Help! Calorie counting, breastfeeding, walking & no weight loss postpartum

[Bigbabyboymomma]

So I gave birth 8 weeks and 5 days a go to my first child, a beautiful baby boy weighing in at a whopping 11lbs! He was delivered via emergency c section (long story short, I was massive when I was pregnant! Community midwives didn’t send me for a growth scan so we didn’t know how big he was. Then community midwives did a sweep even though I told them I thought my waters were broken, therefore increasing the risk of infection. So after 12hours in labour, reaching 9cm dilated, I was whisked away for an emergency C section).
As soon as I came out of hospital I have eaten a clean diet (fruit, veg, lean meats) and lots of water. I weighed myself at 6 weeks postpartum, I was horrified with what I saw on the scales. 14stone and 6lbs!! No excuses, I was STARVING through pregnancy. My craving, babybel cheese. If I didn’t snack, I would feel sick. So I expected to be at least 12stone but 14stone seems excessive.
Since the horrific realisation of how HUGE I am, I have been calorie counting. Eating and drinking around 800-1000 calories a day. I walk at least 5KM a day with the baby in the pram and I am still breastfeeding. (I am aware that cutting calories can effect milk supply, so far no effect but I am willing to formula feed if need be. I only breastfed to lose weight anyway!) I haven’t lost 1lbs. Nothing!
What else can I do to lose weight? I want to go back to the gym but it’s hard to get someone to look after the baby. When I feel stronger, I will walk with the baby in the carrier.
I have pretty bad diastasis recti (4finger ab separation) so still waiting for that to restore before a proper workout.
Please help before I completely give up on food!!

I can identify with you OP. I was 14 stone when I delivered, but didn't start watching my calories until about 12 weeks, after I caught sight of my wide arse in a shop mirror! I weighed and counted everything, walked 3 miles twice a day with dog and pram plus an exercise video (callanetics) once a day during DS's afternoon nap. Not one pound came off for bloody weeks!

Then slowly, as breastfeeding slowed down and DS started a bit of real food, it started to speed up like mad. I went back to work at 6 months and weighed 9st 9lb.

I really think breast feeding somehow makes you hang onto your fat bits. On the optimistic side, I do think you'll find you reap what you sew and it will come off eventually, so stick with it OP and hang on in there.

Try slimming world they will account for breastfeeding

If this is genuinely all you're eating op. Then I think you need to see your gp again, maybe some thyroid tests, as you should be loosing weight quite drastically.

Are you sure there is nothing you're forgetting about. Mindless snacking, milky drinks, some alcohol, a take away, the occasional treat?

Scientifically what you're saying you eat v the weight you're maintaining, and breastfeeding, then it would say something is wrong.

Give it a few days and see your gp.

I would not though recommend eating the same thing three times a day, seven days a week, it is simply not sustainable.

OP you sound a bit too het up with this, don't lose sight of it being a special time with a tiny baby! It took 9 months to get this way, you can't expect your body to change that fast. Give it a year of eating healthily but not obsessing

This is great advice from @horse4course. I was told something similar - it takes you 9 months to get to that shape, so it's reasonable to assume a similar time frame to get back again.

I just can't see that weighing yourself every morning, logging on MFP and weighing food is going to do your mental health any favours, particularly when you add in lack of sleep which makes everything worse. I know that it's horrid when you feel huge, but you have lots else going on right now that needs your focus and energy. ❤️

Thank you everyone for your advice. I just want to be fit and healthy and back to my usual self as soon as possible.
I can honestly say I have stuck to this clean diet as I am determined to get the weight off. I don’t drink alcohol as I am breastfeeding. I have one cup of tea with milk in the morning (should I cut this out?!) and I drink water the rest of the day. I don’t buy anything to snack on therefore removing the option to mindless snack. I don’t have takeaways as it’s hard to accurately track the food on MyFitnessPal plus there is no need for takeaway as I have my meals prepped in the fridge ready.
I am going to give it another 2 weeks (that will take me up to 14weeks postpartum) and if nothing has changed I shall ask the GP for a thyroid test.
I’m not expecting to have lost alllll the weight by now but a few lbs should be expected considering how big I am and how healthy I am eating.
Thanks again guys! Great advice from everyone.

I totally sympathise with this I put on a lot of weight too. Big baby, huge appetite, no exercise as I had such severe SPD. I felt awful after. But all of that having been said you need to concentrate on looking after yourself not weight loss. Your baby is so small. If you persevere with eating good nutritious food the weight will come off but be kind to yourself. Goodness knows it's hard enough in the early days without you adding this pressure to yourself.

