Weight loss and breastfeeding

M

Monica11

Cathlete
Everyone says that bfing makes you lose weight quickly, but I suspect otherwise. I lost a ton of weight at first, but about 10 pounds are sticking around now, even though I am not eating any more than I did before I was pg and am supposedly burning a ton of calories from bfing. Do you think that your body hangs on to a few extra pounds while you are nursing as insurance? I don't want to push myself to lose this weight if my body is hanging on to it for a reason, esp if it will come off easily once the baby weans. Has anyone had this experience?

TIA!
Monica
 
I absoultely, positively agree. that was my experience with #1 and #2 and I anticipate with #3. I think I am designed to hold on to 7-10 pounds while nursing. It will fall off fast when you're finished. Exercising seems frustrating to me too, but it's worth it. kristan (mom of a 5, 3 yo and 3 mo old)
 
I definitely think the body holds onto the last few pounds for breastfeeding. I lost most of my preggo weight relatively quickly but while breast feeding held onto a few pounds. Once my daughter weaned herself, I lost the last few preggo pounds plus a few.
 
It did not happen like that to me. I lost all the pounds I gained while pregnant and another 6 by the 6th week post-partum. At the same time, my son has now nearly doubled his weight since birth and is not quite 4 months yet.

I am 7 pounds less than I was right before I got pregnant but still do not look the same. The pounds seem to have left some places (I no longer have a butt) and are staying on others (my belly). So while I love weighing what I did in high school, I still do not like the way I look.
 
Me too. Without ever dieting in 8 1/2 months, I lost 20 of my 26 with my first child in 2 weeks. The last 6 lbs came of by 5 months. But at 8 months I had lost another 6 lbs. I was the thinnnest ever since highschool. However, I may have needed to hold onto some of it because my son weaned himself at 8 1/2 months. I don't know if I was drying up because he was weaning himself, or he was weaning himself because I was drying up. A bonus on the weight loss is that although my weight fluctuated, I was 10 lbs thinner with this second pregnancy. I gained 28 this time and hope I'm able to shed the lbs as easily as before. Breasfeeding is hard work, but it is the best thing for both baby and mom.
 
I've been fortunate to lose all the pg weight while still nursing. We're all built so differently, so you may just have to see how your body is designed. ;) I just LOVE nursing though, and would gladly hold onto a couple extra pounds in exchange for the experience & bonding. ;)

**Melanie**
32.5lbs lost 0.5lbs to go

Jadon born 11/23/05
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94
" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
Ugh, I sure HOPE nursing can explain this and that it's not just an excuse. I just don't want to put myself through the torment of dieting if it's just not meant to come off yet. But I too LOVE nursing. I am going to miss it when we're done. It's so easy and convenient, and it's such a sweet time to spend with baby. She looks so cute when she's nursing. She always raises her eyebrows and looks around.
 
Melanie,

Who are you trying to kid?!? You worked your a$$ off and ate vigilantly after Jadon was born, and *that's* how you got the weight off (plus some!). Don't sell yourself short. Or tall. Or whatever you are :)

If it's true that some of us are designed to hold onto the pounds, then count me in with that group. At 5 months post-partum I still have about 8 pounds to go to get back to prepregnancy weight. I'm pretty sure they would come off if I could just keep the desserts out of my mouth. But, like a previous poster said, the nursing (and daily workouts) are making me so hungry all the time that I can't bear the thought of aggressively dieting. I keep telling myself it will be easier when I stop nursing. Maybe I'm just kidding myself, as you say, Monica.

Oh geez, DD just woke up with a loud scream. I'd better go be a good mama and get her out of her crib.

Cheers,
Sandra
 
Hi again,

I promise with my first child I didn't aggresively try to loose weight. I did nothing for the 1st 8 weeks,, and I am not a person who looses weight easily. I will say that I worked hard not to gain too much weight with both pregnancies. I gained 26 with my first and had lost all but 6 lbs in the first weeks. With my second child, I am ravenous. I don't seem to be loosing the weight as fast, but it has only been 2 weeks. I gained 28 with this one and have 14 lbs left to go. most of it seems to be in my HUGE breasts. Yuck. I believe these should go down in a few months. I hope because I'm only 5 1 (lol).
 
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