Breastfeeding and trying to lose weight

Everyone's bodies are different. I always envied those gals who gave birth and a handful of months later they were in their skinny jeans and claimed it was because of the breastfeeding. Not me - I've got 3 kiddos (5 yrs; 3 yrs and 8 mos). With all 3 I gained 40 lbs, the first 20 came off quickly in the first 3 months post delivery (c-sections so working out was almost impossible) the next 10 I struggled with and the last 10 NEVER came off until I was done breastfeeding. It was like my body needed the extra weight to keep the milk flowing. I just finished breast feeding my #3 about 6 weeks ago because I was wanting to get these last 15 lbs off which is what I'm working on right now. Keep up the good work and good luck to all you moms!

Yes, I am! Actually, I've been breastfeeding for almost 20 months.

I lost 20lbs pretty much right away after giving birth...fluid loss and such. By the time she was 12 months old, I had only lost an additional 10lbs. For me, breastfeeding and weight loss did not go hand-in-hand. Of course, I took breastfeeding very seriously, and it was my personal choice to do everything possible to give her only breast milk for the first 6 months, and then slowly introduce solids, but continue giving mostly breast milk until at least 12 months, and then to continue breastfeeding as long as possible after that (based on recommendations from WHO, AAP, etc). Since I work full time, I had to pump for her. I found that, in order to keep up my supply to pump enough to meet her needs, I had to keep my calorie intake and water intake pretty high. Therefore, weight loss took a back seat until after she was 12 months old and eating much more solid food. At that point, since I was not pumping, I did not need to keep my calorie intake so high. I have lost about another 20 lbs since then. We are still breastfeeding 2-3 times a day now, and having a calorie deficit does not seem to affect my supply, and I'm losing weight finally. I'm nearly back down to pre-preggo weight & clothing sizes, but I still have some to go to get to my goal.

Sometimes when I hear women say that breastfeeding helped them lose weight quickly, I think that they were eating a normal amount of calories (or a calorie deficit) during that time, rather than the recommended extra 300 - 500 calories per day. While this might help you lose weight faster for some period of time, it is not recommended, or really sustainable. I think that your milk supply would take a serious hit at some point if you do not eat properly to maintain it (which is also probably one of the reasons that I also hear so many women say that their milk supply mysteriously "dried up" and they could not continue.)

Long story short, it sort of depends on what is more important to you, how long you want to breast feed, etc. For me, keeping up my milk supply won over losing weight, until she was old enough to be getting nutrition from solids (12+ months). It also sort of depends on if you are able to nurse on demand vs. having to pump on a schedule...pumping is not as efficient at removing milk, so most women who successfully pump for several months usually have to work at it to keep the supply up over time, which might slow down weight loss).

Oh, and if anyone is interested, www.kellymom.com is a very helpful site with lots of breastfeeding info. Tips on weight loss while breastfeeding (from the kellymom site): http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-weightloss.html#tips
Also check out www.llli.org (La Leche League).