Want baby weight off and feeling helpless
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melodyis4reals
Posts: 186 Member
I haven't lost any weight since giving birth 10 months ago. It's getting depressing now because I want to fit in my old clothes. I am a size 14 and use to be a size 8. I breastfeeding I get10k steps in daily. I know I have to track my calories. I know I have to stop snacking at night. I need help, encouragement, and words of wisdom.
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Replies
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Are you planning to wean soon? Some of what you do might be dictated by that. Start by eating as you normally do, but track your calories. Are you maintaining now? If so, that number (average) is your current maintenance level. I wouldn't start eating at a deep deficit unless you're prepared for a possible decrease in your supply since you're still bf'ing. Maybe 250 cal/ day (0.5 lb/week loss).
While weight loss is typically fairly straightforward CICO, hormones and breastfeeding can change the equation. Some women swear it helps them shed weight while others say they can't lose a thing until they wean. It could be that you're hungrier than normal, and eating more than you typically would because of that (since you aren't tracking it would be hard to say for sure).0 -
I am not planning on weaning anytime soon. It's up to my boy when he wants to stop. I will start tracking again. I am reasonable with slow weigh loss. I want to maintain my supply. Ugh, I know I should love my body and to be easier on myself for just having a baby, but I am tired of feeling so large and not like myself.0
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A lot of women worry about not eating enough when breastfeeding, but you have to be literally starving and be malnourished to have a supply problem. Set MFP at maintenance. Do not eat back the breastfeeding calories. If nothing happens in 2-3 weeks, lower your calories by 300 or so, and reevaluate again in a few weeks and so on.
Remember to drink lots of water and do not confuse thirst for hunger. Preplan snacks when shopping, do not buy at all things you usually snack on and are not filling, because it is very easy to get carried away when you are exhausted.2 -
A lot of women worry about not eating enough when breastfeeding, but you have to be literally starving and be malnourished to have a supply problem. Set MFP at maintenance. Do not eat back the breastfeeding calories. If nothing happens in 2-3 weeks, lower your calories by 300 or so, and reevaluate again in a few weeks and so on.
Remember to drink lots of water and do not confuse thirst for hunger. Preplan snacks when shopping, do not buy at all things you usually snack on and are not filling, because it is very easy to get carried away when you are exhausted.
This is not true.2 -
Currently breastfeeding a ten month old. I've lost 19lbs so far. I was stuck at 180 Supply has ebbed and flowed. I take brewers yeast and that makes an incredible difference with milk.
So this is my second and I really struggled to cut calories with my first because I was so scared it would hurt my baby, but then I was thinking of doing something drastic (whole 30, low carb, something that would really limit my food choices), this time I'm just counting. It's working. The first step I took was to join a volleyball league, the exercise and time out of the house got me on the right path.4 -
Hi! I'd love to help motivate and support you!
I have a 10 month old (and 2 others) that I'm not breastfeeding anymore but I SO know how hard it is to lose baby weight! I've been trying since baby #21 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »A lot of women worry about not eating enough when breastfeeding, but you have to be literally starving and be malnourished to have a supply problem. Set MFP at maintenance. Do not eat back the breastfeeding calories. If nothing happens in 2-3 weeks, lower your calories by 300 or so, and reevaluate again in a few weeks and so on.
Remember to drink lots of water and do not confuse thirst for hunger. Preplan snacks when shopping, do not buy at all things you usually snack on and are not filling, because it is very easy to get carried away when you are exhausted.
This is not true.
This is completely true or the human race would have been extinct a loooong time ago.0 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »A lot of women worry about not eating enough when breastfeeding, but you have to be literally starving and be malnourished to have a supply problem. Set MFP at maintenance. Do not eat back the breastfeeding calories. If nothing happens in 2-3 weeks, lower your calories by 300 or so, and reevaluate again in a few weeks and so on.
Remember to drink lots of water and do not confuse thirst for hunger. Preplan snacks when shopping, do not buy at all things you usually snack on and are not filling, because it is very easy to get carried away when you are exhausted.
This is not true.
This is completely true or the human race would have been extinct a loooong time ago.
The human race doesn't need every member born to it to survive. Stable populations happen because each breeding pair raises an average of 2 offspring to reproductive age. Even humans, who have the social capability to share the metabolic burden of nursing, would have only been able to keep a fraction of their children alive for almost all of human history.3 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »A lot of women worry about not eating enough when breastfeeding, but you have to be literally starving and be malnourished to have a supply problem. Set MFP at maintenance. Do not eat back the breastfeeding calories. If nothing happens in 2-3 weeks, lower your calories by 300 or so, and reevaluate again in a few weeks and so on.
