does breastfeeding secretly sabotage weight loss?

mkcolombia

First kid I lost wait without even trying. I had gained 30+ pounds during the pregnancy and by 8wks PP I had lost it all plus some. And this was over Christmas when I wasnt even trying to watch what I ate! But as soon as he weaned at a year I started gaining a ton of weight. I joined MFP to curb the weight gain!

This time around my baby is 3 months old and I still have 15lbs to lose. No matter how much I watch what I eat the scale barely drops. But maybe this time I will be able to keep it off!

Sewpunk

My son will be 1 year at the end of the month. At 7.5 months I stopped pumping at work and only gave formula during the day (even on the weekends), since I was having a very hard time keeping my supply going with being back at work full time. I starting supplementing at 4 months or so, and it was all down hill from there.

I still nurse twice a day, at his bed time and when he gets up in the am. I am at my pre-pregnancy weight (40 lbs overweight) and have really only been half trying to lose the weight. I have found it to be very hard to drop any, but I have not been very consistant with tracking or working out. It seems a little cruel, but i might try to wean him in the next month or so. He BF intrest is pretty low... but i plan on taking it very slowly and seeing how he does. He is almost walking, so i hope he drops the BFing on his own when he becomes completly mobile.

meghankumar

I'm new to counting calories so I did some research on why counting calories DOESN'T work. Not surprisingly, it's not just important to be mindful of your calorie intake but what kind of calories.

Lean protein and healthy fats are key to loosing weight even when reducing total calorie intake and especially when breastfeeding. Of course, you need enough carbs, too!

MFP suggests a diet of 50% carb, 30% fat and 20% protein. Also, when you deduct breastfeeding calories there is an option that accounts for carbs, fat and protein one would expect to use to produce breast milk.

As you are counting calories, try also checking your nutrition data so see how close you are to the suggested proportions accounting for breastfeeding. Being way off can limit your body's ability to shed pounds even when you are mindful of calorie intake.

I've been so hungry while EBFing that it's been really hard to stick to my calorie goal. Right now, I'm trying to be a lot more mindful of getting healthy fats and protein early in the day to avoid feeling famished the rest of the day. Also, avoiding carbs at the last meal of the day so avoid storing unnecessary calories. I also never drink enough water; it's a constant battle! Oftentimes I want to eat but really I'm just dehydrated! Must drink more water!!

I recommend fiddling with carb-fat-protein intake both quantity and timing to see if that makes a difference within your calorie goal. And, of course, everybody is different and we all want to preserve our supply of precious breast milk.

Good luck!