Why am I gaining weight?

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MaKisMom
MaKisMom Posts: 65 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm eating less than my recommended calories (I'm not convinced I burn a full 500 calories with breastfeeding, so it might look like I'm not eating enough, but I figure it's closer to 300 calories), I'm as active as I can be with 3 kids, one of whom is a 7.5 week old fussy baby who doesn't let me put him down. I'm getting really frustrated with this. I understand weight loss will come over time, but why is the scale going up? Yes, last night I ate more salt than I should have, but the scale was going up before then, too.

Also, on the weekend I know I didn't eat enough, but I had the flu and had to force myself to have anything.

Any other time I've made an effort to lose weight it's come off fairly easily, including after my other 2 kids. I can't stand my post-baby body...

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  • RTricia
    RTricia Posts: 720
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    body might be in starvation mode
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    If your baby is 7 1/2 weeks old and you're breastfeeding, you shouldn't be trying to lose weight. At all. Some will come off naturally but it shouldn't be your goal at this point. You need 300-500 calories on top of your maintenance calories, not on top of your weight loss calories. Cutting calories or burning them from exercise puts you at risk for losing your milk supply and it compromises the nutritional quality of your milk.
  • kitchentales
    kitchentales Posts: 73
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    It depends on what you're doing during the day, and what a "workout" consists of for you, but keep in mind muscle is heavier than fat, so if you're doing anything to build or tone muscle (like lifting weights), you will see the scale go up. Someone told me I should take measurements of my body rather than trust the scale - muscle is leaner than fat, so it's a better way to keep track of "weight loss" when you're toning and not just doing cardio.

    I'm not an expert though, hopefully someone has a better idea than me.

    And congrats on the baby!
  • JoinerMaus
    JoinerMaus Posts: 44
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    I'm told that the less weight you have to lose (read: 20 vs. 70) the more you have to eat because your body goes into starvation mode sooner. Try adding some calories and see if that helps.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    I'm eating less than my recommended calories (I'm not convinced I burn a full 500 calories with breastfeeding, so it might look like I'm not eating enough, but I figure it's closer to 300 calories), I'm as active as I can be with 3 kids, one of whom is a 7.5 week old fussy baby who doesn't let me put him down. I'm getting really frustrated with this. I understand weight loss will come over time, but why is the scale going up? Yes, last night I ate more salt than I should have, but the scale was going up before then, too.

    Also, on the weekend I know I didn't eat enough, but I had the flu and had to force myself to have anything.

    Any other time I've made an effort to lose weight it's come off fairly easily, including after my other 2 kids. I can't stand my post-baby body...

    I would eat more, my wife is breastfeeding our 3 month old and has lost all her baby weight already and she has been eating constantly (I would venture to guess 1800-2200 cals/day) as she is eating sometime more than I am, yet she keeps dropping in weight.

    I would eat the extra 500 for 4-6 weeks and make adjustments at that time if it doesn't change.
  • loxleys
    loxleys Posts: 230 Member
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    I can't see your food diary but maybe you're not eating enough net calories and your body is going into starvation mode and hanging onto everything that it can. Breastfeeding does burn a lot of calories and i'm sure that i've seen other mothers post their breastfeeding as exercise. (i might be wrong)

    when I had my kids my midwife told me I should have at least 500 more cals a day of mainly protein and calcium - to sustain the little un - due to the amount of calories it burned.

    and your baby is only 7.5 weeks old so it can take time to lose the weight.

    good luck and maybe buy a sling so you can carry the baby at all times but you can still do other things
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
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    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It's weighs the same it's just that it takes up less room than fat.
  • MaKisMom
    MaKisMom Posts: 65 Member
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    noadditives - I breastfed both of my other babies for 13 months each, and did a similar caloric intake without it affecting my supply. That being said, I am always conscious of what I'm taking in to make sure I'm getting at least 1500 calories a day (my maintenance is very low).

    kitchentales - I don't own a tape measure, but try on my old jeans once a week to see how much closer I am to fitting them :P. I do see a bit of a difference there. My workouts have to involve the kids, so usually they involve strapping baby on and pushing the stroller with an older kid in it. I was doing the 30DS, but felt I needed to be doing more cardio than strength.

    JoinerMaus - Interesting. I'll see if adding a few more calories helps.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    Unfortunately the body is kind of crazy when you're breastfeeding and not getting enough sleep. I would venture to say I agree with the others I don't believe you're eating enough. Just fill your body with fruits, veggies and lean meats and stay away from anything unprocessed...I think it will start happening soon enough. :)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It's weighs the same it's just that it takes up less room than fat.

    You know what the poster means. When someone says muscle weighs more than fat it is implied that by volume muscle weighs more than fat, which is why 1 lb of muscle takes up less room.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Unfortunately the body is kind of crazy when you're breastfeeding and not getting enough sleep. I would venture to say I agree with the others I don't believe you're eating enough. Just fill your body with fruits, veggies and lean meats and stay away from anything unprocessed...I think it will start happening soon enough. :)

    I think you mean stay away from anything processed.
  • MaKisMom
    MaKisMom Posts: 65 Member
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    Thank you for all the suggestions. I will have to try eating more and see how that goes. I'm not hungry, though, so it seems strange to me that I should eat more. I only have 10lbs or so to lose (I know if I go below a certain weight it will affect my milk supply, so I have to be careful), but it's all in the middle and very noticeable to me. Yes, he's only 7.5 weeks old and it will take time, but I was so proud of myself for starting off weighing 10lbs less than my other 2 pregnancies and only gaining 30lbs...I thought maybe the weight would come off easily this time.
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
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    You need to eat more and your baby is ADORABLE! :)
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
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    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It's weighs the same it's just that it takes up less room than fat.


    That's like saying the earth does not weight more than the moon. It weighs the same it just takes up less room than the moon.:happy:
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
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    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It's weighs the same it's just that it takes up less room than fat.


    That's like saying the earth does not weight more than the moon. It weighs the same it just takes up less room than the moon.:happy:

    Does the earth weigh the same as the moon?
  • lenwie
    lenwie Posts: 240
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    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It's weighs the same it's just that it takes up less room than fat.


    That's like saying the earth does not weight more than the moon. It weighs the same it just takes up less room than the moon.:happy:

    Does the earth weigh the same as the moon?

    haha id like to see the scales to try and weight the earth and moon:laugh:
  • Dobsaya
    Dobsaya Posts: 235
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    Muscle does however burn more calories on a daily basis than fat.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
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    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It's weighs the same it's just that it takes up less room than fat.


    That's like saying the earth does not weight more than the moon. It weighs the same it just takes up less room than the moon.:happy:

    Does the earth weigh the same as the moon?

    haha id like to see the scales to try and weight the earth and moon:laugh:


    :tongue::wink:
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
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    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It's weighs the same it's just that it takes up less room than fat.


    That's like saying the earth does not weight more than the moon. It weighs the same it just takes up less room than the moon.:happy:

    Does the earth weigh the same as the moon?

    That depends on your underlying assumptions. The earth can weigh the same as the moon if you're talking about weighing a pound of each under similar gravitational forces. Kind'a like how protein and fat weigh the same if you weigh a pound of each.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    Unfortunately the body is kind of crazy when you're breastfeeding and not getting enough sleep. I would venture to say I agree with the others I don't believe you're eating enough. Just fill your body with fruits, veggies and lean meats and stay away from anything unprocessed...I think it will start happening soon enough. :)

    I think you mean stay away from anything processed.

    LOL - YES

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