How the hell am I supposed to stay motivated? I hate breastfeeding :(

[mrsmangelsneck]

I've been logging every morsel that passes my lips and running and in 4 weeks have lost 2lb. I have put ON 6oz this week apparently. My baby is a hungry one and I don't think I could cope on less calories.

It was the same with my 1st DC, i did SW and lost sod all. it's not fair! And loads of people will probably come and tell me that they lost a stone a day bfing despite eating a whole cheesecake every hour.

I know it's not that important but I am so sick of looking horrid and having nothing to wear and I see all these other mums with younger babies than mine and they are slim and nicely dressed and I feel like crap.

Just wanted to moan really, if you're in the same boat please tell me!

[jkklpu]

This sounds very disheartening. How old is your baby? Might it be too soon to start trying to lose weight? Have you changed what you eat/portion size? It's pretty impressive that you can find time and willpower to run with a small baby - well done for that. Do you notice that you feel fitter as a result? It's not only about what the scales tell you, esp as you're probably putting on muscle.

[mrsmangelsneck]

Baby is three months so still fairly early days. I was feeling hopeful this time though as haven't had the same scarily powerful craving for sweet things as I had with my first. I did lose quite a bit of weight practically overnight when I weaned DC1 but I won't be weaning baby til Xmas at the earliest and the thought of still being this size and wearing these horrid clothes for another six months is not a happy one :(

I have been a serial dieter in the past and I would lose weight eating like this if I wasn't breastfeeding! Grrr.

It's kind of you to say about the running and I am enjoying it, but there's no way I can excuse my weight as being due to muscle! I wish :) I need to start doing some weights really but I cba, if I get a spare half hour I just want to sit down and read a book at the moment :)

[hazchem]

mrsmangle How about low carb? I'm doing it and breastfeeding. Finding much less work then other ways to lose weight.

[AThingInYourLife]

I'm in that boat!

I don't hate breastfeeding, and I haven't really given this losing weight a decent shot yet - DD3 is 9 weeks old and I just realised I was touching the weight that would make me obese!

I'm still carrying weight from my first pregnancy/breastfeeding.

I just hold onto weight while I breastfeed, and in the early days I am constantly starving, craving sweets, but I seem to out on weight as though there were no extra calories being used.

It's shit.

[mrsmangelsneck]

I'm not a low carb fan actually as I don't find it sustainable for me - I like to have a scone on a Sunday afternoon or a couple of new potatoes with my salmon and also I find I tire quickly when exercising if I cut my carbs right down. I know some love it but it's not for me.
I don't eat much Starchy food and tend to stick to brown rice and boiled potatoes when I do. I've been tweaking my meals to have more good quality protein and good fats and lots of green veg, portion control isn't an issue for me but keeping out of the biscuit tin can be and I've been resisting. My jeans might be a bit looser I suppose :(

[mrsmangelsneck]

X posts! We are bf twins, that's exactly my weight ATM :( I don't hate breastfeeding either, I like it apart from this. I'm feeding just now.

I think it upsets me that people look at my lovely big chunky baby and think I must be stuffing myself with lard to feed a child this size and still be fat. I am quite secretive about the amount I exercise too cos nobody would believe me :(

[Startailoforangeandgold]

You have time to worry what you weigh and what you look like with a three month old baby!

I haven't the foggiest idea what I weighed before or after either of My DDs. I truelly had far far more inportant things to think about.

[mrsmangelsneck]

Good for you, but being borderline obese bothers me. My mother has eaten herself into type 2 diabetes and a bmi of 35 and I am determined not to do the same. I also want to look like me again, ie not wear tatty supermarket maternity stuff that has seen much better days.
I took my dc to the beach and whilst racing my toddler to the sea I had to hold on to my comedy boobs and was way too hot in jeans, so felt pissed off it compromised me having fun with her. I'm always on the chubby side bmi usually 24/25 so I don't expect to look like Elle McPherson but I gained recommended amount in pg and am just disheartened to be making effort with seemingly no result.

[mrsmangelsneck]

Thanks joyful glad it wasn't just me! I have plenty of other things to "worry" about, i do do plenty of other things besides look at my arse in despair.

[mrsmangelsneck]

And! If you are above such frivolity may I suggest you don't look at discussions on the diet board? If I'd wanted to be judged/patronised I'd have picked aibu or chat :)

[TheTermagantToaster]

I've never heard low-carb being a no go with a young baby. Definitely low carb rather than no-carb, though.

I found I lost weight at first and then it plateaued (this is on no diet). Some women say that they don't start to lose weight until they finish breastfeeding, but I couldn't say because my DS is determined to feed forever and no2 is on the way!

[mrsmangelsneck]

Thankfully baby doesn't seem too bothered about what I eat, my dd kicked off when I ate green veg or citrus/soft fruit so I felt justified living off flap jack then!
It is tricky when you have a family to feed, we are not on a budget as such for food but can't afford to waste it. We do eat a lot of porridge and eggs and luckily know a few people who grow veg so get a lot as gifts. I find most cost effective veg to be white cabbage and carrots as you can shred & eat raw as salad or steam for a hot meal so always use them up.

[mrsmangelsneck]

Oh gosh, I stopped bf to ttc last time but might wind it up when I go back to work - none of my work clothes will fit till my chest goes down anyway! I take my hat off to people who keep it going, I think 'extended' bf is brilliant but cannot face more than another few months of the only nursing bra available in my size!

[ThisOnce]

Joyful I am dairy / soya free for breadtfeeding purposes too. Am very bored!

[mrsmangelsneck]

Best guess is 32L or M. Wearing a 34K after trying every bra on nursingbra-shop site! Went back to my usual 30FF in about 2 weeks after weaning last time so fingers crossed...

[SueFlaysAgainstTheDaleks]

I can gain up to 7lb of water retention right before my period is due, so surely it's logical that your weight will fluctuate with milk production?

In your shoes I'd stick with the healthy eating and runbing, but take measurements on which to assess weight loss.

[mrsmangelsneck]

yeah, they are ridiculous bosoms! Finding a sports bra has been SUCH fun.

That is a good point about milk SueFlay! All ds has done this week is feed and my boobs do feel very heavy so maybe next week I'll see a bit of a drop on the scales if I just keep going, either cos I'll have lost enough to cancel them out or because they've settled down a bit. I did try measuring myself but I could never seem to measure the same point each time and got really weird results that made no sense

[busyboysmum]

I'm in the same position - have been 12 stone since ds3 was about 6 weeks old, he is now 9 months! I do admit that I slip off the wagon on a regular basis but I do loads of walking and go to ashtanga yoga twice a week. I am back in pre-pregnancy clothes but have no idea how as I am a stone over what I was when I got pregnant!

There seems no hope of stopping bf either as he won't take a bottle except for his evening feed before bedtime. Have determined to try now kids are back to school to drop this last annoying stone, good luck with your efforts.

[hazeldog]

You have my sympathy op. I'm just the same. Only excersize I can do is dog walking and I'm carefully counting calories. Dp says I've lost loads and while that is true I'm still mahoosive. I was crippled with sciatica during my pregnancy and have under active thyroid so I just ballooned. Gained at least 4 stone. Bf makes me sooo hungry and my giant comedy boobs must weigh a ton and make me look even bigger. when I put on loads of weight before my thyroid was diagnosed I just went to the gym loads and trained hard. Not so easy with a 3mo who wont take a bottle and won't be put down.
I'm counting on 9 months to go on = 9 months to come off.