And BTW you can drink and breastfeed. Obviously not totally pissed but you can have a glass of wine!

Be nice to yourself, your regime sounds like punishment. Don't give up your tea.

I do t know why you’re not losing weight op, but the advice is really not to reduce your calorie intake to less than 1500 while breastfeeding.
You say you’re not experiencing any supply issues, but it is not always that obvious. Make sure you are having baby weighed regularly. You need to consider your son’s health as you are his only source of nutrition.

I forgot to mention I have reduced how many time I breastfeed my son and increased the number of formula bottles. This was a tough decision to make as I do enjoy feeding him myself however it’s highly impractical. Feeding him more formula has meant that I can have more time to exercise my fat ass!!!
Therefore his weight won’t be affected by my diet.

I know you want to lose weight, but the baby is more important now and it's still early days. Your priority should be keeping in good health so that you can look after your baby. Eating enough calories - the amount a woman should normally be eating plus an extra 500 is recommended for a breastfeeding mum.

Also you need to be patient. It took 4 months for most of my baby weight to fall off and by 6 months I was back to the size I was before I got pregnant. That's half a year and it often takes other women longer.

At 8 weeks I wasn't even thinking about weight loss.

I'm sorry each to their own but I csnt agree with this approach, you have your whole life to exercise your baby is so small.... Just enjoy the time with them for this short period where they only want cuddles and feeding. Obviously you have many reasons for stopping breastfeeding and it's entirely personal but I'm not sure freeing up time to exercise should be your primary motivator. Trust me when they start crawling you definately won't be able to sit around! And I say this as someone who worked out every day pre pregnancy.

But each to their own. It's not my place to judge you

I think perhaps you aren't eating enough to lose weight.

This really is not a thing and anyone pretending it is really doesn’t have an ounce of common sense... no one loses weight by consuming more calories, and people don’t gain or maintain weight by not eating enough - I’m sure there would be more slim westerners and less starving people in third world countries of this was the case... but hey we’ll tell ourselves and try all sorts of crap to lose weight because input calories/output calories is just too sensible and boring a diet for most people to follow apparently OP I understand wanting to lose weight after pregnancy but it’s only been 8 weeks - you sound a bit obsessed in terms of deiting and breastfeeding just to lose the weight. Just enjoy your baby and save your energy - plenty of time to lose the baby weight, 8 weeks is nothing unless you think you are (or really are, who knows??) some kind of Hollywood A Lister. Besides, it’s winter - big jumper, layers and puffy coats time of year, who cares?

I'm not "pretending" and I have plenty of common sense. Shame that manners are in such little supply around here. I really don't understand the need to be so rude and condescending. I think some of you are missing the point that the OP is breastfeeding. Of course, generally speaking, calories consumed/expended is the crux of weight loss, but there are different physiological imperatives when the body is lactating that change the picture.
www.thelactationnutritionist.com/post/2017/09/07/5-reasons-you-may-not-be-losing-weight-while-breastfeeding

8 weeks after giving birth! Give yourself a break darling. It takes 9 months to grow a baby - give yourself at least that long to get back in shape.

It's only eight weeks!

Your body has gone through the biggest change short of being born or dying- give yourself a break.

This all sounds a bit obessive and regimented.

You will burn out at this rate. You may also injure yourself.

You will never get back to your 'old self'. That person is gone. You're a different person now which is great, genuinely this is a good thing.

You're absolutely right. I am simple minded, gullible, pretending and lacking in common sense. I defer to your clear superiority and expert knowledge on this subject matter and fully accept your assassination of my character and intellect. Thank you for enlightening me.

Slimming World is what worked for me and I've always been sceptical of 'diet' plans. I lost 3 stone in about 4 months. Although I did completely stick to the plan so would have hoped to have seen losses each week. My DH lost a stone without much effort as ate what I cooked for dinner each evening.

Hi OP, please be kind to yourself - I've had 2 big babies (one also over 11lb) and 2 C sections. It is the most extreme thing your body can go through. You definitely need to see it as a 9 months on, 9 months off type deal. Your hormones are all over the place. I EBF both of mine and was constantly starving, there is no way I could have dieted, but the weight did eventually come off. It seems very sad that you're not allowing yourself some tea and cake days, to reward yourself for birthing and looking after a little baby all day.

Some women can't lose weight when breastfeeding for some reason, even though it supposedly burns so many calories. But don't quit for this reason only as you may regret it later. It's a short time and very precious for you and your baby.