Breastfeeding and weight loss help please

jenniferbennett77
jenniferbennett77 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, sorry if this topic has been done to death, but I'm in need of some advice...

I gained 3 stone in pregnancy (naughty naughty) on top of an already high 28 BMI! I've lost a couple of stones in the 9 months since childbirth (and am still breastfeeding - so being careful) but it's REALLY slow going. During weeks where I eat my calories or below, exercise and don't count breastfeeding as an activity I lose barely anything. Last week I thought 'sod it', had some take-away, some ice-cream, didn't bother to log and lost 4lbs. Is it an old wives tale that not eating enough can slow weightloss? I'm reluctant to do a repeat performance as I can't risk having a gain which could take forever to shift again. I'm confused by it, before baby I could lose weight so easily by eating healthily and exercising - now I can't fathom what will happen one week to the next.

My goal is to be fit by forty so I have a few years to see-off 3 stones and get super-fit!

Thanks for any advice...

Replies

  • cutenikki07
    cutenikki07 Posts: 120 Member
    Yes eating less will slow your metabolism and cause you to store the foods you eat instead of using all of their nutrients. You want to start eating 5-6 small meals a day to help keep your metabolism always going. But with breastfeeding you can't cut your calories or your milk supply will go down, so the best thing to do is eat healthy foods and snacks, and workout (if released by doctor) that will help you on your right track for after breastfeeding.
  • conniedj
    conniedj Posts: 470 Member
    If you are eating intuitively....and are losing, then you are doing it right! But logging helps you gauge just how much you are eating, but also makes you hyper aware of what you are eating...it can be a catch 22 if you obsess at all!

    Nursing....some women simply lost weight doing it. I hated them ( :wink: ) Me? I had allllll the major B's covered no matter what I did: Butt, Boobs, Back, Belly. My body just wanted to hold on to it.

    It takes several weeks at a pretty severe deficit to affect your metabolism, but hormones have an immediate affect, so really just listen to your body. You are several months PP, nursing. The number of times you eat in a day does not affect your metabolism, unless you have blood sugar issues. So don't force yourself to eat if you aren't hungry. And only YOU can know what affects your milk supply.

    I am all for EM2WL (group here on MFP)~Eat More 2 Weigh Less. It's all about finding the magic zone for you which is the number above your BMR and below your TDEE while trying to lose. I am a big proponent of eating at just a small defecit for slow steady loss which is sustainable over time. Large deficits can result in large losses, but usually also mean you are losing lbm too--and for th most part will result in immediate gain when you have a day that isn't large deficit.

    Eating healthful, fresh foods will fuel your workouts and make great milk for you baby. Don't beat yourself up over "falls from grace"....eat! And enjoy it! I tend to eat about 80-90% as clean and healthful as I can, but make room for things like beer and ice cream because you can lose while enjoying some foods all the time!

    Also---if your weight jumps 2-3 lbs overnight.....this is not a fat gain. Fat gains take a lot of surplus calories and will amount in small gains over several days....HTH!
  • jenniferbennett77
    jenniferbennett77 Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you for your advice :)

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