Losing Inches while breastfeeding

gwickenden

Hi, everyone! So I'm a week into my weight loss/get healthy journey. I've lost 3 pounds, but breastfeeding is making it even more difficult. I was wondering if you guys know if it's possible to lose 3 or more inches off of the bust and hips while breastfeeding? My daughter is 9 months old, so she does eat some solids. I have 2 months to fit into a bridesmaid dress that is 3 inches too small in the bust and 3 inches in the hips, so I'm a little desperate to know if it can be done. Any advice out there???

In terms of exercise, I'm doing 60 minutes of cardio dance and 30-45 minute of walking on the treadmill. The treadmill is at 3.0 mph and at a 6% incline. For diet I'm doing weight watchers.

Codilee87

For inches loss around the bust, it is really dependent on whether you have excess fat on your back/torso area. I would recommend lifting weights to tighten up all over.

kgeyser

I'm breastfeeding, my daughter is 20 months old, and I have lost inches and pounds through diet and exercise. So is it possible to lose inches? Yes. Is it possible to dictate where those inches are going to come from? No. The weight will come off of your body where it wants to and when it wants to. The best advice I can give you is:

1. Add some resistance training to your routine. Cardio helps increase your calorie deficit but resistance training helps preserve lean muscle and burn fat, meaning when you lose the weight you will have a "tighter, toned" body instead of just a thinner, jiggly one.

2. Get the dress in a larger size and have it altered down to fit the body you have, not the body you imagine yourself having in two months. You might very well end up losing the inches from the areas you want, or you might not. You can make a dress smaller, but it's damn near impossible to make it bigger. Better to have a well-fitting dress that flatters your figure than spending the whole day uncomfortably stuffed into a dress or having a seam pop.

gwickenden

Sadly, I ordered the dress already (3 months ago), and the dress the next size up was too big for me (not to mention 80$ more as it was considered 'oversize').

For those who do resistance training and lifting weights, how many reps/how often etc...? My husband has a weight lifting machine in the basement, but I've never dared try it. Advice?

Any women with similar experiences who have lost inches?

Codilee87

I personally have only ever used free-weights so I don't feel comfortable advising you on how to use a machine. However, I can tell you to take it easy to start, because the first workout will likely kick your *kitten* and leave you feeling discouraged if you try too much, too soon. Begin with light weights (8lb hand weights is a reasonable starting point) and try for 3 sets of 8-12 reps, per exercise.

And then of course there is always good old body weight workouts: pushups, sit ups, planks, squats, lunges, pelvic lifts, etc.

kgeyser

Resistance training 3 times a week. No more than 12 reps - I personally do 8 reps. Can't advise you on the weight because that's up to the individual. If it's your husband's weight machine, ask him to show you how to use it correctly and give you a "personal training session" to help you figure out which amount of weight to use for which exercise.

Not trying to discourage you from your goal, because getting fit and healthy is always awesome, but you might want to chat with the bride and give her a heads up on the dress situation and make sure you have a plan B in place. I know what a pain all things wedding can be but the dresses are the absolute worst, and you still have a little bit of time. One non-fitness suggestion - make sure you've got a properly fitting bra, that in and of itself can make a huge difference in the fit of the bust area.