in solids until like 8 months. (Too bad my old jeans never fit.) The second child was less enthusiastic and started solids earlier and ate more of them, I lost approximately the same amount that I had gained. I couldn't say how my weight changed when the first weaned (at 3 years, clingy boy) because I conceived in the same week. Weaning the second (at his 2nd birthday) didn't affect my weight at all.

Concerning 'leftover' lactation, some women continue to have a tiny bit of milk for years or longer. It is probably some evolutionary safety net. I don't think it would influence hormones too significantly unless you are encouraging more milk production.

spzjlb

Lactating is a huge energy output.