New. Need friends!!

husbandsgenepartner

Hi All!

My daughter is just over 5 weeks, and she's my first. Just had my post partum check up today and I am back down to around where I was before I got pregnant, which is cool, but I was 50 lbs overweight at that time and I didn't even realize it. Now i'm eager to get that weight off, but I'm breastfeeding and am figuring life out as a new mom..don't want to affect my supply. I just really need some support! Anyone else in the same spot?

hist_doc

Hi there! I just joined this group as well.

I would stress that you'll need to be patient with yourself. Your body is still healing from pregnancy and childbirth and your hormone levels are still leveling out. I'm not a medical doctor but I can speak from personal experience.

A few things to consider. Not all women can lose weight while breastfeeding and maintain a supply. Some women barely have enough supply and so any calorie cutting (meaning you don't eat back the calories required to make milk) could impact it. You'll have to experiment and see what works for you. With my first pregnancy, I EBF'd my son for a year and struggled to lose much scale weight (though I lost inches during that time) without compromising my supply. I grew so obsessed (I have a history of disordered eating, BDD, and orthorexia) that I decided to stop weighing myself because it only made me more depressed. I do know that once I weaned, the extra padding seemingly fell off overnight--within 2 months it was like I had lost the layer of fat covering my body.

This pregnancy has been a bit different--I still suffer from BDD but my other disordered habits are in the past. I have been EBFing my daughter and have lost 20 lb. It is slow (at 0.5-1 lb. per week or so) but fairly steady. I barely lost any weight for awhile (despite counting calories and daily exercise) but I lost inches during that time. My waist (and hips) are within a 1/2-1" to what they were pre-pregnancy (I'm 17 weeks pp today) even though I'm still 10 lbs. above my pre-pregnancy weight. I make it a point to work out almost every day. It's good for me physically and mentally, so I try to make that a priority. I do find that my weight goes up and down, so be mindful of that possibility if you are weighing yourself regularly.

I guess the long and short of it is, you might be one of those lucky women who can drop weight without worry while breastfeeding or you might be like me who needs to carefully track everything and make sure you eat enough calories to maintain your supply. Either way, it is possible to lose the weight in the long run.

I know it's frustrating. With my first pregnancy I was "so" hard on myself for not dropping the weight more quickly. The second time around I have the luxury of hindsight to simply relax and know that eventually it will come off if I work for it. Be kind to yourself and try to give yourself that hindsight.

HazelBite113

I’m looking for some support, too - it’s so easy to wear out family and friends with constant talk about weight loss and calories. I’m 12 weeks postpartum with my third exclusively breastfed baby. Although I’m happy that calorie counting is working, I’m struggling with the monotony that comes with dieting. I’m also having a hard time with being unable to exercise regularly - I usually have an incessant daily running habit, but it is hard to pick back up in the middle of a midwestern autumn and winter while still being woken up several times a night with a newborn.

hist_doc

@HazelBite113, how old are your other children? Could you invest in a jogging stroller?

HazelBite113

I specifically didn't buy a jogging stroller because running is a thing I like to do all by myself. I did put the baby in the stroller and go for a walk yesterday when the weather was nicer. I know I'll be able to get back to my normal routine in a few months, but it's hard not to miss it in the mean time.

husbandsgenepartner

@hist_doc thank you!! your post made me feel a lot better. I have such a hard time being kind to myself when it comes to weight - but I think I'm going to make that kindness and patience one of my top "goals" as I undertake this project. I'm definitely not going to be one of those lucky gals who just drops weight - I never have been! Do you have any tips for "getting back in the saddle" with healthy eating and fitness while breastfeeding?

husbandsgenepartner

@HazelBite113 let's be friends! i'll never get tired of talking about that stuff! I want to talk about it too!

