Breast feeding and weight loss is hard
kimzy132124
Posts: 75 Member
I'm not exclusively breast feeding anymore but I did while going through this and was breastfeed my then almost 2 year old on top of it. Still breastfeeding my youngest. With my second I started my weight loss journey and now I'm down about 60 lbs! If you want you can add me and ask away 
I know it's hard to do both. Just remember you do need to take in a little more calories while breastfeeding for supply not much just enough for you milk to keep coming. I always found if I tried to eat what would be recommended minus the breastfeeding my supply would dip. Then I would be pumping to get it back. It was easier to add 100 calories instead of the pumping.
I know it's hard to do both. Just remember you do need to take in a little more calories while breastfeeding for supply not much just enough for you milk to keep coming. I always found if I tried to eat what would be recommended minus the breastfeeding my supply would dip. Then I would be pumping to get it back. It was easier to add 100 calories instead of the pumping. 0
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I have a toddler (3) and I'm ebf my 6 month old. I'm finding it hard to cut back on cals because I'm starving all the time!! I added 400 to my daily allowance..... Looks like it will just be slow going.0
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It gets easier after 6 months when baby is both and food and breastmilk. Hang in there0
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Hi ladies, I'm a ftm my son is 8 weeka.. I'm currently breastfeeding and supplementing. I admit at first i relied heavily on formula so I'm trying to get back at it and hopefully I can get to the point where I could ebf. I'm trying mother's milk and fenugreek to build my supply back up but I was wondering if maybe it could mean I'm just not taking in enough calories or water.0
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I am mostly bf, with a 2 oz formula bottle every other day or so (my baby is 7weeks right now). I have added 400 cals to my allowance like @Ctmish78. @sunshine8711, we should be drinking a lot of water everyday. My nurse at the hospital said I should drink AT LEAST 3 of the hospital water cups they give you (32oz) daily. I remember after my first, by the time I was done bfing at 7 mos, I ended up under my pre-preg weight. We'll see if that happens this time. Feel free to add me. My diary is open (and a mess). 0
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Totally agree. I've heard so many say that the weight just "fell off" while breastfeeding. Not the case for me. With my first, I really didn't lose any weight until after 12 months (when I stopped pumping), because before then if I cut back on calories, my supply would dip and I wouldn't be able to pump enough for her daycare bottles. After I stopped needing to pump, we continued to breastfeed on demand at home, and I was actually able to cut back on calories and start losing weight. It still took me 2.5 years to lose all the extra weight. We kept BF until she was nearly 30 months. With #2, my supply was overall better, and I was able to find a happy medium where I was able to maintain supply and (slowly) lose weight. I had lost almost all of the the extra weight by 12 months. Then gained some back, and have now lost almost all of it again. But, yeah, it took some trial and error to find what worked for me, and I never saw the weight drop off easily. I think maybe if I'd been able to stay home and keep BF on demand without needing to pump, it might have been a different story, but that wasn't the case for me.0
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sunshine8711 wrote: »Hi ladies, I'm a ftm my son is 8 weeka.. I'm currently breastfeeding and supplementing. I admit at first i relied heavily on formula so I'm trying to get back at it and hopefully I can get to the point where I could ebf. I'm trying mother's milk and fenugreek to build my supply back up but I was wondering if maybe it could mean I'm just not taking in enough calories or water.
Milk production is based on demand, especially this early when you are building your supply. Unless you are nursing at least 10 times at this age, at least 15 minutes per side, with absolutely no upper limit (20 hours on and off the breast is normal for a baby this young, nursing 15 or 20 times a day is normal too), no amount of water, calories or supplements will help. Every oz of formula you give one day, is unfortunately one oz less your body makes the next days. So, nurse first, and nurse a lot, and then supplement, cutting out a bit of formula every day. Eat as your normally would, drink whenever you are thirsty.0 -
I'm a FTM with a soon to be 7month old.. I have had difficulty with bf-ing since the get-go so by 3 months when I went back to work I started supplementing 50/50. My supply is ridiculously low.. and I'm thinking its time I just wean him completely as I just keep getting frustrated etc. I'm also desperate to get some resemblance of myself back.. I need motivation in all aspects - both with bf-ing and with getting in shape etc. I am exhausted at nights so if I am too tired to eat a real meal for dinner I feel like that lack of calories is affecting my supply AND making the pounds stay on.. I am NOT someone who lost weight from nursing.. maybe if I didn't go back to work but that's not the case for me.
