I’m a first time mom and exclusively breastfed. [name_m]Raphael[/name_m] is six weeks old and I am still up 30 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight… (I was up 48 pounds total before I had him.) So I’ve only lost 18 pounds and seem to be holding steady at that weight for the last few weeks.
Am I missing something? I have always heard that breast feeding moms shed weight like crazy. In fact, a friend who had a baby the same week as me was BELOW her pre-pregnancy weight after two weeks.
I will admit, I’m not watching what I eat; however, I was on weight watchers for a couple years before getting pregnant, so I’m aware that the way I’m eating isn’t overly indulgent. I just don’t understand why the I’m not losing weight! I guess my next plan of action is to get back on weight watchers.
I’d appreciate any thoughts or personal experiences with this. I’m pretty frustrated!
Personally, I don’t know anyone (myself included) who lost a lot of weight from breastfeeding. I lost about 25 pounds in the first three weeks after giving birth, then held steady at that weight until I started working out again when my daughter turned one.
I’m on my second - I only breastfeed. With my first I was down to my pre-pregnancy weight pretty quickly (and down ANOTHER 10 lbs by 9 months postpartum) but this time my second is close to 3 months & have only lost about 10 lbs (if that) from what I was when I was 9 months pregnant. I agree its frustrating but I think you just have to embrace it. I’ve been told that sometimes you’ll hold the weight til you wean, especially if you aren’t taking in enough calories. Honestly I don’t think counting calories is going to be helpful, it could be harmful to your milk production.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] drink more water, take your vitamins & try to be more active - get outside, go for walks, do some yoga, dance around the house with the baby. I know its difficult especially if the weather isn’t cooperative, but I think its the only thing that’ll help.
Your friend was below her pre-pregnancy weight at two weeks postpartum? That sounds unhealthy…
Everyone is different in this respect, I think. Most people I know don’t even think about dieting until they’re done breastfeeding. Try not to be hard on yourself, because being a new mom is hard enough!
I think that the idea that breastfeeding makes everyone lose the baby weight quickly is deceptive and hurtful to a lot of women who keep wondering what they are possibly doing wrong. The answer is, you are not doing a darn thing wrong. Hormones really complicate weight loss and that is what is going on here.
[name_f]My[/name_f] breastfeeding mom friends have fallen into three categories:
Most of them lost an amount of weight right away, then held steady until they weaned. When the baby (or toddler) finally weaned, they lost the rest of the baby weight quickly.
Quite a few a them did not lose a single pound until the baby weaned, then they were able to lose weight quickly.
A couple of them lost all of the weight very quickly, ate constantly, could not keep weight on while breastfeeding, and looked emaciated. One of my friend’s doctor ordered her to stop at 15 months because she just couldn’t keep weight on.
It’s winter where you are right? And you just had a baby, so you’re probably not out much? Come spring you’ll likely be out walking with baby in the stroller or a carrier a lot more and start losing weight.
I hear that! Which is why I suggested, like, walking and yoga and dancing & not going to the gym (blech)! I’m planning to try out weighted hula-hooping. I’ve heard good things about it, they’re only like $30 or so, its something I can do at home (noiselessly, while watching Netflix or something) & I remember loving it as a kid.
Breastfeeding helps, but it doesn’t work miracles. I can’t remember how much weight I lost in the first six weeks following my first pregnancy. Enough to get back in my pre-pregnancy jeans, not enough to feel good about myself I went back to the gym at 6 weeks pp, because honestly, a lot of what I had wasn’t baby weight it was “I ate a lot of cake when pregnant weight” lol
[name_u]Baby[/name_u] wearing also seemed to help, giving that extra incidental exercise (and cuddles)
This time I want to try “healthy mummy” smoothies, they are specifically designed for breastfeeding mums and are safe to drink, unlike most other weight loss products.
I think it is VERY individual. I exclusively breastfed my twins and I was very lucky with weight loss. When they were 7 weeks I was 20 pounds below my pre pregnancy weight. They ate like crazy and were both 17 lbs by about 8 weeks.It also could have had something to do with the fact that they slept best walking in the stroller so I was walking them about 5 hours a day for a while there (ugh. not fun, but I was glad they were sleeping!) But I was not as good about exercising and eating well as I should have been once they stopped breastfeeding and I am back up to my pre pregnancy weight nearly 3 years later.
This is different from woman to woman, so don’t beat yourself up. ‘They’ say it takes 9 months to put on ans 9 months to take off
Here are some things that work for me; I’m usually back to or under my pre-preg weight by about 5 months.
Drink boatloads of water. Eat only whole grains. Try to walk if you can. Prepare your own food - don’t rely on takeout. No sodas. Easy on the cereal, pasta and rice - know your portion sizes. Load on the veggies. Eat solid meals, don’t skip. Whole wheat peanut butter or hummus sandwiches (one at a time) are your best friend for breakfast, or even snacks!
Also, the way weight is gained in pregnancy can strongly influence how it comes off. Healthy choices and foods as you gain will come off the easiest, or be affected positively by the nursing.
Try to get as much rest as is realistically possible.
Good luck, and congrats!
Thanks again everyone! These real life anecdotes have me feeling A LOT better about this weight. I appreciate the food and fitness tips and plan on trying to make healthier choices to help with losing weight (right after I finish this donut.) [name_m]Just[/name_m] kidding!
