Weight loss while BFing

[firsttime83]

Just wondering how much weight your body does hold on to? I have heard your body can hold about 10lbs while breastfeeding, just to be safe.

I am eating right and exercising regularly (nothing intense at this point) and I am the exact same weight every time I check.

Just curious what the experienced Momma's have found with previous pregnancies...

 

[jessicaR4bbit]

I've lost quite a lot of weight in a small amount of time - about 50 lbs - by eliminating certain food groups that disagree with me. At first my supply was fine, but lately it has diminished. However I think this is mostly due to LO's age and not my diet alone (he's eating much more solids and going longer between feeds, also not feeding during the night).

I'm pretty sure your body will hang onto some weight while breastfeeding as like you say it is a failsafe for starvation periods. How long have you been eating healthy and exercising for to lose weight? Depending on how you do it it may just come off slow, which is fine too. I wouldn't try to weigh myself more than once a month as weight can fluctuate for a number of reasons.

 

[firsttime83]

I've actually always eaten healthy and been active, until pregnancy. I was still active, but ate soooo much! It's like I had zero willpower. Once I had our LO my sweet tooth went right back out the door (thank god), so I have been eating right since I gave birth pretty much.

I put on 50lbs while pregnant and I have almost 20lbs on still. I don't think there is much I can change about my eating patterns... joined stroller/baby bootcamp which starts next month (twice a week).

Think I was a bit naiive and thought once I started eating properly again the weight would slowly reduce.

 

[charlie15]

I have looked into this lots as I am like you, heathy eater, runner and have been doing circuit training for 2 months, no weight loss at all! I am actually about 20 pounds heavier than pre preg weight and put on 7 pounds a month after having dd! I find some people loose loads of weight bfing but tend to put a lot back on when they stop and then there are those, like us who cannot shift a thing and from what I have read, loose 10 to 15 pounds within a month of stopping. I am hoping so! It makes sense to me as when I go on the contraceptive pill I immediately put on a stone, and hormonally that is very similar to bfing. It's a pain in the butt for sure!

 

[greenpear]

I'm one of those people who lost weight bf - I weight 7 lb less now than before having baby but probably will gain back once I stop bf haha! I hear it takes time to lose it. Looks like your baby is only 2 weeks old. Don't worry. My weight plummeted around 6 month mark because baby was BF so much more volume than before and often (giant growth spurt). And you are also less hungry later on as your prolactin levels out so you end up losing weight fast.

 

[monte3375]

I have lost nothing!!

 

[xteepeex]

I haven't changed my eating habits, but do walk more often now (but only short journeys if I'm honest). I've lost just over 2 stone from my pre-pregnancy weight (to be more specific, I now weigh 2st 2 less than I did at my 13 week scan, my daughter is 7months old)

I'm pretty sure when I stop bf it'll all creep back on

 

[youngy]

I've lost 54 lb of the 70 lb(!) I gained, I don't think it's just breastfeeding as I've stopped eating crap & walk everywhere, run a few times a week ect. I'm still loosing 1/2 lb a week but thinking it may get harder now.

 

[Rickles]

I'm 7 lbs light than pre preg - and have to overeat to maintain my weight! However I've had to give up dairy and wheat as my LO is intolerant - this accelerated the weight loss.

Hoping not to put it back on when I stop! But also TTC... so hoping to put on antoher 25lbs real soon!

xx

 

[icklemonster]

I rapidly lost my pregnancy weight and was 3lb lighter than pre-pregnancy weight 2 months pp. It must have been breastfeeding as I was eating a lot of chocolate! Since LO has started weaning and we've introduced an evening formula feed, I've suddenly started to pile on the pounds - daren't weigh myself but my jeans feel tight lol. No more chocolate for me lol

 

[monte3375]

Those of you losing, can you describe your daily diet?

 

[icklemonster]

Typical day -
Breakfast - rice krispies , followed by a chocolate bar
Lunch - Innocent veg pot, followed by a chocolate mini roll with custard.
Mid afternoon - A piece of cake
Dinner - Yaki Udon style noodle dish followed by a chocolate desert pot (those Pot's of Joy my current fave)
Evening - an icecream like a cornetto

That is a pretty standard day. I've never been able to eat so much chocolate and cake ever before without getting fat, than in the first few months of breastfeeding. Nor have i ever felt so constantly ravenous.

Like I say, since weaning and the formula the pounds have started to creep on. I go on holiday in 5 weeks, so going to have to eat healthier going forward!

One thing I should say is, alcohol is the number one thing for making me put on weight, so since introducing the evening formula feed I have been inclined to have a glass of wine with dinner, so that could be partially responsible for the weight increase

 

[holdontohope]

I gained 22lbs during pregnancy and my baby girl was 5 weeks premature.

