Breastfeeding moms

dustbunnie
dustbunnie Posts: 16
edited September 21 in Introduce Yourself
Okay so I'm kinda new to this site, I've logged in for 15 days in a row now.
I'm a breastfeeding mother (my son will be 6 months old on Sept 2nd)
I have lost 50-55lbs(the last 5 keep going and coming) since he was born and I would like to loose 20 more. I have been busting my tail all summer walking up to 5/6 miles a day. The past month I have been dragging so my work outs have been cut in half...but I still walk every day for 2/3 miles. I seem to be stuck at 150 :(
I have logged in and used the sight for 15 days now and I have only lost maybe 2 pounds...but even that 2 pounds seems to be fluctuating. I have a snacking issue :( and it's worse when my son nurses more.
Has any breastfeeding mothers on this sight actually lost weight? It seems to not be working for me.

Replies

  • hannie75
    hannie75 Posts: 18 Member
    I have lost a few pounds but i've only started about 6 weeks ago. I'm at 147lbs loss of about ten pounds. I try not to factor in my breastfeeding calories on my diet and I k now its hard not to go over the alloted calories. I'm still trying but I do foresee myself plateauing soon.
    PS : I have done nothing but walk , no hard/heavy work outs yet.
    can i see your food diary? Mine is open for public viewing
  • Utahbeth
    Utahbeth Posts: 68
    I've lost between 7 and 9 pounds, and I've only been using the site for about 3 weeks. My daughter is 11 months old, and still nurses 4-5 times a day. However, I have a lot more to lose, since I'm at 208-210 right now. And, I know that for BF moms (who don't supplement with Formula) we're supposed to add 300 calories to our daliy intake. Could it be that you're not eating enough?

    Also, I always found that snacking on healthy stuff, plus small regular meals is better for you. And I love to snack too, so I had to throw all the junk away. I can't keep it in the house. It's too tempting.

    Good luck!
  • cjjohnson
    cjjohnson Posts: 32 Member
    Keep with it, as your body gets more used to it, it will shed those unwanted pounds. I have used this site since March. I had my baby in Feb, she is 6 mo old now. I am still loosing a steady 1-2 lbs a week. I hope to reach my goal by Oct. I only have 10 lbs to go. I have lost 45 lbs already, this site really works! FYI i do not count my BF calories or eat back my exercise cals either. I usually stick to my 1200 a day. But everyone is different, do what works for you. You'll be done BFing soon and than can really hit the weight loss. Good Luck!
  • dustbunnie
    dustbunnie Posts: 16
    I get worried about cutting back my caloric intake...I don't why to hurt my supply any.
    When he was born in March up until July I was taking in right around 1500 and working out twice a day...but all of a sudden the lack of sleep and his health started to take a toll on me and I was only getting in one big walk a day and snacking like crazy :(
    I guess I need to add my exercise in at the end of the day and really smack my hand every time I reach for a cookie lol.
  • dustbunnie
    dustbunnie Posts: 16
    I've lost between 7 and 9 pounds, and I've only been using the site for about 3 weeks. My daughter is 11 months old, and still nurses 4-5 times a day. However, I have a lot more to lose, since I'm at 208-210 right now. And, I know that for BF moms (who don't supplement with Formula) we're supposed to add 300 calories to our daliy intake. Could it be that you're not eating enough?

    Also, I always found that snacking on healthy stuff, plus small regular meals is better for you. And I love to snack too, so I had to throw all the junk away. I can't keep it in the house. It's too tempting.

    Good luck!

    Have you added 300 to your daily intake goal manually?
    It's crazy I lost all my baby weight by the time he was 3mos old(I gained 40) but I gained 30 prior to becoming pregnant due to Zoloft :(
    Oh and OT I am moving to Germany in February!
  • Utahbeth
    Utahbeth Posts: 68
    Have you added 300 to your daily intake goal manually?
    It's crazy I lost all my baby weight by the time he was 3mos old(I gained 40) but I gained 30 prior to becoming pregnant due to Zoloft :(
    Oh and OT I am moving to Germany in February!

    No, I'm not using the extra 300 calories because I didn't start with MFP until just this last month, and she's eating more solid foods now and nursing less. I would have if she still 0-6 months and nursing was her only nutritional intake. Maybe you could add it as 'exercise'.

    I had actually lost ALL my pregnancy weight 10 days after she was born, but then I put it all back on by eating junk food and baking like a mad woman during the holidays, last year. I guess I didn't realize that staying at home with her was not a free pass to eat poorly. :) I blame it on the sleep deprivation.

    Yay Germany! My husband and I, and Amelia are going to be living in Singapore for 4 months next year, Jan-Apr. I'm excited, but a little worried about staying on track.
  • luvHim
    luvHim Posts: 35 Member
    Make sure you eat enough!! That is the lesson I have learned while bf'ing and counting calories. I started out with 1500-1700 and my milk dropped off the deep end. LOL I personally need 1800-2100 on a consistent basis to make a good milk supply.....and this is even with my son being 7 months old and eating solids. I can't fathom those of you that make it on 1200 cals. :) Especially as you get closer to your goal, you will need to add in more cals. Read up on this site....it has alot of great info.

