New Moms...breastfeeding & trying to lose weight

I am so with you on this one. My son is four months old and I have decided it is time to shift some of the fat! I have about 2st to leave. I'm awful at diets, I have got into a bad habit of eating whatever I like whenever I like and thinking the extra calories are OK because I am breastfeeding.

I'm with you. I just joined. My son is 4 months old and it's time to start losing.
How Do I join the group?

I'm with you, too! My daughter is six weeks old, and I put on a good 47 lbs with her. I've lost 7, but there's still a long way to go! With my oldest, it took me over a year to get the weight of, and I really don't want a repeat of that.

I had also been feeling entitled to eat anything because of breastfeeding ... until I stepped on the scales and found that since giving birth I had actually put on another 10 lbs! I rarely exercise, and have definitely been using breastfeeding as a substitute for that.

I am really watching my calories now, and have broken my day down into 3 small meals and 3 snacks, since that seems to help with my being hungry all through the day. White chocolate Kit-Kats are a wonderful snack at 220 calories. Seriously though, I am finally starting to eat more healthy foods - oatmeal, cereal bars, pasta, etc. - and feeling better, but I'm also still eating a lot of junk like the chocolate and Cheeto puffs.

Looking forward to losing some weight with you ladies!

I'm also a nursing mommy to my 7-month-old sweetie. After a lot of hard work(diligently watching what I eat, some excercise(mostly Wii Zumba and walking pushing a double stroller), I gradually was able to lose those extra pounds, and now weigh less than before my babies! I think the key for me is eating high fiber, high protein, whole foods, and staying away from those evil refined and processed foods, combined with the excercise, but also nursing! Remember, nursing requires an extra 300-500 calories/day, so make sure you are accounting for it, you and your baby need that! And drink lots of water. Be patient with yourself, your body just built a baby, and you brought a new life into the world--nothing is more beautiful than that!

Thanks for the advice! It is encouraging to see someone who is lighter than when they got pregnant. That is eventually my goal.

I am with you ladies! Although, I am a little further along with the baby weight no longer being baby weight, since my boy just turned 7 months....Still have 23 pounds to loose though.

I am hungry all the time. I also feel entitled to eat whatever I want (as I did when I was pregnant). I'm sure it is just a normal craving, but I feel like my cravings are worse now than they were when I was pregnant. I also have no will-power.

I've been walking a lot, and I am starting to jog. I have the baby with me all the time, so I don't get to the gym, but I do what I can with the baby with me.

I know what you mean about cravings! Ugh it is so bad. I really let myself go and eat almost anything without thinking when I was pregnant. I think my body is used to midnight fast food runs, and I'm used to giving in! There are times when I really struggle with that.

I also have the child care problem. I would LOVE to go to a gym regularly, but my husband is is deployed for the next few months. I know some gyms have child care, but I think my LO is too young just yet... At least we have strollers for walking!

I'm with you. I just joined. My son is 4 months old and it's time to start losing.
How Do I join the group?

If you go to "Community" and then click "My Topics" it will show all your recent posts so you can come back to here and continue following this thread. Feel free to add me as a friend!

Hello...im looking to get my body back into shape and lose pounds..i had my baby girl 9mos ago and it is time for a change..good luck to all

anyone can add me


Terri

not new mom but started doing the healthy/fit thing when my son was 12months (now 21), im still full time breastfeeding also. I blamed my max weight gain on breastfeeding, i was doing a lot of sitting and eating whatever i could to take to sofa...
I guess I have trained myself to just eat better, plan meals, and have no junk around.
good luck!

Hey all,

i'm new to site. I've a 4 month little girl and still breast feeding. I've put on weight while breastfeeding. eating junk food on sofa while lo attached. the pregnancy baby weight and over eating weight means I've 3stone to lose. only starting to excercise. I've twin girls who keep me on my toes. so my time is precious!

Hello...im looking to get my body back into shape and lose pounds..i had my baby girl 9mos ago and it is time for a change..good luck to all

anyone can add me


Terri

Search the food database for "breastfeeding". There are a couple options you can play around with. For some you can total up your calories by how many ounces of milk you produce if you pump and keep track that way. Or what I do is the "breastfeeding - exclusive" and it subtracts 500 calories from my food diary.

Im due this sunday and cant wait to start my diet to get back to pre-pregnancy weight of 8.5 stone. Ive put on 2.5 stone since being pregnant and im missing my old clothes! I plan to breastfeed so wont be going on a strict low calorie diet just want to stay about from junk food and exercise which will hopefully bring my weight down! Cant wait for next summer - been stuck in trousers due to horrid stretch marks - anyone else got these? I think its going to be a few months before they fade but looking forward to when they do!

I have stretch marks bad on my tummy. They haven't improved yet, but I still have a lot of fat left in that area. I heard taking vitamin e helps. I also heard you can break open the capsuls of vitamin e pills and put the gel directly on your marks. Husband lost 100lbs and did this, and there's not a single stretch mark to show for it! I will be trying it once I reach my goal weight

I guess I dont' have to worry about my milk supply...lost 4lbs and woke up with a clogged milk duct. OUCH!!

