To think losing weight whilst BFing is super hard

[cymmtptysm]

Hello
I have had 2 kids in the last 2 years and I've put on 20 kg which I'm finding so difficult to shift.

I EBF my eldest for 10 months before getting pregnant with my second. DD2 is now 4.5 months and I've lost 6 kg so far. I have 14 kg more to go to get back to my pre baby weight but I'm just hungry ALL the time.

Also in order to maintain my weight, I used to go to the gym three times a week and I had a fairly healthy diet.

Now, exercise is a myth. I go on walks everyday but it isn't the same as being in the gym. I'd love to join again but I'm breastfeeding so I can't leave my baby. She refuses a bottle.

I try to keep only healthy snacks in the house (fruit, nuts, hummus) but I keep reaching for sugary things. I've even started to make my own oat bars (similar to graze ones) with minimal sugar rather than reaching for the packet ones, but my tummy never feels satisfied.

Ughhhh anyone have any tips?

3 litres of water

10,000 plus steps

High protein diet in a slight calorie deficit

My LO is 8 months, I’m exclusively bf and I’ve lost 2 stone since September just doing the above (I’m now 10 stone), no exercise really just more recently a few baby wearing work outs on YouTube which they love!

@Slowingdownagain thanks for the tips. You're right, I'm just going for quick grab things which are high in sugar. I'm going to make more of a conscious effort to eat filling meals!

Dinner is usually substantial as I cook for the whole family, but breakfast and lunch I always skimp on.

@MoltenLasagne I am much bigger now than I was after my first pregnancy, but I also have a wedding to attend in September that I want to look good for.

DH has also returned to the gym after having had the first few months off since DD2's birth and he looks so good, I want him to look at me the same way.

He's really supportive of me breastfeeding and doesn't put me down in terms of weight, but we haven't had sex in a month (partly due to cosleeping) either and I just don't feel like it cause I don't look good.

Some women do lose weight while breastfeeding though. I had no joy with weight loss when I was breastfeeding. I was so tired, broken sleep and sat down a lot. I lost weight after stopping.
Because I was so tired and in hindsight thirsty I tended to eat biscuits instead of a proper meal, snack on bars of 'energy' and eat microwave meals and takeaways. I was too knackered to exercise and eat properly and constantly in front of the tv sitting down feeding DC.
There was a time when I joined Slimming World and found my weight loss was slower than pre pregnancy. I've no scientific evidence for this and might be fooling myself and underestimating my calorific intake but I thought there was an element of my body holding on to fat and metabolism slowing down.. but then if you're sedentary then that slows down how much you burn so chicken or the egg?

I managed to lose it while BFing. I tried to eat "normally" and let the milk production be the deficit. In the early days I walked a lot and at about 4-5 months, there were enough gaps in my bottle-refusers feeds to be able to do a local fitness class for an hour. Second time round, I did C25k in the evenings when the cluster feeds settled.

I tried to eat foods with a lower glycemic index which tend to avoid sugar highs/ crashes and stimulating appetite.

Tweaking what you eat may work. It may not work. But at least it's good nutrition for you and baby.

I've found it harder as the children get older and more sweet things end up in the house.

Look at your nutrition too. BFing can really deplete your reserves. Take a good supplement and make sure you're getting enough omega 3 in your diet. It took me ages to address this stuff, but I felt loads better after I did.

Mine was an absolute milk fiend, and I lost weight quickly (within a year) without dieting (and eating when I felt hungry which was often).
But I put weight on when I stopped bf at 20 months and had to diet then.
I had a big milk oversupply (Had mastitis twice)

Breastfeeding hunger is real! I'm currently feeding 2 - 22 month old and a 12 week old. The hunger is unreal. For me it comes in waves though, like the past 3/4 days I haven't been able to satiate my hunger, 5 mins after a meal I'm looking for the next thing to eat. I wonder if that means my DD2 is having a growth spurt haha. Then it will settle down and pick back up again.

Last year the weight steadily went down with minimal effort and I was actually 11kg down on when I first got pregnant with DD1 when I found out I was pregnant with DD2 (but I was at my heaviest then (lockdown!))

I'm still 6kg heavier than when I got pregnant with DD2 but I found with my first that the bulk of the weight came off after 9 months so hoping the same will be true this time. If im still not back to pre-pregnancy by then I'll start logging my food but until then, I'm going to enjoy eating everything in sight 😂

OP buy yourself some new nice bits - you deserve it! You're doing amazing!

Sorry meant to say as the above was unhelpful - listen to your body if it’s hungry whilst bf. It’s still so close after the birth.

