Please help, feeling frustrated!
ssejas
Posts: 1 Member
My daughter is nearly 4 months old and I have a significant amount of weight to lose (approx. 80 lbs.). I am EBF and am below my pre-pregnancy weight (which happened almost immediately because I hardly gained anything). I have been exercising at least 4 days/week burning 300+ calories. I add 500 calories to my daily allowance. I use my extra BF calories, but not usually my exercise calories, but I am not losing weight. It's been 4 weeks and I've only been above my calories 2x - I've lost 1 lb!!! What am I missing?! I feel like if I use my exercise calories also that I am eating so much. With so much weight to lose, it seems like with EBF and exercise, it should be falling off. Thoughts?
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Some people really struggle with losing weight while breastfeeding. Also remember, the more you lose the harder it gets. (And do update your mfp goals/settings every now and again!) I have also had a tough few weeks with not losing despite exercising and my baby is about the same age. I decided first to step it up a gear - do more exercise and eat healthier calories. If that fails after a couple of weeks I'm thinking of changing my exercise routine. Maybe I'll take up swimming again or try a different workout DVD. Although I also realise I may be one of those mothers who may not be able to lose much until I quit breastfeeding, but that's 18 months away and there's a lot I can try in the meantime. Better to be overweight and superfit, than fat, unhealthy and lethargic.0
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I totally get you. No one ever tells you that weight loss might be really hard, if not impossible, while BFing! I honestly think if more women knew that you're almost as likely to hang on to weight as you are to lose weight like crazy while BFing, a lot less women would do it.
After I lost my initial postpartum weight, I still had almost 70 lbs to go to reach my previous low. I've lost less than 20 in 8 months, and I think the first 8-10 of those pounds may have been the tail end of postpartum loss.
I'm not trying to diminish the frustrations of those who are trying to lose those last 10 lbs and can't (I am well aware of how much that sucks), but there is an extra level of frustration when you have a lot to lose and can't. A year and a half ago I was fit and athletic, and now I look like a frumpy woman who's given up on herself.
Even when I'm on my best behavior, the weight comes off at a snail's pace - think 2lbs/month. It's incredibly frustrating.
Some ladies have found that if they work on building muscle vs. aerobic activity, they are able to lose, albeit slowly. Others don't have much luck until after they wean.
I've come to terms with my not being able to lose for the next four months or so. It sucks, especially when I have few clothes that fit me, but I'd rather BF. I've considered quitting more than once, but with my older son I had a terrible time with BFing and would've given my right arm for the BFing experience I had the second time around. Quitting would be a slap in the face to my previous self, and frankly formula is really expensive!!! BFing is also way more convenient than bottle-feeding, at least as long as you are near your baby. (It's inconvenient when you would like to separate, say, to go work out.)
Anyway, you're in good company here. Many of us are struggling. This post provided a lot of clarity for me, and maybe it'll help you. (I even posted the first reply when my baby was four months old!):
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1108196-if-i-could-do-it-all-over-again
I wish I had something more helpful to say other than "I understand." Hang in there, and hopefully someone else will add to this and say something better than I did. Keep "talking it out" if you need to. (Seriously, I never shut up about it, even IRL. We've joked here that we should make t-shirts.)
I hope at least knowing you're not alone is helpful :flowerforyou:0 -
Yes for sure struggling here. My daughter is 2 years old and the weight (80 lbs) came off sooo easily with her and breastfeeding for a year +. My son is now 2 months old and my weight loss hasn't budged since the initial post partum weight loss and I have NOOOO clothes except my maternity clothes and sweat pants and we all know how over those we get and want to get in "normal' clothes again. SOOO frustrating. I've started running again 3-4 days a week and I actually do fee my body changing and I do feel a difference. My husband says he can see a difference too (but I don't know if he's just trying to be nice or what)... It would just be nice to see a change on the scale, even though I don't feel like I look as heavy as it's registering at 210
It would just be really nice to get into a healthy weight range. The good news is that I feel 100% better then I did after my daughter and I'm way further along in my running then I was with my daughter too. So could be worse! Nice to know there are people out there like me who are struggling too but I feel like I work so hard during the week to see no results or even a gain. blahhhhhhh..... 0 -
I understand your frustration! With my son the weight literally fell off and I had no problems (all babyweight gone in 4weeks). However, when he weaned I gained much of it back and that is when I joined MFP. I think being able to eat anything and everything I wanted and still lose weight set me up for failure later.
With my daughter I am logging everyday and watching what I eat. She is a little over 3 months old and I still have 10 pounds to lose! I am working out, running after a toddler and watching what I eat and it is not coming off! But I think once it comes off I will be more likely to keep it off which is what I tell myself when I get frustrated with the lack of movement on the scale0 -
Im the same way you are! Almost 9 months EBF/Pumping.
good luck!
Breastfeeding moms should add each other as friends!!!! To help motivate daily!!0
