breastfeeding to help lose weight

amyloveskevyn
amyloveskevyn Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
was wondering has this worked for anyone or is it a load of **** they tell you yo make you breastfwed?

im still going to breastfeed because its whats best for my son but was wondering has it worked for anyone...
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Replies

  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    It works for some people. It worked for my sister. It didn't work for me. But everyone is different.
  • CrazyCatLadylovescats
    CrazyCatLadylovescats Posts: 107 Member
    I think it helped some for me, but not loads. What it REALLY did was save my sanity. When breastfeeding at night, I could get back to sleep so easy. One stopped early - before he was sleeping through the night, and it was horrible - I couldn't get back to sleep. And I REALLY need my sleep. And, when I have had enough sleep, I am not as likely to overeat.
  • vickiessecret
    vickiessecret Posts: 119 Member
    Everyone is different. I've heard that it helped some people that their weight melted right off & other it made them hang on to their weight till the stopped. It is the best thing for the baby, so as long as your eating healthy, I wouldn't worry. Good Luck :)
  • chrisandleah2004
    chrisandleah2004 Posts: 13 Member
    Breastfeeding helped me lose the weight I gained from pregnancy, but it did not help me lose the extra weight I had before I got pregnant. I nursed pretty much all day every day in the beginning, and I was back down to pre-pregnancy weight within a few weeks after each of my kids was born.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    It works for some people. It worked for my sister. It didn't work for me. But everyone is different.

    Didn't work for me either. I guess it just depends on the person.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    It will work if you are eating at a modest calorie deficit while taking extra breast feeding calories into account.

    For the people it worked for, they were eating fewer calories than they were expending.

    For the people it didn't work for, they were eating more calories than they were expending.

    It's not the breast feeding that helps you lose weight but the amount of food you eat and the amount of activity you undertake.
  • JenRun1
    JenRun1 Posts: 212
    One of the benefits to BF is the calories you burn by feeding them to your baby. Although this should not be your end all be all calorie burn. For me it was not a great deal of weight loss and I did other things too so hard to say if it was strictly from BF.
  • walleymama
    walleymama Posts: 174 Member
    To lose weight, you have to be in a caloric deficit. Breastfeeding or not.

    The benefit of breastfeeding is it adds a lot of calories to your daily burn, upwards of 500 calories per day depending on the age of your baby. So all other things being equal, yes it will help you lose weight. But not if you eat back those calories and more.
  • Julzanne72
    Julzanne72 Posts: 468 Member
    I think everyone is different, and I would never do it just to lose weight, I did it because, same as you best for infants, and honestly, I only breastfed 1 of my 3 kids(youngest) and wish I would have done it with all 3, was truly one the best experiences I had. I loved getting up for feedings and bonding like that, I know some will say I am wacked, but it's truly such a gift!
  • melissa44
    melissa44 Posts: 57 Member
    Hiya Everyone :)

    My name is Melissa and I have been a RN and IBCLC Lactation Consultant for over 25 years, Studies show that a woman burns an additional 500 calories breastfeeding :)

    Does it help you lose weight? It can if you are not eating back your calories that you lost :)
  • waltcote
    waltcote Posts: 372 Member
    i'm all for breastfeeding just can't find a steady doner :devil:
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
    Everyone is different. It helped me lose some weight, but not all, but I saved a TON of money not having to buy formula and it was great in the night when I didn't have to prepare a bottle - I could just sit in the rocker with my son, and of course, it's great nutrition for the little one!
  • Cadori
    Cadori Posts: 4,810 Member
    It will work if you are eating at a modest calorie deficit while taking extra breast feeding calories into account.

    For the people it worked for, they were eating fewer calories than they were expending.

    For the people it didn't work for, they were eating more calories than they were expending.

    It's not the breast feeding that helps you lose weight but the amount of food you eat and the amount of activity you undertake.

    ^^^ This. I added the 500 calories a day while having a 1 pound a week loss goal. I lost the baby weight and 30 additional pounds within 9 months.

