To ask - am I likely to lose more weight when I stop breastfeeding?

[Monkeynuts18]

Put on 3 stone whilst pregnant. Lost 2.5 stone easily in the first 10 weeks (9lb baby) but baby is now 6 months old and despite a fairly healthy diet and lots of exercise I’m holding on to the remaining 7 or 8 lbs. I just can’t Seem to shift it.

I’m still BFing, a lot. I’ve read loads about how BFing helps shift the pounds but a friend said to me the other day that she had the exact same problem, but that she shifted the remaining weight pretty quickly once she stopped breastfeeding.

Has anyone else had the same experience? She’s given me hope and was wondering if the same might happen for me!

It took me until a year or so to get back to pre-pregnancy weight. I then carried on with my one morning and one night feed until 2, maintaining this lower weight relatively easily.

Since stopping breastfeeding (and hitting 30) the weight unfortunately piled back on rather rapidly and is proving to be rather hard to shift.

It does take quite a while for your body to recover from birth, so I'd be wary about stopping breastfeeding out of a wish to lose weight if you'd rather continue for other reasons. If you want to stop breastfeeding because you've had enough, that's an absolutely fine reason by itself.

I couldn’t keep weight on me while feeding. I have put weight on since stopping but it was weight I needed.

There's probably a lot of other factors in play such as the change in lifestyle, sleepless nights and getting used to being a new mum! Your body has been through a massive upheaval and it can take a while longer for things to settle down. 2.5 stone is plenty and I expect as time goes on the rest will come off. I doubt stopping breastfeeding will make that much of a difference. How are you getting along with breastfeeding generally? If it's all going well then giving it up seems like a big change to make just for the sake of 7 pounds.

You say you have a healthy diet but have you cut down on what you eat?

My own personal experience was I didn't breastfeed for that long (was on mixed feeding by 4 months) but I don't recall losing all the weight until around a year in. Also, don't forget your body might have changed in a way that means you won't be your pre-pregnancy shape. My hips got wider and chest bigger and that's never changed from pre-pregnancy no matter what weight I am.

You might also want to consider what weight you were for your height before you got pregnant - were you underweight at all? I was and since becoming a mum I've been of normal weight for my height and build.

I couldn’t lose weight while breastfeeding. I think it was because I found it so exhausting I wasn’t eating well. Once I stopped I was less tired and fuzzy headed and managed to focus on eating better. In my experience people who were slim before pregnancy lost weight easily and those who struggled with weight didn’t. In the sample of people I have met anyway.

I didn't lose any weight at all while I was breastfeeding but as soon as I stopped the weight fell off me.

The weight fell off me when I stopped breastfeeding each time. I bf for a year each DC. A few weeks after I stopped breastfeeding, my shape changed. I think all the stuff about how breastfeeding helps you lose weight is only true for some people. My body clung to fat while I was feeding.

I’m not back to the way I looked before, mind! (Never will be - unless I work incredibly hard!)

I didn't lose the last few pounds (and rib cage/hips got a bit narrower too) until I stopped breastfeeding my DC, who was a toddler by then. Apparently in some people breastfeeding can lower their metabolism, making it hard to shift all the baby weight.

No, I gained some weight back after I stopped BF'ing.

For me personally- no. When I stopped feeding my two year old I gained. Was still slim but a bit less so.

I gained loads as was eating my calories for breastfeeding still but not burning them. Took me 8 months and only just starting to lose it as I just couldn't control my hunger!

I think it depends, personally I lose zero weight when breastfeeding (like zero, even when eating really healthily and going to exercise classes). Then when I stop I lose a few lbs, then it's easier to lose the rest.

I think it depends on how much prolactin your body produces, as prolactin is a hormone that works against weight loss. I produce a lot of milk, so I'm lucky I've never had supply problems (more oversupply), but I think that probably means my prolactin levels are higher which is why I don't lose weight.

Women who find breastfeeding keeps their weight down may have lower prolactin levels, but this is just a guess.

But yes, OP, I imagine breastfeeding is preventing you from losing weight.

