To think the “breastfeed and the weight will fall off” thing is a load of shite?

[Pantalaimon88]

I have an 11 month old. I was sold the whole “BF makes you lose the baby weight!” I lost an initial stone in the weeks post baby, which I’m guessing was fluid. Since then, I have maintained and I’m 1.5 stone heavier than pre pregnancy.

I log my food intake and try to keep it as low as I can, but from experience if I drop below 1700 cals a day, I feel very lightheaded and unwell. Pre pregnancy I’d eat 2000cals a day and easily maintain my weight. I go on walks with the buggy, I spent 3 months religiously pounding on an exercise bike during DC’s naps, lost not a single lb. It actually feels as though my body is holding onto the extra weight deliberately.

I’m so depressed by it all, I hate my body. I was going to BF to natural term but I’m considering stopping when DC is 1, mainly for this reason. Nothing I do seems to change my body in any way. I thought once DC was eating proper food and BF dropped significantly, perhaps it would pick up. It hasn’t.

Has anyone else found this?

For me dd was at least 18 months before it made a difference. Stick with it, I'm sure you'll reap the benefits in the end.

With all 3 of my dc I've been back to pre pregnancy weight within 6 months, with a further little loss at around 6 months when introducing solids. I wouldn't consider bf a magic weight loss tool, but it's definitely helped me. I tend to feel ravenous during pregnancy, but it eases off postpartum luckily. Currently bf my 11 month dd 3, and I do have to be careful not to eat loads of calories now sadly!

I didn't lose weight breastfeeding either and in fact put it on. This was mainly due to being more sedentary, you have to just sit there, and being tired and so eating for energy. Be kind to yourself.
However, walking isn't enough if you want to lose weight. It sounds like you did loads more proper exercise before the baby and that's what kept the weight off. People say running after a toddler keeps you fit, but that wasn't my experience. There were too many opportunities for cake.

It does work but not equally with all my pregnancies. My first i got too skinny whilst bf

Im a 1. With bith babies. Back to 8.5st from 10-11 within 2w.
However neither baby slept, literally. I had to hold them constantly and they fed constantly.
And yes both times i gained weight after which is i think because you get used to the extea calories. And with dc2 they contined to not sleep.

But also i think i went hyperthyroid with both for a while then hypothyroid. So now im back to being cold,tired etc.
Im surprised than im still struggling with the weight now several years later.
Partly i think if you snack because you are stressed with the baby or tired etc then you will have trouble.

Yeah for me it was utter shit. Sat around being sedentary with two babies (not at the same time) who ate well but not chubby. I am now fat.

Im sorry - but it did for me. The weight did fall off when i bf - and i fed both kids until about 2.5 years each. People's bodies are different i guess - what didn't work for you, might work for others.

I’ve never known hunger like it. I don’t know if it’s the hormones or the lack of sleep...

The 'breastfeed and the weight drops off' thing does work, but only if you're feeding twins, sorry! Best weight-loss strategy ever.

Its like liposuction

I was the same as you OP - Both babies I lost an initial stone or so & then a good 4-5 kgs once I completely stopped BF. Unfortunately I put on 20+ kgs each pregnancy so it took until DS was about 2 to lose it all and DD is 15 months so i’m Still a work in progress.

It’s hard yards the first few years so don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s bloody hard to get up for a run when you’ve been up all night to a teething baby. I know how depressing it is not to fit into your nice pre preg clothes!

Worked for me. I was back to my pre pregnancy weight by nineish months without trying.

Same here. Body only lost weight once I stopped BF and started low carbing

All my pregnancy weight and more dropped off without me cutting my calories atall. But it took about 18 months before it came off and then I carried on losing for another 6 months. And after the initial stone lost after the birth nothing else came off for another 9 months.

So my conclusion was that most people don't breastfeed for long enough to see the weight loss and you need to be patient. If you think of all the fat loss your body lays down in pregnancy with the expectation of years of breastfeeding it makes sense that it will take time to lose baby weight.

I find it so hard to control my food i take. Considering how much I eat, bf must do some good otherwise i'd be the size of a house

Absolutely rubbish. The only way breastfeeding helps is making the after pains more frequent initially which makes the womb decrease in size. After that, it’s pure nonsense.

The daily full packet of chocolate digestives I craved all the time didn't help. I lost the last half stone when I stopped bf.

I went to weightwatchers to drop the weight, they advised on intake. My treats were chocolate. SW do the same I think. To be honest I did not have a car then so walked everywhere with a pram. With the first we biked a lot as well.

It really isn't bollocks. I guess it depends on the person. I was 10 and half stone pre baby. Went up to about 12 when pregnant and am now down to 8 and a half stone through breast feeding. Definitely worked for me.

I think bf-ing does help with weight loss but I found I didn't really get back to my normal size until I started walking loads and cut right back on bread and cake.

Weight came off slowly while breastfeeding (1 kilo a month) and I think it’s because I was more hungry from lack of sleeping and producing milk. That being said, at least it all came off, although very slowly! Except the initial 13 kg drop the first week (but most have been water weight ).

I’ve breastfeed for two years and lost 3 stone but I’m more active now and did in the first year gain a stone. Not sure if it was because o bf tbh.

It worked for me. I rapidly went back down to my pre-pregnancy weight (but then I put on minimal weight in pregnancy). I eat a lot, as bfing makes me ravenous.

I lost weight more quickly after giving birth to my children who were bottle fed than I did my child who is still being breastfed. My DD has just turned 1, so I’m at the tail end of breastfeeding now. The weight has started falling off me recently, so it’s taken me a year to get to my pre pregnancy weight rather than about 3-6 months when I had my bottle fed babies.
So not true for me.