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KHaverstick wrote: »Totally agree. I've heard so many say that the weight just "fell off" while breastfeeding. Not the case for me. With my first, I really didn't lose any weight until after 12 months (when I stopped pumping), because before then if I cut back on calories, my supply would dip.
Yup, I fell for that "You'll get your figure back more quickly if you breastfeed.."
Yeah, if you want the figure of a butternut squash with gigantic ta-tas...lol
I'm glad I breastfed, but I didn't lose an ounce while doing it....I was hungry alll the time.
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i am currently ebf a 2 month old. i am under my calories (what mfp gave me to lose one lb a week plus 500 for the nursing) every day and working out 5 days a week (not eating back my exercise calories) and nothing! i have been at the same weight since 2 weeks post partum. if i let up even a little, i gain weight. i just dont understand this. it is so so frustrating. im almost 3 weeks into counting calories and will give it maybe a week or two more before lowering them by 100 or so to see what happens. i guess im just one of those ppl who hold onto fat while breastfeeding unfortunately. if anyone has any insight, i would appreciate it.0
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KHaverstick wrote: »Totally agree. I've heard so many say that the weight just "fell off" while breastfeeding. Not the case for me. With my first, I really didn't lose any weight until after 12 months (when I stopped pumping), because before then if I cut back on calories, my supply would dip.
Yup, I fell for that "You'll get your figure back more quickly if you breastfeed.."
Yeah, if you want the figure of a butternut squash with gigantic ta-tas...lol
I'm glad I breastfed, but I didn't lose an ounce while doing it....I was hungry alll the time.
Lol I felt like that with my first. Packed on sooooooo much weight. I won't even look at pictures of myself after that. But with my second I was lucky and was able to graze with helped a lot and I craved a lot of fruit. After I just continued out of habit. After my second I came out weight less than I did when I went in. Now I weight less than I did when I went in with my second but I still need to loose another 80...
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i am currently ebf a 2 month old. i am under my calories (what mfp gave me to lose one lb a week plus 500 for the nursing) every day and working out 5 days a week (not eating back my exercise calories) and nothing! i have been at the same weight since 2 weeks post partum. if i let up even a little, i gain weight. i just dont understand this. it is so so frustrating. im almost 3 weeks into counting calories and will give it maybe a week or two more before lowering them by 100 or so to see what happens. i guess im just one of those ppl who hold onto fat while breastfeeding unfortunately. if anyone has any insight, i would appreciate it.
This is actually normal. Your weight will change depending on how much milk you are making because it does weight something. I found I dropped a lot at the 6 month mark when my milk really regulated. But I found it so much better to buy a pair of pants that was one size too small and then instead of stepping in the scale to put the pants on and measure those. It's all those damn hormones lol. I always said I feel like a cow and now I'm actually a cow haha! I just enjoyed the process. I was doing what I felt was best for my kids and sometimes that came with little weight loss. That was something I was willing to kind of give up, but not to give up trying because eventually you see the results. Maybe try to cut it down to 400 calories. I only added 100 to 200 calories depending on what my kids were demanding from me.
