Stuck weight while breast feeding- anyone with info

Annaekv

Hi all,
So I am breastfeeding and my son is 15 months next week. I lost 20 pounds after having my son (blood, placenta, him, all of that inside stuff), however I have not shed a pound otherwise within this 15 months. I have been seeing a naturopath for 13 months. We have tried changing my diet, supplements to kick start my adrenals, a whole bunch of natural and good ways t help the body. NO WEIGHT LOSS. She says that it takes about 18 months for your body to completely heal. WHile it is very frustrating, I am trying my best to think about the blessings and to just "wait it out".
My question to other moms that couldn't loose weight until after breastfeeding:

1. Did you weight just fall off ?
2. DId you change anything after breastfeeding?
3. About how long did it take for you to see some weight loss after weaning?

Also, I have heard by so many people "just be happy , you have a son".. or "learn to accept it and be happy you had a baby and now this is you".. amongst other comments. I would like to say that OF COURSE i am happy and in total LOVE with my son. I DO love myself. And.. I know I had a baby however I know how I can look and feel and prefer my body to be in shape. So please i dont want to hear any of that.. I just really want to know about the loosing weight after weaning

Thanks so much all!!

MzHornedOne

You should be able to lose weight while eating more after breastfeeding! I lost a bunch the first 6 months after I had my daughter...and then gained it all back!! One thing is you need to eat around 300 extra calories a day to maintain your supply. I'd say eat 1800 calories a day and workout. I lift only so I eat 1800-1900 calories a day and an extra 250 calories on the days I lift. I have been losing inches of my tummy and still able to breastfeed. My daughter is almost a year old. I will be weening her these next couple of months so I'm not sure of the affects I'll have then.

kshadows

Hi all,
So I am breastfeeding and my son is 15 months next week. I lost 20 pounds after having my son (blood, placenta, him, all of that inside stuff), however I have not shed a pound otherwise within this 15 months. I have been seeing a naturopath for 13 months. We have tried changing my diet, supplements to kick start my adrenals, a whole bunch of natural and good ways t help the body. NO WEIGHT LOSS. She says that it takes about 18 months for your body to completely heal. WHile it is very frustrating, I am trying my best to think about the blessings and to just "wait it out".
My question to other moms that couldn't loose weight until after breastfeeding:

1. Did you weight just fall off ?
2. DId you change anything after breastfeeding?
3. About how long did it take for you to see some weight loss after weaning?

Also, I have heard by so many people "just be happy , you have a son".. or "learn to accept it and be happy you had a baby and now this is you".. amongst other comments. I would like to say that OF COURSE i am happy and in total LOVE with my son. I DO love myself. And.. I know I had a baby however I know how I can look and feel and prefer my body to be in shape. So please i dont want to hear any of that.. I just really want to know about the loosing weight after weaning

Thanks so much all!!

I have 2 experiences, as I have two children.

My first child, I gained a lot of weight while pregnant and lost all of it plus 5 pounds while breastfeeding by doing NO exercise what-so-ever.

My second child, I gained a significant amount of weight as well. I lost 15 pounds immediately after delivery and didn't lose any more weight. I started running and dropped about 10 pounds, and then she weaned about 2 months ago and I have lost another 10 pounds.

Right now, your priority should be nourishing your baby. YES, I understand wanting to get back to normal (I still have 35 pounds before I will be!) but please don't consider weaning to lose weight. While some people don't lose until they do, it's not worth the loss of benefit to your son. Are you exercising? I would see a doctor if you're very concerned, to determine your nutrition requirements and go from there.

kshadows

You should be able to lose weight while eating more after breastfeeding! I lost a bunch the first 6 months after I had my daughter...and then gained it all back!! One thing is you need to eat around 300 extra calories a day to maintain your supply. I'd say eat 1800 calories a day and workout. I lift only so I eat 1800-1900 calories a day and an extra 250 calories on the days I lift. I have been losing inches of my tummy and still able to breastfeed. My daughter is almost a year old. I will be weening her these next couple of months so I'm not sure of the affects I'll have then.

Please use your own personal calculations about this and don't just use a random number. Breastfeeding will change your energy requirements and eating too little will be bad for your health.

