My weight loss is so slow:-(

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Deborah214
Deborah214 Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
Am I eating too many or too few calories? I know I "snack" alot but I usually try to stay within my allowance. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I am down to my last 5lbs but it has been this slow (1-2lbs every 3weeks or so and I will plataue for a week or 2) for quite some time. Maybe my problem is I'm 39 yr old female who is still partime breastfeeding a 9 mo old. Willing to take suggestions :)

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  • emchamberlain
    emchamberlain Posts: 133 Member
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    Breastfeeding absolutely makes you hang on to a few extra pounds. Don't stress over it, nourish your baby, and hang in there. I've heard that the last 5lbs are the hardest to get off and will come off the slowest.
  • blbradford87
    blbradford87 Posts: 21
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    I'm breastfeeding full time and my weight loss has plateaued.. But it has been super slow to come off before tht! I think your body holds onto some fat for baby.. And I'm 23..
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
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    Just from viewing your diary I'd say too few. On average a woman needs 1200 NET calories to function properly off of. So 1200 + exercise calories. Breastfeeding actually makes you burn more calories (I have read 200-800) so this shouldn't be slowing your weight loss. I would definitely take that into consideration though and eat more.
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
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    According to your diary, doesn't look like you are exercising much.
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    Just from viewing your diary I'd say too few. On average a woman needs 1200 NET calories to function properly off of. So 1200 + exercise calories. Breastfeeding actually makes you burn more calories (I have read 200-800) so this shouldn't be slowing your weight loss. I would definitely take that into consideration though and eat more.

    I agree, I don't think the site takes breastfeeding into consideration when providing you a daily calorie intake goal so you may want to try to mix it up a little. If you are satisfied with the amount of food you are eating (not hungry), maybe try to increase your intake on a couple days to confuse your body. Just like you use muscle confusion to improve your muscles you could benefit from calorie confusion so your body doesn't get used to having the same amount of "fuel" given to it daily.
  • Deborah214
    Deborah214 Posts: 15
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    Thanks for the replies. I have actually been considering no longer taking "credit" for the breastfeeding calories. I'm not sure how many ounces my baby is getting but it can't be much (he only BF for naptimes and bedtime).
  • Nanajokes
    Nanajokes Posts: 5
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    Everyone hits a platue and it does get frustrating, just think poisitive that it will come off at the end, and yes it is harder to loose it when you are breast feeding.... Good luck with the last five pounds i know you can do it :smile:
  • louiseei
    louiseei Posts: 254 Member
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    My two thoughts would be: you are often skipping breakfast for just a coffee, and you dont seem to get much fruit and veg. Just a thought.
    All credit to you for trying to lose weight while still bf though!
  • terrivision
    terrivision Posts: 58 Member
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    The last 5 - 15 pounds are usually the hardest to loose. Your body wants to hold on to the weight/fat in case there is a shortage of food. I also agree that at least 1200 calories + exercise burn needs to be consumed to lose weight. One last thing, it is considered healthy to lose between 1 - 2 lbs a week.
  • Deborah214
    Deborah214 Posts: 15
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    Thanks everyone! I will try to get closer to the 1200 net calories. I usually low ball my exercise calories and usually try to over-estimate my food calories. So maybe I have a bigger deficit than is shown:-/ I just get such a paranoid feeling when I think about gong over on calories (like if I eat to many calories to early in the morning, I'm afraid i won't have enough for dinner) so I eat very little (calories) and end up with 200-300 cals at the end of the day.

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