Issues with Breastfeeding and weight loss.

LouiseBennieEbdon

Hiya, I was wondering what other peoples experiences are with Breastfeeding and weight loss?
I'm trying to do slimmingworld with a bit of calorie counting.. just to keep me in check! BUT.. Im finding that I crave so much sweet stuff instead and often all off the bandwagon

I'm also finding that part of my problem with losing weight is because I've been losing and gaining the same annoying weight since June now.. its incredibly demotivating to be seeing the exact same weights on the scales !

I'm currently umming and ahhing over whether to continue breastfeeding as I feel thats where my cravings are coming from, but also because I have a problem with my brain/heart ( still to be diagnosed) that see's me unconscious up to 2/3 times a day and any extra strain on my body isn't really good!

Am I being silly to think my cravings come from Breastfeeding? I dont know for sure whether I should finish now my daughter is nearly 5 months old.

diannethegeek

This thread could use a bump, but I'm afraid that I don't have any ideas or answers for you.

WhyDelilah79

Now, I know nothing, but as a lay person, could your cravings be because you are not getting enough calories for everything your body is trying to do?
I would imagine that stopping breast feeding could help that, it just depends what is more important to you.

tamjones3

If you are eating healthy foods about every three hours, you should lose weight because you burn more calories while breastfeeding, Try some really tasty healthy options for your cravings like Greek yogurt with fresh fruit added. Staying fed with healthy options could help with the cravings. Also drink water before each meal and also other times because it is important to get enough fluids for both breastfeeding and staying hydrated well for your own body to lose weight. Stay active and be patient because after having a baby takes time to get back in shape. Don't be too hard on yourself - it took nine months for baby to mature and will take some months to recover.

quiltlovinlisa

I never lost weight while breastfeeding during the first year until after my kids were way into solids. I've breastfed five kids total (although, the last two were twins and I tandemed them)

There's a breastfeeding setting in "food" according to the age of the child and how often you nurse, it'll give you back calories to add to your day. Make sure your settings are not aggressive so you don't compromise your supply.

unFATuated

Without knowing what your calorie goal is, how much protein you're eating and how many times per day you are breastfeeding I can only offer general advice, but here's some info I've found helpful nevertheless.

I exclusively breastfed my baby until 6 months (and found it made me ravenous - it uses up to 500 calories per day!) and have continued feeding quite a few times per day (and overnight) since. She is now 2y3months. I've found that I crave less sweet foods if I consume plenty of protein-rich food. That means including lean protein sources at every meal (protein powder at breakfast as I don't eat eggs/meat at breakfast) and lean meats at lunch and dinner, plus greek yoghurt such as Chobani at snacks. That helps me feel full and I don't crave sweets as much as I used to.

I also find that if I'm tired (as many new parents are!) I crave sweets more, so if you aren't getting much sleep at night, try to ensure you eat well when you get up and don't use sugary foods to boost your energy as it can be a vicious cycle of zoom and crash, then get more sugar, zoom and crash. Protein and lower GI carbohydrates can provide great longer-term energy. Rest during the day if you can.

Don't cut your calories too low. Your body is producing food for another person so now is not the time for aggressive weight-loss strategies or very-low-calorie diets. I would not recommend to go below about 1500 calories, and if you have a fair bit of weight to lose, probably more than that. Add back the appropriate breastfeeding amount of calories (there are entries in the food database to cover the amount of feeds you are doing - if you are exclusively breastfeeding, add back the maximum amount).

Obviously not knowing how your medical condition impacts on all of this is hard, but I would look at any weight loss strategy in conjunction with your medical professionals and ensure that your efforts aren't further exacerbating this issue.

LayahPontiff

Are you under the care of a doctor? I would ask a doctor if breastfeeding is causing your issues as far as blacking out goes. Sweet cravings can come from low protein. Decreasing carbs and increasing protein could help with that. Don't stop all carbs though, that would be bad.

Mongognom

I haven't seen your diary, and I'm speaking generally about cravings. Have you tried replacing your cravings with something a little more healthy? I used to want something sweet in the afternoon, and I would go for chocolate or other types of candy or ice cream. I switched to frozen grapes, chocolate with little or no sugar and my own healthier cookies.

crysofmyk

Don't put too much pressure on yourself right now...I know it's hard, but if you just count your calories and get some movement in there each day you'll get the weight off. I'm at 11 months now postpartum. I'm still breastfeeding. I do remember right after my little one was born I was having some wicked sweets cravings. I bought a bag of Hershey kisses, and allowed myself 5 each night. I ate healthy the rest of the day, took my vitamins, took a walk. I made sure to always add in my breastfeeding calories, and I would always eat my full calorie allowance (I had it set at .5/loss a week). I hit my pre-prego weight around 6 months. Now that my LO doesn't rely on my alone for his nutrition I'm watching my calories more closely and trying to do 1 lb/week instead. But we're new moms! It's okay to still have some extra weight on. I'm not really planning on "dieting" until I'm done BFing...which I'm hoping to go to 18months or 2 years. Then I will diet if I need to...so if you are craving a little chocolate, allow yourself to have it. Like anything else though don't go overboard! And I doubt that it is breastfeeding that is causing your cravings. I do know that the more sugar/refined foods you eat, the more you crave.

psych101

Don't put too much pressure on yourself right now...I know it's hard, but if you just count your calories and get some movement in there each day you'll get the weight off. I'm at 11 months now postpartum. I'm still breastfeeding. I do remember right after my little one was born I was having some wicked sweets cravings. I bought a bag of Hershey kisses, and allowed myself 5 each night. I ate healthy the rest of the day, took my vitamins, took a walk. I made sure to always add in my breastfeeding calories, and I would always eat my full calorie allowance (I had it set at .5/loss a week). I hit my pre-prego weight around 6 months. Now that my LO doesn't rely on my alone for his nutrition I'm watching my calories more closely and trying to do 1 lb/week instead. But we're new moms! It's okay to still have some extra weight on. I'm not really planning on "dieting" until I'm done BFing...which I'm hoping to go to 18months or 2 years. Then I will diet if I need to...so if you are craving a little chocolate, allow yourself to have it. Like anything else though don't go overboard! And I doubt that it is breastfeeding that is causing your cravings. I do know that the more sugar/refined foods you eat, the more you crave.

I agree with all of this

I'm also 11 months postpartum and I feel like my weight has only now started to shift as my wee man has been less interested in milk and we've dropped to two feeds a day.
Try not to put too much pressure on yourself, try upping your protein a little to help with cravings and let yourself have sweet things in moderation.