ETA: I'm not just a nutcase, I'm a Lactation Consultant

haleysuzanne1

Hi! This is just my experience, but I wanted to share. I did not actively try to lose weight while I was nursing. I was afraid of how it would affect my milk supply, etc. I lost a good bit of weight quickly postpartum, around 20 pounds, and returned to my pre-pregnancy weight. Then I gained 10 back. and yo-yoed for a little while. Your body will retain body fat when you nurse to help with milk production. My daughter nursed for over two years. When she finally weaned is when I started actively counting calories, watching what I ate, and exercising more aggressively. This was late August/early September of last year, and I joined MyFitnessPal midway through September to help track everything. Anyway, I've lost 22 pounds since joining MFP, and about 27 from when I initially started trying to lose. I think that giving yourself the gift of time is the best thing you can do for your body as you continue to heal and grow stronger. Now is a good time to establish habits tracking your meals and exercise, but remember that your body needs additional calories if you are nursing. Maybe not as many as in the beginning, since I am guessing your little one is on a mix of solid foods and nursing, but it will still need a few extra. Use this time to get used to tracking, and maybe establish a routine for exercise-- if you haven't already-- by choosing a time and taking some walks.

Hang in there! These days are temporary, and you will soon have the luxury of having your body back!

ETA: to answer your specific questions

1) a net of about 10 pounds doing nothing

2) after weaning, I began to exercise more aggressively and limited my caloric intake

3) I began to see immediate weight loss, although I suspect the initial loss was just water weight.

Le_Joy

While I am sure there are a lot of people on here who will disagree with me, I firmly believe that weight gain/loss with pregnancy and post partum do not work the same way as weight gain/loss in general. There are so many extra hormones at play that the standard expend more calories than you consume idea doesn't always work for everyone. I think part of it is that it's impossible to really know how many calories it takes for your body to make milk for your baby.

I went to grad school for midwifery (just have to finish my thesis before I can practice) and I worked with 100s of women. Some ate junk the whole pregnancy, barely gained what is considered "enough" weight and lost it all within a week of having the baby. There were also super health conscious women who gained "too much" weight regardless of what/how they ate and hadn't lost anything at 6 weeks post partum, and others who lost it super fast.

Not trying to be discouraging, just pointing out it seems to be a very individualized thing. More so than "normal" weight loss. Some women find breastfeeding to be a good way to loose weight and others say they don't lose anything until they stop breastfeeding. Once your hormone levels go back to "normal" after breastfeeding you *should* be able to lose weight the same way you have in the past (assuming you've had a reason to lose weight before.)

Also I am big fan of alternative medicine, but it might not hurt to try a different Dr, either ND or MD.

Annaekv

Hi all,
So I am breastfeeding and my son is 15 months next week. I lost 20 pounds after having my son (blood, placenta, him, all of that inside stuff), however I have not shed a pound otherwise within this 15 months. I have been seeing a naturopath for 13 months. We have tried changing my diet, supplements to kick start my adrenals, a whole bunch of natural and good ways t help the body. NO WEIGHT LOSS. She says that it takes about 18 months for your body to completely heal. WHile it is very frustrating, I am trying my best to think about the blessings and to just "wait it out".
My question to other moms that couldn't loose weight until after breastfeeding:

1. Did you weight just fall off ?
2. DId you change anything after breastfeeding?
3. About how long did it take for you to see some weight loss after weaning?

Also, I have heard by so many people "just be happy , you have a son".. or "learn to accept it and be happy you had a baby and now this is you".. amongst other comments. I would like to say that OF COURSE i am happy and in total LOVE with my son. I DO love myself. And.. I know I had a baby however I know how I can look and feel and prefer my body to be in shape. So please i dont want to hear any of that.. I just really want to know about the loosing weight after weaning

Thanks so much all!!

I have 2 experiences, as I have two children.

My first child, I gained a lot of weight while pregnant and lost all of it plus 5 pounds while breastfeeding by doing NO exercise what-so-ever.

My second child, I gained a significant amount of weight as well. I lost 15 pounds immediately after delivery and didn't lose any more weight. I started running and dropped about 10 pounds, and then she weaned about 2 months ago and I have lost another 10 pounds.

Right now, your priority should be nourishing your baby. YES, I understand wanting to get back to normal (I still have 35 pounds before I will be!) but please don't consider weaning to lose weight. While some people don't lose until they do, it's not worth the loss of benefit to your son. Are you exercising? I would see a doctor if you're very concerned, to determine your nutrition requirements and go from there.

Thank you everyone for all the comments, stories, advice, and motivation! I just want to clear one thing up as I thought I did in my initial post.

