To give up breastfeeding as I can't lose weight

[mustardmustard]

Baby is 11 weeks old and I have been breastfeeding, I originally wanted to BF until baby turned 6 months but I feel like my body is retaining all my fat and not letting me lose any weight whilst I BF. I am 2 and a half stone overweight and despite healthy eating and exercise (walking) the scales will not go down, only up if I have the odd day where I have some biscuits or chocolate.
Has anyone else experienced this? I keep hearing that people who BF lose all their pregnancy weight really quickly, this couldn't be further from the truth for me

I found this until 6m then with weaning it was like my body knew I wasn't the sole source of calories any more and the weight came off. Can you give it a little longer?

Social media depicts celebrities apparently bouncing back to slim toned bodies rapidly but the reality is that achieving that often requires you basically having someone else expensive nanny on hand 24/7 to care for the baby while you exercise, get enough sleep to ensure you dont binge eat out of exhaustion etc.

Well they also say breastfeeding makes periods stop, I’ve had 4 children and they’ve returned each time at 8 weeks, every single time! I felt cheated, I’m obviously very unlucky, and I ebf never gave a drop of formula, no dummies co slept the lot! So yeh a lot of it isn’t true 🤷‍♀️

I bf 3 children never found it helped me lose weight, think as all feeding responsibility on me was tired so much ate also I needed to keep sugars up and hard deal with tiredness ect when hungry.
I believe it is normal it feel unusual in your body after baby do you exercise? Could you set goals around walk s ( distance, time...) reaching these will make you feel more positive and may help with weight.
10 years on I am one those who like the quote 'i wish I was as fat now as I was when I thought I wish I could lose baby weight'
Take care

Healthy post natal weight loss takes time.

Yep, same for me too. I breastfed my DD until she was around 15 months and by the time she was 2.5 I’d lost 7 stone. I struggled to lose any weight breastfeeding at all so always roll my eyes when I see a benefit being weight loss, it’s not for everyone! I’m currently breastfeeding my 9 month old and I’ve stuck at the same weight for about 4 months, nothing is shifting.

I've been thinking exactly the same. My DC2 is 5 months and I'm really struggling with my weight. Unlike you, I'm eating loads of crap so I know why I'm fat, but I just can't seem to stop. I've never had that problem when not breastfeeding, I'm hoping the cravings stop when I do stop feeding.

I rejoined slimming world about 12 weeks after dd2 was born. Lost 1.5 stone by the time she was 5 months. I was also dairy free because she had a milk intolerance so that might have helped though.
On my own it wouldn't shift but I always find if I tell someone I'm trying to lose weight I can stick to it better.

Breastfeed not only made me retain weight, I put even more on and couldn't shift that. I persevered with BF but by the time I fell pregnant with my second, I was technically obese and the heaviest I've ever been. I had 6 months off between stopping BF one and starting with the next, and the weight melted away during that pregnancy. I actually think I ended up losing more than I put on. Put on more again BF number 2, and had even more difficulty losing it even when I stopped - however in this case I think it had much more to do with the Depo (that was a nightmare I'll never repeat).

Ultimately it's your body and if you 'want it back' you are perfectly entitled to it. I figured after putting so much weight on and not ever being less than a size 12 beforehand, I really didn't care (until I needed a size 18, that was a bit of a shit day). Women get a lot of choices taken away when having kids, nothing wrong with taking some back.

@Happycat1212
Same here! 5 children, periods always returned around the 9 week mark.
I knew friends who also exclusively breastfed who didn't have a period for the full 6 months but not me.

@Happycat1212 and @Sh05
Same here!! My period started last week! Was gutted!

@Sh05 Was slimming world easy to stick to whilst BF'ing? We're you allowed extra syns or healthy extras??

Another one who couldn't lose weight when BF. Literally fell off when I stopped. I'd still hold on OP it will come off eventually. I know it's frustrating but worth it.

Breastfeeding ( well, mostly pumping) for my 3 MTH old. I lost all my pregnancy weight & then some after 2 months. It was quite rapid & actually started to worry me.