I had SPD in both pregnancies, plus first time round debilitating exhaustion and nausea, and I gained a lot through loss of activity, plus loss of metabolism in losing muscle mass (I initally lost weight while gaining bump, then gained 50% of my mid-pregnancy body mass in 4.5 months when my appetite came back). After the first pregnancy and the birth loss/ water retention went, I was 2st heavier than usual... with thinner legs because of loss of muscle. Gently getting that fitness and muscle mass back was important for health and metabolism, plus it helps regulating weight long term.

Pregnancy and getting through the first year probably does affect a lot of women's muscle mass and metabolic rate.

Not helpful but I am another who does very little exercise and loves my food. Both times I was breastfeeding I couldn't keep the weight on me. I was eating doughnuts by the bagful and still down at around 55/56kg without any effort. I seriously considered pumping and dumping for life but pumping didn't come naturally sadly and didn't seem as effective as my 2 hungry beast babies.

I didn't lose much weight breastfeeding my DD. She's topped BF at 12 months but I fell pregnant when she was 10 months.
My DS is 5 weeks now and I'm already back in clothes I hadn't worn for a loooong time. I still have a bit of a pregnancy tummy but it's gone down so much faster than with my DD. I haven't done anything different this time either.
The hunger is insane though, I don't remember being this hungry all the time after DD's birth.

With my first baby I ate loads during breastfeeding thinking I needed all those extra calories. I didn't lose the baby weight then became pregnant again when she was 18 months, still carrying all that weight. With my second baby I decided that I wouldn't keep eating cake just because I'm breastfeeding. I ate sensibly. I didn't diet - I know it's a bad idea to diet during breastfeeding. I did however, just eat very sensibly, avoided excess sugar, walked 10,000 steps a day. The weight fell off incredibly quickly. I do think women subconsciously think they can eat a lot more during breastfeeding and end up eating excess calories. I also think sleep deprivation makes you very hungry and craving fatty, sugary food.

I seriously considered pumping and dumping for life

😂

Interesting to read everyone else's experiences with this.

I EBF (he's had the occasional bottle of formula since I struggled to pump), although since 10mo has been on 3 meals he's shown very little interest in BF outside of bedtime.

I weigh significantly less now than I did pre-pregnancy - not by choice, but I do also have a baby who only naps in the pram. I have protein shakes every day on top of my normal food but I'm probably only maintaining my weight at best.

I am honestly looking forward to gaining weight once I am back at work. My body confidence is the lowest its been for a long time and you can tell in my face that this isn't a healthy weight for me.

I lost weight whilst breastfeeding

I'm not sure about the 'be less hard on yourself' comments. I think it's more about working out what's going to make you happiest. When you are a Mum of little kids you tend to be always thinking of other people and are not always able to do things for yourself so, for me, losing weight was the best thing I could do. It was something that I did just for me! No one else had a say at all and I was the one in control. It was a way of treating myself.

Losing weight and feeling good in myself makes me feel happy so it's worth feeling a bit hungry occasionally and missing out on some of my favourite foods.

I always diet very slowly.

I did couch to 5k with a second hand running buggy. Worth a shot for runs with the wee one?

I never managed to lose weight whilst breastfeeding. I did afterwards though.

It was actually quite handy having a lockdown baby. I walked about 15km per day during the first six months of DS1's life because there was nothing else to do.

I struggled to keep weight on while breastfeeding but I don't pat myself on the back for it. It's completely out of our control how our bodies respond to hormones and life changes.

OP, be kind to yourself.

Breastfeeding aside what you are grabbing is high sugar and carbs. I’d be hungry quickly after weetabix, honey & banana.
Look at easy protein options. 0% Greek or skyr. omelette (omelette maker) egg muffins (make in advance)

I bf both mine and the first couple of months the weight dropped off. I ate what I wanted, no restrictions. Then I plateaued and kept the last 7-10 pounds on for a year or two. It didn't bother me as I loved bf and felt I was doing the right thing.

With both my babies (toddlers really) I lost the last bit of weight by eating more salad and, tbh, with one I was stressed at the time and that will always curb my appetite.

Try not to worry about it, you'll get there.

YABU, it may be harder for some but for others, including myself it isn't. I was under 8 stone and eating loads while bf-ing dc3.
It may be worth exploring other issues - eg you've mentioned snacking (and nuts etc are very calorific), and getting some exercise in (i lugged the dc everywhere in slings and walked all the time), or some mums find it's thyroid related. Tiredness/not getting enough sleep can also make it harder to lose/keep off the weight.

I also EBF both of mine. I went back to the gym after my 6 week check, baby was in little crèche at gym, I would feed at drop off. Then crèche nurses would come and get me if needed, didn't happen often enough to be a pain, and it was so good to be starting back swimming and going in gym again. Good luck!

My weight fell off at around 8 months and 16 months of breastfeeding. Some of the hunger is tiredness driven. Do what you can by not drinking sugar in drinks and eat meals not snacks. Maybe get out of the house mid morning and afternoon so you cant reach for snacks or store too busy to think about food.