Losing weight while nursing....?

[Classical Country Mama]

My baby's almost six weeks old, and I'm counting on the doc's all-clear tomorrow to start exercising etc. I realize you theoretically need extra calories while breastfeeding so you're not supposed to "diet." (Does that mean I can keep the Oreos???)

 

Anyway, given the extra calories requirement, I'm curious if anyone else has had success whipping themselves back into shape while nursing? (btw, I'm stuck at home--any exercise will have to be in the house) And what worked for you? Desperate for ideas.

 

Thanks... And now back to my imaginary aerobics class. :party:

[forty-two]

I've been lucky - I've never had problems dropping the weight. I just try to keep good food in the house, keep the bad food out, and never eat when I'm full. When I add even moderate exercise, I've ended up thinner than I was pre-preg (I'm smaller than I was in high school, right now - if only my tummy was as taut as it was then :tongue_smilie:). The key for me is just to not have much junk in the house in the first place, and otherwise eat what I want - but nursing pretty much means I can eat *anything* - my appetite is huge - and my body still goes back to the size I was, +/- 5lbs :). Good luck :grouphug:.

[kmacnchs]

I never did a rigorous exercise routine - just whenever I found the time. Now my exercise consists of walks with my children.

 

As far as losing weight, I have always lost everything and then some while (and because of) nursing. Nursing and eating healthy do the trick for me (though everyone is different). I eat every time I nurse (right after) and of course drink water ALL day long to keep my calories up. My milk is REALLY good - not sure if that is because of diet (keeping good calories up) - and all of my babies are off the charts until about six months (1 has stayed off the charts, 1 is at 80%, and 1 is at 50%) so I'm not sure if my steady weight loss is because I have such voracious eaters... When the baby gets old enough that he/she drops a feeding, you have to make sure you drop your feeding as well :) If I forget to do that, the losing slows down. Just letting you know what I do and the results but at the same time, knowing everyone is different, not sure what to tell you.

 

Personally, my goal would not be to lose weight until my baby was eating solid foods - I am always nervous that my milk supply will go down if I do x,y,or z (though it never has)...I am not you but my sole goal right now would be to eat healthy, drink a lot of water, and make sure my baby got full feedings and was gaining well...but that's just me...

[Carrie12345]

My 4th is the one I nursed the longest (just short of a year), and I got back to my 9th or 10th grade weight for the first time ever! No special diet, no extra exercise, just sitting around on my rear, nursing on demand.

 

It wasn't an overnight miracle. I had the initial delivery weight loss followed by about a pound a week +/-. Boy did that add up! :D

[Maddysmom26]

Just nursing and eatting healthy worked for me. I lost all the weight and then some! I was extremely small after about the 4- 5 month mark of nursing.

 

 

I was always about 115 pounds when I was prego i gained at least 50 lbs. and after nursing I ended up at around 100- 105 .. IT didnt drop to quick like I said about 4-5 months.. but I also did a lot of walking. Put her in her jogger and off we'd go every day several miles! ;) She loved it and it was good for my mind and body! ( 24 , first baby, and left single )

[Ellie]

You need *1000* calories a day *extra* when you're nursing.

 

Six weeks is not a long time. Really. Too much exercise, too few calories, can result in loss of milk supply. Be careful.

 

:grouphug:

[Whereneverever]

Weight Watchers has nursing weight loss info. It's do-able- but don't go overboard!

[Classical Country Mama]

Oh, I envy you all!!! Since I was (am) overweight to begin with, and I'm in a lot more photos these days, I'm just looooathing the weight. I feel so uncomfortable and nursing has, er, expanded parts of me that were already off the charts.

 

And there's not a chance in the WORLD I'm ever going to be high school or even college weight again... Can't even imagine it.

 

So exercise affects milk production too? I didn't know that. Depressing.

 

But I guess I should dump the Oreos... :glare:

[silliness7]

With my 2nd son (the first child I nursed successfully) I dropped more weight than I had gained. I thought it was just because I was nursing. With the next 3 I retained 10 lbs. and 15 lbs. with the next one :tongue_smilie: Finally with #7 (who I did not nurse) I'm on a downward spiral and have lost more than I gained.

 

Anyway, back to #2...I think there were several things that contributed to this seemingly effortless weight loss.

 

1. We had NO money and therefore NO money for junk food, extra food, or eating out. It felt like I was eating whatever I wanted because I was not dieting and was not counting calories or watching what I ate. If food was available (holidays, potlucks, etc.) I pigged out. But looking back, not much was available.