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BabySteps2Healthy wrote: »I'm a FTM with a soon to be 7month old.. I have had difficulty with bf-ing since the get-go so by 3 months when I went back to work I started supplementing 50/50. My supply is ridiculously low.. and I'm thinking its time I just wean him completely as I just keep getting frustrated etc. I'm also desperate to get some resemblance of myself back.. I need motivation in all aspects - both with bf-ing and with getting in shape etc. I am exhausted at nights so if I am too tired to eat a real meal for dinner I feel like that lack of calories is affecting my supply AND making the pounds stay on.. I am NOT someone who lost weight from nursing.. maybe if I didn't go back to work but that's not the case for me.
If you want to keep breastfeeding then try pumping and freezing. If you can't do it anymore then no need to feel guilty. Good job mama for making it how long you did! Pat yourself on the back because most mom don't do it past 3 months. No one should look at you any differently. I continued because i couldn't literally afford formula. By 6 months breastfeeding was killing me. I was tired all the time, wasn't eating right. 6 months is actually when life starts to get a little better lol. They start to take in some solids so your boobs get some of a break, as well they start to sleep a little more thank god!
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86muffintop wrote: »I am mostly bf, with a 2 oz formula bottle every other day or so (my baby is 7weeks right now). I have added 400 cals to my allowance like @Ctmish78. @sunshine8711, we should be drinking a lot of water everyday. My nurse at the hospital said I should drink AT LEAST 3 of the hospital water cups they give you (32oz) daily. I remember after my first, by the time I was done bfing at 7 mos, I ended up under my pre-preg weight. We'll see if that happens this time. Feel free to add me. My diary is open (and a mess).
Lol mine has been a mess as well... I was doing well for a while but my son went through his sleep regression and have been in zombie mode especially with my training regiment. And the flu just tried to take us all out lol. Sent a friend request0 -
I have a toddler (3) and I'm ebf my 6 month old. I'm finding it hard to cut back on cals because I'm starving all the time!! I added 400 to my daily allowance..... Looks like it will just be slow going.
It is. I was lucky to not have supply problems so I didn't have to take in all those extra calories at all. Which helped with my second. It was a lot of the snacking and forgetting I smacked. I have very attached children, my son being the worse. He also a huge kid. 90% in hieght and 95% in weight. He eats all the time and forget if he sees you eating! So sometimes I can't track of I actually ate enough and some days I don't eT what I should due to haveing 2 toddlers.0 -
It gets easier after 6 months when baby is both and food and breastmilk. Hang in there
Lol my son is 1 1/2. I breast feed until they are ready to stop within my own limits. My daughter was a little over 2 when I was able to convince her to get off. My son isn't showing any signs of slowing down. I've been thinking of trying to dry out my milk so I can get my body back. I've been a cow now for 3 years. I'm ready to not be leaking lol0 -
im actually wondering if the inability to lose weight while nursing is connected to not ovulating. according to what ive read, the weight loss is connected to the hormones involved in lower estrogen levels, prolactin, and progesterone. would love to take a poll...are the women who cant lose weight ovulating? or no periods? because if thats the case, then when you get your period back you should be able to lose weight. if i remember correctly from my past exeriences, i think i was finally able to lose weight at that time but im not absolutely sure because i wasnt paying attention to this at the time.
