I’m looking for some support, too - it’s so easy to wear out family and friends with constant talk about weight loss and calories. I’m 12 weeks postpartum with my third exclusively breastfed baby. Although I’m happy that calorie counting is working, I’m struggling with the monotony that comes with dieting. I’m also having a hard time with being unable to exercise regularly - I usually have an incessant daily running habit, but it is hard to pick back up in the middle of a midwestern autumn and winter while still being woken up several times a night with a newborn.

I specifically didn't buy a jogging stroller because running is a thing I like to do all by myself. I did put the baby in the stroller and go for a walk yesterday when the weather was nicer. I know I'll be able to get back to my normal routine in a few months, but it's hard not to miss it in the mean time.

husbandsgenepartner wrote: »

@hist_doc thank you!! your post made me feel a lot better. I have such a hard time being kind to myself when it comes to weight - but I think I'm going to make that kindness and patience one of my top "goals" as I undertake this project. I'm definitely not going to be one of those lucky gals who just drops weight - I never have been! Do you have any tips for "getting back in the saddle" with healthy eating and fitness while breastfeeding?

It's my understanding that it's simple math of CICO, barring any postpartum hormonal stuff. I wrote this in a different post, but I've shared some of it here.

-with both of my pregnancies, I didn't start losing until I was at least 12 weeks pp. My daughter turned 4 months old last week.

-"only" last week did my postpartum sweats cease (I'm 18 weeks pp). Seriously, prior to that I was walking around outside in 45 degree weather in a teeshirt and sweating ALL THE TIME. This return to normal body temp was followed by my first period (ugh!) even though I'm still BFing.

--the onset of my period also triggered other hormonal changes (says my midwife) which I found then encouraged further loss. As of the past 2 weeks, I'm also now experiencing the postpartum acne (yay!) and significant hair loss (double yay!!). On a positive note, I think I've lost 4 lb. during the past two weeks of these changes alone but I should note that I didn't have much net loss for several weeks (scale was up and down the same few lbs).

--I suffer from chronic depression and I can't take my medication while breastfeeding. I have debated over whether or not to resume my meds and I still haven't reached a decision. Right now, I am managing things okay. I find that daily exercise helps most days. Other days, I am quite down. I'm by no means advocating one way or another--I really want to continue to BF but some days I feel very weak emotionally and want to throw in the towel.

In terms of tips:
It was recommended that I set my MFP account to maintain weight and let breastfeeding create the deficit. I found that it didn't work for me, so I set it to lose 0.5 lb. per week--do this slowly because you don't want it to impact your supply. I don't log my breastfeeding calories. I think the first suggestion would work for someone who weighs their food. I don't and I suspect my logging was off. I prefer to build in more of a buffer because my logging is good but not perfect. I also eat back my exercise calories. See what works for you.

I try to eat the same few meals for a week or so or I might do variations of meals that include similar ingredients. Sounds boring, I know, but it helps expedite my logging. So, if I make a recipe of veg chili, I'll log the recipe and measure out the servings and freeze them. In my case I make meals that I can easily freeze and defrost in a pinch (tonight, for instance, I am defrosting chicken chili that I made for my husband and the vegetarian version of the same chili I made for myself). Or I might add some chili to an egg dish for lunch to switch it up but it doesn't require additional meal planning. I find this makes logging easier, because I can copy the meal or simply draw it from my recipe bank.

I'm certainly no expert on any of this--I just wish I had someone to talk to about this stuff when I had my first baby. So everyone please let's continue the discussion, my husband can only listen to me for so long about this

Lactating/breastfeeding women, too, can lose weight by ensuring they're in a caloric deficit. Breastfeeding can be that caloric deficit. Hormones might make us want to eat ALL THE THINGS but it's up to us to make better choices. To stay within our caloric limit when we're trying to lose or maintain weight.