My main focus is my son, nourishing him, protecting him, his happiness and health. He is a healthy boy I am weaning not to loose weight. My son is 15 months and only wants to feed once a day now. We as a family ( and my doctors) believe it is time to wean. I would never put myself before him.

I have health issues from pregnancy ( thyroid which are under control now) so I dont think there is anything wrong with wanting to get myself in shape to be healthy and happy. I am exercising and I am seeing lots of doctors so there is nothing major wrong with me. Just needed to know that there is hope in forms of loosing after you wean because this is the only thing left that my docs and I suspect

So thanks for that all

Jchambers1130

I have yet to lose any weight while breast feeding. What am I doing wrong?

kshadows

I have yet to lose any weight while breast feeding. What am I doing wrong?

Nothing. Some people don't.

Sunbrooke

I stayed chubby while I breast fed my son for 18 months. I made really healthy nutritious food choices, but I ate alot. Once I stopped breast feeding him, the weight came right off and I was pretty skinny. I wonder if some of it was being more active since I wasn't constantly stuck on the sofa with a baby attached to my boob. When. I lost the weight, my breasts shrank down to nothing (from a 32 D before to 32 B. they were so saggy too. Then, about three years later, they magically came back! I joke with my husband and ask him what he did with his other two wishes lol.

iAmErikaP

My daughter is 12 months and down to pretty much comfort nursing and 1 or 2 feedings. I lost my baby weight and more very rapidly in the beginning, then gained 10 - 20 lbs. I wasn't logging what I ate too often but it consisted of a lot of Chick Fil A, Zaxbys and pasta. I ate maybe 2 meals a day and lots of fruit juice- because juice is better than soda right ( insert nutritional finger wag of knowledge here). After a while I got very frustrated and embarrassed with my body and decided to start working out since my supply was very well regulated and I generally felt like crap.

Enter MFP. I was trying 1200 calories and feeling ravenous and still...fat. I've recently focused on eating frequent small meals, finally got a food scale and started logging. I'm currently trying 1700 net calories daily and I can feel a difference. I have way more energy, feel great and as a plus my hair is no longer falling out!

I say all this to say, do the counter intuitive and eat more it might help in a weird way.

irunforcookies

You sound a lot like me. I BF my 4th and last child (2 years old now) for 16 months. For the first 12 months, I weighed about 20 lbs more than my pre pregnancy weight. Not only did I feed her, but I adopted an "angel baby" . What that means is I exclusively fed another child for 8 months through donated milk. I was producing almost a gallon of milk a day, but I couldn't lose a pound! There is no way I was eating more than 3,000 calories a day , which is what I should have been eating to produce that much milk. I ate around 2,000 calories a day. Anyhow, I started MFP again when my daughter was 13 months old. I had made it to the year, my first goal, and I wanted to feel better about how I looked. I started eating 1800 calories a day, adding 300 to the MFP estimate for the BF. At this point, I was no longer donating milk, so I only added the calories for a one year old. I lost the weight slowly, but it has been steady and well worth it! I lost the first 20 lbs in about 6 months, and now at almost a year, I have lost 32 pounds. I am in a smaller size than I've been in almost 10 years. I'm a trim size 6, not bad after carrying 4 kids! Work hard for it, but take your time and enjoy the journey. Take advantage of the spring and take your son for long walks. Enjoy breastfeeding, it's an amazing gift, and it is so sad when it is over! Good luck! Please feel free to FR me

FruityGoddess

No the weight didn't fall off, and breastfeeding can really make you hormonal. The only thing that helped me lose weight was this site. Just track calories and go slowly bc if not you will probably binge bc of starvation... and breastfeeding when you are hungry will make you go crazy! Try walking 2-3 times a week too.

FruityGoddess

oop repost

maroonmango211

Hey there. I am almost 11 months PP with my 3rd baby and the only thing I can say is it is vastly different person to person and even recovery to recovery. After my first within 2 months you could barely tell I had been pregnant (other than horrid stretch marks) and I was unable to breastfeed him due to his tongue. My second I had the initial 20 lb drop and then nothing for 6 months where I kicked up cardio and massively cleaned up my eating and even then only 5lbs off, I Weaned her at 10 months and by the time she was a year I had dropped to my pre pregnancy weight with little to no effort.