In contrast with my first baby, it took me months to lose the weight, she was mostly bottle-feed.

I’ve heard of people not getting them for 2 years 🤦‍♀️ I actually got mine SO immediately that I have 2 children born almost exactly one year apart (2 days out) 😕 as I read that it was very unlikely that you would get pregnant if you are breastfeeding, they really should stop saying these things like it’s a given!

I swear my boobs alone were an extra stone while bf

I think your baby comes before your weight.
If BF going well do you really want to cause them distress with stopping over vanity?

I’m exactly the same. Ds Is four months & I haven’t lost a pound since the initial weight loss when he was born.

I gained 19kg and lost 11kg straight away. I’ve put a couple on with the junk I’m eating, so have about 10kg to lose.

I’m permanently starving though. I’ve worked out I’m eating about 2500 calories per day & burning about the same (excluding the breastfeeding).

I’m dreading having to see people, particularly friends who have had babies after me, and who aren’t breastfeeding, so have been able to leave their babies with family so they can have time to exercise etc. We have no one nearby, so I’m limited to pram walks & the odd yoga class if he stays asleep!

Oh me too to the weight gain when breast feeding. It's so unfair isn't it. I second whoever said that how you feel about stopping or continuing to breastfeed should be the main consideration. Also, one of the side effects of sleep deprivation is increased appetite. I was like an eating machine though.
Might be worth doing a Google for the symptoms of an underactive thyroid. I got diagnosed when DS was 18 months old and had been putting exhaustion, low mood etc down to being a new mum. Apparently pregnancy and birth can be a trigger. I feel loads better now I'm medicated. Still a fatty bum bum though, but that's down to cake and wine.

With DD I breastfed to 13m and then finally the last of the weight came off. With DS I'm still going, coming up on 13m now. Like other PP it came off in chunks but I still have the last bit left and will worry about that when he's fully weaned.
Interestingly I had to go dairy, egg and soy free at one point for suspected allergies and the weight really did just melt away. I was eating loads and definitely getting the calories in but it forced me to cut the processed food out and the difference was mind blowing. Fortunately for DS there are no food related allergies. Unfortunately for me I can now eat whatever I want!

It’s no to both IMO @Bluntness100 two sides of the very same coin, I highlighted that because it was the whole point of the OPs post.. the weight.

I've had the same , as soon as I stopped the weight came off within 6 weeks.

Wow absolutely buzzing to loose a stone instantly when DS stops feeding

[quote littlepattilou]@mustardmustard

Weird. The weight fell off me after I had had DD. I breastfed her up to 5-6 months old, and by the time I stopped, I was half a stone lighter than I was before I was pregnant!

I was sure breastfeeding your baby helped you lose weight, not gain it.

Maybe it's not the same for everyone though.[/quote]
Same here! I lost the baby weight so quickly and thought it was because I breastfed. I was lighter than every after about 6 months.

@mustardmustard yes I found it easy to stick to and there's additional portions of healthy extras A& B depending on the age of baby iirc. Once you start weaning and reducing feeds then you drop the extras.

How much are you eating? And are you doing any supplementation with formula. If you supplement at all that might be why you aren’t losing.

I was eating 2400 calories per day the first 5.5 months and still managed to lose all the pregnancy weight. But I did regain a bit after weaning. He’s 16 mo now and I’ve started to lose weight again because I’m watching what I eat. Not dieting but not snacking and making sure 50% of my plate is veg. I try to go for regular walks too

Overall though I’m definitely lighter than during pregnancy.

To be fair to the midwives, even after baby number 5 they did remind me that the myth about not falling pregnant whilst breastfeeding was just that, a myth. They'd seen too many babies born 11 months after sibling number 1!
With ds1 and dd2 I was feeding every hour throughout the day and night because they were low weight at birth so hardly fed before dropping off on the breast, none of mine had a drop of formula and no dummies either but the dratted period always returned like clockwork.