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Weight loss while breast feeding


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OK, so I'm really getting tired of the extra 40 lbs I'm carrying around. My knees are not happy with me.

 

Does anyone have recommendations for weight loss while breast feeding? I don't want to put my milk supply at risk, and I'm constantly hungry. I'm used to just eating all day long :)

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I suppose having a difficult baby who will not settle unless being carried around at a regular pace is not a solution for everyone...

 

It's still a bit early for you, right? Isn't your little one only 4 months?

 

Can you do a whole-family walk around the neighborhood a couple of times a day?

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I've done a loose version of Weight Watchers while nursing and it's worked for me. Essentially I just try not to eat everything in sight--just most everything. :) I haven't officially rejoined WW this time, but I do try not to overeat (even though I am very hungry a lot of the time) and I'm just a few pounds from my pre-baby weight.

 

Nursing makes me and a lot of women crave junk food, so a lot of it for me is reigning that in.

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OK, so I'm really getting tired of the extra 40 lbs I'm carrying around. My knees are not happy with me.

 

Does anyone one have recommendations for weight loss while breast feeding? I don't want to put my milk supply at risk, and I'm constantly hungry. I'm used to just eating all day long :)

 

What are you eating all day?

 

Could you drastically cut starchy foods and replace them with nutrient rich veggies?

 

Honestly, after the first 15-20 pounds, I could NEVER lose weight while nursing. I'd carry an extra 20-30 till I weaned and poof, it was easy again.

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I'm actually only 7 lbs heavier than I was at the start of my last pregnancy, it's the cumulative effects of holding onto a few extra lbs after each pregnancy that I need to overcome. I weigh more now than I did at the end of my first pregnancy, and I remember thinking then how miserable it would be to feel that heavy all the time. Now I do and I don't like it at all.

 

 

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What are you eating all day?

 

Could you drastically cut starchy foods and replace them with nutrient rich veggies?

 

Honestly, after the first 15-20 pounds, I could NEVER lose weight while nursing. I'd carry an extra 20-30 till I weaned and poof, it was easy again.

 

I eat a lot of cheese/yoghurt and fruits. 

 

I can try for more veggies.

 

I've been pregnant, nursing or both for over twelve years now, no in between time  :tongue_smilie:

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I was breastfeeding when I started whole30 and that was one of the reasons I wouldn't look at most diet plans. They were fads of extremes that a person can't do long term healthily, which makes me question how healthy they are short term. They restricted eating and breastfeeding can make any mama ravenous and or they restricted calories, especially fats, far too much for comfortable breastfeeding. And I have no time or energy for tracking points and calories.

 

Whole30 meant I could eat whenever I was hungry *as long as it was compliant* and I was able to have healthy fats.

 

I was an exclusive nurse on demand feeder and it never hurt my supply or baby interest in nursing.

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I was breastfeeding when I started whole30 and that was one of the reasons I wouldn't look at most diet plans. They were fads of extremes that a person can't do long term healthily, which makes me question how healthy they are short term. They restricted eating and breastfeeding can make any mama ravenous and or they restricted calories, especially fats, far too much for comfortable breastfeeding. And I have no time or energy for tracking points and calories.

 

Whole30 meant I could eat whenever I was hungry *as long as it was compliant* and I was able to have healthy fats.

 

I was an exclusive nurse on demand feeder and it never hurt my supply or baby interest in nursing.

 

You know, I've heard of Whole 30 but never really looked into it. Is there a book? Website? Where would I go to get started?

 

On the whole, listening to my body works for me; weight was not much of a problem before all the pregnancies (and I'm sure that age is coming into play as well) and I've really never tried a diet for weight loss. But it is obvious that my body does not think losing weight while nursing is a good idea. I didn't mind the first 15 lbs or so, but it has added up over the years to where I am no longer comfortable with the extra I am carrying around.

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I eat a lot of cheese/yoghurt and fruits. 

 

I can try for more veggies.

 

I've been pregnant, nursing or both for over twelve years now, no in between time  :tongue_smilie:

Try replacing broccoli celery spinach for half of the fruits.

 

Are the yogurts sweetened? I might try to find something less sugary if so.

