To think it’s impossible to lose weight whilst breastfeeding?

[Latinorapida]

Everyone said that when you breastfeed the weight just falls off you. I’ve even heard some women say that they struggled to keep the weight on whilst breastfeeding. My baby is 10 months old now. I’m watching what I eat and go on a run 4 times a week. Pre baby even if I didn’t watch what I ate but was doing intense cardio a few times a week the weight would just fall off. This time I’m watching what I eat and doing cardio and the weight just will not budge. Anyone else had this? I was 65kg pre baby and Im currently 70kg - tired of everything feeling tight!!

I read online that for some women who are breastfeeding their body holds onto a certain amount of fat for ‘back up’ until they stop nursing.

I don’t want to give up breastfeeding but this is getting me down grrr

I lost some baby weight while breastfeeding but held on to an extra stone that I just couldn't shift. Fed DS until he was 18 months old, stopped, lost a stone in about 6 weeks without changing anything.

I think it's just one of those things that your body either sheds weight or holds on to it, but I'm sure you'll lose it once you stop feeding. Don't rush to finish feeding if you don't want to - you've got all the time in the world to lose weight, but can only feed baby for a limited time.

Yes I'm finding it hard to lose weight! After DC2 was born in November I dropped loads in the first month and then it crept back up again. Something about a baby on my boob makes me want to scoff a pack of shortbread biscuits.

In the last 6 weeks I have cut out so much junk food and lost 11lb but it has plateaued for the last fortnight.

With my DS I naturally lost weight when he was about a year old and he was mostly weaned.

My weight recalibrated once my periods came back around 15 months post partum with each baby.

I calorie counted while breastfeeding and barely shifted a pound - once I stopped, I lost weight so fast I was the lightest I've ever been as an adult, and looked positively skinny and gaunt, so had to consciously put weight back on (not a challenge!!)

@FakeFruitShoot

My weight recalibrated once my periods came back around 15 months post partum with each baby.

That's a point, natural weight loss did seem to coincide with the return of my period.

Same OP, I’m being so healthy and eating 1500 of good whole food a day and walking loads and not a pound gone. Was the same with my last two. First the weight melted off as I was young but I expect to hold on to this until I stop, which might be in a year’s time if he feeds as long as the others. So hard not to just eat cake and think sod it.

That’s been my experience too OP. A stubborn stone that wouldn’t shift no matter how far I walked and how healthily I ate.

It fell off in around 6-8 weeks when I stopped.

I held on to about a stone when BFing. Nothing I did diet/exercise wise would shift it. When I stopped it melted off, zero effort. If only all weight loss was so easy. 😆

Nope the weight dropped off me despite scoffing cake constantly, but when I stopped BF I piled it on so swings and roundabouts!!

I have heard of this. Personally the weight fell off me, I felt all smug in my size 8 everything a few weeks post partum and as soon as we weaned properly the chub found my smug arse again [grin

Yes this was true for me and I breastfed twins! I didn't gain any (fat) weight while pregnant, then gained weight while breastfeeding and lost it easily as soon as I stopped.

In my experience it was gradual. It did all come off, but I breast fed for 3 years. I didn’t diet and only exercise was walking everywhere.

Depends on the woman, and on the pregnancy, in my experience.

With my DS I didn't watch what I ate at all and I'd lost all the baby weight by about 4 months. However I then carried on eating the same way once DS on started solids and formula and cut down on breastfeeding (lockdown didn't help with healthy diet and exercise either), and I promptly gained the weight back and then some.

My best friend was the same as me first time round but with her second she found the weight stayed on much more stubbornly, even while exclusively breastfeeding.

It was true for me. My body just clung to the extra pounds. It came off after I stopped though.

I 100% couldn't lose the baby weight while bf. I tried again after I stopped and managed to lose it no problem.

At first I lost a ton of weight (first 3/4 months?) but then the increased hunger got to me and I put weight on, which I lost when I stopped.

This could be my post @Latinorapida ! (Minus the 4x weekly exercise!)
Struggling to lose even a couple of lbs while breastfeeding and it's very stressful!

I was at my thinnest when breastfeeding with both DCs, despite eating very well (and I was HUNGRY!), but many of my friends found that they did not lose weight whilst breastfeeding.

First baby + slimming world = 2 1/2 stone down in about 6 months

Second baby + range of diet options = disaster.

Totally different for me this time around, feeding for a lot longer, but just cannot shift the weight at all.

It was so easy after my first that I didn’t care what I ate during my second pregnancy, cause I knew it would just fall off with feeding and SW. I was an idiot and am now 3 stone over my pre-baby weight, 4 st off my ideal weight.

I very much feel your pain.

It was possible for me. I actively dieted (no exercise but tried to get out for a daily walk) when baby was about 4 months old, allowing extra calories for breastfeeding. Basically I just cut out cake and biscuits and was careful when using oils and butter. 4 months in I've lost around 12kg. Unfortunately it's all about the diet control in my experience (I really love cake, chocolate and biscuits but they all just had to go). I still snack but go for healthier snacks in small quantities and dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

Having the same problem!! My baby is only 3 months but I'm almost 2 stone heavier than pre pregnancy.
I haven't been doing much to help it along just yet but I'm not holding my breath that I'll be able to shift any of it while bf.

I bfed DD until 5.5 months & I couldn't lose any weight until after I'd stopped. And I'd put on an appalling amount while pregnant. Up from a size 6-8 to a size 18. It was so depressing. I was constantly too hot & there was no prospect of any of my clothes fitting anytime soon. I lost over 4 stone in 2 years after I stopped but never got back to my original weight.

I do think women go one of two ways - they either lose it easily, with extended breastfeeding leaving them struggling to keep enough weight on, or they can't lose a single pound until after they stop.

Breastfed exclusively for a year with a very hungry, active, non sleeping baby, never excercise and obviously didn't drink but was tiny, painful thin, massive now though 🤣

With both of mine I didn’t really lose weight while bf, but then it fell off as soon as I stopped. Especially with my first.

I agree with you that the body seems to hold on to some “reserves” just in case.