    Babyfit.com had a good post about why it's hard to lose weight while bf'ing....and the conclusion was that most times it's because the woman is not actually eating enough. They recommend 1950-2100cals to breastfeed and lose weight. Bf'ing makes losing weight trickier because of wacky hormones, metabolism, etc.
  • cansnchloe
    cansnchloe Posts: 55 Member
    I am nursing my 10 month old and have only lost 1 pound in a few weeks. Wtih my first I lost 50 pounds in a few months and couldn't keep the weight on. I think that nursing each child is different and your body will be stubborn and hang on to what it "thinks" it needs. If someone figures out how to overcome this, I'd love to know too. I am exercising 6 days a week and following my calorie intake fairly well.
  • pandygurl
    pandygurl Posts: 14 Member
    My son is almost four months old and Im breastfeeding, but have only dropped half of my pregnancy weight ( I gained 52lbs) The first half came off in two weeks. The second half is still there!!! I just joined this site last week and it seems to be a great help. I know they say nine months on, nine months off, but id rather change that!
  • AmyMooreOrLess
    AmyMooreOrLess Posts: 320 Member
    I am breastfeeding my 4 month old son exclusively. I gained 55 pounds during my pregnancy. 30 pounds came off two weeks post-partum. I was given the go ahead to exercise at the 6 week mark after my c-section. Although I excercised daily for the next 6 weeks the remaining pounds clung to me for dear life... Yes, my milk supply was good, but my body hung on to every reserve of fat so baby wouldn't go hungry. After I found this site, added 500 calories to my required 1,200 to maintain my milk supply. I also starting eating the calories I burn during daily exercise (anywhere from 200 - 500 calories). I'm steadily losing 1.5 to 2 pounds a week now. Yep, eating about 2,100 calories a day! My weight wasn't budging as it was a case of eating too little while nursing...
  • Ahzuri
    Ahzuri Posts: 272 Member
    I am breastfeeding my 4 month old son exclusively. I gained 55 pounds during my pregnancy. 30 pounds came off two weeks post-partum. I was given the go ahead to exercise at the 6 week mark after my c-section. Although I excercised daily for the next 6 weeks the remaining pounds clung to me for dear life... Yes, my milk supply was good, but my body hung on to every reserve of fat so baby wouldn't go hungry. After I found this site, added 500 calories to my required 1,200 to maintain my milk supply. I also starting eating the calories I burn during daily exercise (anywhere from 200 - 500 calories). I'm steadily losing 1.5 to 2 pounds a week now. Yep, eating about 2,100 calories a day! My weight wasn't budging as it was a case of eating too little while nursing...

    How do you add in calories?? I've only been using the site for a few days but my daughter is 9 months old and still breastfeeds a ton. I've been able to stay within my limit of 1,400 but I am usually feeling hungry but I don't want my body to get into starvation mode and hang on to those pounds extra hard! It doesn't seem to have effected my supply any at all yet though I know as long as you get enough fat and water in your diet it shouldn't suffer much anyway.
  • Navie42
    Navie42 Posts: 152
    You add in calories in the food section, search "breastfeeding" and add how many oz.


    I am a breastfeeding mother to my 5 week old. I have a question, how many oz should I be estimating for her consumption? In a single feed with formula (which she gets if we are out and about) she can do 4 or even 5 oz. So I've est. 20 oz breastmilk for a 24 hour period, which shows to be 400 cals. Does this seem accurate or should I be est. more / less for calories burned?
  • Christy_77
    Christy_77 Posts: 14
    Hi All,

    I'm new to this site and am breastfeeding and pumping. My daughter is 6 weeks old and I'm just started to exercise again this week. I gained about 27 pounds during the pregnancy and had about 10 or 15 pounds that I didn't need before I got pregnant. I've lost some of the baby weight but it certainly isn't "falling off me" like some women said it would if I was breastfeeding! I'm trying to watch what I'm eating, but I don't want to decrease my milk supply.

    My doctor said that there's no reason not to get my pre-pregnancy body back so I'm looking for motivation and support to stick with it.
  • ptzop
    ptzop Posts: 3
    I'm nursing my 8 week old son (and I have a 2.5 year old daughter too). Part of the reason I'm here is that I didn't adjust my calories after weaning my daughter when she was 12 months old and I gained a lot of weight as a result. I just got too used to "eating for two".

    I put "breastfeeding mom" in my food diary, it's a flat 500 calories daily. Having a bonus 500 calories per day is a really easy way to start potion control! On the other hand, breastfeeding makes you SO hungry. I definitely need those calories.

    I'm about 25 lbs down from my highest pregnancy weight and I feel great! But I have a long way to go.
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