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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Did you lose weight while breastfeeding?

24 replies

welshmum · 13/08/2005 09:12

Is it the norm to get thinner while you're breastfeeding?
Ds is 11 weeks, exclusively bf and I'm losing about a pound a week. Someone said the weight loss increases as the baby gets bigger and needs even more sustenance.
His sister was mix fed from about 5 weeks and it all stayed on.
Do you think you only lose the weight if you don't mix feed?
Would be interested to hear what other mums experienced as it's the most efficient diet I've been on

OP posts:

Kelly1978 · 13/08/2005 09:14

I mixed fed the twins, but the weight still dropped off. I've now stopped (they are 4 mnths) and I've put a little back on, but I've lost 4 stone now, 2 when they were born, and 2 since. It really is the best diet - it dropped off me with the older two too. I found it slowed as I continued though.

bambi06 · 13/08/2005 09:17

my weight also dropped off until i stopped bf fulltime , it was great cos i could still eat everything ..yippee

mumtosomeone · 13/08/2005 09:28

I put it on!!! Initially lost it but then stuffed my face cos I was SO hungry all the time!!!!

DelGirl · 13/08/2005 09:33

Same as you mumtosomeone. And I have rather alot to lose anyway but I am so hungry.

RosiePosie · 13/08/2005 09:35

No, doesn't work for me - I got fatter and fatter whilst bf. When I stopped after 18 months, that was when the weight dropped off. I think it would actually put me bf for so long next time.

mumtosomeone · 13/08/2005 09:39

i knew someone who gave up bf because they got dangerously thin!!!!Things like this never happen to me! I gain weight whatever!!!

zaphod · 13/08/2005 09:39

Lost weight every time, not initially, but after about 6 weeks, then the weight fell off. Just as well really, as I tended to 'treat' myself when pg.

ninah · 13/08/2005 09:52

put on loads
only did to to lose weight, too - JOKE!

kama · 13/08/2005 10:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Eaney · 13/08/2005 10:14

I am convinced that you put on weight, mainly because you are so tied to the house in the early days. If I had bottle fed I could have got out and got a little exercise instead I BFed and then BFed some more and then BFed a little more and oh yeah BFed a litle bit more. All done sitting down for hours in a day.

It's a bit better now with solids but i think the extra calories you need for BFeeding are canceled out by the fewer calories you need to sit down all day feeding.

QueenOfQuotes · 13/08/2005 10:18

BF DS1 was for 14 months, walked everywhere, and was taking him to weekly groups from 3 weeks old...........and put weight on

QueenOfQuotes · 13/08/2005 10:19

MTS - I had a friend like that, within about 2 months of giving birth she was lighter than she had been pre-pregnancy, and she'd been a size 8 before! No matter how much food she ate the weight just kept dropping

Tommy · 13/08/2005 10:40

My own theory on this (based on very extensive research of about 6 people ) is that some women lose weight when they breast feed and some can't shift an ounce until they stop. I, unfortunately, am one of the latter. When I was feeding DS2 I was doing WeightWatchers very conscienciously and didn't lose anything until DS2 went on to solids and I cut down his feed to 3 a day and then half a stone just dropped off without my even trying. When I stopped completely, I lost a stone in 3 months.
I reckon it's just the way you're made and you can't change it

harpsichordcarrier · 13/08/2005 10:45

ha! I wish, no I didn't start to lose weight until I stopped eating so much... bf is not a magic bullet I'm afraid, for everyone.

henshake · 13/08/2005 11:05

I am should we say, overweight and when was pg with DD lost 2 stone during pg, then lost weight bf but had given up smoking. When stopped bf cont'd eating to get over smoking so put weight back on. With DS again lost weight during pg & bf. He is still on 2 bf's a day & I am stopping soon so will have to be careful. Why do I have to be careful as have taken to eating tooooo much choc recently.

Ruthiebaby · 13/08/2005 12:21

Lost 3 pounds over the last month or so without trying whilst bf 6 mth old ds...eating puddings and chocolate too.

Love it !

Blackduck · 13/08/2005 12:29

I had to give it up because I lost too much weight....went down to 6 stone (was about 7 and half pre pg) - my mum insisted I stop! I just couldn't eat enough to keep the weight up - even binging on the calorific avocado...!

spidermama · 13/08/2005 12:30

I definitely lose weight and eat a lot while breastfeeding. But my upper arms, shoulders and back stay 'rounded'. I think it's to do with milk production and storage. They usually get skinny again when I stop breastfeeding.

I've been BF for six out of the last seven years now so don't really know what I look like any more.

maisiemog · 13/08/2005 12:53

I didn't put on that much whilst pg, as I had permanant indigestion. And immediately after giving birth I lost most of the fat I had accumulated, particularly as bf didn't work properly for a few months (teeny baby wouldn't latch on etc...).
Finally started to bf full-time and have NEVER felt so ravenous, would eat any food near me when feeding. I ended up putting on about a stone to a stone and a half (don't have scales).
Didn't help that ds was a Winter baby, as I wasn't really up for long walks with a pram in the freezing cold and rain. I think Summer mums have the edge here, as they can walk off any extra.
Now ds is weaning, I am a lot less hungry, but it is difficult to get rid of the weight I put on when I don't really want to be on a diet (can't be bothered thinking about calories right now)
Another thing that will probably help will be going back to work part-time - after 9 months at home full-time. I reckon it will give me a bit of a push to fit back into work clothes and think more about my own appearance (sadly neglected of late)

Homsa · 13/08/2005 13:35

I gained over 20kg in pregnancy, but was back to my normal weight within 6 months of breastfeeding. It was brilliant. I just ate whatever I felt like, and the fat still melted away nicely.
I'm pregnant again now and won't worry at all about how much weight I put on this time!

Dophus · 13/08/2005 13:47

For the fist three mnths I ate what I wanted and lost no weight. For the last three months I have joined WW and done loads of exercise and have lost 20lb. Hunger is a problem but I get loads of extra points from WW for bf. I think that if you eat sensibly (ie low fat low sugar diet) you can eat loads and lose weight.

fsmail · 13/08/2005 14:45

I mixed fed and lost a lot of weight but also had an older body and lost it when I went back to work after 6 months. Lost it again when I finished after 12 months. I was told you have to do it for about 8 months to lose weight but that may be an old wive's tale. However, going back to work seemed to do the drink - no time for watching telly and eating school run finished biscuit session.

fsmail · 13/08/2005 14:48

Trick not drink. You can tell what I was doing last night!

Steppy1 · 13/08/2005 14:48

...I ate for England when breastfeeding both of mine, probably also to do with the fact that I threw up right the way through my pregnancy (with both !). as soon as I had both DS & DD food tasted fantastic so I started eating again...and din't stop (hence the reason that I could usefully losing around 3 stone

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