Breastfeeding

mraq93
mraq93 Posts: 12 Member
edited November 27 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm breastfeeding my almost seven month old. Contrary to what most people say, I'm not losing the last of my weight easily. I've been holding onto the last fifteen pounds for months. Does anyone have suggestions? My doctor thinks I may just have to wait until he weans, which wasn't what I was hoping to hear.

Replies

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Some women do have to wait until they wean. Breastfeeding isn't a catchall.

    Are you logging consistently everyday? What is your calorie goal? Are you weighing your food with a food scale?
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Your Dr. may be right, but worry not, breastfeeding doesn't last forever, just 2 years max! (well worth it
    for your child). :)
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    For many women who breastfeed, dropping calories enough to lose weight will impact their milk supply. However, once your baby starts eating more solids you may find that you are able to start losing. I have lost 18 lbs since my baby turned 7 months old after basically regaining up to my delivery weight between birth and 7 months.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    Should add that my baby is just over 10 months now.
  • pineygirl
    pineygirl Posts: 322 Member
    I waited until I was no longer concerned about my supply before I started dieting and exercising. I put a little too much weight on with my son. I gained 35lbs but delivered him at 36 weeks.

    I dropped 20lbs pretty quickly but the last 15 just stuck. I didn't really actively try to lose while I was concerned about my supply. At that time my supply was more important to me.

    Pumping at work did nothing to help my supply and it slowly decreased over the past year. Then my fertility returned and with each ovulatory cycle my supply would decrease and not fully rebound. Then another pregnancy...and a miscarriage...my supply tanked.

    By then my son was drinking whole milk and eating solids and was 14 months old. My supply was pretty low and I pumped 2 to 3oz in the morning and maybe 1 to 2oz at work and nursed him before bed.

    So I started dieting and exercising. And my supply didn't change at all. I've lost 15lbs since Halloween. And I'm still breastfeeding.

    For my next baby I'm going to try to not gain so much during pregnancy and I'll log and eat at maintenence or slightly over until my supply is stable then keep eating at maintenance and maybe add in a little exercise to create the deficit.
  • owen1826
    owen1826 Posts: 53 Member
    Are you tracking your calories diligently? With my first child, I used breastfeeding as an excuse for why I couldn't lose weight. I could, but I just didn't want to do the work and cut calories. If your child is near 7 months your supply should be pretty well established. Whatever amount of calories the tracker says to lose weight, just add about 500 calories more. You should still be able to lose Weight with that amount, unless you're near the bottom of your BMI and have very low body fat. My second child is now 11 months and I'm still nursing and about 25 pounds below prepregnancy weight, with 10 more to go. It is possible. Just continue to nurse on demand and your body will keep making the milk necessary for your baby.
  • antennachick
    antennachick Posts: 464 Member
    Are you in a normal wieght range currently? I ask because yes breastfeeding requires a little extra with some women. For instance at 5 feet 7 inches (yes I know there is the factor of your build ect I am just using this as a example people) anything under 155 until around 130 is considered normal not over wieght. But when breastfeeding if your goal is130 then your body may want to hold unto extra and you wont be able to go lower then 140. In addition your breasts will also be heavier (not by much but still lol).
    You could try weight lifting along with high intensity workouts, that is what helped me the most while breastfeeding.
  • mraq93
    mraq93 Posts: 12 Member
    I'm 5'11 and 175. I have about 10-15 pounds to lose. Can someone help me calculate how many calories I should be eating? I've been eating 2,000 calories with about an hour of walking. I also do functional interval training 2-3 times a week.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    mraq93 wrote: »
    I'm 5'11 and 175. I have about 10-15 pounds to lose. Can someone help me calculate how many calories I should be eating? I've been eating 2,000 calories with about an hour of walking. I also do functional interval training 2-3 times a week.

    Just plug in your info here on MFP. Set it to .5/lbs a week (you don't have much to lose so you should set an less aggressive goal). See what is gives you. Then you can add 300-500 calories to that as a custom goal. Also, when you enter your exercise expect to eat at least half of those calories back.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    mraq93 wrote: »
    I'm breastfeeding my almost seven month old. Contrary to what most people say, I'm not losing the last of my weight easily. I've been holding onto the last fifteen pounds for months. Does anyone have suggestions? My doctor thinks I may just have to wait until he weans, which wasn't what I was hoping to hear.

    Eat less. If you are not losing weight while breastfeeding, you are eating at maintenance and about 500 calories on top of this.
  • hookahbinx
    hookahbinx Posts: 74 Member
    Breastfeeding burns 20 calories every 1 Oz if that helps
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