Lactation takes about 500 calories a day, and your body compensates by ratcheting up the hunger signals so you eat enough to keep going. I know personally I am much much hungrier immediately post-partum than I am in pregnancy. [name_f]Remember[/name_f], for >99.9% of our history as a species, we existed in times of scarce calories rather than abundant calories. As with any other kind of weight loss, caloric restriction is met with immediate danger signals. You go into all sorts of compensatory metabolic pathways in order to keep it on.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] a refresher-- here’s the breakdown of pregnancy weight gain:
7-9 lbs baby
6 lbs placenta and uterine growth
4 lbs extra blood volume (water, mainly)
2-3 lbs breasts
remainder: stored fat for you. Evolutionarily this was meant to be a kickstarter for breastfeeding.
So, once you give birth you lose all of the baby, placenta, and blood volume weight in the first week. The remainder is what you need to work on.
Weight watchers would be a sensible approach. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t go low-fat: you need fat to make nutritious breastmilk for your son. You can low-carb but not zero-carb; don’t actually get into ketosis as the ketone bodies are secreted in breastmilk.
Personally, I gained 23 lbs the first time around, 17 the second (I know, too low, I tried hard to gain more but it didn’t happen). I weigh 135 at baseline, so not particularly thin nor heavy. In the first pregnancy I lost the 18 or so that made up baby+ placenta + blood as we all do, and the other five lingered for a year, slowly working their way off. I didn’t exercise or diet, just slowly got back to my set point. The second time around there wasn’t any stored fat for me and I was at baseline quickly. I just made up those 500 additional calories you need for lactation through diet- lots of bacon, yum.
You will find as [name_m]Raphael[/name_m] becomes more active you do too. [name_m]Even[/name_m] those little stroller rides in nice weather help.
Although I’m not a mom, my best friend is, and I have several cousins that I’m close to, and they all lost their weight differently. A cousin of mine gained a lot of weight with her baby, and he is three, but she’s still not quite there yet. I have another cousin who gained less than 20 pounds pregnant, and was at her pre pregnancy weight a week postpartum. In my family, women don’t generally gain a lot of weight, but even some of them struggle getting the weight off. As someone who has struggled immensely with body weight (and perception), it’s always hard. About a year ago, a friend and I were trying to lose weight, and she lost it fast while doing the same program, and I didn’t. I’m a lot curvier than her (pear/hourglass), and I had to do different things to lose weight than she did with her column body type. I had to cut out most carbs, and the carbs I eat are whole wheat. You have to balance the diet and exercise. If your doctor says you can exercise again, do it. I’ve grown to love exercise, and if and when I get pregnant in the future, I may have a hard time giving it up. Try doing fun things, like dancing or yoga, until you want to start hitting the gym. And just because you’ve hit six weeks doesn’t mean you can for sure exercise. I have a cousin who had to wait eleven weeks before she was healed enough. [name_f]My[/name_f] good friend was very in shape before her pregnancy, and she was able to work out shortly after. Her doctor couldn’t tell she had just had a baby, although he did know
Try and find something that works for you! I know you can do it!
when I get pregnant in the future, I may have a hard time giving it up.
OT, and I’m sorry, but you don’t have to give up exercising just because you’re pregnant. You need to modify some things and by the end you’ll slow down a bit, but you’re shooting yourself in the foot to give up exercising if you’re having a normal uncomplicated pregnancy.
I’m pregnant with my first baby so have no experience with weight loss etc after birth, but I just wanted to say that I love your choice of name! [name_m]Raphael[/name_m] is just GORGEOUS.
[name_m]Ah[/name_m], postpartum bodies are a [name_f]PITA[/name_f] Breastfeeding exclusively does burn calories but it also increased my appetite to match, so the net effect was nil. I didn’t lose my baby weight the first time until I finally took up running again when my daughter was around 18 months old. She weaned when I was pregnant with baby number 2 so I never got to test the theory about weight loss after breastfeeding ends. To be fair I didn’t diet or try particularly hard to lose the weight before then.
Now I’m 4 weeks postpartum again and up about 15lbs. The weight seems to be coming off, but slowly. I’m eating a lot more sensibly this time! I track what I eat online so I know I’m not going overboard.
I think everyone is different, I did put on some weight during my first pregnancy and the lost most of that weight within the first few months but but still had some weight that clung on - despite the fact I was eating pretty normally and healthy. I’ve always had to watch my weight due to being overweight in my teens so I knew how to go about eating properly but it was weirdly upsetting for me to have this weight that had taken me a few years to shed back in my teens (although I was nowhere near the size I was back then).
So at about 7 months postpartum I bought an exercise machine for the house (going to the gym just wasn’t feasible time wise) and I lost that remaining weight.
I’ve never heard that breastfeeding mothers lose weight more quickly…for some reason in my mind I’d always assumed the weight loss you got the months following birth was something to do with hormones or something, but I’m not very good with science and stuff.
[name_f]Every[/name_f] woman is different though, one of my sisters only put on about a stone when she was pregnant and lost it super quickly whereas my other sister put on a lot more and it took her nearing a year to shed it.
I went back to the gym at 6 weeks pp, because honestly, a lot of what I had wasn’t baby weight it was “I ate a lot of cake when pregnant weight” lol
