Breast feeding and your weight?

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

Was back in my skinny-day jeans at 9 weeks which was considerably better than friends who didn't bf. In fact several of them are still struggling 10 months on.
All down to DD who was a hungry baby who loved (loves) her milk and was bf exclusively to 6 months. Am still losing weight now, but think that is those fat reserves your body hangs onto as DD now down to 2 feeds a day.
BF bl**dy brilliant for weight loss, ate as much cake/chocolate as I wanted! (Note to self - maybe cut down a bit now...)

I weigh less now than I did before I fell pregnant! DS2m also loved his milk (still does 9 months on)

Found it was an excellent perk! I was starving all the time, and it felt like I ate constantly. I was a size 12-14 before I got pregnant, DD was big baby (91st percentile) and liked her milk! 3 weeks after I gave birth I was half a stone less than my pre pregancy weight then 3 months after I had DD I was a size 8-10. Once I stopped bf I levelled out to a size 10-12, I look at the photos of me at Christmas (when I was size 8 to 10) and can't believe it was me, I have never been so skinny since I was 17, was great! If only I had remembered to cut down on the cake and biscuits when I stopped breastfeeding I might have remained that size

Yep, I got concerned at one point about how much weight I was losing while BF in spite of eating lots. I guess the other thing is that I don't really drink alcohol much any more so that might have something to do with it.

I seriously think they should advertise the weight loss side of it to encourage more women to BF! I had no idea that I'd be able to eat so heartily and still lose weight.

DD is 10 weeks old and despite feeding her every 3 hours, I simply can't shift the weight, not even a pound. I eat reasonable well and just don't understand it!

(hi Annie )

I was back to pre-pg weight and into pre-pg jeans by about 10 wks, iirc

DD is 12m on Saturday (and still feeding) - I weighed myself yesterday for the first time in ages and was to discover I am a stone lighter than I was before pregnancy

heaven alone knows where it's gone though because none of my trousers are any looser

dh says I have obv lost muscle and replaced it with fat

I hate all of you who have lost so much weight BF.

I didnt weigh myself when pregnant (far too stressful) but didnt look like I had put that much on. After giving birth, Ithink I was eating too much and prob put on a bit (shock). weighed myself after 7wks and now DD is 13 wks and I have lost 9 pounds. I have another 11 pounds to go to get to pre pregnanc weight (and then another stone after that to get back to my wedding weight but that is another story!).

Saying all this, I have always been crap at losing weight and have had lots of eating issues. Just the fact that I have not really properly binged since I got pregnant is a success.
I am eating quite a lot and seem to be losing a pound a week without really trying. If that continues, I should hopefully be back in pre pregnancy gear in a couple of months with the aim of being back to wedding size by the time dd is 1!

After having DD I was 1 stone less than pre PG anyway so I kind of let it all happen - Chocolate etc all the time. I Gradually put back half a stone by the time she was 12m. Then I went back to work and cut back on BFing alot so my appite dropped. I have lost the extra half stone in a year with no effort at all (amazing for me as I just have to think about cake to put on weight usually).

I am still BFing DD at 23m and still gradually losing weight. Once I stop completely I am going on a diet I am hoping that by the time I have another 2 or 3 DC I might be a size 10

I boobie fed until Tom was almost 22 months, but haven't lost any weight. It probably didn't help that I ate a Mars bar everyday for the first 3 months because someone told me or I read somewhere that it made your milk creamier .

think annie is right about alcohol, as well as losing weight bf I lost weight from everywhere except my bump throughout my first pregnancy and I'm sure it was stopping the booze Am at least a stone lighter now than I was pre first pg

I fed dd for 10 months and could not shift any weight. It all came of very quickly when I stopped. I think the thing is I get very hungry when I am feeding and don't think its good to try and diet when you are feeding (or any time really) EVen with a healthy diet the weight would not shift, and I don't drive and walk at least 2 hours every day so I think in my case my body hangs onto its reserves so to speak Now ds is 9 weeks old it seems to be going the same way again- I am about the same size I was after having dd and it shows no sign of going. But I have just had a baby so really, why beat myself up? I know I lost it after stopping bf last time and I know (hope!!) I can do it again.