With this one it is proving to be much more difficult to tone up and lose the extra pregnancy pounds even though I gained the least of all 3 while pregnant. I do know my milk supply is lower than with my middle child so maybe my body is trying harder to keep the weight 'just in case'. Also I've found stress is a killer both on weight retention and on milk supply (doesn't help comfort eating either).

What I have done to shed so far around 19 lbs the last 10 months is
A) Stopped logging food, I eat when I'm hungry and I eat as healthy as I can with a treat now and then as well.
B)Get my heart rate up at least 5x a week for 20 min (right now I'm doing the 30DS)
C)Major destressed my life, I do yoga before bed, I make grocery lists and I moved the baby out of our room (2 months now and he's finally sleeping through the night).
D)Most of all I only weight in once a week and I use measurements every 2 weeks, even a small 1/2 inch loss somewhere is still a victory.

Even if doing all those things didnt actually result in a weight loss yet while breastfeeding they have made me feel so much better, stronger and confident that I'd still be happy to do it.

HeyNikkita

This is a link to peer-reviewed studies performed on mothers with different dietary alterations... please look through them. Several studies were performed.

You need to read the details for yourself but the one-liner version is: Altered diet had little to no impact on milk quality or supply.

You might (or might not) be safe dropping calories and maintaining your supply, especially since you have an established supply and pattern.

http://andevidencelibrary.com/evidence.cfm?evidence_summary_id=250846&auth=1

Bounce4

Do you know how many calories you are eating now? Unless it is very low already I wouldn't worry about cutting 200 more. We are so well nourished in this day and age I think your milk will be fine and even if it dips - your little one is 15mos old and you are planning to wean.

I've nursed two singletons and twins. Weaning had zero impact on my weight loss/gain. I wasn't working any kind of specific diet, wasn't tracking calories, no fitness program. Soooo - I just noticed what I noticed with no over-riding goal to lose weight so might not be relevant to you.

I did gain and lose an astonishing amount of weight in my pregnancies but the weight loss was before I weaned, not after.
#1 - gained 65, lost 75. weaned at 20mos
#2 - gained 75 - lost 60. weaned at 26mos
#3 - twins - gained 90, lost lost 65 - weaned at 16mos

I was *famished* when I nursed. I'm sure I lost so much so easily with the first because I was at a caloric deficit. With only one baby I wasn't cooking meals. I just snacked mostly (on healthy stuff but still) and had one meal and if I was busy at work I'd skip meals and I was waaaay more active with just one baby. The other two I was cooking and serving meals and snacks (and eating them, lol) and much less active. I also moved into town and the magic appeal of food from a drive through or gas station had emerged,

ChrysalisCove

When my son was EBF (so first 5-6mo) I was absolutely famished 24/7 & my appetite easily kept up w/ my calorie needs. I dropped the pregnancy weight, but I had only gained 12lbs as I was obese going into it. The problem for me was, once my son started nursing less, my appetite didn't shrink! I was paranoid about the impact of exercise or dieting on my supply, & I gained all of my pregnancy weight back btwn 6-10mo. Now my son is just shy of 13mo. I have lost all of my pregnancy weight (again) plus 10lbs, & am going strong. I am never hungrier than my calorie deficit allows me to eat (though it does force me to make better choices) & I have enough energy even after chasing my very active toddler around to lbe somewhat active most days. I have had NO negative impact on my supply. What is working for me is:

1. I learned about my body. Calculated my BMR & TDEE. Took a healthy, manageable cut (20% b/c I have 40lbs to lose) & set a goal based on my body fat %, not just a random number plucked from the sky!

2. I began logging *everything* I ate or drank, weighing & measuring as much as possible. I also drastically increased my water intake & kept track of my macros. I learned I have way more energy if I get protein first thing in the morning!

3. I started doing something active every day. Nothing major, lost of little changes like parking at one end of a strip mall & walking, riding bikes, carrying my son more, etc. I also started weight training to strengthen & tone my body.

Annaekv

Again, thanks so much! I didnt think I would get do much wonderful feedback.

To answer your questions:

Honestly I am not quite sure how many calories I eat, but I dont think that I eat enough. Its not cause Im trying to cut them back, its just between full time work and an active 15 month old my meals are fast and on the small side most of the time. In the first 7 months I as they say "over produced" milk. Now I am just "normal". I do go one an hour brisk walk with my son once a day after work, and we have got some hills here! One thing that could be a high contributor is that my son still doesn't sleep through the night so I am very sleep deprived for 15 months now.

