Weight Loss and Breastfeeding...

mkidane81
mkidane81 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello Everyone,

I gave birth to my son 14 weeks ago via C-Section. During my pregnancy, I gained 40 pounds. I lost the first 20 with 2 weeks having him, afterwards I gained back 10 pounds. So now, I still have 30pounds to lose plus another 20.

I heard breastfeeding will help you lose weight but not in my case. I am constantly hungry and eating. I try to watch what I eat but I am not perfect. I just start exercising due to my c-section, I try to exercise 5 times a week doing zumba, boot camp conditioning, walking etc....

Now my question is to Mums out there that have the same problem, how did you lose the weight while breastfeeding and being hungry and eating at the same time ????

Thanks for your help,

Mimi

Replies

  • houssey
    houssey Posts: 9 Member
    I had the same problem I also lost weight then gained some back. I was constantly hungry when I was breastfeeding. To be honest with you I couldn't really focus on excercising or losing weight until I was done with the breastfeeding. Once that was done I was able to lose weight a little easier. I don't know how Moms say they lose weight from breastfeeding unless they actually aren't breastfeeding and lying about it:) How long are you planning on nursing? I would say just excersise daily and don't be too hard on yourself if you don't lose weight right away your baby will eventually stop breastfeeding then you can focus on urself:) Congratulations!
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    Well first off, congrats on your son! What has worked for me is making sure I eat enough. I set my profile up to lose one pound a week, added in the 500 calories for exclusive breastfeeding (if you don't know how, search in the food database for breastfeeding, and add the one that best suits your situation). I also eat at least 50% of my exercise calories back.

    By now your milk supply should be fairly well established, but always watch how your supply is affected by your caloric intake, both by his behavior at the breast, and by his weight gain.
  • julieh391
    julieh391 Posts: 683 Member
    My youngest is 4 months, and I started here when he was a month old. I set my profile with the goal of losing 2lbs a week then add in the food database extra calories daily for breast feeding. I started with 500 extra, but after I realized my supply wasn't compromised I decreased it to 300. I also found one in the database that adds extra protein, fat, etc. and that's what I use now. Feel free to look at my diary or add me. :)
  • ElviraCross
    ElviraCross Posts: 331 Member
    How many calories are you eating?

    I have a 10 month old that I still breastfeed and I can tell you the hunger won't go away. It will always be there because your baby is pretty much sucking all of your nutrients out.

    I'm 5'9 and about 139-141 lbs. What worked for me:

    -eat 1830 calories a day
    -eat 6 meals a day
    -drink a LOT of water
    -no pop
    -eat lots of veggies/fruits/lean meats
    -cut down on sugar/fat

    I lost all of my baby weight and then some. I started out at 160 when I got pregnant, gained about 15 pounds.

    Feel free to add me if you have any questions.
  • mkidane81
    mkidane81 Posts: 7 Member
    How many calories are you eating?

    I have a 10 month old that I still breastfeed and I can tell you the hunger won't go away. It will always be there because your baby is pretty much sucking all of your nutrients out.

    I'm 5'9 and about 139-141 lbs. What worked for me:

    -eat 1830 calories a day
    -eat 6 meals a day
    -drink a LOT of water
    -no pop
    -eat lots of veggies/fruits/lean meats
    -cut down on sugar/fat

    I lost all of my baby weight and then some. I started out at 160 when I got pregnant, gained about 15 pounds.

    Feel free to add me if you have any questions.
  • mkidane81
    mkidane81 Posts: 7 Member
    I am eating 1400 calories, plus 500 for breastfeeding, plus my exercise. Maybe shouldn't I be eating those extra calories ???
  • mkidane81
    mkidane81 Posts: 7 Member
    My youngest is 4 months, and I started here when he was a month old. I set my profile with the goal of losing 2lbs a week then add in the food database extra calories daily for breast feeding. I started with 500 extra, but after I realized my supply wasn't compromised I decreased it to 300. I also found one in the database that adds extra protein, fat, etc. and that's what I use now. Feel free to look at my diary or add me. :)


    Thank you
  • mkidane81
    mkidane81 Posts: 7 Member
    I had the same problem I also lost weight then gained some back. I was constantly hungry when I was breastfeeding. To be honest with you I couldn't really focus on excercising or losing weight until I was done with the breastfeeding. Once that was done I was able to lose weight a little easier. I don't know how Moms say they lose weight from breastfeeding unless they actually aren't breastfeeding and lying about it:) How long are you planning on nursing? I would say just excersise daily and don't be too hard on yourself if you don't lose weight right away your baby will eventually stop breastfeeding then you can focus on urself:) Congratulations!