 

2. I had no idea what to do with 2 babies 18 months and newborn. So I strapped them in the stroller and we walked every.day. Fall, winter, spring. A little drizzle did not stop us. We lived in the south so the winter was mild. I did not walk for exercise. I walked for sanity. Mostly I strolled but if the baby started to cry and I was far from the car I would be power walking to get back. I think I power walked a lot. :D I don't know how far I walked. I had a route and if nobody was crying at the end of the route I turned around and walked it again. I just did NOT want to sit at home.

 

3. My 2nd nursed around the clock. He slept in my bed and nursed half the night. I did NOT do that with any of my others. I don't like doing that but somehow we fell into this pattern.

 

People would comment on my weight loss and ask what I was doing. Nothing. Just nursing. 5 babies later I realize this was not true. Just nursing never did the trick again.

 

I'm losing weight again. I am not dieting or exercising or nursing. But now I homeschool 5 kids and I until very recently was working 20 hours a week outside the home. I do not have time to eat. Hubby was in charge of suppertime which was kind of wilty and unappetizing by the time I got home to it and we have no money for fun, easy, extra, fast food. I recently stopped working outside the home and am back in charge of supper and now I have to be more intentional about losing weight whereas before it was just a normal part of the crazy life I was leading. (and the bad food my hubby was cooking :lol:)

[fairfarmhand]

You really don't want to hear this but here goes....

 

I NEVER could lose any weight while nursing. EVER. I'd drop the first twenty or so in the first eight weeks and would hang out pretty much there till I weaned my babies at 1 year. Then I usually ended up with 20 or so pounds to lose on my own. The first ten is not too horrible but the last ten is really hard for me to lose.

 

Any way, for whatever reason, my metabolism is awful when I am nursing. Perhaps because I am generally so sleep deprived that I feel like doing nothing; I'm pretty much a blob for six months after giving birth.

 

My youngest is 2.5 right now and I am within 10 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight. It just takes me a LONG time to get it off.

[DebbS]

I just ate healthy like I did in pregnancy and also nursed both of mine for 18 months. If your extra calories come from junk food, it doesn't do you or your baby any good. The calories need to come from good foods because your milk needs to be nutritious, not just voluminous. I was back to my regular weight within a few months time.

[cjbeach]

Weight Watchers has nursing weight loss info. It's do-able- but don't go overboard!

I did this with ds#3. I needed to. The weight was not coming off and I was so depressed. I started at 6 weeks and got most of the weight off quickly. I think I just needed to get out of the bad food eating cycle I seemed to start during the pg. Nursing makes me HUNGRY. I needed WW to rearrange what I was eating for me (I was VERY carb indulgent pre-WW).

I am 4 years post partum but I am loving the dvd I posted under the Jillian Michael's thread. Tracy Anderson's post partum workout. My abs never returned after pg #3. :001_huh: They need help.

[Guest janainaz]

I just ate normal and the weight came off slowly. I took a lot of walks with my first son and that seemed to help.

[NanceXToo]

Weight Watchers has nursing weight loss info. It's do-able- but don't go overboard!

 

Yes, I did it very successfully while I was nursing my son. WW's program is great, including their nursing mom's program!

[Crimson Wife]

It's safe to do South Beach while nursing but you have to start with Phase 2 and add 3 servings of low/non-fat dairy.

[In The Great White North]

I lost the weight after I quit nursing. The baby weight stayed the entire year of nursing.

[Brooketopia]

Congrats on your little one! I have an 8 week old myself.

 

I've only once successfully lost weight while nursing, when I had my 2nd baby. Nursing keeps my pounds ON, it's absolutely insane.

 

Anyhow, when I did lose weight, I ate 1800 calories a day and tried to burn 300-600 calories 6 days/wk through exercise. I lost 1-2 pounds a week this way and my baby was chubby and happy--I was forced to eat fruits and vegetables in order to feel full, so it was healthy for her as well.

 

You'll burn about 100 calories per mile you walk, slightly more than that if you run them. I think it's about 300 calories for 30 minutes of step aerobics. Those are for a roughly 200 lb woman.

