weight loss while breastfeeding a toddler

Polishprinsezz
Polishprinsezz Posts: 249 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
anyone else nursing a baby or toddler while actively trying to lose weight?so far my first month is is very successful with a 2 pant size loss. i waited til my child was a toddler to start this journey. he still nurses often but mostly for comfort and not for his own nutrition. i wonder if this is burning more calories or may produce a faster weight loss than someone who isnt nursing a toddler while trying to lose weight. i make sure to drink plenty of water and portion control meal and snacks through out the day. just wanting to hear from anyone who has input or any experience with this. thanks. :)

Replies

  • oiseau17
    oiseau17 Posts: 142 Member
    I'm letting my daughter self-wean and I waited until she was just about to turn two before starting weight loss (I gained 88 lbs during my pregnancy. Yipes.). I waited until two yrs old because she's never been a big solid food eater and was still getting a lot of her nutrition through breast milk. She's three now and it's mostly comfort nursing at this point (although she still nurses quite a bit). I'm sure as long as you're making milk you're going to burn some extra calories, although not nearly as much as that first year of exclusive nursing. If you notice yourself losing weight faster than you should be, just up your calories a bit to make sure you keep the supply you still have. Those antibodies you're passing on to your tot are priceless! My little one never catches the latest cold going around and I blame it entirely on her continued nursing ;) I commend you for nursing into toddlerhood. It's a wonderful experience that not a lot of moms venture into these days.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    When I nursed toddlers, it was the only periods of my life when I was officially underweight, losing at a cazy rate, without restricting calories. Nursing an older baby or toddler (not just once a day) burns about 500 calories per day. You burn more for a chidl this age than for a newborn.
  • oiseau17
    oiseau17 Posts: 142 Member
    When I nursed toddlers, it was the only periods of my life when I was officially underweight, losing at a cazy rate, without restricting calories. Nursing an older baby or toddler (not just once a day) burns about 500 calories per day. You burn more for a chidl this age than for a newborn.

    Generally, this would not be the case. The more milk you're producing, the more calories you're burning. Most mothers who are nursing toddlers (especially 2+ year olds) are not making nearly the amount of milk they were when their newborns and infants were exclusively nursing at least every 2-3 hours around the clock.
  • Finnarwen
    Finnarwen Posts: 5
    I am also nursing my 9 month old. And he doesn't like purees or solids (we also do BLW), so I nurse often, like 6 to 7 times a day. My biggest fear is that I don't eat enough calories to maintain the supply, so I add breastfeeding as exercise of 350 kcal per day (*chuckle*).
    So far I didn't lose any weight but I luckily also didn't gain any, since I do MFP. I had about 4 kg after the pregnancy, which recently got up to 5 kg :(, so I had to do something.
    Now I go out running and cycling and hopefully when he turns 1 year old, I will be myself again (from before the pregnancy).
    My belly will never be flat again though, he was gigantic and had to be delivered by C-section *cry*

    I just hope my milk doesn't run out, that would be my personal disaster.

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