Not PC to talk about weightloss while BF but please god help me shift it!?

[monkeybird]

OK, I've read all the posts people get when they ask about losing weight while BF and agree fully that I'm supposed to sit here looking beatific and proud of my curves (for which read blubber, now saggy and wrinkled and hanging round my knees after no.3 ) while smiling on the glowing cheeks of my 3 beautiful cherubs...

...but FGS this is my last chance to shift it since I'm also 40 (double ) and keep thinking if I don't I'll have to up my life insurance and my savings since I'll be on a pension when the youngest gets to university and I can't be popping off too soon can I?

And yes, yes I know its all my own fault for being all too familiar with midnight M&M's to get me through the feeds but didn't someone say the hormones make you hungrier?

So please someone let me know what the magic bullet is for those of us who don't have the 'oh it just melted of me when I was feeding gene' (double too)...

I'm trying to exercise, honest, well at least walking to nursery and school and back most days.

Anyone managed to deal with their raging appetite and still feed well?

I know it's not quite the same as m&ms but have lots of fruit handy to snack on or chop up carrot and cucumber sticks and keep in the fridge.

i have never really had much of an extra appetite due to bf which is good. but don't think i have used any extra calories which is very bad.

have come to dismal conclusion that the only way to get thinner is to eat less. exercise is good but not essential. (i do a fair bit though)

MB - I'm afraid I am a member of your club. RAGING appetite all the time when BF. I feel I am the only person in the whole world that gets fat BF when everyone else says it helps you lose weight cos you burn up extra calories. You might use extra, but my intake has gone through the roof which more than offsets it.

No particular magic bullet I'm afraid so far. I'm afraid, I can't seem to eat less - really bad will power. The only thing I found was helped was exercise. But that more difficult when you have more than one kid . I am hoping that once I stop, I can up the exercise a lot more and it will come off. Here's hoping.

Weightwatchers allow 10 extra points for exclusively bf, and 6 if baby is being weaned. Definitely worked for me but I was at how much I must have been consuming before that!

I too had the raging appetite - used to eat dh under the table he actually gave up trying to keep up with me (he usually eats far more than me!)

I think the key is probably to have lots of healthier/lower calorie snacks/tasty things around to munch on & not by M&Ms! Can you make some healthy sandwiches up so they are there ready when hunger attacks. I think I was really into fruit. I also used to have left over dinner for lunch the next day - so something wholesome and filling but relatively low calorie.

Think I went through a bowl of cereal stage too?

I do think I ate constantly though, well was constantly ravenous, I just HAD to eat.

not BUY M&Ms, chocolates, crips etc etc

I'm bfeeding at 17 months, eat like a pig and everyone tells me I'm too thin...

I guess WW give you 10 extra points... not 10 extra bars of chocolate. Shame that...

I was the same, but it was the fact that I stayed in too much and didn't take the time to care for myself.

So remember to eat PROPERLY and not snack.

I hope you're able to get the weight off.

10 points = 3 Ripple bars.

you could be me speaking 4 years ago!
I never shed the weight with magic breastfeeding. I had to think very carefully back to how much I really was eating when I weighed several stone less, aged 20.

The results were somewhat surprising to me...
my typical lunch aged 20, weight 10,5 stone: 2 bits of toast and a portion of sweetcorn.
my typical lunch post 3 children, aged 36, weight 13 stone: 2 rounds of sandwiches with chicken and mayonnaise, 4 chocolate doughnuts.

ahem. it wasnt rocket science to figure out how to get the weight off.

I'm bf a 10-week old. I stepped on the scales when he was 5 weeks, and felt lousy about how much I weighed and how I looked, so I bit the bullet and joined WW online. I've never done a diet before. Since then, I've lost a stone (5lbs first week and 2lbs every other week). It's ok when bf as they give you 10 extra points, and advise you to have more portions of fruit, calcium and healthy oils. I'm really chuffed with my weight loss so far, and although I've come off the rails a couple of times (DS2's baptism party, DS1's birthday party), I've gone straight back on again at the next meal.

I could only really do an online scheme like this, as I'm fairly inflexible with a newborn and a toddler, and also I don't think I could stand going to meetings and having a weekly weigh-in and motivational talk - Urrgghh.

I deal with the raging appetite by having fruit or vegetables, low-fat yoghurt or bread, most of the time. Sometimes I have cake, but that's all part of the daily points allowance and it's ok. The discipline of recording what I eat and paying attention to my portion sizes is the thing that's making a difference. Good luck to you with getting rid of the babytyre!

How long have you been bf for? I found I didn't really start losing weight till 4 to 5 months in... I carried on till she was nearly 2 and was practically a beanpole by then, still eating 4 meals a day.
I really really wouldn't worry about it, give yourself a break until your baby is older. Dieting and exercise is tough enough without a small child to attend to and hey you have the rest of your life to get trim, and only a few short months of bf.

I put on 3 stone with DD (I was only 8 stone to start off with!). She was 9lb 1oz and I lost 2 stone in two weeks as I think that was mainly her and all the bits. The I didn't lose a pound until about 4 months, most came off when I started weaning and she took less milk at 6 months - literally half a stone fell off over night. Then again about 9/10 months she starting taking less milk and the rest fell off. Now one year later I'm pre-pregnancy weight and I can eat what I like - BFing is great. Actually I'm getting too thin . I have never dieted and haven't done much exercise DD hates the pushchair and has done since day one so never do lots of long walks.

Some people say they don't lose weight until they stop breastfeeding, although most of them do stop before 6 months so don't get the benefits of weight loss.

The body is hanging onto fat stores until it knows that baby will survive with other foods.

Thanks for all your support and suggestions. I know getting rid of the m&ms is a nobrainer and this is baby no.3 and put on weight with the others and only lost it after a few months - well, only after baby no.1 - was too knackered with two to think about it. I think Tapster you're probably right - maybe some of us just have a predisposition to holding on to it for obvious biological reasons I guess.

I might try WW online - last time I did WW (meetings) they wouldn't let BF women under 6 months join so it seems to have changed.

I know I shouldn't worry about it too much but I am 40 (argh!) and do have lots of stones to lose (one to get to prepreg weight but really another 3 after that!). I suppose I was hoping the BF would give me a boost and make it easier but I must face facts: willpower has to kick in at some point!

I've read various things about nutritional content of milk staying the same even if you cut the calories - is this true? Does anyone have a link to more info on this?

Thanks!