to think the claim that breastfeeding helps you loose baby weight is from the same horseshit govt. propoganda campaign as that old chestnut "nits only like clean hair"?

[grubly]

I have always been a size ten but one mahoosive baby (11lbs) later took me up to a size 16. daily five mile walks and a sensible diet did nada. 6mths in, the baby established on solids and i went down two sizes over night. giving up breastfeeding totally at nine months was like taking off a fat suit. AIBU to think that the claim breastfeeding helps you loose baby weight is all a big fat con?

I lost weight when I stopped expressing milk for my son to have (he couldn't breast feed as was prem and in SCBU). I personally think it's a myth to appeal to mother's vanity to make themm breast feed - as breast is always best, the BF police always tell us.

I was back to pre baby weight within a couple of weeks. I only put on just over a stone with each baby.
I was always starving when BF.

breastfeeding made me feel so hungry, i could have gnawed on the furniture or anything, and all that sitting still.

And there was the added difficulty of the pill I was on because I was breastfeeding, adding extra weight. swapped recently and the weight has reduced a lot quicker.

Its working for me - I had a baby boy 5 weeks ago and I'm already pretty much back to my pp weight. Was the same after I had my daughter - I felt like i could feel the weight dropping off all the time that I was bf. Saying that, in both my pregnancies I didn't put on a massive amount of weight.

Agree. I think it is propaganda too. No health visitor or midwife I've metnor book I've read tells you the truth about breast-feeding.It pulls your uterus back in, because you can feel it during the first few feeds, but that's not the same thing. I got so hungry during the BF months, especially for cake and while I did a lot of walking, with baby in sling, I couldn't do anything more strenous while my boobs were so heavy.

It is different for everyone, which is why they shouldn't say it definitely happens.

I breastfed for 4 months or so exclusively and put on 18 pounds. It was awful. i could feel my skin stretching back again after the birth.

when i stopped, I lost about 7 pounds and plateaued, which is where i am now. (baby 6 months)

I think bf helps your uterus to reduce and your actual pregnancy bump disappears better in the early days. After that I tend to agree with you that you naturally keep a bit of extra weight on while you bf which then disappears when you stop. A lot of people mention eating lots of cake when bf but I think this is about your body wanting to keep you fat enough to make good milk rather than greediness.

@ 4 proper meals plus chocolate to keep the weight loss sensible LunaticFringe

The expectation made me feel like shit. Everyone keeps saying "oh you're still breastfeeding?" in a "why are you still such a fat cow?" sort of tone. And all my friends who ff found it easier to lose weight than me, they didn't get the exhaustion or pathological sugar cravings that I did in the first three months. Baby is 8m now and despite appetite returning to normal and me watching what I eat I haven't lost a single pound in the last four months :( hopefully some will come off when I stop.

I do not lose weight while bf only when I stop bf

Defintely different for everyone! I put on huge amount of weight while pregnant with dd1, confident it would all "fall off" with bf. But sadly, I wasn't one of those people, so had to cut the calories and watch the weight come off slowly. Still, it cheered me to think of the stories I'd read about it all just "falling off" when you stopped bf. Sadly, Nope Just my luck, really!

it didn't work for me, pregnancy made me skinny, actually, because of a general lack of appetite, then BFing made me RAVENOUS and i piled on weight the whole time i was doing it*.

*badly

Worked for me too - got sooo thin, just couldn't keep the weight on and was eating loads! My DH got really worried and would make huge meals for me ( very nice!). Put it all back on again within 3 months of stopping though.

see that just makes me so :(

YANBU - I agree that for many people it actually makes you hold onto fat reserves in case of famine - I lost a bit, but my thighs and arms still looked elephantine until I stopped at 9 and 12 months.

Also, BF makes you so, so, so hungry (or it did me) that it is difficult to 'diet' in any way - 2 friends who have tried to lose weight quickly whilst BF'ing really struggled with milk supply and were then advied to top up with formula etc. so I think that whole losing weight thing shouldn't really be pushed too hard - what's important is to do what's right to keep you BF'ing for as long as you want to.

So basically, yes, propaganda! Which I shall ignore when DC3 hopefully arrives in June.....

The people it doesn't work for are the people who (like me) eat the additional 500 calories per day used for breastfeeding! I lost more when I stopped but then I felt less hungry (also had a 10lb baby).

yanbu. Sitting on my backside on the sofa and not being able to go to the gym wasn't burning calories.

I think it works for some people though.

Yes, I got a few looks from people as well (maybe I was a bit of a heifer pre-pg?)

And a few "You're looking a bit gaunt" comments. Thamks, Mum

I HAVE BEEN DIETING not eating an extra 500 calories! Jesus.

Sorry for ranting but I'm getting a bit fed up with it now. My breasts are ridiculous, I can't wear anything nice, the shops are full of gorgeous things that I can't wear and I feel horrible. I can't cut calories too hard as I get too tired, but I should be losing weight sticking to 1400 a day!

Well it didn't work for me - was back to pre-pregnancy weight within 10 days of both births but weight crept up very slowly when bf and shot up after I stopped bf. Probably it did use calories then and I was just eating the wrong thing.

glovesoflove- i never dieted and wasn't that fussed really but it did literally drop off overnight when i stopped.... so there is hope... hang on in therex

I'm a big fan of the Vicky Iovine pregnancy/motherhood books and she says (in summary) that in her experience and her friends, when you are breastfeeding, the body does cling to a good 10lb or so of your fat as it seems to be a reserve in case you need it...which makes perfect sense in case you suddenly became ill and couldn't eat for a few days or whatever

But obviously, everyone is different. I know for a fact that I have the sort of body that will cling to every ounce of baby weight gain I have and stubbornly refuse to give it up!

Other friends are skinny minnies and back to pre pg clothes 4 or 5 months post birth while I scoff cake in the corner and hiss jealously at them