How to lose weight while still breastfeeding? Any ideas?

[HettySpaghetti]

I was on the Weight Watchers and lost a bit but I'm still 2 stone overweight. I've been a size 10 for years and then I got pregnant and piled it on at the end and now I'm 12/14. I'm only 5' 2" so I look awful. I'm so depressed about it that I'm even thinking of ditching the BF but I don't want too. My DD is 11 months.

[handbagsandshoes]

Hang on in there it gets better. Well done to get to 11 months!

I've had 4 babies and found that weight loss was much easier once they were breastfeeding past one (and even better past two.... and so on... ) They say not to eat less than 1500 cal a day when feeding. A healthy diet full of veges, lean meat (if not vege) and wholegrains and lots of water should help. Just keep an eye on your portions. I find that I need morning tea and afternoon tea or I get too hungry (fruit or greek yoghurt or carrot and hummous for example). Regular walking pushing the pushchair or carrying baby in a sling will help too.

It is also encouraging to find someone in the same boat as you - have you any friends who are breastfeeding and fancy a walk around the park/healthy lunch?

Good luck

[Eglu]

YOu could go back to WW. You can do it while bfing. You get extra points. I'm just about to start.

[kiwijesta]

I'm doing ww and bf-ing and I've lost a stone in 5 weeks but I do have 3 more to go. Without the ww I'd have just kept putting weight on!

[foreverondiet]

I always thought I couldn't lose when breastfeeding - I always put weight on.

This time I started my diet when still breastfeeding (although only 3x a day) and had no trouble losing weight, and was surprised that I wasn't as hungry as I thought I'd be. It turns out that I put on weight due to the cake and ice creams I ate not due to the breastfeeding!

Go for 1500 calories a day if its 3 feeds a day (1200 calories plus an extra 100 calories a feed). Lots of vegetables. Plenty of lean protein, some fruit, some low fat dairy, some low GI carbs (pulses, brown rice, oats etc). If you are hungry on that increase the healthy food but avoid refined carbs.

Recommend logging what you eat, I like myfitnesspal (free).

[HettySpaghetti]

Cheers for the advice. I didn't recognise myself in some photo's at a firends birthday party the other day. It really shocked me. I'm also back to work so and none of my old work clothes fit! I'm broke too so I'll have to raid the charity shops. Ah the joy of no money on maternity leave! I did WW and lost 1/2 a stone in about 6 weeks but it seems have stopped. I tried up-ing my game by doing Zumba twice a week and it still won't shift. I'll have to start doing the WW logging the food again. I can't afford to go to the classes anymore so I'll have to DIY it! A healthy diet is so expensive and I save all the good food for the baby.

[GeekLove]

I've been doing Shred and have fiddled my diet to cut out White bread, fizzy drinks and crisps. I have lost maybe 1lb a month since March bu conversely when i didn't exercise much over the holidays didn't gain any.'I 'm stuck around 10st 10lb.
I am still EBF as DS2 is 5 months.'I guess this is he weight I will be until weaning. Having said that I only got to pre-pregnancy weight stopping BFing and even just once a day I was 4lb or so heavier.
Still I am getting stronger sonmust be changing composition if not weight.

[GeekLove]

Right. Now DS2 is 6 months and weaning is starting. I have lost 1lb in the last week, even though I am lucky to be shredding 3 times amweek and only walk 7000'steps on good days. I do want to sleep all the time and feel rough though so I think it's the hormonal changes.
I remember this with DS1 so am hoping this is only a tempory blip.
I am going to give Zumba a try soon so watch this space.
I want to lose weight since I want to be able to wear trousers when it gets cold.