    I know what you mean....I am planning to nurse until he is a year old
  • jumpyjavajawa
    jumpyjavajawa Posts: 36 Member
    I had the same problem I also lost weight then gained some back. I was constantly hungry when I was breastfeeding. To be honest with you I couldn't really focus on excercising or losing weight until I was done with the breastfeeding. Once that was done I was able to lose weight a little easier. I don't know how Moms say they lose weight from breastfeeding unless they actually aren't breastfeeding and lying about it:) How long are you planning on nursing? I would say just excersise daily and don't be too hard on yourself if you don't lose weight right away your baby will eventually stop breastfeeding then you can focus on urself:) Congratulations!
    I'm exercising 3-5 times a week, breast feeding and loosing weight at about 1 pound to barely over 1 pound a week No lies! It is possible, but I have noticed on various BF forums and here that BFing is not a guaranteed weight loss aide like everyone claims it is.
    I'm only hungry when I'm supposed to be hungry, right before a meal or snack. I do the 6 times a day thing though so that is possibly what helps keep me from being hungry.
    I eat around 2000 cals a day, if I exercise I don't eat them all back I try to eat them back to 1200 net.
  • ElviraCross
    ElviraCross Posts: 331 Member
    I am eating 1400 calories, plus 500 for breastfeeding, plus my exercise. Maybe shouldn't I be eating those extra calories ???

    No I think you're eating the right amount of calories. What are you doing to exercise?
  • deannajf4
    deannajf4 Posts: 223 Member
    Another thing to keep in mind... I have 4 kids and breastfed them all for a little over a year...I was always prego with the next one by the time I weaned, but I still dropped 5-10 pounds within a couple of weeks AFTER weaning (even though I was pregnant)!! I heard that your body likes to hold a little reserve so that if something happens, and you don't eat, there's enough to make milk for the baby at least...

    I NEVER lost weight by accident while breastfeeding, although now I"m deliberately trying to lose the weight, and so I'm watching my calories, and at first I was a little hungry at times, but never extreamly hungry, and eventually you get over it - takes a bit for your body to adjust to a new normal...I would suspect everyone who eats less feels a little hungry at first, but as long as your breast milk isn't compromised, it's not a danger to feel a little hungry
  • otrlynn
    otrlynn Posts: 273 Member
    I nursed both of my kids (now grown) for about a year each. They never had formula so that I was exclusively breast feeding until I added some cereal to their diet at about 5 months. I wasn't counting calories then; I just tried to eat what I normally ate, but drank a lot more no- or low-cal liquid. I think the 500 calorie deficit created by breast feeding is what burned off the calories. I was back to pre-baby weight in 4-5 months as I recall. As infants, both kids were above average for height and weight-so I believe my body was providing what they needed.
  • jadegem_2002
    jadegem_2002 Posts: 101 Member
    Hi, my name is Jada I have been on my fitness pal in the past but havent been on in awhile. I gave birth to my daughter a little over 9 months ago and im back to my pre pregnancy weight. However, I would lve to be apart of a group with moms going through similar issue. That being breastfeeding and weight loss. I'm also a stay at home mom. I recently joined Bally's no Blast fitness and i have been working out pretty good. but now my knew is sore so I cant really do the cardio i want. Any ideas as to hat i can do. I really don't want to walk but i guess that's the only option I have.

    Oh and since i cant go to the gym as much as i ant to i started drinking the organic mother milk tea so i can pump more in order to burn more cal.s
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    It takes at six months to lose your pregnancy weight nursing. Of course you're eating - you aren't sleeping, you're nursing, and you're running around caring for a baby.

    Give yourself some time. It will happen.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
    Hi,
    Congrats on you new addition!
    Having breastfeed for almost a full year - nursed for the first 4 months and them pumped till 11 months - I found that I had a body weight set point that I could not get under if I wanted my milk supply to remain enough to meet my son nutritional needs.
    There is a fine line between eating and weighing enough to keep your supply up. If you exclusively breastfeed please keep a good eye on your sons weigh and growth, and the amount of pees and poos - If he is not getting enough there will be less diapers to change and slower weight gains for him - not a good thing.

    Make sure your calorie targets are set realistically - check out this link to help you figure out your target - daily breastfeeding on average burns around 500 calories - count it as your daily exercise! make sure you include it in your activity levels to get an accurate calorie goal. PM me if you need help figuring this out.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • Sharki
    Sharki Posts: 2
    Wow! I should have come to the boards sooner. My baby just turned 13 weeks. I have lost seven pounds from my prior weight on the begining of July. I started excersising July 10th between 3-6 times a week, sometimes couple of times a day. I monitor what I eat with this app, I wanted to loose 2 pounds a week. Gross I am eating between 1100-1400 calories. I am breastfeeding, doing pilates , P90x and eliptical. My weight loss seems to stall, or hoover. I am thinking that I am eating to little of calories. I am still producing breastmilk, I was taking supplements and I was way over producing, now I stopped those supplements, so I was not producing as much. Hard to tell what the baby gets, but when I pump twice a day while at work I get 2.5-3 ounces on average from each breast.

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