Advice from other new Moms?

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gymgirl75
gymgirl75 Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
I had a baby in July and have lost only 25 pounds so far of the 55 I gained during pregnancy. I'm frustrated as I have been tracking food and exercise on here since the end of October and cannot seem to shed much weight. Also, I read about other moms who are breastfeeding as I am, and they say how eating well, exercising, and especially breastfeeding makes the baby weight melt off!! This is not happening for me at all, and I am exclusively breastfeeding. I have always been very fit and know how to eat well, so I'm confused. This is baby #4 so I've been through losing baby weight before, but did not exclusively nurse previously.

Any other new Moms experiencing this? Any advice would be great!

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Are you weighing your food? It could be the problem.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
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    Gonna bet you are eating way too little.
  • gymgirl75
    gymgirl75 Posts: 3
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    I measure all my food. I'm eating About 1500 calories per day as I add back 300 for breastfeeding. I usually eat most of my exercise calories as well.
  • kdt8810
    kdt8810 Posts: 38 Member
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    Hi momma! Be kind to yourself - first and foremost. The media and others all want us to believe that breastfeeding = automatic weight loss. Sadly, it's not true for all of us at all. I have an 11 month old and still have 6 pounds to go. I exercise a lot and eat healthy but that wasn't enough. What finally helped me was actually upping my calories. I figured my TDEE and subtracted 10% and then added a bit back for nursing. I started losing weight and inches at 2000 -2200 calories. Tracy Anderson (fancy pansy celebrity trainer) and Jillian Michaels both say that most nursing mommas will hang onto 10 pounds or so until they completely wean. Lucky us! Our bodies are hanging onto the fat to make sure there's not a famine tomorrow. We've got mouths to feed .

    I've also heard that if you we're fit before pregnancy our bodies are more prone to hang on to the fat - to make sure there is enough for baby. Take heart though - it will happen. I started truly losing - very slowly- about 9 months post partum. Just keep doing what you're doing - make sure you are eating enough - and it will happen. I know it's hard not to compare yourself to others - but I've started to notice that my friends who lost just by nursing gained once they stopped. I know it shouldn't - but that makes me feel better.

    I understand your frustration - eating more seems so counter -intuitive but it was a game changer for me.
  • gymgirl75
    gymgirl75 Posts: 3
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    Thank you so much kdt8810, so helpful!! You're right, I think because I was always fit and even worked out through pregnancy, my expectations for my body are too high. Thank you for all of the great advice!!!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Measuring isn't the same as weighing though. How do you 'measure' 4 oz of meat, or one slice of bread? Buy a digital scale, the difference is huge.
  • marigold114
    marigold114 Posts: 12 Member
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    ii had my son in July too, but July 2012. I was very fit when i got pregnant, at my lowest weight ever. i gained 60lbs while i was pregnant, lost 20 in a few weeks. i exclusively breastfed and counted calories fanatically. it took me *forever* to start to lose. i lost .5 a week, if that, until i stopped pumping and cut down to 2 nurses a day (which was july 2013) i lost a bunch of weight then, and now, 18m out i'm about 6 pounds away from my goal (not my pre-preg weight, thats almost 15lbs away but i dont think im getting back there easily).

    I don't want to discourage you by saying that, but so you don't feel alone! keep doing what you're doing. nourishing yourself and the peanut is where it's at. the hormones are different for all of us, and SO many women hang on to their weight when they're nursing. just search the topic in the forums, you'll see for everyone who has the weight fall off, there's another woman who hangs on to it. take care of yourself and it will come off eventually. don't be too hard on yourself! good luck!
  • suzan06
    suzan06 Posts: 218 Member
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    With both my kids, it was hard/impossible to lose much weight while I was nursing. Your body is designed to hold onto fat to make sure it has enough energy to make milk. I also saw a big drop in my milk supply if I restricted calories (which was a good thing for me because I had an oversupply).

    My advice would be that as long as you are nursing, focus on eating the right foods, and not so much on the calories. That likely won't result in weight falling off of you, but your body is showing you that that probably won't happen anyway while you are nursing. It sucks and I was totally jealous of the people that easily lost while nursing. Sadly, I wasn't one of them, but I figured I was nursing a short window in my life, and that was my priority for now.

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