BF-ing for a year - continued weight loss normal?

[sophiaslullaby]

Struggled to know where to add this thread but felt shy putting it on the weight issues page.
I lost my baby weight within 2 months, attributed it to breastfeeding and daily walks to get out of the house with DS - to steer clear of PND which other women in my family suffered with.
DS is 10.5months and still giving a morning and bedtime BF, which I plan to stop at a year when i can give cows milk instead.

Issue is I am now nearly a stone below my pre-pregnancy weight. I get people giving jealous comments about my figure which is as biting as if I were overweight - I have no energy and I'm starting to look thin. I know it's the BF and the racing round after a very active & mobile 10 month old, I'm also back to work 4days a week.
I eat 3 squares meals a day (Huge bowl of cereal for breakfast, mid-morn snack, lunch, and dinner).

What do other BF mums eat to up their calorie intake wisely? I'm not a fussy eater and love all foods but just not a big eater (I'm a grazer).

Cake! I used to treat myself to a lovely piece of homemade cake at least every other day. Normally mid-afternoon.

I used to eat a lot of ice cream (high calorie stuff like ben and jerrys, not the airy stuff like a 99). Flapjack (made with proper butter not low calorie spread), also anything with lots of nuts in like peanut butter. Cheese.
I lost quite a bit of weight when I stopped feeding (suspect was the hormonal changes plus coincided with son being more mobile) but I think it affects people differently.

Well that's permission right there to take a slice of DH's birthday cake! :-D Think I just wasn't aware how much feeding DS would take out of me considering I only breastfeed him twice a day (and even then the bedtime bf is hardly anything as he just uses me for the cuddle).

I don't want to give formula at this stage now, he'll be 1 in less than 2 months - anyone else started on cows milk as a drink (rather than just as an addition to food) earlier than a year?

Aww Ben & Jerrys! I don't buy in low fat stuff either - mainly because of DS, so that helps.

beginners You lost weight? Could explain it, I've dropped DS's feeds over the past 3 months and my weight carried on dropping. Weird but guess could be hormones like you say and the body trying to rebalance itself.

I am still feeding my 13mo (mainly morning and bedtime but occasional night feeds as he's currently getting 2 molars and has a heavy cold; I also feed at the weekend if I feel like it). But I did start him on cow's milk slightly before 12 months - probably around 10 months or so. Just a sippy cup with his porridge to get him used to the taste.

When I was feeding my twins, I defo ate cake every day - sometimes 2 slices. I needed the calories. I did have a hard time adjusting to normal eating once I stopped though

Yes I was really surprised that I'd stopped the calorie drain but was losing weight more (not that I was exactly large previously). My guess was that breastfeeding hormones encourage the build up of fat reserves and so once I stopped the hormones were telling my body it didn't need to keep the reserves anymore. And I guess just like periods come back for some people while they're still feeding, that hormonal change could happen at different times for different people. But some people find they put on weight when they stop I think so I guess it just varies from person to person.
Oh also granola cereals and banana chips (not sure why either of these are marketed as a health food... the latter are calorific because they are fried in oil - yum!)

FreeButtonBee -that's what I thought to do, give DS cows milk in his cup to get used to it as a drink, rather than a cereal addition!

And banana chips! Forgot about those, yes they are calorific, but very yummy!

I never regret feeding him for this long and already getting sad at the day I stop but didn't expect it to take so much out of me.

I started DD on cows milk at 10 months for what had previously been a mid afternoon BF when I returned to work.

Ironically the MW told me she was allowed to recommend water instead of formula but not cows milk!

So I took the decision that cows milk had to be more beneficial than water and never looked back.

Within a few months of having my ds I was a stone under my pre-pregnancy weight. 13 months later I never regained the weight but was pregnant again. I was just advised over and over to stockpile calories, and told to eat lots of cake.