Hi Yes I can RELATE! My daughter is 3 months now and I stay hungry myself!!! My husband and I just started working out at the gym and I'm seeing results...wooohooo!

Know the feeling. My kids are 13 and 8 years old. I breast fed both. The great news was that I trimmed back down to within 5 pounds of pre-pregnancy weight very quickly (Probably between 3 and 6 months without hardly trying) . That bad news was that I also developed eating habits that make trouble to this day. Too much food, too frequently and an intollerance for tummy rumbles of any duration (Morning Sickness stratagy). More bad news, I regained weight over time after the children weaned at around a year. More Good News! At least I didn't develop any deep junk food habits. I am hoping that bright spot will be a heavy hitter as I pursue this goal at 40 something years old.

Bits of advise (If you want it) - Be gentle with yourself. You are in a time of amazing change on all levels.

- Even if you can't completely tame the hungries, try to placate your appetite with great food and something you are happy to eat. Guilt is counterproductive, I've tried it. You'll feel better on a physical and emotional level which is good for you and baby.

- In Chinese culture food must be fresh, fresh, fresh! Traditionally meals are eaten with great awareness at all of the sensory levels (smell, sight, texture, taste, even sound). We aren't taught this in American culture. I find when I follow this advise of my Chinese friends I can taste the difference between what I should be eating (and celebrate it) and what I shouldn't (It has actually killed my taste for bakery goods, chips and candy). They call it mindfulness.

- Do your best not to let being mommy manuver you into eating as if you were a hyena on the plains. Hopefully you have a mate who can help you protect your meals (or at least dinner). Getting help around meals is strategically important, because it doesn't end with nursing. Self-feeding toddlers are an adventure as is learning to use a knife and serving yourself when they get older. I watched a man at a McD's actually sit and text while his partner simultaniously nursed an infant and ate a burger. I wanted to smack him in the worst way or offer to hold the baby so the poor woman could eat in peace. The second option would have been more productive, but I worry about interfering in today's world. My husband I would take turns eating when it was necessary and he was available (Believe it or not, we sometimes still do). Fortunately, most guys are willing to help if they know what to do, so are friends and relatives. Perhaps even this clueless soul would have pitched in if mom had said something. Sometimes if nursing and eating clashed it really was better for me to eat and drink a bit (even if they cried for a few minutes), nurse the baby, then sit down and enjoy my food properly. Personally, I couldn't nurse hungry (even hyena moms don't nurse pups and eat at the same time) . I still ended up learning to eat too fast. Now I am relearning to slow down and enjoy my meals again.

-You won't do any of it perfectly (eating or parenting) but that is ok. Keep the ideal in mind, do your best, the rest will work out ok.

I know the day to day work of parenting can get a bit daunting, but from someone whose a bit further up the trail, here is a word of encouragement. The veiw from up here is wonderful and it is worth the climb! I can't wait to see the landscape from still higher up!

Blessings,
PianoMom

I am SO glad this topic was posted!! My little guy is 5 months old now, and I put on A LOT of weight during my pregnancy (about 55 lbs ). I'm happily breastfeeding, but like some of you, I am hungry ALL THE TIME! I drink tons of water, and i've just started to try and be more consistent with my work outs.

You can add calories to your day by looking up *breastfeeding* under foods-- I didn't know how to do that until 3 days ago, and I feel so much better about my calorie intake now that i've been able to adjust it (I think it was psychologically breaking me down to go over my cals every single day).

Anyone else using bio-oil on their stretch marks? I've found it really helps, but my stretch marks are way worse on my thighs than on my stomach (not that stretch marks are good anywhere, hehe).

I figure as long as we're trying to eat well and exercise, we should be proud of ourselves. Adjusting to motherhood is not as easy as the movies make it out to be-- emotionally and physically!!!

Good luck ladies!

I meant to ask a question....did any Moms find it almost impossible to lose weight while they were nursing, but when they stopped it came off easier?? It seems like for some moms, breastfeeding helps them lose right away, and for others (like me) we feel hungry all the time and our weight just stays the same.....any insight?

Really it is kind of hard for me to say... With my first son I lost weight the entire way through nursing and afterwards. My family started to think I was starving myself as I got smaller than I was before I got pregnant. In hindsight I think this was due to the fact that I was eating really healthy, had a super active life as a single mom, and was going to school. Not to mention I believe your body recovers faster on the first baby lol. With my second pregnancy I gained even more weight (65 lbs), and then only lost 20 lbs while nursing. When I stopped nursing the weight stopped coming off. I was eating really crappy though and blaming it on a lack of time, while not being as active, and spending more time on the computer for school. With my third baby, I gained 46 lbs and a whole lot of inches, but this time around I am actively working towards healthy..... I know tht eating smaller healthier foods more frequently has helped with my ravening beast syndrome haha!

Hi ladies...does anyone know how to change or if we are able to change the settings indicating your breastfeeding? I know that we burn calories just by breastfeeding only.
Thanks

Finding it really hard just cant seem to resist cake... after the birth of my son who is now 4 months, so really is time to lose the extra weight gained in this pregnancy arrrrrr