    It is not license to eat whatever you want.
  • JDubIsShrinking
    JDubIsShrinking Posts: 207 Member
    Don't nurse just to lose weight - although it did help me.
    I lost a TON of weight when I was nursing (all weight gained during pregnancy, and then some). For me, it was the easiest diet ever. haha However, if you're not careful, it comes right back when you're finished nursing.
  • Cadori
    Cadori Posts: 4,810 Member
    Don't nurse just to lose weight - although it did help me.
    I lost a TON of weight when I was nursing (all weight gained during pregnancy, and then some). For me, it was the easiest diet ever. haha However, if you're not careful, it comes right back when you're finished nursing.

    ^^^This too. It's happened twice now. And I was careful the second time so I didn't balloon up 40 pounds like the first time, but 20 pounds have come creeping back. :(
  • christy1027
    christy1027 Posts: 10 Member
    I will not have a baby to breastfeed after I give birth (since i will be a surrogate for someone else), but i plan on pumping as much as i can and donating the milk... I will let ya'll know how the weight loss thing works out ;)
  • soupandcookies
    soupandcookies Posts: 212 Member
    I will not have a baby to breastfeed after I give birth (since i will be a surrogate for someone else), but i plan on pumping as much as i can and donating the milk... I will let ya'll know how the weight loss thing works out ;)

    That's wonderful! Good for you!

    With my first 2 kids, I lost the weight very very easily, while breastfeeding. With my most recent baby (he'll be 10 months next week), I found myself totally unable to lose the weight. That being said, I was very stressed and definitely eating way too much....
  • VictoryGarden
    VictoryGarden Posts: 194 Member
    It is not an automatic thing. I for instance, don't have the weight just magically melt off. HOWEVER, if you are using MFP, you can set yourself to allot for extra calories and STILL lose weight. (Trust me, you need those extra calories to keep up your milk supply!) But BFing is so TOTALLY worth it, though it isn't always an easy road. The first couple weeks can be so stressful or discouraging, but after that, most women have got it down. It is recommended to not start actively dieting until your babe is 2 months old to make sure you have established a good milk supply.
  • mjunebugt
    mjunebugt Posts: 3
    It has been very hard for me to lose weight while breastfeeding. It doesn't work for everyone. I know people that have lost a ton while breastfeeding, though. The point is, it varies from person to person and you shouldn't depend on it to make you lose weight.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit. Breast feeding burns calories. If you can find the fine line between being at a deficit and yet eating enough not to hamper your milk supply then you'll lose. It's no different than losing weight any other time except instead of doing 500 calories worth of exercise, you get to feed a baby.
  • arw060310
    arw060310 Posts: 256 Member
    It will work if you are eating at a modest calorie deficit while taking extra breast feeding calories into account.

    For the people it worked for, they were eating fewer calories than they were expending.

    For the people it didn't work for, they were eating more calories than they were expending.

    It's not the breast feeding that helps you lose weight but the amount of food you eat and the amount of activity you undertake.

    This is NOT necessarily true at all for some people. I busted my butt trying to lose weight while I breastfed my son for a year. I exercised, I counted calories, at less, ate more, and nothing worked. I didn't gain. I didn't lose. I went to a trainer, a nutritionist, and had blood work done. Hormones do NOT play nice to some people.

    My son has been weaned for 2 weeks now and I'm starting to lose weight finally.
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
    I could not lose weight while breastfeeding until kiddo was at least 10 months and really getting into solids. Everyone is different.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    It will work if you are eating at a modest calorie deficit while taking extra breast feeding calories into account.

    For the people it worked for, they were eating fewer calories than they were expending.

    For the people it didn't work for, they were eating more calories than they were expending.

    It's not the breast feeding that helps you lose weight but the amount of food you eat and the amount of activity you undertake.

    This is NOT necessarily true at all for some people. I busted my butt trying to lose weight while I breastfed my son for a year. I exercised, I counted calories, at less, ate more, and nothing worked. I didn't gain. I didn't lose. I went to a trainer, a nutritionist, and had blood work done. Hormones do NOT play nice to some people.

