Breastfeeding and weight

[FTMaz]

Hi
when I got pregnant I was 9st 4lbs, very active, ate well etc. I went up to 12s 8 when pregnant (yikes 🥴) I am 15 weeks PP and now weigh bang on 10 stone. However I am finding it really tricky to shift anymore weight. I am not someone who doesn’t understand nutrition ie calories in calories out, I am exercising and walking every day.

my baby is EBF, I know people say BF helps you loose weight but could it actually be the opposite? Interested to hear from others how BF affected weight, I’m finding I have fat stores in my stomach and my back which are places that were quite lean pre pregnancy as I’m more bottom heavy…or is this just the reality of a body after pregnancy? Feeling pretty rubbish so any words of wisdom greatly appreciated! X

Congratulations on your little one and well done establishing bf.
It is quite common not to lose weight while feeding as your body holds onto fat stores as you are feeding baby and burning excess energy compared to normal.
I didn't lose the last of my pregnancy weight until I had stopped feeding and then it came off quite quickly. I was always jealous of friends who dropped weight easily bf and could eat all they wanted, as I was the opposite!

I definitely had the same. Once I stopped breastfeeding I did lose the rest of the baby weight. I read that the body needs fat cells to make the milk, so it makes sense.

Hi
thank you! And thank you for the reply. I have a couple of friends who have recently had babies too and they aren’t BF, their weight seems to have done down much quicker than mine. I don’t think it helps that my boobs are enormous too so just feeling very unlike myself. Hopefully I will be like you then and manage to shift it when I stop feeding 😀

I was told to look at it that it took you 40 weeks to put the weight on, don't be surprised if it takes that long to go, bf or not. Mind I'm still carrying some of mine now and dc is a teenager

I am one of those who loses weight relatively easily whilst BF, but it still hangs on stubbornly around my stomach, which was slim pre pregnancy like yours. I'm hoping this stomach fat storage is related to lower oestrogen whilst BF and it will go once I stop. It's annoying isn't it!

Hi,
yea it is because I’ve never really liked my legs and lower body but I got away with it because if I was going out I’d just eat like wide leg trousers with a tight top or a fitted dress but now I hate everything 😂😂

I've 3 children and my body held onto weight until I stopped breastfeeding, with all 3. Each time I quit, half a stone just fell off. I normally had slowly dieted off everything but those last few pounds and stopping breastfeeding just meant the last few lbs came off.

I actually put on weight when I was breastfeeding because it made me feel ravenous . I remember devouring ten slices of toast at one sitting
I stopped breastfeeding when my dd was six months and the weight dropped off

I was pretty much the exact same weight as you before pregnancy and during. I'm now 18 m PP and it took until I went back to work at 10 months to loose all the weight. I believed that breast feeding makes you store fat, as soon as I stopped breast feeding as much it fell off me and I'm actually lighter now that I was before.

Thanks for the replies all, it’s looking pretty positive then that I’ll be able to shift it when I drop BF. I don’t mind that as at least I know why it’s not going!

Hi!

I EBF for 3.5 months and found I gained weight due to ridiculous appetite it gave me! I stopped breastfeeding completely around 6 weeks ago and STILL waiting for around 10lbs to drop despite working out 5 times a week and clued up on diet, it honestly driving me crazy as the weight is just not budging! I’ve always been very active pre and during preg so I found it quite easy to lose weight if I wanted to. I also have excess fat on my stomach and back which wasn’t a thing before pregnancy! My period returned for the first time two days ago so I guess it’s a sign body is getting back to normality.

fingers crossed the weight starts to drop off soon else I genuinely couldn’t do anymore unless I start eating dust!!

im also 18 weeks PP so on very similar journey!!

Exactly the same for me! I thought I
was doing something wrong because the weight isn’t shifting but my doctor said not to worry, it’s because I’m breastfeeding, which was a revelation because everyone told me the weight would just evaporate while breastfeeding.