Cannot lose the weight
arw060310
Posts: 256 Member
Before getting pregnant I went from 156 to 133. Then I gained 65lbs and delivered at 198 ( I worked out, ate right, I guess pregnancy didnt agree with me). My son is now 7 months old and all i've managed to do is get down to 159. I cant break it! I've been focusing more on my eating since I am still exclusively breastfeeding him. But my weight wont budge. I even still have some edema. My feet, calves and fingers get swollen occasionally. I'm not sure how to go about losing this weight or if I'm stuck with it till I wean my son. Which will suck cause I plan to bf for a longgg time. Anyone else in the same boat?
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I don't know about the exact same boat, but I've definitely had trouble getting these last few pounds off. I'm almost 6 months PP, and I finally have only a few to go, but it's been a process. I've had to readjust my calories several times, and have finally settled in on eating more which has helped give me another boost.
I've really tried to figure it all out, but I've come to the conclusion that weight loss (post-baby) doesn't always make sense, especially if you're EBF. I'm choosing to believe however, that if I keep doing what I'm doing, eventually the hard work will pay off.
Do you feel better? Have you lost inches? Those are the important things to measure.
Welcome to the group, and the journey!! We'll get it eventually
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Hi!
With my second child, I have lost all that I gained during pregnancy (about 35-37 lbs), plus another 15 or so and he's only 4.5 months old! But, with my first, I noticed that weaning (at 16-17 months - totally baby-led) made a difference....I was already pregnant again, but I still noticed a reduction in fluid retention (at least initially). So I guess my point is to encourage you by saying that stopping BF did affect my body composition, but it was totally worth waiting for.
Are you eating near your TDEE? I eat approximately 2300 cals, plus exercise cals, a day and am still losing!
Hang in there!0 -
People love to tout the benefits of breastfeeding (especially EBF) on weight loss, and, for the most part, they're right. I remember being told at the hospital that breastfeeding would make my tummy nice and flat again.
For some women, it's just not the case. Either they don't lose as a result, or they lose, and then the loss stops until they wean. (Read this about Jenna Fischer a/k/a Pam from The Office: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/jenna-fischer-i-havent-lost-any-weight-from-breastfeeding-2012301)
As for water retention, I dropped water weight like nobody's business after my son was born, but then again I retained like crazy while pregnant. I was BFing and supplementing, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it. I assume you are drinking a ton of water if you are able to EBF, but my doctor recommended (and I have also read this elsewhere) drinking lots of water with lemon in it. Of course I don't keep lemons on hand, but I do always have lemon juice. I put just enough in to flavor my water slightly.
Otherwise, I would suggest maybe testing out calorie intake a bit. Maybe you are overdoing it? Maybe you're not giving yourself enough? Try upping or dropping 100 calories/day and see what happens, both to your supply and your weight. That's how I plan on trying to figure out the "sweet spot" where I can nurse and also still lose weight, though I understand it will take some adjustment as my weight goes down and/or activity level goes up.0 -
I just want to let you know that you're not alone. I was 155 pre-preggo, was around 225 when I delivered and now I'm stuck around 187-190. I have tried anywhere from 2000-2700 and my weight stays the same. I am going to try exercising more regularly to see if that helps. I currently have my calories to set to 2300 (do not subtract breastfeeding) and I think I might slowly be losing. I have been around 187 more than the higher end, I'm hoping for any loss. Good luck. Oh and I'm 4 months pp.0
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Are you working out at all? How much are you eating? I have heard women saying they kept about 10lbs until weaning. I have been doing JM body revolution and eating around 2600 calories- netting 1660 and it is coming off. I lost baby 2 weight, now working on the weight I gained with baby 1!0
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Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I haven't been working out regularly the last month because quiet honestly, I was getting incredibly discouraged. It is absolutely possible I am not estimating my calories burned correctly enough. So I think my husband is going to get me a hrm so I can try to be more accurate in my calories.
I guess I am not one of the lucky ones who losses all the baby weight fast by bfing! I eat around 2000 calories a day depending on whats going on that day, if i exercised, stayed home, went out. It very well could be too little especially since I am heavier and exclusively bfing still.
I did JM 30DS and LOVED it but got bored very fast. I did notice a difference in the way I look but lost nothing. Success though. But once I started RI30 I got soo discouraged and annoyed by her. I wanted to try her Body Revolution but I dont know if I can deal with 90 straight days of her. Im thinking I'm going to get a hrm and give insanity a try. Hopefully I'll be able to more accurately see what I'm actually burning daily.
