Post-natal weight loss - am I just being impatient?

[squidkid]

Having a rubbish self-esteem day today and need some encouragement.

I am 10 weeks post partum with my first baby, she's lovely. I was very fit and active before and during pregnancy and hoped this would stand me in good stead with getting my body back. I put on 2.5 stone but carried it well, was quite neat. I was lucky enough to have a straightforward (if lengthy and painful!) labour with no problems, I felt I recovered really quickly. I was out walking a couple of days after delivery, was doing gentle exercise from week 2 and more strenuous stuff from week 5. For the last few weeks I've been exercising daily - am blessed with a baby who sleeps in the morning so I get a 45 min workout in every day - strength work alternating with running. I also carry baby in a sling and get out and about a lot, every day.

I don't "diet", but I don't eat processed food and I don't snack. Three meals a day of healthy stuff. I'm exclusively breastfeeding.

So I feel like I've been working really hard, and I stupidly weighed myself today (I don't much like scales) and still 1.5st up from pre-preg weight and have only lost 1 st since 40 weeks!! Aren't you supposed to lose more than that just from bloody delivery?? And I thought breastfeeding was supposed to help with weight loss... (not why I do it, but...)

I don't care about the weight, it's just a number, but I feel massive and oversized and like I'm working really hard for nothing. I want to wear my clothes again... I really want to be able to enjoy my maternity leave, it's so lovely being off work but I'm just slouching around in stretchy skirts and getting upset all the time.

I was a size 10 pre-preg, I don't know what I am now because I'm too depressed to buy new jeans, my boobs are quite a bit bigger I guess (32DD to 32F).

Very discouraged, demoralised, been crying like a loser. I knew my jeans don't fit but I've been trying to just keep the faith and not think about it too much, continue with the healthy eating/breastfeeding/exercising. Really low today though. When I was younger I was overweight and it took me 6 years to lose 3 stone, even though I worked so so hard at it (and I did keep it off). I was hoping pregnancy weight would be easier to lose Please encourage me...

Breastfeeding is good, and those boobs must weigh a bit!

It sounds like you are doing the right things, more exercise doesn't seem neceessary. What you might consider is reducing the carb part of your diet by half and increasing the protein and veg. This will keep you full and healthy but encourage your body to burn fat stores. Also, make sure the carbs are high GI, ie slow to digest and satisfying, brown rice, wholemeal pasta. A pound a week loss would be reasonable (which is worth 3500 cals).

I remember feeling good at this point because i fitted my new size 12 capri trousers (side fastening) and then realising I had them on back to front so the bum space nicely cupped my belly, doh.

I didn't start to lose weight till we sorted weaning DS as I was constantly hungry while bf. Eventually I got back to Pre pregnancy weight at his 1st birthday... At which point I was pregnant with dd! This time I didn't put much on, and now have a stone to lose with dd only 7w old. I'm constantly hungry again and not counting on losing weight till the bf slows down a little. However I can see why you're upset if you're working out as well and expecting results... Perhaps try somethin more structured like weight watchers if you want to see quicker results?

This sounds familiar to me - except I have been through it before! You lose quickly at first and then plateau. Each time before I lost it so am confident I will again (am 8 wks pp) best for me was to get some new clothes that fit (a bigger size but so what, better than wearing old maternity wear or a couple of horrible old things and feeling miserable, some stylishly baggy tops that I will still wear if thinner) and get busy meeting friends, doing classes etc and not to focus on it. it will go in time! Each time I did not completely lose the weight until I stopped breastfeeding. breastfeeding also makes me starving all the time and my body clings onto the extra weight! Just don't feel down, it is tough enough having a young baby, don't beat yourself up and think about something else. It will go, just give it time (and I never dieted to lose mine).

Breastfeeding does make you lose the weight but for quite a few people it happens after you stop- they don't tell you that bit! I'd say give yourself a bit more time, carry on doing what you're doing- you are obviously a very healthy person, I know it must be disheartening but maybe you need a bit of extra padding while you're feeding!
I was 9 and a half stone before my first pregnancy, put on 7 stone during, lost most very quickly but the last stone took a few months to shift, was going to the gym at least twice a week and walking every day. Finally got back to pre pregnancy weight when baby was 8 months, (stopped bf when he was 7 months), went back to work full time and lost another stone without doing anything! So ill say relax and enjoy your baby :)

Hi there, you're doing all the right things!!! I am sure it will drop soon, as others have said it just plateaus a bit and goes slowly but it will happen. Think that it took 9 months to put it on! I think it took me 6 months at least to feel good again and a year to get back to pre-pregnancy weight - and I was also exclusively bf. bf is great to drop fat (assuming you eat healthy and don't compensate with kilos of chocolate) but I was even able to eat a lot and cakes etc but dropped a lot of weight from bf.