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Weight Watchers used to give breastfeeding Moms 10 extra points.  I did their plan a few years ago while nursing and it worked well for me....even with the extra 10 points. :)

 

 

ETA....with my last kid, though, I did nothing...  he breastfed for two years....around 12 months, as he started eating more solids, strangely I started dropping weight.  I ended up losing the most with no effort with him.  (One reason for him to be the favorite child. ;))

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It is almost impossible to put your milk supply at risk.

Mother nature thought this out carefully. If faced with famine conditions, you'll still continue to make milk so long as get water. Your body will suffer, but your milk production will continue as long as the baby continues to remove milk. Babies get priority on this.

Standard recommendations are to avoid going below 1500 cal/day.  Vegetables & high fiber foods.

Kelly mom has a thing on weight loss during bf http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/

My standard rec for everyone, bf or not is Forks Over Knives

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You know, I've heard of Whole 30 but never really looked into it. Is there a book? Website? Where would I go to get started?

 

On the whole, listening to my body works for me; weight was not much of a problem before all the pregnancies (and I'm sure that age is coming into play as well) and I've really never tried a diet for weight loss. But it is obvious that my body does not think losing weight while nursing is a good idea. I didn't mind the first 15 lbs or so, but it has added up over the years to where I am no longer comfortable with the extra I am carrying around.

Here is a link to get you started. Their forum is very nice and helpful, or at least I thought it was, but I wasn't on there all that much either.

http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/

 

Basicly you get rid of all:

Sugars and sugar substitutions

Grains

Beans

Dairy

And try to eat as "clean" of preservatives and fillers and articifial whatevers as possible

No getting on the scale or measuring until the very end. The point is to get healthier, not to be some arbitrary number.

 

It sounds awful at first. But you have to have an attitude of

 

I can eat ANYTHING ELSE! No points to count. No items to weigh. No paying for weigh ins or packages or slim drinks. You don't even have to buy the book. You can download the ebook for free and access to everything on the website and forum is free. Crazy awesome.

 

I can eat almost any veggies, meats, or fruits long as they are not cooked, packaged or topped with stuff I can't have.

 

I think salads were the hardest for some people. I was shocked to find I actually prefer lemon juice and salt. But there's plenty of easy vinaigrettes too.

 

I was surprised at the inches I lost. Still am actually.

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It is almost impossible to put your milk supply at risk.

 

Mother nature thought this out carefully. If faced with famine conditions, you'll still continue to make milk so long as get water. Your body will suffer, but your milk production will continue as long as the baby continues to remove milk. Babies get priority on this.

 

Standard recommendations are to avoid going below 1500 cal/day. Vegetables & high fiber foods.

 

Kelly mom has a thing on weight loss during bf http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/

 

My standard rec for everyone, bf or not is Forks Over Knives

I am absolutely finding this to be the case and may not be able to continue to BF because of it:(

This is my first time BFing and Max is very hungry and very irritable...I am already vegetarian, nearly vegan with the exception of 2-3 items, but it turns out baby is very sensitive to dairy. I am having trouble keeping weight ON, but am making plenty of milk. I am constantly thirsty:)

 

I have to be extremely careful in planning the meals I do eat and pack in additional at midnight. I am constantly hungry as well, but tend to want fresh fruit, salads with lots of flavor, and I am eating my weight in corn/black bean/lime/cilantro salad:)

OP, I know it isn't what you were looking for, but IF the weight is stubborn and doesn't want to come off easily until after BFing, it may just seem to fall off after. This happens to my sister after every one of her pregnancies!

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I am absolutely finding this to be the case and may not be able to continue to BF because of it:(

This is my first time BFing and Max is very hungry and very irritable...I am already vegetarian, nearly vegan with the exception of 2-3 items, but it turns out baby is very sensitive to dairy. I am having trouble keeping weight ON, but am making plenty of milk. I am constantly thirsty:)

 

Are you able to have nuts?

 

The other standard rec is to increase grains.

 

The back of envelope calculations are that lactation takes about 500 cal/day.  A couple pieces of very good whole grain toast + 3-4 Tbsp of peanut butter would come close to that.