I guess Ill start tracking my calories and hopefully start seeing some changes soon

Divashrink1982

I am currently nursing my son, who will be 2 in April. I only gained 20 lbs with him (partially because I was sick the whole time, partially because he was early), and I lost 15 within the first 3 weeks. I lost the rest a few months later. Unfortunately, I gained a bunch of it back (holidays and injuries) before I realized that I really needed to make a change.

I currently have the weight listed on MFP as 0.5 lb to lose a week, not counting nursing as an activity. I figured that if I hit that target, I will lose more than that because of still nursing. My son still nurses several times a day most days. I have been using MFP for almost a month and have lost 5 lbs so far with this system, for what it's worth. I also have a good bit to lose (I have 30 lbs to go before getting into the overweight range from the obese range), so I'm not sure how it would work if you didn't have as much to lose. Good luck!

ChrysalisCove

Again, thanks so much! I didnt think I would get do much wonderful feedback.

To answer your questions:

Honestly I am not quite sure how many calories I eat, but I dont think that I eat enough. Its not cause Im trying to cut them back, its just between full time work and an active 15 month old my meals are fast and on the small side most of the time. In the first 7 months I as they say "over produced" milk. Now I am just "normal". I do go one an hour brisk walk with my son once a day after work, and we have got some hills here! One thing that could be a high contributor is that my son still doesn't sleep through the night so I am very sleep deprived for 15 months now.

I guess Ill start tracking my calories and hopefully start seeing some changes soon

Eating enough while still eating mindfully has been a bit of a challenge, but I feel AMAZING! It's incredibly how much more energetic I am now that my body is getting a proper amount & balance of fuel :-)

IIIIISerenityNowIIIII

I didn't attempt weight loss while nursing my twins and don't think you should worry about it yet. Just keep eating healthy and when he weans then worry about it.

arainiday1

I am also breastfeeding my toddler, she's 16 months, and I don't plan to stop any time soon. I have also had a hard time losing weight while breastfeeding. With ALL 4 of my kids. It's not impossible, its just much harder for me. This time around i have been not calculating the extra cals for breastfeeding since i work full time and don't pump anymore (i pumped until she was 14 months). And working out a few times a week for 1-2 hours each time helps too, pretty much all cardio at this point for me. i try to drink lots of water too but sometimes i know i am not getting enough. feel free to add me and we can encourage each other!

TheFitnessTutor

Having extra calories and NUTRITION to make milk isn't exactly compatible with having fewer calories to lose weight. If you were in the wild your body would try to hold on to as much fat as possible and attempt to reset your metabolic rate especially if you were already larger when getting pregnant or giving birth. Producing milk requires EXTRA calories and nutrition. People already like to shoot arbitrary, otherwise random, generally low calorie numbers, then set a goal and eat 300 calories under that, reset their metabolic rates to something God awful and wonder why they feel like crap or can't lose weight.

I take it you have had a hormonal/thyroid panel done. Other than that, chalk it up to sheer math and the fact that your body is way smarter than the social complexes that make us strive to push our process to that of unhealthy standards, regardless of our intentions or if we know what we are doing or not.

Weightloss should be nowhere near a priority (unless a medical necessity) after giving birth ESPECIALLY when breastfeeding. One must realize that we and our new borns run off of more than fat calories. If you're running a deficit it restricts your nutrition enough, needs generally go UP! You're not providing your body with enough of what it needs, you need more than fat... and you want to do it to your child? Again, it's not a judgmental thing, it's an eye opening thing from being brainwashed by a crappy society and crappy "health and fitness " industry.

Women absolutely KILL me with this postpartum weight loss stuff. I know this or that celebrity bounced back like rubber band in a month, but they have WWAAAAYYYY more help at their financial and otherwise disposal, usually, regardless of what they might obviously not tell the news. I know. I know several Californian celebrity trainers, including my first cousin.

Put health as a priority. Eat real food, eat enough of it, and relax.

spunkychelsea

There is also a group that has some good information on BFing and calorie/weight loss and general support. If you go to the Community Tab then "Groups" and search for "breastfeeding support" you can add to it there. I have at least found it interesting to read through some of the threads and see other moms going through the same thing.