Just weigh yourself once a month max and see what happens, I am sure the pounds will drop, it just takes a while. I put on 2.5 st as well with dd2 and am just about to give birth, ican't wait till i hae dropped 1 or 1.5 st, lol :-). Just keep going!! You're doing everything right! Good luck.

I found I lost a lot initially then the Ebf didn't aid weight loss until DS was around 4months. Since then I've lost weight every week and still am (he's 9 months now) I'm now smaller than Pre prg.

I think pregnancy changes your metabolism otherwise how do you survive and grow a baby? Its very gradual ime I'm still a good 10lbs up at nearly a year. From previous experience it took me 18 months I'm usually naturally slim btw.

Gosh, I sympathise. I'm nine weeks pp, put on 2 stone-ish, and whilst I dropped a fair chunk in the week after the birth, I haven't been able to make any reduction since then. Am bf also, and am wondering whether I am just going to b one of those mums who hold onto weight until weaning.

Haven't dare try on my pre pregnancy clothes yet - am still in leggings (deluding myself it's because of my c-section scar!)

I'm still about 1.5 stone heavier than my prepreggo weight with DD2 who is now 9 weeks old. I think I put on between 3 and 3.5 stone during this pregnancy.

With DD1, it took me 9 months to get back down to my normal weight so I suppose I should just be a bit more patient but I agree it's frustrating.

With all those people saying that it's when you stop breast feeding that you lose weight I tried to think back to whether I found that - then I realised I never did stop as I'm still feeding both of them! I suppose I hoped that would speed up weight loss but I fear my mince pie addiction may counteract any tandem feeding benefits. I WILL make more of an effort to ditch the sugar and eat more fruit and veg, honest.

Good luck OP, you will be back in you normal clothes soon and then you'll forget all about this dodgy dress period.

It's really hard. I was such a skinny bItch for so much of my life, I found it very hard to be at ease with my pp body. It affects everyone differently so you get the annoying people who post about fitting into their jeans 5mins after giving birth.

FWIW after DD I never lost all my weight. Due in part to the fact I think my body fundamentally had to change to be pregnant and to bf. I went from having a girls body to having a woman's.

I got pregnant again and had twins. One of them turned out to be cmpa and so I cut all dairy from my diet. I have lost loads since then and almost back to pre DD days. However, I still don't fit into old clothes as I think my hips and chest are just bigger!

In Canada, where we were living they say you shouldn't expect to be back to pre pregnancy shape until 18months pp. So try not to get too down. You are doing all the right things. You will get there.

Agree with annie. I hung on to last bit of weight til I stopped bfeeding.

Definitely the breastfeeding sorry- i read on here years ago that with breastfeeding you are either a dairy cow (like me) or a lucky cow (like a few of my friends).
Retaining that extra stone until I switched to formula at 6mths- 10lb literally fell off me in 2 weeks with no effort!
This will happen to you too

One of the very selfish reasons I breastfed was because people told me I'd lose weight. I think even fewer people would do it! You also need to drink plenty of water 3liters minimum if your breast feeding plus extra for exercise. I've slowed on the water and my weight loss has stalled. I only put on 1stone 9lb but I still have 9lb to lose (and I need to lose a bit extra too).

Oh OP, do go easy on yourself. I know it's hard - I'm in a similar position. I was naturally slim pre pregnancy and a size 8/10, 6 weeks pp and I'm a size 14; I think mostly because I'm just wider.

It's very disorientating when your body doesn't feel your own but it is VERY early days yet! 9 months on 9 months off, as they say.

It will happen.

Some people do gain weight breastfeeding, it's absolutely normal. Dairy cow or lucky cow is about right! And it's still such early days yet. With my first, I formula fed, but it all came off by itself between four and five months postpartum. Doing much less than you are. At 10 weeks I was still pretty big. You'd be surprised how many women just sort of lose loads all of a sudden, and that can be quite soon after the birth or months and months after. Sometimes breastfeeding related but not necessarily.

That said, I hate to break it about the clothes, but it's possible to lose the weight and more, but still be wider. My ribcage was wider, for example. Never quite went back down. Pre-pregnancy trousers were no problem, pre pregnancy fitted jacket was. And my boobs were the same size so it wasn't them.