I am now 3 weeks pp and lost 19lbs within the first 2 weeks. The NICU pumping schedule is every 3 hours 24/7. I am still on that schedule and bottle feeding until my baby is strong enough to latch and breastfeed. I hate bottles and pumping but I will do anything for her!

I eat more now then when I was pregnant. I am constantly starving!! I eat a lot of bread, carbs, fruit and protein. My weight seems to of stabilized now and I am still +3lbs.

 

[charlie15]

I think we are all different, I have no problems with my milk supply, but my appetite is half what it was before I was pregnant, go figure! So for me muesli and toast for breakie, light lunch, and maybe veggie homemade food for diner, the occasional choccie or crisps but not daily by any means! I do 30 minutes of circuit training every other evening and run twice a week. Pre preg was UK size 10 and now uk size 12 to 14! Never had weight problems before, never dieted, always just stayed slim! However my hope is that i know a fitness instructor at my old gym who had 4 babies, bf all of them for 1 to 2 years and she never lost a pound until she stopped and she was doing fitness classes such as spin, body attack etc she is my hope that when the time comes for me to stop bf, whenever that will be, I will loose this weight. In the meantime, I love breastfeeding too much to stop

 

[youngy]

Normal day

Breakfast- Oats with a banana & skimmed milk

Lunch- tuna & rice cakes or soup or scrambled eggs with a pitta bread

Dinner- chicken breast/salmon fillet
Brown rice/ sweet potato
Loads of vegetables

Snacks- apples/yoghurt/ rice cakes/ cereal bar /unsalted nuts

Loads of water

Walk 1-2 hours a day

Have a treat once a week ie chocolate / pizza

 

[jessicaR4bbit]

I'll just add what a typical day looks like for me (but like a PP said, we're all different and our bodies respond differently to certain foods):

- I normally skip breakfast altogether.
- Lunch/afternoon if I'm hungry I'll eat some chicken/fish/have some coconut oil and if there's any leftover vegetables like spinach and eggplant I'll have some of that.
- If I'm hungry come dinner time I'll have some kind of meat again, but I usually don't eat much.
- I drink water round the clock.

Exercise wise, I am very active. Weight train every 3 days, alternating between upper and lower body. I'll do intense cardio/interval training 2 days a week also. Some days I am really hungry and will eat lots, other days (which seem to be the norm) I'll hardly be hungry. I don't eat if I'm not hungry. Luckily I am still able to breastfeed three times a day and LO doesn't seem bothered, so it seems my supply is fine also

 

[xforuiholdonx]

Ive lost about 23 pounds in 2 months...
Typical diet for me would be
-2 glasses of water before breakfast
-Bowl and cereal or a bagel for breastkfast with some fruit or a granola bar
-Cup of coffee and another cup of water
-Lunch is usually a sandwich/bowl of soup/ or left overs
-Light snack of fruit or granola bar between lunch and dinner
- Dinner varies often
-My one junky snack
I also drink another 4-6 cups of water throught the day. No soda, juice or much of anything. Like right now, Im on cup 4 and its 11:16 am.

 

[dan-o]

I was back to my pre preg weight a few days after giving birth but still had a few lbs extra I wanted to lose. Wasn't losing anything at first, but I've lost about 6kg since I stopped eating chocolate and sweets!
Really pleased because having and breastfeeding two babies has taken 3.5 stone off me in total so far and im well in the healthy bmi range now! Best diet ever lol! I have definitely got more lower belly and love handle fat than i would usually have at this weight though, presumably its the hormones?

 

[summer rain]

Usually you tend to start losing weight at around 4-6 months after the birth but some women will hold onto weight until they have finished BF. With one of mine I lost 3 stone (42lb) and got back to my prep refinance weight which in itself was considerably lighter than my usual weight, it took about 10 months but I did absolutely nothing special and ate as normal. With my second youngest I started piling weight on after reintroducing dairy into my diet once he stopped being intolerant to it. I then managed to lose 28lb through healthy eating and exercise and despite falling off the wagon and getting lazy managed to keep it off for 8 months, I think still BF him really helped. Sadly when I got pregnant with my youngest I put almost all of it back on again. This time my scale is broken and the logistics of taking all 5 kids out on foot is too much so I'm not doing much walking, people have said I look like I have lost weight since I had him though. I know for sure I have lost a lot of fat as I have to fasten my bras 2 settings tighter than before, armholes on a lot of my stuff are too big (not a good look!) and trousers etc are a lot looser than usual xx

 

[lanaross]

With my first pregnancy I lost pretty much everything within a couple months except for the last ten pounds that didn't come off until I stopped breastfeeding.

This pregnancy 7 days post partum I am down to 14 more pounds after gaining 35 pounds. I am guessing I am going to keep some weight on since my boobs are just gigantic.