Breast feeding and your weight?

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What effect did/does breast feeding have on your weight?

5 weeks after birth i looked pretty slim in comparison to how huge i had been. But I haven't really lost much since. I can't blame it all on bf-ing tho, i think it's being at home all day & giving up smoking.

I think you'll find it varies considerably from woman to woman.

The weight dropped off me (although a lot of that i put down to stress once I went back to work when DD was six months). I was hungrier than usual and ate a LOT of cake, but was slimmer than I was pre-baby (went down to size 10 by the time DD was 15 months and I'm usually a well-padded size 12-14).

Have put most of it back on now due to stopping BF while carrying on with my cake habit though

I was starving constantly and had to (really wanted to, in other words) drink pints and pints of full-fat milk with chocolate powder in it every day. The weight still dropped off me, though (and I put on over three stone while pregnant).

I lost 2 stones through breastfeeding/ WW.
However, I have put it all back on again, and I am still BF morning/night feeds.

I lost all but half a stone quite quickly - now at 16 weeks I just can't shift anymore weight - despite curbing the cake habit. (am still bf-ing btw)

I didn't put on any extra weight while pg and I am already thin. So when I started bfing I was constantly hungry. I was eating about 6 times a day. 2 wks after giving birth, I was about 5 pounds below my normal body weight. I think though, that with the oedema I suffered I lost muscle tone during my pg. Will be interesting to see what happens after i give birth this time round.

both times I have never lost any weight until I stopped breastfeeding - or at least cut down considerably

I was reed thin when I breastfed esp ds1 who was such a voracious feeder.
But then I didn't eat any extra calories - ended up scrawny!

Well, I'm still around 14 stone and ds1 is 17 weeks, BUT I was 17.5 stone when pg. Only 11 stone before pg

I lost almost a stone at DS's birth, since then I've lost (obviously) another 2.5 stone, plus drank wine like it's going out of fashion, normally eating and drinking the way I have been I'd have put weight on so I'm assuming if I ate sensibly it would drop off.

Didn't breastfeed my first, am breastfeeding my second and the weight has dropped off much quicker. It took me 2 yrs to lose my pregnancy weight with dd1, this time at 16 weeks I have about 4 pounds still to lose and I've been eating like a pig. The weight loss has slowed considerably in the last few weeks though.

Lost almost all the baby weight by bf, final half stone or so came off when I stopped bf. I think your body keeps a bit in reserve when you're bf, iyswim.

By the time I gave up when DS was one I was slimmer than I had been before getting pg. Then I started having wine etc again, and oooops.....all fat again now.

I am a completely different body shape and weight post pregnancy and bf than pre-pregnancy

Bf dd2 for 16m. Pre-dd1 I was a 36DD and size 14-16

Am now 36C and size 10-12

Not sure how much this has to do with BF though, probably more the complete change in lifestyle since having kids (was a slob pre-dc!)

I put on 4.5 stone during pg and lost 2 stone within 6 weeks. Then I stalled until I had a week of BF at 18 weeks and dropped half a stone during that WEEK! Back on the BF now and trying v hard to be good and go to gym...must not eat cake.

I lost all the obvious baby weight in a couple of weeks probably a stone and bit i put this done to breastfeeding.

I eat hella lot more now and am not putting on weight but am still 1/2 stone to a stone heavier than my pre prg size. Before falling pregnant i was always on diet besides the fact that i was really slim. I now get to eat lots and i'm not HUGE because of it!
Don't think i will loose the last little bit untill i walk more and eat less.

I put on about a stone when pg with DS, and was a bit overweight beforehand. I lost the extra weight pretty much straightaway and ended up about 10st rather than about 11st (my usual weight) when he was a year old. I stopped bf completely at around 23 months and am now pg again.

I felt RAVENOUS when feeding him exclusively, was constantly eating. But was also walking miles a day as he was an 'only sleep on the move' kinda baby. My life is much more active now which I think has helped with the weight more than anything. BF kick-started the weight loss tho...

DOWN not done whats wrong with me today......

Stella - am so with you!

I think the problem is often that although you use lots more calories while bf you also tend to be ravenously hungry. I didn't really shift any weight while bf DD1, it was 11 months later and once I'd stopped bf that I joined WW and lost my baby weight. When BF DD2 I decided to try WW pretty well straight away. You are allowed loads of extra points and I tried to keep below the limit if possible. The weight just dropped off and I was back to pre - pg weight by 12 weeks. So from my experience, yes, you can lose lots of weight v quickly while bf, but only if you control what you eat.

didnt breastfeed first kept weight on and found it very hard to lose it (greedy piglet and chinese lover im afraid.....) 2nd time I have breastfed, weight has come off very quickly, I am below pre-pregnant weight 5ft9 and 11 stone, back in my bmi range..... I eat cereal for breaky, sandwichs for din and a normal helathy tea, in between i have no more than 2 packets of crisps and an extra bowl of cereal if needed!!

weight is still slowly but steadily coming off, will be interesting to see how things pan out!!

Just back inside "normal" BMI according to the Wii Fit!! BF DD3 for 7 mths now, am 3lb lighter than before pregnancy (though was overweight anyway) - started 11st 6lb, now 11st 3lb - am 5' 6". Only worry is what will happen when I stop - I obviously can't eat as much as I do now? And I intend to stop soon as top teeth are coming through and I'm a coward...

At 18 weeks breastfeeding, I'm 1/2 stone more than I was pre-pregnancy - my body will hang onto that as emergency fat reserves until I stop breastfeeding.