Can't lose weight breastfeeding - hormones??

pbear1

Hi all,

just looking for some weight, have been trying to lose weight for over a month now on 1200 calories a day plus extra 400 for breastfeeding and have been sticking to this pretty much with some exceptions. I have gone up and down a few pounds but am the same today as I was one month ago.

Looking back to my diary when I had my son it seemed to be the same and I didnt really lose any weight until I stopped breastfeeding when he was 5 months.

Is it possible that for some reason I cant lose weight while I am feeding and I am just going to have to wait until I wean my daughter around 6 months??

Thanks for any advice!!

suzycreamcheese

yeah i never lost anything while i was feeding for some reason.

stella77

Yes. It is actually very hard to lose any weight while you are breastfeeding, although they do say that you lose the total of 500kcal a day just by breastfeeding (that research hasn't been confirmed btw)

My gyno told me that I will start losing weight when I stop breastfeeding and my hormones get back to normal. He was right.

I suppose you will lose some if you stick to what you are doing now, but it probably won't be as fast.

ohdear1986

i have the opposite effect, i am feeing my 18 month old and the weight keeps falling off me! maybe it's because i never sit down for more than 5mins a time

suzycreamcheese

i think its different for everyone

M_lifts

Yes. It is actually very hard to lose any weight while you are breastfeeding, although they do say that you lose the total of 500kcal a day just by breastfeeding (that research hasn't been confirmed btw)

My gyno told me that I will start losing weight when I stop breastfeeding and my hormones get back to normal. He was right.

I suppose you will lose some if you stick to what you are doing now, but it probably won't be as fast.

im with stella here

i couldnt lose weight whilst breastfeeding. as soon as i stopped, i lost 14lbs in 4 months! i was far too hungry when i was breastfeeding. if you are happy to wait a bit, id stick to what you are doing now. or start when your little one is on solids

evenidomhnaill

Maybe you should up you calories a bit you body might be holding on to the weight as it might be thinking it needs it due to the breastfeeding. Upping you intake for a week or 2 wont make that much or a difference and if it doesnt work you could alway go back down again

mum2littledove

Me too - while breastfeeding, I didn't lose any weight, even if I had a horrible stomach bug and didn't eat for a few days. I just assumed that my extra weight was just "meant to be", as my mother gained weight in her 30s and never lost it again. It doesn't help when you read "breastfeeding burns xxx calories", because the reality is that a body in "mother mode" prioritises and is extremely efficient at holding onto fat. Whilst some people may have different experiences, I believe that the majority of people are in the same boat as you.

The good news is I didn't balloon in weight either while breastfeeding, despite eating a lot of food (when I look back in horror!), so it works both ways as long as you don't go overboard. Therefore I would enjoy this special time with your little one, and enjoy your food too. Once you stop, it will fall off if you're focussed. There's a time for everything. Unfortunately my second son liked breastfeeding so much that he carried on until he was 4, so I had to wait quite a long time - we've already got the jokes written for his wedding speech!

toadiejones

Breastfed all 4 of my kids....and didn't lose weight with any of them until I stopped breastfeeding. Was so frustrated with people who said that breastfeeding was the way to lose weight. Like I was somehow breastfeeding wrong. I agree with suzycreamcheese...everyone is different. Eat what you need, exercise when you can, enjoy nursing your babe and don't stress about it. It will come in time.

mamaredhead

Breastfed my three sons and gained up to two sizes during those months. No loss at all. I was just SO HUNGRY!!!!

Give yourself the time, and see it as a big benefit for your kid -- not for you. It's like "the mother is not the point" during that time. And don't try to lose too much weight on purpose if it doesn't work. All the "crap" you are ridding your body off while losing weight also goes out through the milk. You wouldn't want your baby to drink that ...

Take it easy. That's your baby's time of life -- yours comes right after that :-)))))

pbear1

Thanks for your replies, I suppose I am just one of those people who will always struggle to lose weight. It is just so frustrating as everyone always says "oh the weight will drop off you feeding yourself" and of course it doesnt for me!!

Anyway i am going to try and eat healthily and exercise more so that when I do stop it should be easier to lose the weight.

Thanks again

jagger27

I'm new here Just signed up today. My 3rd (my first boy) baby turns 4 months old tomorrow...and I'm finally getting back into...I need to lose this gut mode I'm glad I found this post, because well...the weight isn't falling off as easy this time around as it did with my girls. I'm hoping just exercise and actually making sure I'm eating ENOUGH will help me get to a better place, clothes are my enemy right now!!! I have found through entering my food intake over the last few days...I'm not eating enough...which I knew I wasn't...but I need to work more at eating more little snacks to keep up with my little guy

shreddin_mama

Breastfeeding help me lose big time. But everyone is different. Just keep eating healthy for you and your baby.

meplunk

I was actually at the doctor yesterday for my concern with this. My doctor said everyone and every pregnancy is different. I have a 6th month old, my third child, and it doesn't matter if I exercise or not, eat well or not, no weight is coming off. Very frustrating. She said to give your body a year to get the hormones off of their roller coaster and to take it easy on yourself. You have to decide what you are willing to do. In my case it I'd not worth it to me to have my milk depleted. So I will keep doing what I am doing to stay healthy and hopefully the weight will come off easily when I am done nursing her at a year. Good luck. And don't be too hard on yourself! Easier said than fine...I am my worst critic for sure!