 

Now to get myself back on the healthy eating bandwagon myself...need a partner? :)

Edited June 8, 2010 by MrsBrooke

[squirtymomma]

This has been the first pregnancy in which I have exercised consistently. What's most help me do it are exercise videos because they're cheap and convenient. I've really enjoyed Erin O'Brien's prenatal fitness video, and I have her Postnatal Rescue waiting once the baby comes (due in a week!). That may be a gentle way for you to start. It's only 15 minute segments of increasing difficulty. So, you start with the easiest, and once you're doing that one easily, you move on to the next. It's not a lot of cardio/calorie burning, but it will rehab your muscles so that when you're ready for more intense exercise, it will be more effective (and your body will be ready for it). Certainly eat when your hungry, and make it healthy, but I wouldn't be concerned about a little exercise burning too many calories. I find that when I'm exercising regularly, I eat better too.

[Mom-ninja.]

I like the Tracy Anderson dvd a pp mentioned.

 

This is a good book

 

 

Try to enjoy your little one and not worry about the weight too much. Plenty of time for weight loss. Not so much time with a little newborn. Your baby loves you regardless of your weight. :)

 

Just remember to take it easy and slow. You did just give birth.

[Homemaker]

I was another one who did not drop a pound while nursing all 3 of mine. I would drop like 20 lbs immediately and then I would gain it all back and then some while nursing. It was exactly the same with all 3. I even asked the doctor to check my thyroid , but all was normal. I accepted that I wasn't one to drop weight while nursing and started o FINALly lose weight about 5 weeks after weaning. I was frustrating, but totally worth me being fat for awhile.

[HeidiKC]

I lost all my weight right away (the first time within a week!) and had trouble keeping weight on while I nursed. So weight was not the issue for me but I wanted to work out for health/stress relief/fitness/muscle/whatever. I found that especially with my first one, my milk supply would dangerously drop if I exercised at ALL. One time I'd just been to the gym 2-3 times for light workouts and my milk almost dried up and so I laid in bed and drank water all weekend to prevent that. It was scary. And this was even months later. Before the baby was born, I'd exercised pretty hard 5-6 days/week for several years, and continued to do so (but scaled back a bit) during the pregnancy, so this wasn't something new. I was very fit.

 

Finally when he was 9 months old I decided I HAD to work out, and I did. My milk dried up, but I had pumped enough to last a year so it was ok. But on hindsight I wouldn't do that again.

 

I also had that problem to some extent with my next two, but my milk production wasn't quite as sensitive to me exercising as it had been with my first. I could not exercise at ALL with my first without my milk supply dropping big time (other than walking), but the next two I could do very light exercise without a problem.

 

I guess this is all to say - be very careful about your milk supply if you exercise. Oh - and normally I was a milk machine: I'd pump off 9oz each morning AFTER nursing the baby!

[texasmama]

I did Weight Watchers while nursing with success. They have a nursing mom's program.:001_smile:

[Lilymax]

I'm another who's never had any luck losing weight while breastfeeding. I think it has something to do with having PCOS.

 

But yeah, I'm currently nursing my 8 month old, my third baby, and the only time I can lose weight is after they're weaned and I can drastically cut back on calories again. And even then, it's hard!

[joannqn]

With my girls (1st and 4th), I lost all of the pregnancy weight and them some. With my boys (2nd and 3rd), I did even lose the pregnancy weight let alone the extra I gained between kids.

 

With my first, I couldn't do anything active until she was 6 months old. My pelvis had separated and any walking above what's required to get around the house causes excruciating pain the next morning. I could barely walk. When she was six months old, I started walking with her in a backpack. We'd walk about 3 miles a day. That's also when we found out she was allergic to dairy, forcing us on a dairy free diet. Being dairy free, forced me on a healthier diet (more fruits, veggies, meat, home cooked, nothing processed, etc). I lost 32lbs of pregnancy weight and 15 more.

 

With my fourth, who is now 10 months old, I've lost the 17lbs I gained while pregnant and 28-30lbs more. She's allergic to dairy so I'm back on the forced home cooked, lower fat diet.

 

BTW, Oreos are dairy free. :D

[Classical Country Mama]

Update: OK, so at my 6-week postpartum checkup last week, I discovered to my amazement I was back down to within 5lbs of my starting weight. Yeehawwwww!!!!

 

Mind you, that's still 52 lbs over what I need to be. I asked my ob about exercise etc., and he said because I'm already overweight, I don't need to add calories--just make sure the calories I eat are healthy and varied.

 

As for exercise, he said to ease back into it, but to listen to my body and feel free to push it as hard as it'll let me, without going overboard.

 

SO... I've dusted off my exercise DVDs, tossed the junk, am monitoring my food & exercise at www.babyfit.com, and CAN'T WAIT to be the healthy person I never was!

 

Thanks for all the encouragement and ideas!