I feel like a fat frump at the moment, as I'm two stone overweight and breastfeeding my newborn, but I know from previous pregnancies I'm not going to be able to lose it until I stop breastfeeding. All I can do is the groundwork in hopefully getting into a better lifestyle in the meantime.

You don’t need a lot more calories to breastfeed, I think it is the equivalent to an extra toast or similar.
I seem to retain a lot of fat and storage when feeding and I certainly don’t lose weight with it. I have done a total of three years so far between 2 children.
My breasts are always huge as well whilst feeding so I look double.
It probably depends on the person and of course these first years are tough and I can rarely exercise so it is a combination of factors for me

I found it dodnt make s difference. With one baby I lost loads of weight breastfeeding and was lighter than before pregnancy. With the other I found I was half a stone more and I was looking forward to it going off after I stopped feeding but instead i found it harder to shift the weight. I think I'd go used to the increased portion sizes that went with breastfeeding, plus a really bad sleeper meant I didnt have as much willpower

I gained a stone back when I stopped bf after two years, but I think that was more due to not giving up my daily cupcake habit which started when DD was born and no longer burning off the excess by breastfeeding. I was underweight when I got pregnant so not aiming for that weight, but it is proving difficult to get back below 9st despite an active job and healthier diet.

Hard to say really. I dropped all the weight within a month or so breastfeeding my first, then gained a bit when I stopped.

With my second my weight didn't shift AT ALL, not one pound, during breastfeeding. But when I stopped, then the weight started agreeing to shift.

Each body is different. I can tell you though that you'll find it easier to drop the weight once you get uninterrupted sleep back again. Disturbed sleep will not help weight loss efforts.

It did for me think the exhaustion of feeding though the night and sitting feeding for long periods during the day and night and being constantly hungry. As soon as I stopped and DD started sleeping through the night it fell off me think I lost a stone . Still got a bit to go.

I'm currently maintaining my pre pregnancy weight, but that's still at least 4 stone overweight. For me, I pile the pounds on whilst breastfeeding usually... put 2.5 stone on with DS. Unfortunately I can't tell you if I lost it as I got pregnant whilst still feeding DS (wasnt used as a contraception, just decided to ttc) and now have DD. Hopefully I'll lose the weight though as I don't plan on feeding her as long as the she's pretty chunky and my milk has been described as cream rather than milk so she may be better coming off my supply...

It all depends on the individual. Breastfeeding, sleep, diet, exercise, hormones, luck... 7-8 lb isn't much as long as you aren't gaining, so just wait and see, then you can exercise that off fairly swiftly if not.

I'm still bf my 2 year old, so can't comment on weight loss after stopping bf.
However, at 6 months, when he started eating food, my weight dropped.
So simple reducing feeds (which will happen naturally at that age) presumably helped me lose weight. The rest came off when my son started running around, so I wouldn't worry about your weight gain just yet.

If it's all going well then giving it up seems like a big change to make just for the sake of 7 pounds.

No sorry I was unclear, I’m not considering stopping breastfeeding just to lose 7lbs! I was just wondering if I could look forward to losing the extra pounds when I do stop

I agree with the pp thread, it depends how your body reacts to the breastfeeding feeding hormones and how high your levels are.
Some people's bodies will store more fat for breastfeeding, those reserves will deplete when you stop bf. Did for me.

However, as mentioned it's obviously not great to stop bf early to lose weight or to put mother's off breastfeeding entirely. I asked my health visitor your question and she told me not to be silly.

I was really lucky while pregnant as although I obvs gained baby weight, I lost loads of body fat and by the time I gave birth i was the same weight I was when I fell pregnant. I BF baby for 6 months and went on to lose a further half a stone....happy days!!....until i stopped BF then it gradually crept back on..up and up ☹...within 2 to 3 years I'd gained 3 stone....14 years on, I'm still trying to shift it 😩

she's pretty chunky and my milk has been described as cream rather than milk hmm so she may be better coming off my supply...

Please ignore whatever idiot told you this, you are doing the best thing by breastfeeding your child. It is formula fed babies that are statistically more likely to be overweight (not to start that debate, but this is a fact).