 

(calcs from WHO/FAO on energy requirements of lactating women)

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It is almost impossible to put your milk supply at risk.

 

Mother nature thought this out carefully. If faced with famine conditions, you'll still continue to make milk so long as get water. Your body will suffer, but your milk production will continue as long as the baby continues to remove milk. Babies get priority on this.

 

Standard recommendations are to avoid going below 1500 cal/day.  Vegetables & high fiber foods.

 

Kelly mom has a thing on weight loss during bf http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/

 

My standard rec for everyone, bf or not is Forks Over Knives

 

I struggled to keep weight on while nursing and was underweight most of the time. Even though I was underweight I had plenty milk. My last nursing baby I lost enough weight to put me in the danger zone for being malnourished. Turns out I was malnourished (not from not eating but from not knowing I had celiac disease) and I didn't have enough body fat, vitamins, and minerals in me. Yet, my child was absolutely fine and in no way malnourished. He wasn't even slightly low in levels for anything. I am very grateful for that and happy that nature built in a safe guard for protecting infants when mom isn't getting enough nutrients.

 

Not saying to starve yourself. ;) Just saying that water is more important than food for making milk.

 

 

As others have suggested check for hidden sugar like in yogurts and such. Swap out fruit and cheese for veggie sticks and humus for snacks.

 

Be kind to yourself. You have been nurturing babies for 12 years! Your body is amazing.  

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I am absolutely finding this to be the case and may not be able to continue to BF because of it:(

This is my first time BFing and Max is very hungry and very irritable...I am already vegetarian, nearly vegan with the exception of 2-3 items, but it turns out baby is very sensitive to dairy. I am having trouble keeping weight ON, but am making plenty of milk. I am constantly thirsty:)

 

 

This was me. I had to eat all the time while nursing to keep weight on. Smoothies and soup in a cup were my friends. It's easy to drink calories. 

 

You can make some mean smoothies with almond milk, cashew milk, hemp milk, soy milk, rice milk....your choice. The nut milks are what I use. 

 

I also ate a lot of avocados and hummus. 

 

I'm not vegan so I do eat eggs and those were an easy snack. Don't know if you eat eggs though.

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Are you able to have nuts?

 

The other standard rec is to increase grains.

 

The back of envelope calculations are that lactation takes about 500 cal/day. A couple pieces of very good whole grain toast + 3-4 Tbsp of peanut butter would come close to that.

 

(calcs from WHO/FAO on energy requirements of lactating women)

Thanks, I had read anywhere between 500 and 700 calories...apparently each ounce of breast milk contains about 22 calories and it 'costs' mom about 26 calories to produce it...so apparently 650 calories to make about 25 ounces of milk. Recommendation is increased 500 cals increase and 150 from pregnancy fat stores. And average baby takes 19-30 ounces per day, with my hungry guy reaching for the higher amount:) Unfortunately pregnancy really was tough on me this go-round and after delivery and three weeks with resulting medical issues I ended up at quite a bit under pre-pregnancy weight. So not only am I trying to get to a healthy weight, I am BF whilst doing so.

 

Definitely forcing the nut butters:) and because I have such an awesome hubby, he got up and drove nearly 2 hours away to hit TJ's and Whole Foods to stock up on all my favorites that we cannot buy locally. Alas, no sugar, but he made about 2 pounds of fresh guac I have been eating all day:)

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It is almost impossible to put your milk supply at risk.

 

Mother nature thought this out carefully. If faced with famine conditions, you'll still continue to make milk so long as get water. Your body will suffer, but your milk production will continue as long as the baby continues to remove milk. Babies get priority on this.

 

Standard recommendations are to avoid going below 1500 cal/day.  Vegetables & high fiber foods.

 

Kelly mom has a thing on weight loss during bf http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/

 

My standard rec for everyone, bf or not is Forks Over Knives

 

I wish more women heard this message! It has been true for me!

 

When I don't eat well or drink enough water, I get headaches, I get constipated, and I feel awful, but babies are just fine. 

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OK, so I'm really getting tired of the extra 40 lbs I'm carrying around. My knees are not happy with me.