Did any of you notice a change in weight/fluid retention when your baby started eating more solids and nursing less? We are doing baby led solids so I don't expect him to even actually EAT anything for another 3-4 months but it might be something to look forward to! lol0 -
I didn't notice much of a difference when my daughter added solids in my weight, but everyone is different. But I have to say, Insanity is awesome! I didn't do it everyday so the 60 day program took closer to 90 to finish, but there was a marked difference in my body. I have to say my weight didn't go down much, but I was already at goal, so I think I would've dropped some if I had any to lose at that point. The work-outs are intense and they vary a bit so you don't get quite as bored, but just be warned that month 2 is much more intense than month 1. Also, make sure you land softly and stay aware of your form when doing the moves... all the jumping can be rough of the joints if you're not careful.
Good luck!0 -
I'm currently bf'ing my second son. With my first the weight didn't come off until he started to wean. During the weaning process (he self-weaned and was off the boobies by 2) there were several days when I'd wake up 2 lbs lighter than the day before --- and trust me, I was eating! lol. So based on my experience I know that there are some of us mamas out there who, once baby starts weaning, our bodies will let go of the extra poundage pretty quickly. I plan on bf'ing my second until he self-weans as well so I feel ya on this one!0
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Ugh, I know the story well. I've gone as low at 1200 calories and as high as 1800. Nothing has helped. Granted,I weighed 207 the day i gave birth to my second baby and lost 18lbs in two weeks. Now I am 182 and holding on to 13(and then some) unwanted pounds. Like everyone else is saying,you might have to wait until your baby weans. staying as active and healthy as possible is your best bet. Ahh...the things we do for our children. lol!0
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Salt causes some water retention. Trying to stay under when eating enough calories to breastfeed is rough.
I didn't exercise when I was breastfeeding other than whet I got at work. I rotate machines and some of them require more walking than others so i saw more weight loss some weeks than others.
I pumped so I added breastfeeding as an exercise (20 calories an ounce) so I ended up with a goal of 1800-2,000 an average each day.
When I weaned, I cut my calories slowly over a period of a month.... honestly didn't see much weight loss, but 1200 calories a day at Christmas just was not going to happen.
If you need to chat or have questions, feel free to send a message.0 -
Gosh, i was thinking of doing a very similar thread, as i have been feeling pretty rubbish about how little weight i am losing!
at my heaviest- the day i gave birth i was about 220-225 llbs, then about 6 weeks later at 205.
Now, this is the bit that kinda upsets me, is that for the last three months i have been exercising, about 2-5 times a week, and in the last 3 ish weeks i have really been calorie counting and very very slowly have lost about 7 lbs- over the three months!
I exclusively breast feed, and my boy will be 5 months in less than a week.
I have a further 30 lbs to lose. Argh!!0 -
Hello Fellow Moms!
I am 15mo PP and am hovering around my pre-pregnancy weight but cannot seem to lose more. Here are my #'s
pre-pregnancy- 140
At Delivery- 170
Current weight- 143
Height 5'2''
age 33
BMR- around 1400 calories
Exercising about 6 days a week anywhere from 35-60 mins and a range of exercises - cardio, weight training, and a boot camp class)
I am currently breastfeeding 3-4 times per day. I was eating an additional 400 calories per day (when she was eating 5-6times per day). I hit a plateau and so I stopped eating my breastfeeding calories (stopped this last week)- now I seem to be slowly gaining weight.
I am just unsure what to eat to lose weight.
There is much more that I could say, but any advice would be appreciated!! 0 -
Looks like you are not eating enough. When you aren't eating enough, your body holds onto every last piece of fat because it's worried that it doesn't have enough to sustain itself. Minimum breastfeeding calories should be around 1800.
I've sent you a friend request so you can see how much eat/ workout/eat since we are similar height...0 -
Looks like you are not eating enough. When you aren't eating enough, your body holds onto every last piece of fat because it's worried that it doesn't have enough to sustain itself. Minimum breastfeeding calories should be around 1800.
I've sent you a friend request so you can see how much eat/ workout/eat since we are similar height...
I am having the same problem. It's because I have a crazy work schedule sometimes, and then when I am home, my husband goes to work and I am left nursing our 5 month old while caring for our almost 6 year old. I do exercise, and I try to make the right choices eating, but honestly, I am tired and not eating enough. I struggle with this very much. I could opt to eat unhealthy things to bump up my calories, but I'd rather not. So now I am trying to set aside a day where I can prep my own meals in advance and eat healthy throughout the week.
Also remember that you need to eat back those exercise calories!0