    My son has been weaned for 2 weeks now and I'm starting to lose weight finally.

    Then it applies in the absence of hormonal abnormality. You were a rare, outlying case then.
  • mama2redhead
    mama2redhead Posts: 132 Member
    I have read not to restrict calories until baby is 12 weeks. I lost all but 10 pounds of my 50 lb gain within 6 weeks. Breast feeding made me hungry though, it wasn't until my daughter was older that I could stick to a diet. I have also read not to go under 1500 calories to preserve your supply.

    I hope it works well for you. Breast feeding my daughter was a very special experience for me!
  • marigold114
    marigold114 Posts: 12 Member
    for me, it didn't help me at all. i know that it's about calorie deficit, but i think for some of us, the hormones are at play. I was definitely eating at a deficit, working out, and logging here religiously. i lost so slowly until i started to wean and then the weight started to drop off. the hormones or something really make it stick with some women EVEN if you are operating at a calorie deficit. so don't get discouraged if you're doing everything "right" and can't lose.
  • mag131
    mag131 Posts: 542 Member
    I found it nearly impossible to lose weight while breastfeeding. If I tried to cut calories or exercise on top of my active job my supply would suffer.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    It will work if you are eating at a modest calorie deficit while taking extra breast feeding calories into account.

    For the people it worked for, they were eating fewer calories than they were expending.

    For the people it didn't work for, they were eating more calories than they were expending.

    It's not the breast feeding that helps you lose weight but the amount of food you eat and the amount of activity you undertake.

    This is NOT necessarily true at all for some people. I busted my butt trying to lose weight while I breastfed my son for a year. I exercised, I counted calories, at less, ate more, and nothing worked. I didn't gain. I didn't lose. I went to a trainer, a nutritionist, and had blood work done. Hormones do NOT play nice to some people.

    My son has been weaned for 2 weeks now and I'm starting to lose weight finally.
    I was quite strict on my calories last summer, and lost a tiny bit but it came back quickly when I had a leg injury and didn't work out. When I cut more calories to compensate for lack of exercise, it affected my milk, and DS started waking up at night for more...which lack of sleep only stressed me out more. He weaned in late January/early February, it's been a steady and predictable loss ever since.

    I wouldn't have changed my mind even if I'd known the weight wouldn't budge. Breastfeeding was the best choice for both of us in many other ways.
  • danalin26
    danalin26 Posts: 13 Member
    I have breast fed all of my 4 kids. My youngest just weaned herself last week :(

    The first two kids (boys) I dropped weight like crazy and ate whatever I wanted. I gained about 15lbs within the first month of them weaning though. My second two were girls (not sure of it makes a difference or not) and its darn near impossible for me to lose weight while I breastfed them. I've been working my tail off since my last daughter was 3months old and have only lost 25lbs. This was 9 months ago. I don't know if its the hormone difference of having girls or what but it was a definite difference for me.
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    I am breastfeeding and it is not helping me to lose weight. I know a lot of women it did help them to lose I am just not one of them. I have milk supply issues due to poor latch (and if I don't eat enough) so I can't have too much of a deficit. I am not taking out my exercise or breastfeeding calories and a mod here helped me figure out how much I should be eating.

    My son is 11 months old and still nurses at least 4-5 times a day. I have only been back counting my calories for 20 days and have not lost anything. I actually gained weight, but I think that was retaining water due to a new workout.

    Even though my son and I had a hard time with breastfeeding (tongue and lip tie, bad painful latch) I love it. I don't know, there is just such a closeness there when he is nursing. And I know he is getting the best nutrition. :-)
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    I will not have a baby to breastfeed after I give birth (since i will be a surrogate for someone else), but i plan on pumping as much as i can and donating the milk... I will let ya'll know how the weight loss thing works out ;)

    I have nothing to offer to the breastfeeding debate, as I have no children. I just wanted to say what a wonderful woman you are for being a surrogate! :flowerforyou:

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