Need help with Breastfeeding and Weight loss.

ErinReneeL
ErinReneeL Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm fairly new here but have been either breastfeeding or pregnant (or both) for the last 2 1/2 years. I have a 5 month old baby that I plan to nurse for another year or so. Unfortunately when I am breastfeeding I NEVER lose weight (at least until pregnant too....). I really want to lose these 20 pounds of baby weight and get back to 135 pounds at 5'5". I discovered that I typically tend to eat around 1400 - 1800 calories a day with occasional days of more due to birthdays, eating out, whatever. I read that I should be eating 2000-2500 calories a day. Plus I have been exercising and very very rarely sit down at all because I have 2 children under 2 years old. I am afraid to eat 2000-2500 calories per day because I think I might end up just steadily gaining instead of staying constant like I have been. When I cut calories I just lose my milk in addition to losing weight... that's not a good option! I do not want to go to formula (plus he won't take a bottle anyway) Has anyone had any experience with losing weight while breastfeeding? What did you do?

Replies

  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
    Why don't you try upping the cals for a while? A lot of people (even non-nursing) have actually found success by upping the calories. When you restrict your calories too much, your metabolism slows down.

    And you can always add good foods with the extra calories: dairy is high calorie as well as good fats like almonds, avocado, etc.

    BFing and weight loss are very complicated, but it can be done. However, the way you CANNOT do it is to cut calories! You need to eat good and healthy, drink fluids, and take in fats, protein, and nutrients that your baby needs in his/her milk. If you cut cals and lose your supply, you will no longer be burning the cals or giving your baby the benefit of BM.

    Good luck and congrats on being a BFing mom. I did for 18 months with my little guy: one of the best parenting decisions I made!
  • ErinReneeL
    ErinReneeL Posts: 12
    I'm tempted to try upping the calories but am really scared I will just gain and gain and not lose!! Then I'll be stuck at an even higher weight....

    Thanks for the encouragement. I loved breastfeeding my daughter and did so until I was 1/2 way through my pregnancy with Owen and she was 14 months. I wish I had been able to keep it up longer!
  • Kikilicious84
    Kikilicious84 Posts: 312
    Hi!

    For me, I couldn't lose (scale weight) the entire time I nursed. I did it for 18 months. I was so frustrated I got my body fat test and wouldn't you know... I was increasing lean mass and decreasing fat.

    I focused on eating healthy options and drinking plenty of water. Check the group of women eating 2000+ cals. You may not need to go that high but they have a lot of great tips and tools (and advice) to share.

    Good Luck!
  • HelenMeaney
    HelenMeaney Posts: 1
    Have you looked at what makes up your calories? The reason I ask is that my sister breast fed each of her three children for six months, and gained weight throughout the entire time. Her diet suffered terribly while she breast fed because she craved sweet things and then tried to cut down on other things.

    I breast fed my son for fourteen months, and while I did most definitely develop a sweet tooth, I was VERY careful about my diet, purely from the point of view that in order to produce good quality milk, I had to feed my body good quality food. At times when I felt my supply getting lower, I'd make sure to eat a more protein rich diet for a few days, and overall, ate loads, but 95% of what I ate was slow release (brown rice, pasta, bread I'd made myself etc). The other 5% was most definitely treat, but I got away with it as you can consume extra calories while breast feeding. The only other thing I did was walk. I deliberately didn't do a weekly shop so that I had to walk to the shop every day. It had the combined benefit of helping me stay fit and just getting me out of the house to get some fresh air, which definitely helped my mental health.

    It may be the case that a large proportion of what you are eating now is going into producing milk, therefore your body has gone into a type of starvation mode, making it more difficult to lose the pounds.

    Put it this way, I put on about 7lbs when my son started on solids and decreased his feeds, and then about 14 lbs when he weaned completely. That's how much extra I was eating but I was lighter and smaller when I was breast feeding than at any other time during my adult life.
  • ErinReneeL
    ErinReneeL Posts: 12
    You are more in the normal group I think. Most people I talk to lose weight. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat but I will say I'm not a big fan of meat so maybe my protein has been low. I do walk-today it was 3 miles with a baby strapped on and a toddler in the stroller-and I do work out videos. Plus I never sit down until bedtime which I'm sure helps burn calories too. Hopefully I can find something that works!!!
  • Sapporo
    Sapporo Posts: 693 Member
    Do you plan to pump any milk? When I was pumping on top of regular breastfeeding (to build a freezer stash) I was sooo hungry and could eat and eat and lost weight.
  • ErinReneeL
    ErinReneeL Posts: 12
    I did pump for a while and still lost nothing. its been very frustrating- especially when i was careful to do low calorie for a couple months
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    What I've read on the forums (which you would find if you search them) is that you should add Breastfeeding to your diary (I think it is under exercise?) and it will add them to your daily intake. Just make sure to eat them back.

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