 

Does anyone have recommendations for weight loss while breast feeding? I don't want to put my milk supply at risk, and I'm constantly hungry. I'm used to just eating all day long :)

 

I lost some baby weight doing water aerobics.  I know that doesn't really help with the hungry part, but it might allow you to keep eating what you're used to and still lose weight.

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It is almost impossible to put your milk supply at risk.

 

Mother nature thought this out carefully. If faced with famine conditions, you'll still continue to make milk so long as get water. Your body will suffer, but your milk production will continue as long as the baby continues to remove milk. Babies get priority on this.

 

Standard recommendations are to avoid going below 1500 cal/day. Vegetables & high fiber foods.

 

Kelly mom has a thing on weight loss during bf http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/

 

My standard rec for everyone, bf or not is Forks Over Knives

That was not really my situation. I had milk, but it was too low in fat. I had to have 10 lbs extra to nurse well. I had to eat a ton. This seems to be the case for many. I have also seen many a baby of a hungry mom self-wean at five months to solid food / cow's milk.

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Well, my mom stopped breastfeeding me because of comments like that. Luckily I had more practical support than my mom who only had la leche, which she finally left in tears after they denied her reality and basically accused her of lying because she didn't really want to nurse.

 

Science isn't done with reality yet.

 

I believe that science says "problems are rare" but at one time science said that women were just smaller versions of men with respect to heart disease. Science is great bit there are some realms of life in which it's best to listen to experience.

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It is almost impossible to put your milk supply at risk.

 

Mother nature thought this out carefully. If faced with famine conditions, you'll still continue to make milk so long as get water. Your body will suffer, but your milk production will continue as long as the baby continues to remove milk. Babies get priority on this.

 

Standard recommendations are to avoid going below 1500 cal/day. Vegetables & high fiber foods.

 

Kelly mom has a thing on weight loss during bf http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/

 

My standard rec for everyone, bf or not is Forks Over Knives

I'm sorry but this NOT true for me. I am nursing my ninth baby. I am not inexperienced as to what having enough milk for baby looks like. When I cut calories or carbs especially my milk supply tanks. I'm not even talking low carb OR low calorie. Just cutting sugar and simple carbs. Eating more protein and more veggies and less "white" stuff. I feel fantastic and lose a bit of weight but my milk supply acutely suffers. As soon as I eat some sugar or carbs it bounces right back.

 

I wish it wasn't true. It happened the exact way with my last baby as well. I want to lose desperately. I have packed on way too much weight with 19 years of constant pregnancy or nursing. But I am committed to long term breastfeeding and not ruling out another pregnancy so I just keep getting more depressed about it :(

 

I have read that for some women it is hormone related especially prolactin. I do hope to avoid another pregnancy until this baby weans and I can see if the balancing of my hormones helps.

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Thank you for saying this. My first self-weaned at 10 months due to milk supply drop. My second, I was a lot more aware and realized if I lost too much weight, my supply was severely effected. I had to keep on 10-15 pounds to keep my milk supply up. I found a happy medium between weight loss and breastfeeding, but when I fell under, milk tanked.

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I eat a lot of cheese/yoghurt and fruits. 

 

I can try for more veggies.

 

I've been pregnant, nursing or both for over twelve years now, no in between time  :tongue_smilie:

I love love love cheese. When I start treating it like dessert, I lose weight.

 

Emily

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Yeah and now I'm going to suggest going off dairy. Lol. ;)

Really , after baby 1, I was still nursing her between 18m and 2yo and had to go off gluten dairy because of her food allergies. I lost a tone of weight bfing, no gluten, no dairy. Thinner then before pregnancy and that was not a good thing. :-/

 

Anyway, I knew less about healthy fats then than I do now so to do it over if I started getting too thin I'd include more nuts/seeds, good oils and bone broths fat includes from bones of grassfed/ pastured animals if I could source them. At the time I was thin and sickly though with health issues of my own not diagnosed until two years pp. I don't think I do dairy really well anyway and in a weird way it helped me get better.

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I'm jealous of all of you who could lose weight easily while nursing. :(

 

Between pregnancy and nursing, I walked around for about 2 years each baby feeling like a fat, waddling cow.

