Breastfeeding moms out there trying to lose weight???

GoffGirl1029
GoffGirl1029 Posts: 93 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi! I am a 24 yo mom and I breastfeed my 9 month old son and plan on continuing to do so at least until he is a year old. I gained 38 pounds during my pregnancy and lost 30 lbs in the first three weeks after his birth thanks to bf, but have gained 18 of it back. I remember in breastfeeding class we were told that you probably won't lose "the last 10 lbs" until you wean your baby, but I was wondering if there are any bf moms (past or present) who have successfully lost the weight that you wanted to before weaning your baby and what did you do? Thanks! :smile:

Replies

  • fatjavotte
    fatjavotte Posts: 96 Member
    I have been breastfeeding non-stop for nearly 6 years (my youngest is 2 months old), and I manage to lose weight a couple of times. I reached my target weight while breastfeeding (I put it all back, but that's another story).
    But several of my friends could not lose those last 10lbs - their bodies seemed to cling to them. Good luck!
  • LizzCallahan
    LizzCallahan Posts: 30 Member
    Be careful with it. I was dieting while breast-feeding my second son and my milk supply went down. Then I had a stomach flu and it just dried up - I couldn't get it back.
    If I did it again, I would keep the extra ten until we were both ready to ween. (As a side note - I've never been a starvation dieter - so it wasn't even a huge calorie deficit.)
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    Do you strength train? maybe building your muscle is your key. Many people find it's the only way to lose the last ten bf or not.
    heavy lifting, plyo, and HiiT is what they suggest. I'm not sure what your fitness level is? Those are really for the advanced people, but you look awesome in your pic!
  • mstawnya
    mstawnya Posts: 450 Member
    Depends on the person. With my first, I lost it all in 4 months. With my second, it came off when I weaned her at age 2. With my third, it took an additional 6 months after I weaned her (at age 2) to lose it. Not sure why it took longer-age? busy with the other kids? Doesn't matter. Breastfeeding them was more important to me than the last few pounds.
  • cocolo89
    cocolo89 Posts: 1,169 Member
    I gained 50 with my first and lost 20lbs my first 2months, but the rest clinged on to me. Around the time my daughter was 8-9months i started tracking my food and lost all the weight plus an additional 6lbs by the time she was 1yrs old. I stopped breastfeeding at 12months and continued to lose weight up until i reached my goal which was an additional 23lbs from my pre-pregnant weight of 146. So i got down to 123 and maintained.between 123-125 up until i got pregnant again when my daughter was 2yrs old. I am currently 39wks pregnant(so due any day now!!) I plan on breastfeeding again. SO far I gained about 33-34lbs and weigh 157-158. SO just 12 lbs more than my pre-pregnant weight of my 2.5yr old. I hope to get back down to 125 cause that was my happy weight. I also exercised A LOT!

    edit** during this time my milk supply was plenty and I could have gone longer but we both were ready to wean.
  • GoffGirl1029
    GoffGirl1029 Posts: 93 Member
    Thank yall! My main priority is most definitely being able to nurse my son. I plan on weaning him after he turns 1. If my supply slacks up, usually all I have to do is drink more water, although generally I drink 12 glasses a day and of course eat more. Starvation is NOT an issue with me, I can't seem to stop eating everything in sight. Starting MFP back up has just been a way for me to stop mindless eating and think about what is best to eat to keep the hunger at bay.
    Before I got pregnant, I was running every day and doing some sort of workout just about every day, but by 8 weeks pregnant my energy was zapped and I couldn't run far at all without getting completely out of breath. I had previously had a miscarriage and was too scared to continue the workouts I was doing for fear of losing my baby. After delivery of my son, and after 8 weeks of recovery, my pelvic region was still really weak, (I tried doing squats and lungs and had sharp pains that would almost make me hit the floor). My son is 9 months old and I am just now able to do lower body workouts without the pain.
    I think I just need to remind myself that I am doing something soooo good for my son, and that I will eventually get the weight off, it's just hard because I've always had self-esteem issues and this extra weight isn't helping any. :indifferent:
    Thank yall again for taking the time to answer and good luck on your journeys!! :smile:

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