Remember to drink lots of water and do not confuse thirst for hunger. Preplan snacks when shopping, do not buy at all things you usually snack on and are not filling, because it is very easy to get carried away when you are exhausted.
This is not true.
This is completely true or the human race would have been extinct a loooong time ago.
Perhaps on average, but that doesn't mean it won't vary from woman to woman. Plenty of women see a dip in supply when they cut calories too aggressively when breastfeeding. Your personal experience doesn't necessarily translate to the whole human race.2 -
Anyway, weaning begins when solid food starts. You don't have to just quit all at once. I would use some kind of step tracker and eat at maintenance. Give that a little while and watch what happens. If that doesn't seem to do anything weight-wise or supply-wise, drop 100 calories. Demand slowly decreases as they eat more food and have alternative sources of liquids.
ETA: By "eat at maintenance", I mean not adding additional calories for breastfeeding. Making milk by itself would be your deficit.0 -
I still am dealing with mine almost 21mo later. I just finally got sick of it and started working my *kitten* off, I diet and I exercise 2 1/2 hours a a day. I'm dedicated this time. I want to be able to wear a bikini top by November and feel comfortable doing so. So you just have to find a reason that drives you. And I also want to fit into all my old clothes.0
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »A lot of women worry about not eating enough when breastfeeding, but you have to be literally starving and be malnourished to have a supply problem. Set MFP at maintenance. Do not eat back the breastfeeding calories. If nothing happens in 2-3 weeks, lower your calories by 300 or so, and reevaluate again in a few weeks and so on.
Remember to drink lots of water and do not confuse thirst for hunger. Preplan snacks when shopping, do not buy at all things you usually snack on and are not filling, because it is very easy to get carried away when you are exhausted.
This is not true.
This is completely true or the human race would have been extinct a loooong time ago.
Perhaps on average, but that doesn't mean it won't vary from woman to woman. Plenty of women see a dip in supply when they cut calories too aggressively when breastfeeding. Your personal experience doesn't necessarily translate to the whole human race.
Going e.g. from 2000 calories needed for maintenance to 800 calories because you have panicked and want to lose the weight fast will affect supply, I agree. But no, I do not believe that cutting 300 calories will cause any supply deep. If breastfeeding required such fine-tuning in calories, no one would manage to breastfeed. And no one needs to eat for two or to maintain well above pre-pregnancy weight to breastfeed. I am guessing that anyone with common sense will start reducing calories and see how things go. But hormones are not doing magical things, they do not make your body need to maintain fat well above what is healthy to nurse a baby. Now if goal weight is in the underweight category, that is a different story. But no woman should be scared of a reasonable, healthy return to prepregnancy weight for fear of losing her supply.0 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »A lot of women worry about not eating enough when breastfeeding, but you have to be literally starving and be malnourished to have a supply problem. Set MFP at maintenance. Do not eat back the breastfeeding calories. If nothing happens in 2-3 weeks, lower your calories by 300 or so, and reevaluate again in a few weeks and so on.
Remember to drink lots of water and do not confuse thirst for hunger. Preplan snacks when shopping, do not buy at all things you usually snack on and are not filling, because it is very easy to get carried away when you are exhausted.
This is not true.
This is completely true or the human race would have been extinct a loooong time ago.
Perhaps on average, but that doesn't mean it won't vary from woman to woman. Plenty of women see a dip in supply when they cut calories too aggressively when breastfeeding. Your personal experience doesn't necessarily translate to the whole human race.
Going e.g. from 2000 calories needed for maintenance to 800 calories because you have panicked and want to lose the weight fast will affect supply, I agree. But no, I do not believe that cutting 300 calories will cause any supply deep. If breastfeeding required such fine-tuning in calories, no one would manage to breastfeed. And no one needs to eat for two or to maintain well above pre-pregnancy weight to breastfeed. I am guessing that anyone with common sense will start reducing calories and see how things go. But hormones are not doing magical things, they do not make your body need to maintain fat well above what is healthy to nurse a baby. Now if goal weight is in the underweight category, that is a different story. But no woman should be scared of a reasonable, healthy return to prepregnancy weight for fear of losing her supply.
I think we are mostly in agreement (although I do believe hormones can cause one to feel hungrier than otherwise, in turn leading to higher calories in, impeding weight loss 'mysteriously' if you aren't tracking carefully). I recommended 1/2 lb per week loss goal to start (about 250 calories per day cut), which is very close to the 300 you suggested
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I say, take one step. Any step. Eat a salad daily, count calories for 3 days, hit the gym weekly. I firmly believe one step will get you going! I'm only 3 months in and the difference in my body, cravings, and mindset are unfathomable.1
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