Formula Feeding Mom - Weight Loss

camybeck

Hey mommas! 2 months pp here and have 25lbs to go. I’m exclusively FF since BF didn’t work out. Unfortunately it seems like my weight loss has plateaued for the past few weeks. Feeling discouraged, all my BF friends seem to lose weight so quickly and easily. Any other FF moms want to share their experience? And how they lost the weight? Could use some inspiration. I know I have to give it time but it’s tough pre-pregnancy I was always petite so am not used to seeing my body like this.

hist_doc

Hi there, I'm breastfeeding but I just wanted to offer my support. You are only 2 months pp so be kind to yourself I say this while fully admitting that at this point 2 months ago, I was in your position and incredibly frustrated with my lack of progress. That was 10 lbs. ago.
It can be tough to get adjusted to your new body, and I know this probably isn't what you want to hear (or what "I" want to hear at 4 months pp, for that matter) but it will take time.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it might seem like your BF friends are losing the weight so quickly because well, they aren't you, and we tend to marvel at the progress of others and be our own worst critics--I am guilty of this myself. After my first pregnancy, I decided that rather than give myself scale-based goals, I signed up for my first half marathon. It gave me something healthy to track and look forward to. I have BDD, but accomplishing that goal worked wonders for me. It also helped me cope much better with my second postpartum period because I know that I lost the weight the first time and I can do it again. I try to give myself positive messages (like the fact that I'm strong and was able to move a treadmill with my husband last week) rather than focus on things I'm unhappy with (like the bit of extra skin on my stomach). It's not foolproof, by any means, but now that I have a daughter I am making a conscious effort to reshape my thinking.

A few things to consider:
--I found that with my first pregnancy, I lost the most weight once I weaned so the fact that you are FF might actually work in your favor since there's no guarantee that every woman will lose weight while BFing.

--with both of my pregnancies, I wasn't able to really start losing pounds or inches until I was at least 12 weeks pp.
n.b. With my first pregnancy I resumed exercise at 6 weeks pp; this time at 3 weeks pp. Really, it made no difference with weight loss and I exercise for my own sanity and enjoyment.

--"only" last week did my postpartum sweats cease (I'm 17 weeks pp). Seriously, prior to that I was walking around outside in 45 degree weather in a teeshirt and sweating. This was followed by my first period (ugh!) even though I'm still BFing.

--the onset of my period also triggered a settling of hormones (says my midwife) which then encouraged further loss. I'm also now experiencing the postpartum acne (yay!) and loss of hair (double yay!!) but my weight loss has been more steady. This may or may not be the case for you but I thought it would be worth mentioning.

change4char

Hi there! I exclusively FF both my children. I've had a harder time losing the weight this time around. With my first, I lost my 35 lbs of baby weight in 4 months. I bought a food scale and a Fitbit and weighed all my food and walked 15,000 steps a day. My 2nd is 16 weeks old and I have 10 lbs to lose still. Honestly, bc we don't worry about breast feeding its all about CICO. I definitely get discouraged when my prepregnancy clothes don't fit, but know that if i keep eating in a deficit I'll get there.

Good luck!