 

One reason I would wean my babies was so I could finally take some weight off and stop having my knees hurt.

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OK, so I'm really getting tired of the extra 40 lbs I'm carrying around. My knees are not happy with me.

 

Does anyone have recommendations for weight loss while breast feeding? I don't want to put my milk supply at risk, and I'm constantly hungry. I'm used to just eating all day long :)

 

I lost a lot of weight while breastfeeding.  I made myself some rules.  I was allowed to snack on fruits and vegetables and on rice cakes.  Meals had to be healthy.  I didn't eat sugar or baked goods.  I'd do it differently now - probably close to a Whole 30 idea.  But, it worked for me at that point.

 

The other thing that really helped (I think) was that we didn't have a second car so I had to walk everywhere.  And I wore my babies, so I was carrying extra weight while doing all that walking.  When we had the fourth baby we lived somewhere that made a car a necessity, so I was barely walking at all and I had a much harder time losing weight.

 

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I think milk supply has a lot more to do with your hormone status than your calories. Research backs up what Hornblower already stated, and personally, I cut cals with my last baby, and lost a bunch of weight. I also nursed him to 18 months, no problem. I even fasted. My babies were all fat. I think age or other factors like stress affect your hormones and thus your milk supply more than calories.

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I've lost all my weight with the first 3 by 9 mo, pretty much as soon as they were born I started watching what I ate more, no real plan with 1 and 2 but more along the lines of NoS I guess, fewer snacks, cut the sugar and excess carbs, just eat less, start being active as soon as I could. With #3 I went low carb/high fat and it worked really well, I was down to normal size in 4 months. This time I had mostly lost the weight by 9 months and then it started piling back on and it has been a battle, I'm now at 2.5 yrs pp and right about where I was at 9 month pp but with more muscles, now I'm thinking that my 3yrs I'll be in the best shape of my life :) This time around I did find that I did have a very hard time holding onto weight until she was entirely weaned, part was the Hashi's and part was my hormones. As soon as she weaned I dropped 5 lbs and my hips lost an inch.

 

I  have Hashimotos now, and have been trying to get my levels normal, so that is a bit of a wild card and made everything harder but it has also made me appreciate my health all the more.

 

I never had supply issues, I never did starvation or low calorie diets though, even trying to lose weight I usually eat at least 1800 calories (I don't like being hungry). Also, I've found for me losing the weight is only part of it, there is also exercise to get those muscles back as without that I might weigh the same but I won't be the same size. 

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I'm on a few facebook support pages. Women have complained about milk supply issues from things like menstrual cycle returning to being on the mini pill so nothing would surprise me.

 

These two that you mentioned are hormonal issues, which can definitely interrupt the milk-making cycle. Thyroid issues and PCOS are other possible hormonal causes of low milk.

 

Hormonal issues do not necessarily respond to the regular ol' supply and demand of breastfeeding.

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I think milk supply has a lot more to do with your hormone status than your calories. Research backs up what Hornblower already stated, and personally, I cut cals with my last baby, and lost a bunch of weight. I also nursed him to 18 months, no problem. I even fasted. My babies were all fat. I think age or other factors like stress affect your hormones and thus your milk supply more than calories.

I know it's only anecdotal but every time I cut my food intake I would end up with a baby that wanted to be attached day and night..l I presume if I'd pushed through it eventually the supply would have increased but it wasn't worth it...

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I'm jealous of all of you who could lose weight easily while nursing. :(

 

Between pregnancy and nursing, I walked around for about 2 years each baby feeling like a fat, waddling cow.

 

One reason I would wean my babies was so I could finally take some weight off and stop having my knees hurt.

Yes, I don't have a robust milk supply and cutting calories really hurts it. I do low carb, but that generally helps me maintain, not lose. I cannot lose when nursing - in fact it is a battle to not gain, because I'm always hungry. My goal is always to not gain in pregnancy, so I dont have to take it off postpartum. That's when I'm strictest with my intake and it works for every baby but this one. My overall health status is pretty poor and eating is hard overall, so I'm trying to focus on not sparking reactions, not gaining weight, and keeping up my milk all at once.

 

So far, I've only managed the milk part :(

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