struggling to lose while breastfeedng

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phatmummy83
phatmummy83 Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi folks, i've not long had a baby, she is 12 weeks now and exclusively breastfed. I heard all the stories of how the weight would drop off me by breastfeeding my baby but i have to admit i'm struggling! I feel hungry ALOT, i do drink constantly so i know it's not just thirst. i lost a lot the first 2 weeks but have now put on it all and am 1 stone over the weight i was before falling pregnant and even then i was heavily overweight.
I would never risk my milk supply by crazy dieting and eat when i'm hungry but feel like my will power is gone completely. started exercising a little everyday now, but still no weight loss! has anyone else had any similar problems when breastfeeding?
any advice would be welcome. it's becoming disheartening being this size!

Replies

  • Blanche76
    Blanche76 Posts: 89 Member
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    Congrats! I lost a lot of weight when I breastfed my daughter, and kept the weight off. All I can say just stay healthy for your little one and try not to be to stressed out.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,311 Member
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    I never lost a pound while breastfeeding and I did it for 5 years in total between 2 children! The weight just wouldn't shift while I was feeding.
  • mdelcott
    mdelcott Posts: 529 Member
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    I breast fed both my kids for 10 months each,Im sorry but I never lost a pound during breast feeding. However as soon as the boys were off the breast the weight just FELL off, Like seriously over night...Best luck to you and really Its about yours and babys health so please try not to stress over you weight too much, and enjoy this time with your little one, they grow way too fast. And congrats on your daughter and on your decision to breastfeed.
  • JanSmelly
    JanSmelly Posts: 143 Member
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    I have had both experiences breastfeeding.

    Twins - I was still +25 lbs on their year birthday. Once they started to slow down on feeds, then the weight started coming off. I was back to pre pregnancy weight my the time they were 1.5, which was when I got pregnant again.

    Singleton - I lost all the weight by the time she was 4 months. The weight start to creep slowly and when she was 17 months I noticed a gain. I am still breastfeeding (she will be 2 next week) and I am down 12 lbs.

    My advice is to focus on your daughter and if you want to maintain your breastfeeding relationship, then eat to hunger and drink to thirst (plus a little more for thirst). You are her main source of nutrition for the first year and enjoy the time.
  • amanda_ataraxia
    amanda_ataraxia Posts: 400 Member
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    I did not lose anything when exclusively breast feeding my son, either. But, I will say I did start to lose when I exercised. I couldn't cut calories because my milk supply would plummet. But, if I ate the same but exercised some of those calories off I started to lose.
  • TJWrites00
    TJWrites00 Posts: 27 Member
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    One thing I've noticed in discussions with a lot of the breastfeeding community is that quite a few women keep their fat stores while they are breastfeeding and the weight sheds once the baby is completely weaned.

    With my third, if I wasn't eating enough fatty foods, my milk supply would drop, so I had to make good calorie/good fats decisions. I was still losing weight while nursing, but it was very slow, perhaps a pound a week max.
  • phatmummy83
    phatmummy83 Posts: 3
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    Thanks everyone, hopefully i'll start to shed some once she's a bit older and not feeding so much. it's hard not to snack on high fat foods, i reallly crave biscuits to nibble on all the time and oat bars i go through tons of them! i'm just going to try and exercise a bit and fingers crossed it will make up for my munching!

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