breastfeeding and weight loss

[Rachog]

I am breast feeding ds who is 16 weeks old and my weight is coming down. Well that's great but so far I have lost 27lb and now I weigh 8st 11 I don't want to lose much more.

Does the weight loss tail off when solids are introduced? What sort of stuff do you reccommend to maintain weight ?

I eat a lot of crap at the moment which obviously isn't ideal so I don't really want to eat any more pastries chocolate or sweets than I have been.

For me - the weight kept slipping off. It was only a stone from pre-preg weight, but i got down to 7.5, and felt weak and horrible. I cut down on feeds as no matter how much i ate it wasn't helping. This was when my ds was 13 months though, and obv. you won't be able to replace with solids, so can't do this really right now.

I would reccommend eating 4 proper meals a day: with protein, lots of carbs and fruit and veg. With each meal have dessert. For breakfast for eg i will eat a bacon sarnie then a cake with a cup of tea. Lunch is pasta bake with tuna and veg and big salad with chocolate cake and custard. Snacks will be sandwiches, or pizzas with biscuits after. Drinks are hot choc with full fat milk. Dinner loads of stews with mash - i add dairy to everything.

Now i have cut down on breastfeeds i can eat like a normal person again.

So all i can say is try to enjoy doing something most people could only ever dream of - eating whatever you want whenever you want.

Sorry, i realise that isn't that helpful, but it got to the point where my family were pressuring
Me to give up breastfeeding and eating like this appeased them and made me happy for a bit...!

If you are losing weight that you don't want to then you'll have to up your calories going in. Wholemeal/complex carbohydrates (brown bread, pasta, rice) and potatoes (esp sweet potatoes) are a sensible way of doing this. Otherwise, larger portions of whatever your preferred meals are. Maybe drinking milk or fruit juice rather than dilute or diet drinks which have no or few calories.

Your calorie requirements should gradually reduce when your baby takes less milk (unless you are suddenly doing lots more exercise chasing after a newly mobile baby!). This isn't necessarily going to be as soon as he starts trying out solid foods (which are just for fun at first) but overtime as solids replace milk in his diet.

Maybe try and sit down with a slice of toast/sandwich when you breastfeed between meals, try it spread with jam or marmalade or another favourite topping. Have some snack packs of nuts and seeds to hand (high calorie but nutrious). There's also nothing wrong with having full fat milk/spread/cheese/dairy as long unless you haven't been advised to reduce your cholestrol.

Basically, forget the low fat, low carb diet advice that's so popular with people trying to lose weight and think about the kind of healthy but filling foods that are advised for weaning your baby onto (plus you can have nuts and sweeter things if you'd like).

unless you have been advised to reduce your cholesterol.*

Thanks for the advice!

I have spent so much of my adult life trying to loose weight that I haven't the first clue about how to maintain in a healthy way.

I can spare a couple more pounds yet (am only 5ft 2) but I will gradually increase what I am eating. More toast sounds good, especially now I can have it with real butter these days!

I had this problem with DD - was a stone and a half under my (healthy, normal BMI) pre-pregnancy weight by the end of breastfeeding - I looked really haggard - and hadn't really felt 'hungrier' through the whole process. You'll need some trial and error, but your best bet is probably to increase your healthy fats. More lard (which believe it or not is much healthier than butter and has the same fats as olive oil and chocolate), more oily fish, more mayonnaise.

ooh mayonasie I can do, love the full fat stuff but always use lighter than light :(

We worked out if I feed until 1 which was my intention but continue to lose weight at this pace I will only weigh 4st 11 at the end!

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I have taken all suggestions on board.