Breast feeding and your weight?

[Divvy]

What effect did/does breast feeding have on your weight?

[blondiep14]

5 weeks after birth i looked pretty slim in comparison to how huge i had been. But I haven't really lost much since. I can't blame it all on bf-ing tho, i think it's being at home all day & giving up smoking.

[TheOldestCat]

I think you'll find it varies considerably from woman to woman.

The weight dropped off me (although a lot of that i put down to stress once I went back to work when DD was six months). I was hungrier than usual and ate a LOT of cake, but was slimmer than I was pre-baby (went down to size 10 by the time DD was 15 months and I'm usually a well-padded size 12-14).

Have put most of it back on now due to stopping BF while carrying on with my cake habit though

[halogen]

I was starving constantly and had to (really wanted to, in other words) drink pints and pints of full-fat milk with chocolate powder in it every day. The weight still dropped off me, though (and I put on over three stone while pregnant).

[Gingerbear]

I lost 2 stones through breastfeeding/ WW.
However, I have put it all back on again, and I am still BF morning/night feeds.

[DonDons]

I lost all but half a stone quite quickly - now at 16 weeks I just can't shift anymore weight - despite curbing the cake habit. (am still bf-ing btw)

[kiskidee]

I didn't put on any extra weight while pg and I am already thin. So when I started bfing I was constantly hungry. I was eating about 6 times a day. 2 wks after giving birth, I was about 5 pounds below my normal body weight. I think though, that with the oedema I suffered I lost muscle tone during my pg. Will be interesting to see what happens after i give birth this time round.

[Tommy]

both times I have never lost any weight until I stopped breastfeeding - or at least cut down considerably

[blowsy]

I was reed thin when I breastfed esp ds1 who was such a voracious feeder.
But then I didn't eat any extra calories - ended up scrawny!

[VictorianSqualor]

Well, I'm still around 14 stone and ds1 is 17 weeks, BUT I was 17.5 stone when pg. Only 11 stone before pg

I lost almost a stone at DS's birth, since then I've lost (obviously) another 2.5 stone, plus drank wine like it's going out of fashion, normally eating and drinking the way I have been I'd have put weight on so I'm assuming if I ate sensibly it would drop off.

[Piccalilli2]

Didn't breastfeed my first, am breastfeeding my second and the weight has dropped off much quicker. It took me 2 yrs to lose my pregnancy weight with dd1, this time at 16 weeks I have about 4 pounds still to lose and I've been eating like a pig. The weight loss has slowed considerably in the last few weeks though.

[LittleMyDancingForJoy]

Lost almost all the baby weight by bf, final half stone or so came off when I stopped bf. I think your body keeps a bit in reserve when you're bf, iyswim.

By the time I gave up when DS was one I was slimmer than I had been before getting pg. Then I started having wine etc again, and oooops.....all fat again now.

[notnowbernard]

I am a completely different body shape and weight post pregnancy and bf than pre-pregnancy

Bf dd2 for 16m. Pre-dd1 I was a 36DD and size 14-16

Am now 36C and size 10-12

Not sure how much this has to do with BF though, probably more the complete change in lifestyle since having kids (was a slob pre-dc!)

[turtle23]

I put on 4.5 stone during pg and lost 2 stone within 6 weeks. Then I stalled until I had a week of BF at 18 weeks and dropped half a stone during that WEEK! Back on the BF now and trying v hard to be good and go to gym...must not eat cake.

[LittleMissBliss]

I lost all the obvious baby weight in a couple of weeks probably a stone and bit i put this done to breastfeeding.

I eat hella lot more now and am not putting on weight but am still 1/2 stone to a stone heavier than my pre prg size. Before falling pregnant i was always on diet besides the fact that i was really slim. I now get to eat lots and i'm not HUGE because of it!
Don't think i will loose the last little bit untill i walk more and eat less.

[RhinestoneCowgirl]

I put on about a stone when pg with DS, and was a bit overweight beforehand. I lost the extra weight pretty much straightaway and ended up about 10st rather than about 11st (my usual weight) when he was a year old. I stopped bf completely at around 23 months and am now pg again.

I felt RAVENOUS when feeding him exclusively, was constantly eating. But was also walking miles a day as he was an 'only sleep on the move' kinda baby. My life is much more active now which I think has helped with the weight more than anything. BF kick-started the weight loss tho...

[LittleMissBliss]

DOWN not done whats wrong with me today......

[blondiep14]

Stella - am so with you!

[NellyTheElephant]

I think the problem is often that although you use lots more calories while bf you also tend to be ravenously hungry. I didn't really shift any weight while bf DD1, it was 11 months later and once I'd stopped bf that I joined WW and lost my baby weight. When BF DD2 I decided to try WW pretty well straight away. You are allowed loads of extra points and I tried to keep below the limit if possible. The weight just dropped off and I was back to pre - pg weight by 12 weeks. So from my experience, yes, you can lose lots of weight v quickly while bf, but only if you control what you eat.

[papaya]

didnt breastfeed first kept weight on and found it very hard to lose it (greedy piglet and chinese lover im afraid.....) 2nd time I have breastfed, weight has come off very quickly, I am below pre-pregnant weight 5ft9 and 11 stone, back in my bmi range..... I eat cereal for breaky, sandwichs for din and a normal helathy tea, in between i have no more than 2 packets of crisps and an extra bowl of cereal if needed!!

weight is still slowly but steadily coming off, will be interesting to see how things pan out!!

[Housemum]

Just back inside "normal" BMI according to the Wii Fit!! BF DD3 for 7 mths now, am 3lb lighter than before pregnancy (though was overweight anyway) - started 11st 6lb, now 11st 3lb - am 5' 6". Only worry is what will happen when I stop - I obviously can't eat as much as I do now? And I intend to stop soon as top teeth are coming through and I'm a coward...

[frans]

At 18 weeks breastfeeding, I'm 1/2 stone more than I was pre-pregnancy - my body will hang onto that as emergency fat reserves until I stop breastfeeding.