HazelBite113

@husbandsgenepartner - I send you a friend request. I'm happy to find some people to connect with. One of the things I really miss while doing this on my own is the support. When I did Weight Watchers before, I really benefitted from the meetings and the support I got there.

hist_doc

husbandsgenepartner wrote: »

@hist_doc thank you!! your post made me feel a lot better. I have such a hard time being kind to myself when it comes to weight - but I think I'm going to make that kindness and patience one of my top "goals" as I undertake this project. I'm definitely not going to be one of those lucky gals who just drops weight - I never have been! Do you have any tips for "getting back in the saddle" with healthy eating and fitness while breastfeeding?

It's my understanding that it's simple math of CICO, barring any postpartum hormonal stuff. I wrote this in a different post, but I've shared some of it here.

-with both of my pregnancies, I didn't start losing until I was at least 12 weeks pp. My daughter turned 4 months old last week.

-"only" last week did my postpartum sweats cease (I'm 18 weeks pp). Seriously, prior to that I was walking around outside in 45 degree weather in a teeshirt and sweating ALL THE TIME. This return to normal body temp was followed by my first period (ugh!) even though I'm still BFing.

--the onset of my period also triggered other hormonal changes (says my midwife) which I found then encouraged further loss. As of the past 2 weeks, I'm also now experiencing the postpartum acne (yay!) and significant hair loss (double yay!!). On a positive note, I think I've lost 4 lb. during the past two weeks of these changes alone but I should note that I didn't have much net loss for several weeks (scale was up and down the same few lbs).

--I suffer from chronic depression and I can't take my medication while breastfeeding. I have debated over whether or not to resume my meds and I still haven't reached a decision. Right now, I am managing things okay. I find that daily exercise helps most days. Other days, I am quite down. I'm by no means advocating one way or another--I really want to continue to BF but some days I feel very weak emotionally and want to throw in the towel.

In terms of tips:
It was recommended that I set my MFP account to maintain weight and let breastfeeding create the deficit. I found that it didn't work for me, so I set it to lose 0.5 lb. per week--do this slowly because you don't want it to impact your supply. I don't log my breastfeeding calories. I think the first suggestion would work for someone who weighs their food. I don't and I suspect my logging was off. I prefer to build in more of a buffer because my logging is good but not perfect. I also eat back my exercise calories. See what works for you.

I try to eat the same few meals for a week or so or I might do variations of meals that include similar ingredients. Sounds boring, I know, but it helps expedite my logging. So, if I make a recipe of veg chili, I'll log the recipe and measure out the servings and freeze them. In my case I make meals that I can easily freeze and defrost in a pinch (tonight, for instance, I am defrosting chicken chili that I made for my husband and the vegetarian version of the same chili I made for myself). Or I might add some chili to an egg dish for lunch to switch it up but it doesn't require additional meal planning. I find this makes logging easier, because I can copy the meal or simply draw it from my recipe bank.

I'm certainly no expert on any of this--I just wish I had someone to talk to about this stuff when I had my first baby. So everyone please let's continue the discussion, my husband can only listen to me for so long about this

hist_doc

HazelBite113 wrote: »

I specifically didn't buy a jogging stroller because running is a thing I like to do all by myself. I did put the baby in the stroller and go for a walk yesterday when the weather was nicer. I know I'll be able to get back to my normal routine in a few months, but it's hard not to miss it in the mean time.

I agree. I really miss being able to run the trail--alone. I took her out today and she just screamed.

trjjoy

Lactating/breastfeeding women, too, can lose weight by ensuring they're in a caloric deficit. Breastfeeding can be that caloric deficit. Hormones might make us want to eat ALL THE THINGS but it's up to us to make better choices. To stay within our caloric limit when we're trying to lose or maintain weight.

LadyAnnandale

Hey! I'm a mom of two boys, and expecting the third to come within the next 3-7 weeks. I just joined, and am looking for mfp friends/support. I would like to lose approximately 30 lbs once baby is born. I am no stranger to healthy weight loss, and have kept off a significant amount of weight for quite a while now, but need to find like-minded people on a similar path to surround myself with. Feel free to add me!