to worry that breastfeeding is making me fat?

[womblesofwestminster]

I'm a huge advocate of breastfeeding, so slagging it off feels dirty, but that's exactly what I'm about to do.

I'm bfing my 2 year old twice a day (morning and night). Despite me being religious with my diet and exercising hardcore at least 4 x a week, I've got this bastard tyre around my middle. I'm talking about the 'mummy tummy' and the love handles, maybe even a gunt. The rest of my body looks in decent shape - expect for the sodding middrift.

Now, I've read on MN many times before that women have found it hard to shift the last few pounds of baby weight until they stopped bf. Is there any scientific proof in this? I'm, quite literally, working my ass off, but my apple-shaped physique just keeps getting more applely.

are you pregnant?

and what's a gunt or is that a typo?

yes I would also say poas!

I was at my smallest while still breastfeeding but the weight crept back on when I stopped.obviously would have been better the other way round in the long term

YANBU, it made me fat every time and the fat disappeared like magic when I stopped. No scientific proof here though.

Nope I'm not preggo. AF has just left the building.

I think everyone's body reacts differently to breastfeeding. I've been bf'ing for 8 months and am half a stone lighter than I was before I was pregnant. I eat everything in sight and am still losing approx half a pound a week. However a lot of my friends are the opposite and just cannot shift the last half stone/stone. Some have even put on weight. I think its genetic

I think I saw some research, a few years ago now, that about half of women lose weight breastfeeding. And the other half don't.

One of my midwives admitted they just don't like to say that as it will put women off.

I was one of those who never shifted a pound while breastfeeding. With dd2 I managed to put on a stone! I used to get soooo hungry. I did lose the weight after I stopped breastfeeding, with some effort, but I found it impossible while still fully feeding.

what is a gunt?

I put on loads of weight while breastfeeding!

It made me fat.

Gubt = not quite gut, not quite ...

*Or Gunt, even.

gunt = your belly hanging over and merging with your groin area.

gut + cunt = gunt.

It makes sense from an evolutionary point of view that the body would do its damnedest to hang on to a store of fat while bfing, just in case there was a famine around the corner.

Gunt = not quite a gut, not quite a cunt

Gunt = gut + cunt. When your gut is so big you can't see your cunt. Although usually used when gut hangs down and falls outside of clothing

Incidentally my phme tried to change cunt to vintage. How twee!

Same as Procrast. Fighting fit before pregnancy, kept about five pounds on afterwards no matter what I did until I stopped breastfeeding. I think fat stores. A (male) trainer at gym told me it would happen but think that was also anecdotal rather than scientific. Although I doubt it ever happened to him.

Made me fat too

it can take up to a year to get sorted after giving birth. breast feeding made me feel heavy and fat too. I also felt tired do couldn't excercise as much.

And on topic - breastfeeding (and not sitting in an office all day too) made me lose weight.

gunt

For me, 'twas the best diet ever and if it were not for the side efect of having a baby I would love to do that diet again

I bf-ed dd2 to nine months and was very chubby. Bleurgh.

With dd1 started formula at 3 weeks and finished totally by 8 weeks. Was at pre pg weight at 6 weeks post partum.

I'm an unlucky one!

Have you written out your diet? Also maybe it's just the last bit which is hard to shift anyway?

I've put on weight since going back to work. Am still bf dd (who's 2) because I'm a lard arse and growing a gunt.