Breastfeeding and losing weight

[WrigglyWorm2016]

Today I have to say enough is enough. I've recently ordered hundreds of pounds worth of clothes after giving birth five weeks ago and looking at the fit I must be a size 22 now from a small 16. So I've sent all but about £40 worth back. I'm also 4 1/2 stone overweight. I had a completely unrestricted diet whilst pregnant and really pounded the sugar as I was looking after my first and still doing the night wakes after not being able to sleep. I have PCOS too and I have NEVER come across anyone who can put away the chocolate and sugar like I can. Unfortunately my habit has continued and I'm ravenous while breastfeeding, I even feel like eating the crisps in the cupboard and I hate crisps!

I need to stop and so far today I'm not doing too badly, but I've seen all stuff about how you shouldn't lose weight while breastfeeding. I had supply problems at first as I gave my baby thrush and he didn't want to feed at first. I'm pretty sure my supply is fine now though. I'm also waiting for a buggy board to be delivered, my first is walking but is still too young to go too far and it's just too warm for me to put baby in the sling and I don't have the funds to buy the only double pushchair I'd want, so exercise can't start until the stuff has been delivered.

My question really is has anyone lost a fair amount of weight while breastfeeding and how? I don't have a time restriction for the loss and am happy lose over a couple of years.

[WineCheeseSleep]

I'm just starting this too. DD is only 8 weeks old so want to do it really gradually and healthily. I've done some research and losing weight seems to be ok as long as you do it this way.

I've started logging what I'm eating with My Fitness Pal and trying to just eat fewer calories a day. Kellymom says to eat no less than 1500-1800 calories a day if breastfeeding so I'm aiming for 1800 to be on the safe side. I'm hoping I'll lose about a pound a week but we'll see! Practically all I have done so far is cut out the biscuits etc so it's nothing drastic. 1800 calories is very doable still eating normal meals.

[GipsyDanger]

I lost bugger all when breastfeeding, in fact I gained about 10lbs. I'm doing a VLCD now, and have nearly 5 stones to lose to get to goal weight. I am cursing myself for letting it get that bad. It was the constant snacking and sitting on the couch all day that done me in

[WineCheeseSleep]

I know Gipsy I was very indulgent and only have myself to blame but it seems so daunting now the amount I want to lose. If I lose a stone I'll be back at my pre pregnancy weight which I was unhappy with anyway! Oh well, I just need to get on with it or I'll end up the same weight or more in a year's time.

[KP86]

Slimming World or a LCHF would both work for you. They are at opposite ends of the diet scale, so maybe have a look at which would suit your lifestyle better.

I find SW much easier to fit into my existing life and family, but LCHF gives me more freedom to have certain treats (eg. double cream!)

As long as you are still consuming enough calories to make your milk, it is perfectly safe to lose weight while breastfeeding. Some women do, naturally.

[helenlove]

I started dieting when my DD was 3 months and she is now 11 months and I have lost 4 stone in that time. Really slowly but surely. It hasn't impacted on my supply (she is still BF) as I haven't done any extreme dieting and no exercise whatsoever apart from pushing the buggy with my DS on the buggy board. So maybe that is all the exercise you will need! It is such hard work pushing the two of them sometimes it feels like a gym workout. So yes it's definitely doable.

[WineCheeseSleep]

That's really impressive Helenlove, how did you do it?

[helenlove]

Winecheesesleep I stopped eating bread and cheese and crisps and ate lots of lovely salads and lots of fruit and yoghurt.

[helenlove]

Winecheesesleep I stopped eating bread and cheese and crisps and ate lots of lovely salads and lots of fruit and yoghurt.
Was surprised how easy it was but think BF definitely must have helped as haven't weighed this little since I was 18.

[Gardencentregroupie]

I lost around 2 stone after DD was born. Some was probably water weight Tbh, then I lost about 18lb with weight watchers, then dropped the last half stone by cutting out refined sugar and artificial sweeteners. I have pcos too, and that also transformed my cycles into nice regular 27/28 day cycles, and got rid of my pmt. I did it very slowly but sustainably.

[fizzicles]

I lost 3 stone on WW over the course of a year while breastfeeding DD. Totally doable. Good luck!

[Racheyg]

I breastfed till ds2 was a year and I between him being 3 months and a year I lost about 3 1/2 stone. It's wasnt the bf, I just ate very healthy and exercised 5/6 times a week.

I'm go between 10 and 10 1/2 stone at the moment and want to get to 9, but I'm not pressuring myself.

Good luck you can do it. Try not to snack that's my downfall

[Thataintnoetchasketch]

I put on a stone while pregnant & lost 3&1/2 stone pretty soon after DS was born while breast feeding. He was so clingy I couldn't put him down, he took all his naps on me etc so I didn't really get time to eat crap & he was a big hungry baby so it just fell off. Between that and marching him around bumpy paths in the pram to ease his wind & get him to sleep I dropped from a 14/16 to an 8/10. Now he's 8 months the weights slowly creeping back on - I'm still breastfeeding but I'm eating so much rubbish. I really need to overhaul my diet and start exercising again. I'm so tired all the time though!

[LotsOfDots]

I lost 50lb after DD2 while BF, on weight watchers. I plan to go again in a few weeks once DS1 is 6 weeks. I found it very straight forward and lost weight every week on the plan - I reached my target after 5.5 months.

[DelphiniumBlue]

I could not lose any weight at all until after after I finished breastfeeding. This was the same after all 3 DC, don't know if it's just me, or natures way of storing reserves for the baby.