LimeyTart

I packed on weight when I was nursing. With my 2nd-4th, I'd have the each baby and be pre-pregnancy weight within a week and then gain 20-30 pounds during the year + that I nursed. Since I was either pregnant or nursing 2002-2010, I managed to gain 70+ pounds. It sucked.

cansnchloe

I also need to pop in on this one, with my first 8 years ago I couldn't keep the weight on me while I nursed her that first year. I dropped 60 pounds in 6 months but now years later, I am nursing my second one and no matter what I do... the scale doesn't budge. It sucks and it's very frustrating. I just hope it is true and it will start coming off after we are done. Aggg!!!

sjmosier

I'm so glad I found this thread. I have been nursing my little one all her life and she is now 6 months old. She is my second child and I am unable to lose weight hardly at all even after watching calories and exercising. For some reason I can't seem to lose hardly anything. In fact when I left the hospital, I was only 9 pounds lighter even having a 7 pound baby! It has been that way for 6 months now. I'm less than 10 pounds from what I was when I went into the hospital from having her. Since my baby has started solids I allow myself 300 extra calories each day equaling at least 1500. I eat when I'm hungry, just smarter snacks. I'm so frustrated!!!!!!!!

mkdeans

I am in frustration mode too. My daughter is 3 months and I am experiencing my second round of mastitis. I gained weight this week because I can't exercise because of being sick . It is really hard to be this huge (up 25 pounds from prepregnancy weight). I am having to wean as soon as the mastitis is over because of problems with my breasts. I'm hoping it will kick start my metabolism and I can start to lose this weight:

WildcatMom82

I never lost much while losing either kid. I finally was able to with my 2nd after continuously upping my calories. I was at a 1900 base PLUS extra for nursing PLUS eating back whatever I burned and finally started losing a lb or 2 a week. Now that he has weaned I'm adjusting to eating less, but still losing about 1-2 lbs a week. Until he was 9 months old or so, though, I either stayed the same or gained.

Natosean

Maybe you should up you calories a bit you body might be holding on to the weight as it might be thinking it needs it due to the breastfeeding. Upping you intake for a week or 2 wont make that much or a difference and if it doesnt work you could alway go back down again

^^^This^^^
1600 calories with a newborn probably isn't enough especially if you are working out also. Get a pedometer (I personally love my fitbit and it interfaces w/ MFP), you will be amazed at how many calories you are burning taking care of an infant. Add in an Ensure or extra small meal every day for a week to see if that helps out your results. Oh yeah, I'm sure you already know but this don't do low carbohydrate while breastfeeding, be smart about the type of carbohydrates you're eating but don't cut them back to extreme levels. I just realized this was a really old post.

kansasredneckwomen

As a nurse, the weight loss that we mention with breastfeeding is the uterus returning to original size quicker. Breastfeeding or nipple stimulation releases oxytocin, the hormone that causes the uterus to contract.

jodiegarnett

Yep, I think you could be eating too little, so your body won't let it go, ESP while breastfeeding. My inches started to come off when I when I worked out my TDEE, minus the 20% then added back 200 calories fr breastfeeding. Working much better than 1500 a day, I now eat around 1800. Weight hasn't changed lol but inches coming off

savithny

Yeah -- I didn't bother to try to lose while nursing. I ate and ate and ate ... and especially with my second kid, the pounds just fell off.

And the eating was the most instinctive its ever been. When my weight fell below a certain point, I would find myself in front of the fridge, eating protein foods like crazy. I craved eggs and meat and cheese. I could feel when my weight got to that low point, something would click on and I'd start dreaming about steak. Weight got back up above that point and it stopped. Very wierd, but also very educational about how our hormones work on appetite.

I do wonder if eating too little is really causing your metabolism to absolutely pace itselt to hang onto every bit of fat. WOmen's body fat is actually scaled very well to the amount of resources needed to grow and nurse a baby, and threatening it with what would appear to be a famine while nursing would probably send major messages to all the hormone-producing bits of your brain.

janetdungan

I lost all the baby weight while breastfeeding. i breast fed for 24 months, took me about 6 weeks to be back to pre baby weight.
question:? did you exercise during pregnancy? if not, you should have, ie cardio AND weight lifting. start now

mmddwechanged

i think its different for everyone

This is very true! I lost all of it breast feeding, then gained it back when I stopped.

SarahBeth0625

Right around 6 months postpartum with all 3, I found myself well below my pre-pregnancy weight. I have heard of some women having issues losing the weight though, so it's not out of the question. I am eating back my 600 calories a day (allowed for tandem nursing). I know it helped me to be nursing, but now that I am maintaining my weight, I make sure I eat the calories back. I never had a problem losing the weight, though, and found I had to eat so much more food so I didn't feel like I was starving. Good luck!

nancycaregiver

I lost weight quite rapidly while breast feeding. I thought everybody did. Guess I thought wrong as it seems most did not lose or even gained while breast feeding.

SarahBeth0625

After nursing for 5 years + now, even while pregnant, I am going to have to get used to my "normal" eating once I am done! Hah! That will be my biggest challenge, but I plan on a gradual wean for these two anyway. And since I'm logging calories and weighing in, I can tweak my caloric intake as needed. :happy:

broox80

nursing made me gain. so I am pretty much starting out with my weight loss. my guy is 7 months. I wanted to have all of the baby weight gone by.the time he is a year. so I need to lose another 20 by late October!!! just focus on baby for now and kick some bootay later!!!

UrnAsh

My daughter is almost 5 months old and I've been losing weight. When I delivered I was like 210 and now I'm 163.

unifil

It is different for everyone.
I lost a lot with my first daughter. You could almost see it every day!
But with my second one it was the other way around - I was even gaining weight and did the same like with my first child.