Weight loss while breastfeeding

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SunLovinMia
SunLovinMia Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It feels so much harder to lose weight while breast feeding. I’m the type of person where out of sight out of mind works best, so when I work in losing weight, what works good for me is avoiding eating until much later in the day. Breast feeding, however, you don’t eat enough calories, it hurts your supply, not eating enough calories through out the day, hurts the supply, not getting enough liquids, hurts your supply, not feeding or pumping enough, hurts your supply. Out of everything that comes with breastfeeding, I think attempting weight loss is the most frustrating. I’ve always heard about breastfeeding being some sort of magic solution to losing the baby weight but it feels like a lie because I am struggling so much.

I’m working on changing my diet back to eating healthy, which is difficult because my mom wants to eat out everyday, literally, and I am so bad with temptation; it’s so hard to say no or go for the healthier option when it is not as appealing as the juicy burger or what-have-you. It is the most difficult thing that I am trying so hard to work on. I’m trying to have self control, determination and focus. Anytime I think about eating a cookie or chips or over eating, I look at my document in my phone with pictures of me at my best and at my worst. That seems to be helping a lot. One was achieved by eating healthy and getting active, the other was achieved by eating highly processed, fatty, salty or sweet foods. One, my mental health was in a much better place, the other, I was miserable and hated myself. This trick seems to be working, but it is such a struggle. I think, it is possible to grow from this. To finally gain a healthy relationship with food, and not allow outside sources deter me from what is best for me. It’s definitely a journey.

Do you have any tips or tricks you use to achieve weight loss while breastfeeding?

Replies

  • Aermorgen
    Aermorgen Posts: 10 Member
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    My very strong advice would be to talk to your primary care doctor about if it's even advisable to try to lose weight while breastfeeding. It may be okay for some people, but it was on the list of "do not dos" for me. If it is okay for you, your doctor may have specific advice that's good for you and your baby. And if it isn't, your doctor may talk about generally healthy things you could be doing, even if they don't lead to intentional weight loss.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited May 2022
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    Are you counting your calories currently? If so, I would aim for a small deficit at first (maybe 200 calories to start) and work your way up to make sure what you're doing isn't affecting your milk supply. Nourishing your body and having a good supply for your baby is your first priority, not weight loss. Drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious foods regularly. Don't skip meals. Remember you burn about 500 extra calories by nursing, so whatever MFP tells you is your maintenance calories, add 500 to that.

    I think a good starting point with starting to eat healthier is to focus on creating balanced meals, so including a protein, veggies, a healthy fat and a carb. I don't remember eating super healthy when my babies were newborns, I was just so busy and in survival mode lol... I ate a lot of sandwiches and little naan pizzas that I could throw together real quick before my baby started crying again. Maybe stock up on bags of frozen veggies that you can add to your meals. Whoever does the cooking in the house, you/they can try to cook extra so you can heat that up and eat it for lunch. Eggs and toast is a fast meal to throw together.

    If you use tiktok or instagram, I like following influencers who post food content for meal ideas lol.

    It's hard to resist eating out all the time for sure... maybe just set a limit. You will go out with your mom 3x a week (or whatever you think is appropriate) and eat at home the rest of the time.
  • pink_mint
    pink_mint Posts: 103 Member
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    Breastfeeding seems to aid in weight loss for some women. I can assure you, it is not true for all... some of us it was really the opposite. I don't know why that is. You will find this if you talk to a large enough group of women who breastfeed/ have breastfed. There are definitely those for who breastfeeding is basically an impediment to weight loss. It's can be extremely hard.

    But breastfeeding is worth it. Especially right now with the formula shortage situation. It is a season with a beginning and an end. You'll be so glad you stuck with it. Eat enough to keep that supply up!

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