Like many of the others here, ate very healthily when pregnant (if I ate chocolate I could feel the baby going wild so didn't tend to), weighed less than had before when baby born, down to size 8 jeans compared to pushing size 14 before. Ate cake all the time - am still eating cake, am still BFing (18mo) but the jeans (still size 8) are getting a bit tight - so think I'll have to lay off it.

Certainly for the first year it was great - have never managed to do anything like that in the past and don't think I could have lost it any other way - but then I did used to drink shedloads of white wine pre-baby and one glass two or three nights a week at most now.

Like many of the others here, ate very healthily when pregnant (if I ate chocolate I could feel the baby going wild so didn't tend to), weighed less than had before when baby born, down to size 8 jeans compared to pushing size 14 before. Ate cake all the time - am still eating cake, am still BFing (18mo) but the jeans (still size 8) are getting a bit tight - so think I'll have to lay off it.

Certainly for the first year it was great - have never managed to do anything like that in the past and don't think I could have lost it any other way - but then I did used to drink shedloads of white wine pre-baby and one glass two or three nights a week at most now.

Also walked, and walk, loads since don't have a car and live quite close to centre of town.

DD1 lost preg weight and another stone within 8 weeks

DD2 lost preg weight and another 4lbs or so within 2 weeks

DD3 lost preg weight within 3 weeks (she's 4 weeks now)

BF the two older ones for over a year each, don't think the BFing helped lose weight but a change in lifestyle, in my old job I worked in the food industry sat at a desk writing about food, testing food and eating free cakes all day. Once I stopped work I have found I only eat when I need to (oh and have a bad chocolate habit) having 2 toddlers though has been the best diet ever.

Well I have 2 toddlers and a baby and have BF all of them and not managed to lose any weight. I am on the go all the time and BF and it doesn't matter if I eat chocolate all day or 2 apples, my weight stays the same. The only way I have ever been able to lose weight is to eat virtually nothing and do LOADS of exercise (did this for a year before I got married and lost about 1 stone- SO VERY SLOW).

I am about 2.5 stone overweight now.

I lost sooo much weight, and so fast it had me quite worried for a while - am still about 2 stone lighter than my PRE-pregnancy weight now. But I wonder looking back whether there were other factors, I also had a lot of anxiety in the first few months and wonder whether something like a thyroid imbalance was causing that and the weight loss, as it really didn't seem normal. Mind you my DS was a big feeder, and with all the pushchair walks I was probably getting much more exercise than in my old desk job too.. though also spending lots of time eating cake in cafes! So who knows how much of it was due to BF.

I put on as body stored fat in places I never had flab. On stopping BF had to fight hard to loose any of it am now pg totally different pg am hoping that bf will help me loose a bit but who knows- If I can bf then that to me is the most important bit and will try to worry about the weight when ready - Hell I am no celeb mum and I don't give a toss !!

i have not lost one ounce of 5 stone of pregnancy fat even though i have been breastfeeding for 11 months now. I was a size 10 before getting pregnant and am now a size 18 and none of it shows the slightest hint of going.

Well, doing WW this week, eating 32 points a day, from Sunday to Friday I have lost 3lb.

i don't believe breastfeeding helps everywoman lose weight. i have been consistently adding weight since i had my baby 3 months ago. and it's becoming embarrasing. breastfeeding makes me hungrier and i have been eating more that my normal share. i can't wait to stop breastfeeding.

I didn't put on much weight during either pregnancy - there was the bump and the rest of me got thinner, but when I was breastfeeding I felt hungry all the time and ate and ate. I'd hit a point at around 4pm and feeling starving.

So i gained weight while breastfeeding.

I think they tell you it will make you loose weight to encourage breast feeding!!! I didn't loose anything for 8 weeks after dd was born, still carrying about 1 stone extra dd now 21 weeks. Trying WII fit to loose some, as well as walking everywhere. Wii fit told me off the other day for gaining 2 lbs, now need wii therapy!!!; Can just get my jeans back on although muffin top rather more like very large doughnut!

never worked with me. i was blooming starving while bf. would eat anything if i allowed myself.

as soon as i stopped the weight fell off.

i am the same as soph28