I gained 23 lbs with my son, lost it all within 8 days of having him. At 7-8 months pp I started going to the gym but still ate tons and lost 10 more lbs. Got pregnant again when he was 9 months. He self weaned at 13.5 months (16 weeks pregnant). Gained 46 lbs with my daughter. At 2 months pp I finally stepped on a scale and had only lost 22 lbs. Started counting calories and lost the rest of the 24 lbs and another 12 lbs ( I was overweight before my kids and these losses put me into a healthy weight). Got pregnant again when she was 7 months old (we wanted small gaps - this was on purpose). BUT no matter how much I ate or drank my supply plummeted with these pregnancy hormones. I had to go on prescription meds to continue my supply until she was a year old (then I quit the meds but not nursing). I am still nursing her just once a day (and I don't think I"m making anything so I don't even count it in my calories at this point) and am almost 30 weeks pregnant. So far I've gained 16 lbs - so I'll probably gain 25-30 total hopefully. For me breastfeeding HELPS, BUT it's not the only thing. I was taking my kids on walks several times a week and watching what I ate - and the walks were either wearing the little one and pushing the bigger one or pushing both in a double stroller - so more intense than just walks by myself.

Best of luck when you do wean. I have no clue when my daughter will give up her night nursing - but I WILL cut her off before this baby comes because I only plan on nursing one at a time. I was lucky my son decided when he was ready and quit with only trauma to me (I was so sad he didn't need me anymore! but relieved since it hurt and I was tired). And best of luck dropping your weight. We give our children our complete body for 9-10 months then loan them parts of it for quite a while afterwards, at some point we do need our body back and make ourselves and our health a priority.

wifeof1momof3

Hi, I am breastfeeding my 4 month old and wanted to starting loosing my baby weight as well. So the first thing I did was change my diet to about 1400-1500 calories a day and started eating healthy. I also to sugar out of my diet and all those other unhealthy fats like chips, cakes, etc (and bread). As soon as i woke up in the morning I ate breakfast finished it off with a glass of water then made myself a cup of tea with no sugar the prepared myself to excersice. Now some say that they have a caffeine sensitivity or maybe the caffeine makes their baby restless but for me and baby we were bot ok. My first week I started walking (in my house it's to cold to take the baby out) for about 30 min each day for 5 days a week. Then the secocond week I walked for 30 min after breakfast again followed by tea then again at night like 1 or 2 hours before bed for 30 min. My third week same routine only change was I ate breakfast as usual followed by tea but I worked out for 1 hour straight once per day. This is my 5th week and I have already lost 14lbs this did not affect my breastmilk supply I still have a happy baby and he has an even happier Mom.

Excercises Im doing:

Walk for 10 min at a moderate pace
Speed Walked for anoher 10 min this time with 1 regular sized canned good in each hand (don't lauugh I had to improvise lol)
Danced for 10 min to a couple of songs that really gets me going.
I did some stand up push ups for 5 min. (stood like 3 feet from behind my couch and with my hands on the couch and push my body weight from the couch)
Speed walked for another 15 min
Jumping jacks 5 min (if you need a break in between just walk it off and then get back to it)
the last 5 min I did my cool down with stretching.

GOOD LUCK !!! I hope this can be beneficial to you!

kyliesuebam

I breastfed my daughter for two years. Within the first year I dropped tremendous weight. I was 170+ after having her then was down to like 116 by 12 months. I cut out three major things, which were all the things they reccomend if your child is sensitive to your milk (which mine was) MILK, ANYTHING TOMATO, AND CHOCOLATE! I also cut out Bread and starting used tortillas.

I really really think that these things affected my weightloss. But after 12 months it started to affect my milk supply too. But my little one nursed twice a day after 12 month. It also matter about the content of your milk. Mine was very high calorie with low fat content. I had it tested lol. I did not exercise during breastfeeding either.

I also had no caffeine during breastfeeding either. It was water only or the occasional glass of wine here and there.

I wouldn't bother trying to exercise while breastfeeding or cut out too many calories. After I stopped breastfeeding I gained back 5 lbs but I think was only because my boobs were empty most mornings when I weighed myself.

ceciliaruns

I have 4 kids and nursed for 12-30 months each baby. I had no problem losing the weight with my first 2, it took me 5-9 months to get all the weight off, I used weight watchers. But after my 3rd and 4th it was really hard. It took me 17 months after my 3rd and over 3 years with my 4th! I was also older obviously, so I think that had a lot to do with it, also it was really stressful having 4 little ones!! I didn't add the extra 500 they suggest for milk supply and would just increase my calories a bit if my milk seemed lower and eat half of my exercise calories back. I also drank mothers milk tea which helped with my supply. Good luck!!