anyone notice this trend?0 -
Hmmm that is an interesting thought! I have always had trouble losing weight ovulating or not.0
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I got my period back at 4 months postpartum the first time, and it was either 5 or 6 months pp the second time. I'm not sure when I actually started ovulating, though, because I wasn't charting at the time. It could have been periods with no ovulation for some period of time. But I didn't start losing weight any faster when my periods returned. Interesting thought, though.0
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I have exclusively breastfed for 6 months and find my body holds onto 10lbs no matter what I do. I believe that its the bodies way of protecting the milk supply from famine. It is truly frustrating. I have a few close friends who lost 10lbs right after weaning their babies..0
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I can't say if that's what it is because i have been a cow for over 3 years now...0
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I'm EBF my 4 month old and have only lost 5 pounds since her birth. I'm starting to stress about it because I read that you lose the most weight between 3 and 6 months post partum. I'd love to friend other breastfeeding moms for support. I'm finding it hard to cut calories for fear of diminishing supply. I'm 15 pounds from pre pregnancy weight.0
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Add me. 0
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I BF my 7 month old (first baby) and still have 25 lbs to lose. I lost about 20 lbs in the first few weeks, but the last 25 are not budging. I feel fatter than ever. How many calories do you/should we allow for bfing? My baby doesn't eat any solids yet. She is just very committed to her milk 0
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Hey all! I'm EBF my 2 month old. I'm having pretty good success with weight loss so far. I only lost 10 pounds after he was born, so then I started back with MFP when he was a month old. I've lost another 14 pounds since then in only 5 weeks! I give myself 500 extra calories a day for nursing, though to be honest I often only eat 300 of them because I'm not hungry anymore. I exercise about 6 days a week and eat back half of those calories. I usually eat between 1800-2000 calories a day. My milk supply has been good too, which is my biggest concern.0
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victoria_1024 wrote: »I exercise about 6 days a week and eat back half of those calories. I usually eat between 1800-2000 calories a day. My milk supply has been good too, which is my biggest concern.
Victoria, what do you do for exercise? What's the intensity and how long per session? Thanks for your post! Was very informative for me!
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victoria_1024 wrote: »I exercise about 6 days a week and eat back half of those calories. I usually eat between 1800-2000 calories a day. My milk supply has been good too, which is my biggest concern.
Victoria, what do you do for exercise? What's the intensity and how long per session? Thanks for your post! Was very informative for me!
I do fitness blender work outs. They are free on youtube! I love them, lots of variety so I never get bored. They are mostly all HIIT style work outs. They are fairly intense depending on the work out I do that day. I usually average between 30-40 minutes.0 -
Hello, I am a SAHM of a 6 month old who is EBF. I also care for an 8 month old and a 1 year old. I am having the hardest time losing the baby weight and I think for me it's partly bc of breastfeeding. I am hungry all the time but I have zero energy. Also the zero energy has made it very difficult to get a work out routine going. Before I got pregnant I lost about 40lbs strength training. Life got in the way and I started neglecting my workouts and gained a lot of it back. Then I got pregnant and gained the rest back. I am hoping this helps get me back on the right track but I don't want to sacrifice my supply either. What do you mommies do for workouts that's not too time consuming that is still effective with possible interruptions from little ones? 0
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I just started doing Stroller Strides this week. You can look online see if there's a group near you. I also do Jackie Warner or Gillian Micheals DVDs. They are mix-n-match so you can do one or more sections depending on what time you have/what areas you want to work. All the sections are 15-20 mins, so you can do, say, abs and total body or lower body and arms.
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I BF my 7 month old (first baby) and still have 25 lbs to lose. I lost about 20 lbs in the first few weeks, but the last 25 are not budging. I feel fatter than ever. How many calories do you/should we allow for bfing? My baby doesn't eat any solids yet. She is just very committed to her milk
They say the average is 500 calories, but that was way too much for me. I did about 200 any less I saw a problem with my production. All I can say is try to remove 50 to 100 calories at a time and see what your supply does.
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victoria_1024 wrote: »Hey all! I'm EBF my 2 month old. I'm having pretty good success with weight loss so far. I only lost 10 pounds after he was born, so then I started back with MFP when he was a month old. I've lost another 14 pounds since then in only 5 weeks! I give myself 500 extra calories a day for nursing, though to be honest I often only eat 300 of them because I'm not hungry anymore. I exercise about 6 days a week and eat back half of those calories. I usually eat between 1800-2000 calories a day. My milk supply has been good too, which is my biggest concern.
Hey I hVe 2 kids. Still breasted ding my second one and over the last two weeks I can't loose anything! I do cardio 4 times a week and weights 3 times a week... I just found out that I put on 6 lbs of muscle in 2 months... I keep hearing that you can't do both at the same time and I'm feeling like that now...
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