Slimming whilst bfeeding: an urban myth?

[happyspider]

I have put on over three stones with my pg, ds is nearly 2 months old now and a real cutie, however he was tiny at birth and most of the weight has stayed with me

I am now (according to the charts...) classified as obese. I have been bfeeding for the last 2 months, but not only I haven't shifted any weight, I am actually putting on more pounds.

I just wanted some support and to hear that I will loose the weight eventually, and also wanted to hear from you if lost weight easily breastfeeding or if this is only an urban myth...

Oh, totally agree about the cake v body!

and congratulations. Not that you weren't gorgeous before, of course.

Ah, but that's the woman who's all lithe five minutes after having her baby talking!

Aloha - agree with you wholeheartedly! I too never lost weight through bf in fact 2 weeks after dd was born I was a darn sight thinner than 3 months after.

Brilliant thread hs - I had always planned to watch what I eat now I know that I can actually cut back. Thanks

Aloha - agree with you wholeheartedly! I too never lost weight through bf in fact 2 weeks after dd was born I was a darn sight thinner than 3 months after.

Brilliant thread hs - I had always planned to watch what I eat now I know that I can actually cut back. Thanks

Don't mean to sound churlish - you are all lithe, and I am extremely pleased to be congratulated

thanks Mears! I will start this week, hope they accept babies in the class.

Do let us know how you get on hs - in fact weekly reports would be fantastic . I was always told that cutting down would stop the milk which is probably also an "old wives tale" so good luck with the weight loss.

good idea Wills! We could have a mumsnet weigh in every week!

Just seen one of the posting which says that your metabolism slows down when breastfeeding: is this true?

Well, it definitely slows down during pregnancy, but when breastfeeding you do generally need more calories to stay at the same weight... but things vary very much between individuals. I'm not sure I needed any more calories at all.

According to my HV your metabolism speeds up during bf, which is why some women lose weight. I'm sure mine sped up double-quick-time, because I was so ravenous for the first few months.

I think we can assume that pretty much anything a HV tells a woman about breastfeeding is going to be completely wrong. There is almost no evidence of raised metabolic rate during breastfeeding and many studies showing that metabolic rates either stay the same or decrease (ie become more efficient). This would seem to make much more sense for human survival - after all, if your body burned up calories faster during breastfeeding this is likely, in less well nourished societies, to put both mother and baby at risk.
You do use up more calories, but that's not the same as increasing your metabolic rate. The extra calories are used for milk production, and there is a lot of evidence that, provided you have laid down fat stores during pregnancy, those can be used for the extra calories, while your dietary intake can even be reduced and your milk composition and your baby's nutrition will remain the same (study references 1991 van raaij and 1986 Illingworth).
Studies also show that while the average degree of weight loss during breastfeeding is 1 - 2lbs a month during the first 3-6 months, 20% of women put on weight while breastfeeding (possibly due to eating more or moving around less). Women who put on excessive weight during pregnancy are very unlikely to lose it all by breastfeeding.
Interestingly, we may need to make fewer calories to feed a breastfed baby than they would need in formula milk. Once study showed that babies consumed 25% fewer calories in breastmilk than babies of the same age took in formula milk, but their weight gain was the same, showing that breastmilk is absorbed and used more efficiently than formula.
BTW, which I'd realised all this when I was breastfeeding.

wow aloha, I am impressed!
are you a nutritionist/doctor/scientist???
It makes sense to me. This only means that there is no easy way out,you got to sweat to get your figure back...

No I'm a journalist, but I write a lot about health and LOVE research - esp if its a subject close to my heart. Most of what magazines say about metabolism etc is wrong, according to the scientists who study it!

Just keep that baby sleeping through the night so you can do it, honey!

I agree, Motherinferior. As I recall, sheer lack of sleep made it impossible psychologically for me to diet - I only kept going in my most desperate moments by increasing my already copious carbohydrate intake!